Saturday, December 12, 2015

Wizarding World and Orlando Studios

Very soon I will be heading back to MY happiest place on Earth. This brings to mind the most fantastic event of my life. A few years ago, I was able to participate in one of the celebration events at Orlando Studios. This event was the 10 year anniversary of the first movie. Having the chance to celebrate up close and personal with other fans, as well as meet some of the actors was too great an opportunity to pass up.
We didn't know which actors would be attending the event. We knew about the Phelps twins. They always seem to go to Harry Potter events, and we fans love them for it.
We we arrived at the park for the first day,the congestion was intense. Especially directly in front of the joke shop. "The Today Show is interviewing a few of the actors" the people around me said. This was pretty exciting. I could actually see the twins standing by the shop, but I kept wondering if the most important actor (to me) would be a participant. Would Rupert Grint be there?
A whisper went through the crowd. Rupert was here, getting his photo taken at another location. Surely this was just a rumor. Then, the girl next to showed the surrounding fans a photo her friend had taken. It was a bit blurry, but it was definitely Rupert. He was here! Surely they'd interview him as well as the twins for the show.
Well, they did. We all stood around in a group while Kathy Lee and Hoda insulted the twins (by barely even interviewing them at all--they addressed this insult on their Twitters later that day), interviewed all of the other actors present (Rupert, Evanna, and Jason) , and insulted Harry Potter fans by making fun of the ones crazy enough to have HP tattoos.
The next event was a Autograph session. I was slightly disappointed in the people at my personal session, but I don't think any of the "major" actors were at any of these particular events.
The true highlight was producer David Heyman. He was charismatic, funny, and apparently amazed that I was 28 and looked as young as I did. He signed my photo "Great Genes!" (my mom also looks much younger than she is).
Also present was David Bradley (Filch), George Harris (Shacklebolt), and Nick Moran (Scabior). They weren't near as friendly, although Nick is much more attractive in person.
The question answer sessions were next on the agenda. Each person was given a ticket to a specific session at a specific time. You never knew who was going to be on stage, and you couldn't change days or times. You could attend other sessions, but could only be seated after ticket holders were.
During my session, when they brought out a footstool and placed it in front of a chair, we all cheered. We knew that meant that Warwick Davis would be there. When the directors and producers walked across stage, my mother and I were disappointed. We wouldn't even get a session with actors? Next came Warwick Davis (of course) and finally Jason Isaacs. When my mother saw Jason she made a noise I'd never heard before (a shout/cheer with a hint of Rawr). The session was surprisingly hilarious. Jason and Warwick fed off of each other, and the jokes were flying. I was pleasantly surprised, although I was already planning the next sessions I would attend (I wanted to see the other attendees).
The next day while my mother and I were shopping I randomly checked Twitter. On one of the Harry Potter news accounts that I followed were the words, "Rupert Grint to answer questions at [a time I can't remember]." I looked at mom and exclaimed, "Rupert is going to be at the next session!" She said, "Run, and I'll catch up." Without another word I darted all the way across the park to where the sessions were taking place. I wasn't even out of breath when I arrived, and was sixth in line to get in (after the ticket holders, that is). This was the ONLY session that actually was too full to allow everyone entrance. I guess word traveled pretty fast.
The session was actually a WEASLEY FAMILY session. The twins, Rupert, Mark Williams, and Domhnall Gleeson were all there.
These men were hilarious, interacting almost like a real family and answering a lot of questions from the audience. The twins discussed their frequent use of social media (namely Twitter). They teased Rupert for avoiding such things, egged on by the audience. Rupert even promised to start using Twitter (liar). Gleeson discussed his years spent on set because of his father (Brendan Gleeson/Mad-Eye Moody), and his eventual acceptance of the role of Bill. They talked about their friendships on and off set, and they all answered individual questions (although I can't remember all of the questions off of the top of my head).
Besides this question/answer session, the coolest part of this trip was the night time gala event. Not only did we get dinner, Butterbeer, and dessert provided to us by the park, but we got to ride the Wizarding World roller coasters at night. During this time, the Dueling Dragons ride actually ran each coaster at the same time (someone hadn't lost an eye yet), so it was really cool.
But the best part of THIS event was that we got to line up along the red carpet and get signatures from all of the actors and other celebrities that showed up. I will include a few pictures below.
I know that they are doing another one of these celebration events in January. I also know that Matt Lewis and Rupert will be there, as well as the old staples at these events (the Phelps twins and Evanna Lynch). I would say that if there are still tickets available, buy them and experience this for yourself. While it is busy, crowded, and crazy, it is definitely worth it. I made some lifelong friends during the event, and met some cool, famous people. The greatest aspect of the event is connecting with others that love Harry Potter as much as I do, and experiencing that excitement with others that appreciate it just as much.

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