London locals were advised to keep their wands handy as a 25 foot-long Hungarian Horntail dragon travelled through the streets of London. Onlookers were left spellbound as the ‘captured’ dragon made its way past London landmarks in transit to its rightful home at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, roaring and wrestling against its chains.
The huge animatronic dragon, which weighs 1.3 tonnes, brings to life the fan favourite, nail-biting scene where Harry Potter’s Hungarian Horntail breaks free of its chains during the first task.
It was created to mark the launch of the new ‘Triwizard Tournament – Making of Champions’ feature at the tour, running from 15th May to 8th September 2025.
The feature celebrates the 20th anniversary of the cinematic release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and invites visitors to go behind-the-scenes of the Triwizard Tournament to discover how filmmakers created the iconic competition we see and love on-screen.
Mirroring the dragon’s escape in the film, the showstopping stunt sees the Hungarian Horntail safely captured and making its way past Westminster Bridge, the Houses of Parliament, King’s Cross Station, and a quick pitstop at St. Pancras London before returning to Warner Bros. Studio Tour.
Harry Potter filmmaker and Animatronic Designer, Joe Scott, designed the dragon, replicating the creature in the film, complete with moving head, mouth and eyes, and sound effects.
The skilled recreation of the famous dragon was carefully crafted over 750 hours, using materials that included 25kg of fiberglass. The team first created a series of detailed sketches and CGI mock-ups, before Sculptors, Carpenters and Scenic Artists meticulously built the dragon’s head, which was 3D printed using a scan of the original Hungarian Horntail from the film.
A total of 119 spikes were individually applied to garnish the dragon’s head and tail, taking 265 painstaking hours, whilst 38 razor sharp teeth were 3D printed in resin to create bite in the creature’s animatronic mouth.
Now, as part of the new summer feature, fans can for the first-time ever, explore the Backlot Stage, showcasing the Secrets of Special Effects. This new, dedicated indoor space, offers visitors the opportunity to discover how filmmakers brought the action-packed scenes from the Triwizard Tournament to life.
Comprising a digital screen, a stage and tiered seating, it promises to uncover secrets that not even the most knowledgeable Muggle will know. From creating the Hungarian Horntail dragon to understanding how Harry Potter held his breath for so long underwater, all will be revealed as part of the feature. Visitors can also witness a mesmerising demonstration reminiscent of the Beauxbaton and Durmstrang students’ arrival, wearing the iconic blue dresses and fur accessories as seen in the film.
Geoff Spooner, Senior Vice President at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London says,
“We’re excited to launch our brand-new summer feature, Triwizard Tournament – Making of Champions, where visitors can learn behind-the-scenes secrets of the fourth Harry Potter film. To celebrate and bring the magic of Warner Bros. Studio Tour London to the streets of the capital, we recreated the iconic moment of the escaped Hungarian Horntail dragon 20 years on from ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.”
Joe Scott, Harry Potter Filmmaker and Animatronic Designer, says, “Revisiting the creation of the Hungarian Horntail 20 years on from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has been magical. Creating the dragons for the Triwizard Tournament was no mean feat, with Engineers, Animatronics, Designers and the Special Effects teams all working together to bring them to life. It’s fantastic to see the craftsmanship that went into this on display at the new feature – inspiring visitors with the magic of our filmmaking secrets.”
Those who are brave enough can take their name from the free Activity Passport and put it into the Goblet of Fire which will be waiting for them in the wand room.
Further additions include Mad Eye Moody’s arrival into the Great Hall, wizarding journalist Rita Skeeter, best known for her poison pen articles, will be welcomed to the Studio Tour along with her self-writing quill. Elsewhere, the Forbidden Forest will recreate the all-important moment when Hagrid reveals the first task to Harry Potter.
‘Triwizard Tournament – Making of Champions’ is a special feature running from 15th May – 8th September and all new additions are included in the ticket price.
