Top 10 Moments in Harry Potter They Used Practical Effects and Made the Movies Better

Whoever suggested Brendan Gleeson to play Alastor Moody certainly had an eye for casting. As well-suited as the Irish actor was for the role, the irritable Auror’s look would’ve been incomplete without his all-seeing magic eye. Chris Barton, who got his start at Jim Henson’s Creature Shop in 1987, was the wizard behind this animatronic. While CGI was used in some shots, most of what we see on screen is practical with the eye being radio-controlled. Barton compared the effect to a contact lens, as the eye itself didn’t move, but the pupil was given a life of its own. The effect was achieved utilizing a small magnet inside the brass holder. Whenever the magnet link broke, the eye would fall out!

Determined to keep Harry in the dark about his wizardly heritage, the Dursleys attempt to suppress his acceptance letters from Hogwarts. Not even Sunday can stop Harry from getting the memo, however. It isn’t long until 4 Privet Drive is flooded with letters, entering through the chimney and the front door’s mail slot. When special effects supervisor John Richardson suggested filling the set with actual letters, director Chris Columbus had his doubts. Richardson’s team worked their magic, though, devising a series of devices around the set that could swiftly propel the envelopes into the air. One letter firing rig was specifically designed to hit Mr. Dursley in the face. Thousands of letters were printed for the scene, none of them CGI.

Have you ever had a nasty relative you wished would just float out of your life? Well, float might be oddly specific, but it makes for a fun visual in the case of Aunt Marge. Harry can handle Marge insulting him, although when she speaks ill of his parents, he inflates her like a balloon. For this hair-raising dinner scene, actress Pam Ferris wore a series of prosthetic inflatable suits, reaching an estimated maximum of four-and-a-half feet wide. Ferris couldn’t eat or walk while wearing this 50-pound outfit, at one point passing out due to the heavy latex. Even Marge’s ascension into the sky was executed practically using wires. Although those wires were removed using CGI, the scene otherwise relied on no digital effects.

Naturally, animation was used for certain aspects of the Marauder’s Map, which provides a layout of Hogwarts and its inhabitants. However, to make the map come alive, the filmmakers turned to a professional illusionist, Paul Kieve. The only magician to work on any of the films, Kieve was responsible for the astronomy room’s floating spheres in “Prisoner of Azkaban.” Most notably, Kieve was behind the scene where the map folds itself, utilizing threads that needed to be carefully pulled in a specific order. Kieve makes a brief cameo in the film as well, playing a Three Broomsticks patron with a candlestick trick up his sleeve. He might not be a household name like Dumbledore, but Kieve is a real-life wizard.

To make Fawkes fly and perform other specific tasks, CGI proved necessary. For Harry’s first encounter with Dumbledore’s faithful Phoenix, though, creature effects supervisor Nick Dudman and his team constructed an animatronic. Actually, multiple animatronics. First, there was the aging Fawkes on the verge of catching fire. Then there was the reborn Fawkes that rises out of the ashes. When Richard Harris came across the Fawkes animatronic on set, it proved so convincing that the Dumbledore actor thought it was a real, incredibly well-trained bird. The crew didn’t immediately tell Harris it was a puppet, but when they did, he summed up his shock with a profanity. Although Daniel Radcliffe was in the know, the look of awe on Harry’s face is genuine.

On the heels of winning three Oscars, production designer Stuart Craig received five more nominations for bringing the Wizarding World to life. Among his most impressive achievements was the giant Wizard’s Chessboard in “Philosopher’s Stone.” This set was comprised of 32 sculpted pieces, which stretched 12 feet high and weighed - at most - 500 pounds. Outside of a few movements that required digital effects, the filmmakers attempted to pull off this scene as practically as possible. Pieces would be moved across the chessboard through radio control. Even many of the explosions on screen were done without CG, instead using compressed air. This includes Ron’s sacrifice. The horse was destroyed in the process, but Rupert Grint picked up a piece of debris as a souvenir.

Casting doesn’t get more pitch-perfect than the late Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid. Standing 6′ 1″, Coltrane was often the tallest actor on screen. With Hagrid being 8′ 6″ in the books, though, the filmmakers conceived a few clever visual tricks to make Coltrane a half-giant. Coltrane’s costume weighed 65 pounds with boots that added several inches. Some sets and props were smaller to make Coltrane seem larger. The designers even constructed two versions of Hagrid’s hut, one to accommodate Coltrane and another for the shorter characters. In addition to playing a young Hagrid, former rugby player Martin Bayfield stood in for Coltrane during certain shots, specifically those where we don’t get a closeup of Hagrid’s face. A little forced perspective can go a long way.

The Basilisk is another fantastic beast that was realized through a mix of CG and practical effects. Sometimes the giant snake is digital, but the creature crew also constructed a 25-foot mechanical model for Daniel Radcliffe to interact with. Although the effects team only made the top half of the Basilisk, they built it to scale with a mouth that could open 30 feet wide and jaws three feet deep. Along with its realistic head, complete with moving eyes and nostrils, the model could slither after Radcliffe as well. When Harry faces off against the Basilisk with the Sword of Gryffindor, Radcliffe isn’t stabbing thin air where a CGI puppet will be added later. Thankfully, the Basilisk’s venom wasn’t real, even if its fangs were.

Digital technology has gotten to the point where actors can not only be de-aged on screen, but made to appear older as well. Of course, the results have been hit-and-miss. For that reason, we’re glad the final film’s epilogue went the practical makeup route. Director David Yates briefly considered turning to CGI when early footage of the cast in their makeup leaked. While some subtle digital effects would be incorporated, Yates still felt makeup was the way to go, asking Nick Dudman’s team to modify the designs for reshoots. The revised makeup effects helped earn Dudman, Amanda Knight, and Lisa Tomblin an Oscar nomination. The practical approach added a personal touch to this emotional goodbye, which wound up being the last scene the stars shot.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Gringotts Vaults & Chamber of Secrets Doors, Various
Those Complicated Locks Really Moved

Illuminated Wands, Various
Wands Could Light Up Without Even Saying Lumos

Weasley Chores, “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” (2002)
Making The Most Mundane Tasks Magical

Devil’s Snare, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001)
A Large Puppet with Terrifying Tentacles

Levitating Feather, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” (2001)
It’s Amazing What You Can Do With a Fishing Pole & a Feather

Working on “Chamber of Secrets,” Nick Dudman singled out the giant spider Aragog as the most difficult creature to crack. If poorly executed, a talking spider could come as too silly. The results were spine-chilling, however, giving Ruper Grint a panic attack. Weighing roughly 1,500 pounds and reaching nine feet tall, the Aragog model required a different crew member to control each of its legs, which spanned 18 feet. Since the spider kicks the bucket in “Half-Blood Prince,” the team needed to make a whole new model. With Hagrid present this time around, the crew had to build a second smaller Aragog as well. At least these models didn’t have to move around, but they were even more detailed than the first model.

Which acts of practical magic stood out to you? Let us know in the comments.