LONDONERS were left bemused after a 19ft replica of Harry Potter’s bulging Aunt Marge appeared above Tower Bridge.
The giant inflatable was suspended in mid-air as part of a stunt to promote a new feature at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London on the 20th anniversary of the third Harry Potter film.
The hefty replica played on the comical scene in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Harry unintentionally casts an inflating charm on his Aunt Marge, causing her to inflate like a balloon and float away.
Weighing a staggering 95kg, with a circumference spanning 38ft, the bulging Aunt Marge appeared to be hovering in front of the iconic landmark.
Coming in at 21ft high, it took 40m3 of air to inflate the colossal figure – enough to fill 140 standard party balloons.
The skilled recreation took a total of 264 hours by a dedicated team of 16 people, including expert designers, artists and seamstresses.
A staggering 46 hours were spent during the initial design and sketch process.
A further 18 hours were also spent painting her head and hair, along with 32 hours on stitching and sewing her clothes.
The inflatable was launched into the ether to mark the unveiling of a new Return to Azkaban feature at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.
Laura Sinclair-Lazell, head of show experience at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London, said: “Many fans are surprised to learn this popular scene wasn’t created using CGI in the films but in fact was created by our incredibly skilled filmmakers.”
During the films original production, the cast, camera and lighting departments, stunt players, make-up and special effects teams worked tirelessly together to create the magic that was the iconic floating departure of Aunt Marge from Privet Drive.
The costume department created 38 different tweed suits of varying sizes and shapes and there were four separate make-up stages as Aunt Marge got bigger.
Actress Pam Ferris, who played Harry’s grumbling aunt and is also known for her role as Mrs Trunchbull in Matilda, spent over five hours in the make-up chair to prepare for the scene.
Her costume consisted of two bodysuits weighing 50 pounds each which were pumped by air tubes, paired with inflatable gloves and legs.
The actress and her body double were fitted with a flying harness suspended on two wire rigs that could lift, flip, and raise her with a separate rig to spin her around.
The special feature will be running from May 1 to September 4 and is included in the ticket price which must be prebooked in advance.
Laura Sinclair-Lazell added: “We’re thrilled that visitors can now come to the Studio Tour and learn more of the behind-the-scenes magic from the third film in the Harry Potter series.”
