At 50 feet long, the size of the Hogwarts castle model shocked me. But for production designer Stuart Craig, the true challenge was in working with a model that was so small. The 1:24 scale model went through big changes in the 10 years the Harry Potter films were made. The filmmakers expanded the model by 40% for Azkaban, and added additional detail to the existing structure. And though footage of the model didn’t make it into the final film, the filmmakers did use extensive scans of the miniature for their digital recreation of the castle. The model exists to this day – and you can see it yourself, where it serves as the final stop in London’s Warner Bros. Studio Tour.
This review originally appeared in the Austin School of Film’s recommendations blog, MIX/VHS. Check out the full post here, including reviews of Atlanta and Moulin Rouge!