I finally made it back to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour and decided to try the upgrade Plus which is a bit more expensive. The tour building is across from its former location which gives more space and houses the Warner Bros. Studio Store, plus DC Universe and Harry Potter exhibits. There are some costumes of Flight Attendent next to the check-in desk. Before the time of your reservation, you can enter a room with some props, there was Phoebe’s guitar from Friends, and then check in at the counter. To the left is the regular tour, and to the right is the plus and I think other more expensive tours. This had a lounge with couches and tables, some Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood Official Guides which you can pick up for free, and a table of snacks, drinks, and desserts.
The Abbott Elementary set at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, author’s photo.
I think the guide which I get at most theme parks because they are great mementos, photos, and explain the various parts of the studio. It goes for $13 with the snacks, desserts, and drinks, I think it runs at $20 which is a great value with the cost of the tour. You are lead into the screening room, I’ve seen the overview before on other tours, and then taken to the tram for your group. We started at the Jungle, I remember this clearly from Horror Made Here as Camp Crystal Lake, it was first planted for the movie Santiago (1955). Then, we were taken to the Props Department which was said to be special to this tour, but I’ve been there a few times on the regular tour. There are props from The Maltese Falcon (1941) and the president’s desk from the West Wing, I took a photo there on another tour.
Throughout the tour, the tourists kept asking if an actor was on the lot and where they were, even if they were at the studio, no guide is going to lead a tour there. There is a room of Agent Smith doubles from The Matrix Reloaded (2003), armor from The Last Samurai (2003), and the leg lamp from A Christmas Story (1983)! Then, there was a ride to New York Street which features a Central Park that has the fountain from the opening of Friends. Nice, but I was more interested in the courthouse which was used for the Gotham Police Department in Adam West’s Batman! I only passed by there in other tours, now I got a photo climbing the steps, I’m Batman! The guide mentioned that the same scene was used throughout the series with a woman in a flower hat casually looking at Batman and Robin headed to the Batmobile. This was re-used because the show didn’t want to pay stunt rates for the scene!
The steps Batman races down with Robin in Batman , New York Street, photo by the author.
Then, a trip to Midwest Street which had the church that had The Exorcist: Forbidden Screening house at Horror Made Here, I did not go in, but this time we entered the set, new for me. This also had the gazebo from Gilmore Girls which is also a photo op. Hennessy Street, this part of the studio, pointed out by the guide that it was named after Dale Hennesy, production designer of Annie (1982). At the end of the tour, we passed by the exterior of the Abbott Elementary set which had some construction going on in front of it. Then, the tour finished at Stage 48: From Script to Screen which also had Central Perk Cafe, the restaurant where the plus tour gets a free meal so good value. New was costumes of Sub-Zero and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat (2021), also weapon props, and costumes from the recent Kung Fu show. In the next room, the blue jumpsuit from this year’s Elvis, and then the concert outfit from Selena:The Series.
Also, new for me was the sets and costumes from The Big Bang Theory. Then, there was a shuttle back to the main building which leads to a door opening to DC and Harry Potter. I saw a display of first appearance comics, the original building had the first appearances of the Justice League, I wonder where did they go? Next were costumes of The Riddler and Oswald Cobblepot from The Batman. On the left side of a wall is the costumes from Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. On the right side, is the DC Universe starting with the Batmobile and the uniforms of The Batman and Selina Kyle also from The Batman. Impressive. To the right, are displays of Wonder Woman, Amazon bows and shields, and props from Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), no wishstone. The photo op is her golden wings with you holding the lasso that lights up! Then, on the left wall is the six costumes from Justice League (2017) or Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). Cyborg was a mannequin prop.
Costumes of Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter), Superman (Christopher Reeve), and Batman (Michael Keaton), DC Universe, author’s photo.
Next to it is a display of props and the costume from Shazam! (2019). The right side continues with Superman, there is the Daily Planet desk of Lois Lane, three Superman capes from various movies. Aquaman, new for me was the photo op holding Aquaman’s trident with a great background, and a tank-like window with the Trench Creature’s Costume, you can see it for two seconds before it glares red and then fades to black. This finishes with an entire wall showing screens that reveal the Batcave with a rotating platform with all of the Batmobiles! Also there is the Batwing from Beavis, the Batpod, and the Batmobile from Batman (1989). Near the exit is a stunning display of Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman costume!, Superman’s costume worn by Christopher Reeve from Superman III (1983), and Batman’s costume from Tim Burton’s Batman.
The Harry Potter section had Newt Scamander’s room, the window has a Mooncalf peeking in, an interactive potion making room, the Herbology room with Mandrakes, that were all asleep (non working animatronics) at the time. There also was an interactive wall where you can borrow a wand to practice. It is a wider space than the earlier area, but it is missing more props and costumes. In 2014, I saw the banking goblin, the manky Port Key boot, the cloak of a Dementor, and the big Aragog prop among many others. It is the same with the DC exhibit which had Ra’s al Ghul’s costume, the Neutron Bomb prop from The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Poison Ivy, Batgirl and Robin’s Batman & Robin (1997) costumes, plus more. There was a Picture Car Vault in a warehouse, but that was closed. Only four Bat vehicles were on this tour, but I heard mention that the building’s basement will be filled with vehicles later. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Plus and non-Plus is fun especially for movie lovers. There’s always something new, tours go to new areas, and wakl throughs so it has great repeatability.
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