We took the Warner Bros Studio Tour in December 2021 for my husband's birthday.
I know it's almost March 2022, but I'm finally getting around to posting about the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Hollywood that we took in December 2021 for my husband's birthday. We had originally expected to only spend 2-3 hours there. We ended up staying 5 hours! There is just so much to do and see!
We took advantage of the SoCal Resident deal at $57 per person. I also added the Official Guidebook to my order for just $9.95. Good thing, because at the store it was actually $12.95.
We arrived at 9:30am for our 10:00am tour. Masks were required. We went through the security checkpoint, scanned our tickets, then waited for the tour. It wasn't too crowded. The gift shop was closed at that hour of the morning, but the Starbucks was open. We took photos at the cinema and Harry Potter Wizard Cup backdrops while we waited.
Harry Potter Wizard Cup in front of WB Starbucks
When it was time for the tour, we entered a room of various displays outlining Warner Bros' history. Then we went into a screening room to watch a video about Warner Bros before boarding the tram for our studio lot tour. The studio lot tour takes 1-2 hours depending on how knowledgeable the guide is. Our tour took 90 minutes. We saw sets and backdrops for Friends, Seinfeld, Spiderman, and Jurassic Park -- just to name a few. We were also allowed to walk onto the set of a TV show that was being produced, but we weren't allowed to take any photos/videos on this particular set.
Mini studio replica in the waiting room before the tram
Exterior sets on the WB lot get re-used multiple times for various TV shows & movies
After the tram tour our guide dropped us off at the "Central Perk Café," where we could eat and shop while taking in various set pieces from Friends.
Friends' "Phoebe Buffay" costume
Afterwards we explored other sets, including Big Bang Theory, an exhibit of costumes from films like Casablanca, Mars Attacks, and Crazy Rich Asians, and the actual Café set where Friends filmed.
Big Bang Theory
Casablanca
Mars Attacks
Crazy Rich Asians
Central Perk Cafe
There were also opportunities to learn about the how-to of TV/movie production like casting, storyboarding, scriptwriting, etc. Hands-on experiences included a voice-over booth, green screen filming, motion-capture, and forced perspective photo ops.
History of Sound Production
Special FX
Then we boarded the tram again outside of the Friends gift shop. The tram took us to the Friends couch at the fountain for another photo op, then we boarded the final tram to the DC movie and Harry Potter exhibits at the end of the tour.
Friends' couch at the fountain
If you are a DC movie or Harry Potter fan, these exhibits will be your favorite part of the tour. The DC exhibit included costumes, props, set pieces, cars, etc. from the different Batman and Superman movies, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman.
Batman bike
Superman's lair
Wonder Woman costumes & props
Aquaman costume
The Harry Potter exhibit had some nice immersive experiences, including the cupboard under the stairs, a flying envelopes photo op, the sorting hat, the potions classroom, wand choreography, and a Fantastic Beasts suitcase photo op.
The Cupboard Under the Stairs
Flying envelopes!
Potions classroom
Wand choreography
Surprise suitcase!
At the end of the tour my husband, the birthday boy, picked up his "Oscar" and we took photos on the "red carpet" before heading into the gift store. There we picked up the guidebook I had pre-ordered and a Harry Potter wand for my daughter's Christmas present. By the time we left the studio 5 hours had gone by!
An Oscar for our star!
Just looking around at the gift shop
So be prepared to spend a good part of the day at Warner Bros Studios to get the most out of your money. There is a lot to learn about the filmmaking process and so many sets and movie paraphernalia to appreciate. Here's a video of how our tour went:
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