Hey Thrill Seekers,
It feels like a lifetime ago that I raised my hand in front of a packed Universal media day and quietly squeaked. “As, in the book Ollivanders was in Diagon Alley will you be moving the shop from Hogsmeade to there?”
It was the first time I’d ever asked a question at a media event and when all three of the Universal representatives turned to look at me I kind of regretted it. Not because they were angry or even intimidating I just felt it was the nerdiest of all questions that I could have asked! I could also feel the gaze of my colleagues burning into to me.
The Universal guys had a little look at each other, it appeared I was the first person to ask them this (later it was confirmed that I was indeed the first to ask). One of them said “Well Ollivanders is part of the Wizarding World and can literally show up anywhere, thats the power of magic”, not really an answer and I think they decided silently between them that they’d probably have to actually answer the question.
Universal that day confirmed that a new larger Ollivanders would be part of the new Diagon Alley and not only that but (and this bit is a secret) they’d actually have a few rooms to make the whole process move a lot faster.
At the beginning of this month I was lucky enough to visit Universal’s new Diagon Alley, the whole new area is amazing but that’s for another more detailed post. As we walked around the new area we stopped at the new Ollivanders, it definitely has a very tardis feel about it. The shop front is small and unappealing, you could easily walk right past it. The cast members at the door were very good in shepherding people in and out, we didn’t queue long until it was our turn to see Mr Ollivander.
Ollivanders shop (one of the rooms we visited) is quite small and each show probably takes place in front of roughly 15-20 people. I purposely call it a show because the amount of effort, mainly from the actor playing Ollivander is quite exceptional.
I wont spoil everything that happens but it begins with Ollivander selecting a child from the audience who he feels is special. Our unexpecting Ollivander made the mistake of selecting the one child in the room who didn’t speak English! I say a mistake but our guide told us that some Ollivanders (yes there are more than 1) prefer to work with the Children who don’t speak English, it makes for a more entertaining experience. He wasn’t wrong!
Ollivander leads the child through several trial runs to finally select the wand that suits them. Every Wizard is different as Ollivander points out. Universal have been very clever with the new Diagon Alley and the introduction of the new interactive wands is a stroke of genius. You really can affect the window displays at many of the shops and features by waving your wand in a certain way. Watching a child achieve it gives you a warm feeling inside.
If you’ve visited the Ollivanders at Hogsmeade you’ll probably think that you don’t have to experience the Diagon Alley version, I would say you’re wrong. There are certain aspects of the attraction that have changed and in my opinion improved it. If I were a kid I would LOVE to be the chosen one!
Smiles included…
Jamie
