Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience, an immersive nighttime woodland trail that took place last winter, celebrated the iconic Forbidden Forest and creatures from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series.
Located in the woodland of Arley Hall and Gardens in Cheshire, UK, the illuminated experience was created by Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment in partnership with award-winning designers and experiential creators, Thinkwell, alongside their partners Unify and leading entertainment discovery platform Fever.
Heather McGill and Anthony Norris, directors and owners at Unify Productions Global, Craig Hanna, chief creative officer at Thinkwell Group, and Peter van Roden, SVP Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment (WBTE) talked to blooloop about the project’s creation.
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
“Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience offers fans a way to enjoy some of the most iconic and magical wizarding world moments in an experience unlike anything we’ve ever done before on the franchise,” says Peter van Roden.
“Fans love the Forbidden Forest, so getting to cast a Patronus, coming across beloved Nifflers, to encountering mysterious unicorns, we think this woodland light trail will truly thrill fans and is yet another Wizarding World experience in the UK that was created with fans in mind.”
“I was event director, overseeing site operations, technical production and finance,” says Anthony Norris. “Essentially, Heather and I split the ‘event director’ role in half. She focused on the creative, working with Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment and the team at Thinkwell. I then took the creative concept and worked with the technical and operational teams to deliver them.”
Together, all the teams created an experience that is both inspired by, and authentic to, the Wizarding World and the iconic Forbidden Forest.
A new type of COVID-secure event
Norris describes the inception of Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience:
“2020 was a difficult year for many, and the Live Events industry was amongst the worst affected. Live events completely stopped in March 2020. In situations like this, you have two choices: fight or flight. Having spent the past 20+ years working on live events, I chose to fight, as I love what I do.
“Heather and I had worked together several times in the past, having met at Live Nation in 2010 and then for close to 2 years at London 2012. So, I reached out to her in early September to see what she was doing.
“We started talking about ‘COVID secure‘ events. When the Forbidden Forest was mentioned, it was like a lightbulb had been switched on. At this point, Heather asked if I was happy for her to reach out to Craig, as they had been working with the Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment team for close to 15 years. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is a unique light trail
The team realised that the idea of combining a major IP with an enchanting light trail would allow them to do something highly proprietary and unlike anything that has been done before.
“The Forbidden Forest light trail allows families to come together to enjoy all the magic the Wizarding World is known for, but in a truly unique way and we really think this experience is a treat for fans,” says van Roden.
“An outdoor woodland trail lends itself perfectly to an event inspired by the iconic Forbidden Forest. The natural beauty of a forest trail and illuminated sets filled with familiar creatures from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts series makes for a magical experience for fans of all ages.”
The original intent, McGill explains, was to find a way of bringing guests into a natural environment:
“We wanted to find a way to dovetail the real and the natural with the Wizarding World. Once we had that as the basis of the experience for what we wanted to achieve, it was about bringing as much of that feel as possible, that sense of joy and fear and wonder that are in the movies. Whilst the Forbidden Forest takes inspiration from the Harry Potter films, we also used creatures from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise.”
The appeal of the Wizarding World
The Wizarding World seems to have an evergreen appeal:
“We had people who grew up with the Harry Potter stories and films bringing their children through,” McGill says. “It’s evolving with the generations. It’s an amazing thing.”
Hanna describes the creative process behind Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience:
“Heather, the WBTE team and I spent a great deal of time and energy doing research. We looked at all the Forbidden Forest moments to see what we could bring to life for our guests, how we could make the experience unique and special, and what interactivity we could bring in so people could lean into the experience and participate in it.”
Iconic IP and authentic experiences
When it comes to the challenge of creating something truly magical but also authentic, van Roden says:
“Harry Potter fans are at the heart of what we do and part of every decision we make. We know fans have been eager for an experience that includes the Forbidden Forest and all their favorite creatures.
“Our team, including our own Hope Glomski and in house creative Mickey Stern, worked hand-in-hand with Thinkwell, Unify and Fever to create an experience that we think exceeds fan expectations.
“Attention to detail is what sets Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment experiences apart and puts them in a class of their own. We think when fans walk through and experience all of the surprise and delight moments the light trail has to offer, they’ll feel like they’re immersed in the Wizarding World.
“We know that Harry Potter is loved by millions and that the books/films have so many amazing moments,” says Norris. “The problem is, with millions of fans knowing and loving Harry Potter, you need to be truly authentic to its canon.
“Thankfully, not only did we have some superfans working on the project, but the key suppliers had also worked with the IP for many years. Together with the Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment team, we were able to recreate scenes and props that are not only true to the fiction but also allowed guests to feel as though they are experiencing moments for themselves.”
The Thinkwell touch
Thinkwell partnered on the creation and development of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter, as well as working with Niantic on their Wizards Unite game live festival in 2018, in addition to many other LBE implementations and experiences across a variety of different platforms.
“We have a long-running relationship with Thinkwell and they’re true partners in every sense,” says van Roden. “Working with them, along with Unify/Fever, has been a true partnership and a recipe for success.”
“For us, the interesting thing here was that we were working in a new medium and were able to create this experience in a new way,” says Hanna. “That’s the challenge, and that’s also the opportunity.
“Meeting guest expectations by celebrating those moments from the IP is pretty straightforward. But the challenge is to exceed those expectations, because any fan comes carrying a lot. Blowing people away with this IP is the real challenge.
“We sat down again at the beginning to figure out what the big ‘wow’ moments of the experience would be. Those elements that would make people fall down in awe. We had these big ‘wows’ planned.
Spiders, centaurs and Patronus casting
One of the amazing creatures that visitors encountered on the light trail was the giant spider, Aragog, and his many children.
“We had three drops of spiders,” says McGill. “When we were building it on-site, I asked the rigging company, ‘Can we drop all the spiders, right at the last minute, as fast as possible?’
“We found the tallest person we could onsite, and we made him stand underneath with his arms up. I said, ‘Right, drop the spiders really fast to just above where his fingers reach, so no-one can touch them.’
“I’m not a massive fan of the spiders, but I loved standing and listening to the screams.”
One other interactive moment was an opportunity to cast a Patronus. “It’s super fun,” says Hanna. “People cast their Patronus with ‘Expecto Patronum,’ and one of several Patronuses appears to fly around.
“Our lighting designer added physical lighting in the trees. This amplifies the experience as if the Patronus is reflecting its energy into the trees. With the addition of the lighting in the trees, in sync with the animation, it really sells the moment. People loved it.”
Magical moments during Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
Something else that turned out to be a special moment is an interlude with the centaurs:
“We also had centaurs in the forest looking down at you as you round the corner, and they talk about the people that are standing there, staring at them. It’s a projection effect, and it’s pretty magical. They’re life-size, making eye contact and talking to us.”
Another interactive element of Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience was a photo op where two guests could each take a wand and battle with each other.
“They pose, and we have a little lighting effect that makes it look as if the spell is shooting out of each wand towards each other. After they have made a 100% connection, the background lights up, creating this great photo backdrop for them.
“Then there is a Grawp moment. Grawp is a less-known character, but certainly, one that you would expect to see in the Forest. He is leaning over, peering down at you.”
The Hippogriff provided another subtle interactive moment during Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience.
“We built in two ‘reactions’. If people bowed properly, the Hippogriff would bow back to them. However, if they don’t bow properly, it shook its head and refused. The kids thought it was hilarious when their parents ‘got it wrong’,” says McGill.
Throughout the trail, some elements emitted an ethereal glow. The most spectacular of these was at the end, with Harry casting his Patronus at the trail’s finale.
“The glow of Hagrid’s lantern was a bit of a theme. We said right at the beginning that it would be a key icon for us. It’s a beacon of safety. That is why, whenever people saw the lantern in our trail, they would always find a member of staff.”
Sound design is key
In terms of the soundtrack, Hanna explains:
“Thinkwell is very keen on sound across all our experiences. One of my partners, François Bergeron [sound designer and co-founder of Thinkwell Group] spent 20 years with Cirque du Soleil, doing sound designs for most of their permanent shows and many of their touring shows. Sound design is in our DNA.
“We had speakers placed along the trail, similar to how you would set up audio for a dark ride in a world-class theme park. So, the sound was constantly with you. The guest was never out of an audio zone through that experience.
“We had hundreds of speakers along the linear pathway, and then pointed source sound in various locations to accentuate that.”
The sound system delivered a consistent high fidelity, high-quality audio presentation throughout the entire trail:
“In terms of sound design, we looked at each one of the scenes as little mini-shows. The sound design is created in such a way that it is dimensional. It makes you feel like you are immersed in that moment, whether it’s the sound of spiders clicking as they come down behind you, the wind swirling around you, or werewolves howling in the depths of the forest. That dimensionality with the sound and that fidelity of audio quality was key.”
The soundtrack to the films is iconic:
“Heather and I went through every track, identifying iconic moments. We knew that we could elicit an emotional response in guests with the music that they love.
“As we look to creating Harry Potter Forbidden Forest experience trails in other locations around the world, things are going to shift and change, according to what works for that forest, that country, and that environment, so we need that flexibility for the future.”
Low impact
Before the trail was created, the team had an ecological survey of the wood conducted, in an effort to plan the experience around the existing natural wildlife and surroundings. McGill explains:
“We knew exactly where all the bats are, and we avoided them. We took a lot of advice from various companies, as well as Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
“A guest wouldn’t notice that they’re walking past trees that are completely unlit, and which sit in a radius where it’s very dark. They imagine it’s part of the design. We also went back to darkness every night. As soon as the last people walked through, we shut the lights down behind them. This meant that the wood returned to full darkness and silence as quickly as possible.”
Keeping Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience sustainable
Sustainability was, McGill adds, a key objective. The paths for the trail were already in existence, and not a single tree was cut down:
“If you’re going to go and do something in a natural environment, you don’t come along and ruin it. We partnered with a company called Forest Carbon and gave our guests the chance to donate a tree. Building our own forest, in essence, helps make us carbon neutral. We’ll also look to continue to do this as we go forward, giving our guests an easy way to donate a tree.”
In addition, she says: “We sorted all our waste and recycled everything that could be recycled. The plastic glassware on site was in a closed-loop and was back on-site within three weeks.
“We’re focused on anything to do with making sure that we are not detracting from the environment. All those ecology reports right at the start ensured we understood exactly who our local residents were, in terms of furry creatures and flying things.”
Meeting tough timescales
Norris comments on one of the project’s main challenges:
“The main challenge for the team was creating this experience in the timescale. Typically, an idea on this scale takes 2-3 years from conceptualisation to delivery. We achieved it in under 12 months. And that is despite the team never being in the same room, let alone the same time zone.”
COVID, of course, was an ongoing challenge:
“We built this during COVID, so we built it to be completely COVID secure,” says McGill. “We only had one indoor location on site, the retail Emporium shop. Visitors did not have to go into this – there were also some other outlets on-site, so they could always remain outdoors.”
“It’s lovely to be able to provide something where people feel safe, and which also creates great employment locally, too.
“Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment have been brilliant, supportive partners. They kept up with us, and we’re very grateful to them. There’s been a lot of laughter on this project. It’s exciting. I can’t wait to take it to other countries.”
Van Roden adds:
“While nothing has been officially announced, we are always looking at how we can expand and grow our themed entertainment experiences to allow fans around the world to partake and enjoy.”
Magical experience wins fans
In conclusion, Norris adds:
“There were two main drivers for the Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience project. First, to create a magical experience. One that made our guests feel as though they were truly immersed in a Forbidden Forest. Second, since we created the experience during lockdown, it needed to be COVID secure and accessible for all.”
“We met the first goal by using brilliant creatives who truly understood what we wanted to achieve. The sound and lighting design are genuinely amazing. And, when paired with the ‘scenes’ and our interactive moments, we are very proud of the overall experience. Customer reviews were incredible, and we are delighted that our guests enjoyed what we all have created.
“We met the second aim by designing the experience in the outdoors. By using a one-way path with guests arriving at staggered entry times, we could allow them to walk freely (naturally socially distancing) across the trail. This eliminated the need for extra measures or restrictions.”
“The fan response has been incredible, says van Roden. “We have received ample amounts of positive feedback on the experience as a whole and praise for the attention to details. Along with fans begging for it to come to their hometowns.”
Warner Bros. Themed Entertainment in partnership with Thinkwell, Unify and Fever, have announced that Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience will return to Arley Hall & Gardens in Cheshire for its second year. Following its popular debut in 2021, the breathtaking light trail will once again be open from 15th October 2022 for Harry Potter fans of all ages to enjoy.
