2024 is the year in which we celebrate 25 years since the release of The Phantom Menacethe first opus of the prelogy Star Wars but it is also the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film’s release Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. This is also the reason why Londoners woke up to discover something unusual when they looked up at the sky.
The Prisoner of Azkaban celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2024
Without doubt, the saga Harry Potter is one of those franchises that have established themselves in popular culture in the world of literature as well as cinema and also video games. And this is likely to continue with the future adaptation of JK Rowling’s work into a live-action series planned for HBO Max.
The universe created by the British writer was revealed to a large part of the public thanks to feature films. Regularly, when fans are asked to name their favorite film, the answer that comes back is the third opus of the saga: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. In this film, the public finds Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, accompanied by his companions Rupert Grint and Emma Watson in the roles of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger but also Gary Oldman as Sirius Black, the famous escaped prisoner from Azkaban Prison.
Time passes and this year, this third film in the saga celebrates its 20th anniversary. For the occasion, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London has decided to prepare something incredible in the London skies. Indeed, you remember Marge Dursley, Harry Potter’s odious aunt ?
An original way to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film
This is this character who appears at the very beginning of the film during a meal at the Dursleys’. The young wizard’s aunt then begins to disrespect Harry’s parents, which makes him angry and casts a spell on him. That’s when Marge begins to inflate like a balloon and fly into the air !
This is exactly what Londoners were able to see in the sky of the British capital above Tower Bridge. An enormous balloon, almost 12 meters in circumference, bearing the image of Marge Dursley hovers in the air at a height of 6.5 meters. To inflate this replica of the character, 40 m3 of air were required and 16 people worked for 264 hours to create it.
As Laura Sinclair-Lazell, head of the Studio Tour, recalls, the opening scene of the film was produced without the use of digital special effects. Fans can also discover how the scene was shot by going to the Studio Tour until September 4.
