Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood |
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| Attraction type | Studio Tour | ||
| Duration | 2-3 hours | ||
| Tour Stops | The Archive Picture Car Vault Prop House A Sound stage A Backlot Stage 48 |
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The Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood is a fun place to visit in Burbank, California, near Hollywood in the Los Angeles area. It lets you go behind the scenes of one of the oldest movie studios in the world! On this tour, which lasts about two to three hours, you can see how movies and TV shows are made.
This studio tour has been around for many years. It got its new name, Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, to match other successful tours like the Harry Potter tour in London. Before, it was called the Warner Bros. Studios VIP Tour.
Discover the History of Warner Bros. Tours
How Studio Tours Began
In the early days of Warner Bros., the studio's boss, Jack Warner, used to invite his friends and special guests to see the studio. If he was busy, employees from the Mail Room would show guests around. These tours were not for everyone; you had to know someone who worked there to get in. But people loved them! Jack Warner eventually wanted to limit these tours because he thought they might slow down the studio's work.
One Mail Room employee, Dick Mason, was known for giving amazing tours. People often asked for him as their guide. Because he knew so much, Mason was later asked to work in Jack Warner's office.
Public Tours Start in the 1970s
In 1972, Warner Bros. faced some money problems. They teamed up with another studio, Columbia Pictures, to create "The Burbank Studios." They shared their studio space to save money. In 1973, this new company opened a special department just for public tours. Dick Mason was put in charge of it!
All tours needed to be booked ahead of time and cost $3. Mason's team had seven tour guides, and each tour group was small, with only twelve people. The tours were not planned out exactly; they would visit backlots, sound stages, and the prop house, depending on what was available that day. News about the tour spread by word-of-mouth, and it became very popular, bringing in about 15,000 visitors each year.
Dick Mason wanted to teach people about how movies are made. He said, "The entire tour is practical. There are no demonstrations or simulations. We're catering to families and kids. We just want to give insight to a business most people have misunderstandings about." The tours happened about four times a day and lasted around three hours.
In 1990, The Burbank Studios partnership ended. Warner Bros. took back all of its studio space when Columbia Pictures moved to a different location. The Tour Department moved to a new building near the studio's Gate 4. This made it easier for people to ask about tours without needing a special pass. This building also had a Studio Store.
The VIP Studio Tours Era
Dick Mason retired from Warner Bros. in 2000. Danny Kahn then took over the Tour Department. Kahn moved the tour's starting point to a different office building. He worked hard to offer more tours each day but kept the groups small and the tours unscripted, just like before. The tour became more organized and started advertising more.
Welcome to Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood!
In 2015, the tour got a big update and a new name: Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood. This change came with the opening of Stage 48: Script to Screen. The updated tour also uses a new logo and cool new tour carts.
Your Adventure: The Current Studio Tour
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Today, you can choose from two tours: the standard Studio Tour, which takes 2 to 3 hours, and the Deluxe Tour, which lasts 5 to 6 hours. Parts of the tours are guided by a friendly expert, and other parts you can explore on your own. Every tour is a bit different because some areas might be busy with filming. You can take pictures in certain spots!
What You'll See on the Tour
Every Studio Tour includes these exciting stops. The Deluxe Tour gives you more time at each of these places, plus a continental breakfast, lunch at Warner Bros. Fine Dining, and visits to the Property Department and Costume Department.
- Soundstage: You'll get to visit inside at least one soundstage where current TV shows or movies are filmed, as long as they aren't actively shooting that day. Often, you might see stages used for shows like The Big Bang Theory, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, or Pretty Little Liars.
- The Backlot: This is an outdoor area with different sets that look like real places, such as a New York city street, a small mid-western town, or even a jungle!
- The Archive: Here, you'll find a collection of cool props and costumes from Warner Bros. movies and TV shows. It often features items from the Harry Potter movies and the DC Universe: The Exhibit.
- Picture Car Vault: This is a garage filled with cars used in films and television. You might see awesome Batmobiles from Warner Bros. movies here!
- Stage 48: Script to Screen: This is an interactive soundstage that shows you how a movie or TV show goes from an idea (script) to the finished product (screen). It opened on July 16, 2015, and is the last stop on the tour. Stage 48 is self-guided, meaning you can explore it at your own pace.
- Inside Stage 48, you can find the original set of Central Perk from the TV show Friends. You can even take pictures sitting on the famous couch!
- There's also a green screen area where you can pretend to fly on a broomstick like in Harry Potter or ride a Batpod from The Dark Knight.
- This building also has a cafe and coffee shop designed like Central Perk, plus a gift shop.
Cool Special Exhibits You Might See
The tour often features special exhibits that change over time. Here are some examples:
- Batman 75th Anniversary: This special display opened in 2014 and featured props and costumes from every Warner Bros. Batman movie in The Archive. Batmobiles and other Batman vehicles were shown in the Picture Car Vault. Later, the Batmobile from Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice joined the display.
- Horror Made Here: This temporary exhibit for Halloween in Stage 48 included items from scary movies like The Exorcist, Interview with the Vampire, and Annabelle.
- "Mad Max: Fury Road" Costumes: Costumes from this movie were added to Stage 48 in 2016.
- DC Universe: The Exhibit: Located in The Archive, this exhibit replaced parts of the Batman display. It shows first issues of comic books like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, along with props and costumes from films like Batman vs. Superman and Suicide Squad. This exhibit was updated to include items from the 2017 Wonder Woman movie.
- La La Land Cafe: The cafe where Mia worked in the Oscar-winning film La La Land was set up as part of the tour.
- Pretty Little Liars Display: Stage 48 has been updated to show props and costumes from all seven years of the TV series Pretty Little Liars.
Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights
In 2018, a new yearly event called "Horror Made Here: A Festival of Frights" began. It featured scary mazes and attractions based on famous horror films and video games:
- It Knows What Scares You: A dark maze based on the 2017 film, It.
- Joker's Arkham Asylum: A dark maze based on the video game Batman: Arkham Asylum.
- The Conjuring Universe: A dark maze based on The Conjuring movie series.
- Nightmare on Camp Crystal Lake: A dark maze combining elements from Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
- The Exorcist: Forbidden Screening: A 4D theater experience based on the 1973 film, The Exorcist.
