Brief history of Warner Bros Studios

Warner Bros. Studios is one of the most famous film and Television Company in the world.   You may not realise it but if you have watched TV or films most of your life then you will have grown up with many of the films this production company have brought to us.  They brought us some of the earliest cartoon characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Sylvester and Tweety.  These characters were the start of the animation film world we love and know today.

The name goes back to the four founding Warner brothers, Harry, Jack, Sam and Albert.  The three eldest brothers began in the movie theatre bueinsss with a movie projector. They showed films in the mining towns of Pennsylvania and Ohio. The first theatre they opened was called the Cascade in 1903 based in Pennsylvania.

The earliest films were made back in the 1910s and 1920's. They have made hundreds of films and in a way helped shape the movie industry we see today.  The original studio was built on a plot of farmland in 1926. Soon they built Brownstone Street which was renamed Ashley Boulevard in 2002, and New York Street, which are now two of the oldest and most-used exterior sets.  This enabled them to churn out far more movies.  By the time the 1930's arrived they were making a lot more films and business was serious booming.  They constructed nine new soundstages which are all still in use today.

The 1940's brought us Casablanca and Yankee Doodle Dandy.  They also added three more soundstages and an exterior residential set which again is still in use today.  The street was used in East of Eden with James Dean and John Wayne in The Shootist.

Their success continued in the 1950's and 60's with hits such as Rebel Without a Cause , My Fair Lady and Bonnie and Clyde.  In the 1970's some of their most popular productions include Superman, Every Which Way but Loose Boulevard Nights, and Monty Python's Life of Brian.  The 80's brought us more Superman films and the Lethal Weapon and Police Academy films.

In 2001, Warner Bros and their parent company Time Warner Inc. merged with America Online Inc. This made them the world's foremost media and Communications Companies.

Recently they have had great success with the Harry potter movie Franchises which shattered many box office records and launched a cultural phenomenon.  Just last year Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 became the biggest opening of all time smashing the box office records.  Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards, seven BAFTA Awards and four Golden Globes.  The list of films and awards each film has one is endless.

The future of Warner Bros. Studio looks rosy, it seems whatever they put their hand to they succeed. There will be more box office records broken and awards won.  Long may they prosper.

About the Author

For more information on going on a Warner Bros Studio Tour London or the popular Harry Potter Walk why not check out Brit Movie Tours who are a London based tour company offering many other London film Locations tours.

Why is Harry Potter so popular?

If you're reading this then you will have heard of Harry Potter.  There are not many people or societies around the world who haven't heard of this character.  So why is he and the books, films so popular?

I believe it is a combination of things, for a start the books are very well written and the stories themselves are interesting to kids and adults. The stories aren't placed in this world, which will allows kids imagination to run wild and they can relate to it more.  

I believe a big factor is that Harry is such a likable kid and the fact that the stories in the book can be related to by children.  Every child at some point has been denied something by their parents and become angry with them.  When you're a child your parents are like God and they have full power over their children, with Harry being able to escape,  I think this is something every child can relate too, I certainly can and I'm no longer a child.  Also the fact that the Dursleys represent what we sometimes see in regular families and the fact the adults are secondary to the action with the kids being the main stars.

The magic issue is another important fact.  Every kid would love to believe in a secret world of magic where the underdog is the hero.  The stories have very clever hidden aspects such as normal everyday things having magical qualities.   Platform 9 3/4, Diagon Ally, how the portraits move and talk, all these little details make it the success it is today.  JK Rowling is a genius really, she has a vivid imagination which she managed to get a across in the stories and get us all hooked.

The gadgets and games in the stories are everybody's fantasy. Flying on brooms, playing Qudditch, going back in time are all things kids would love to do and adults alike.

Children and adults can relate to many things within the film.  Dealing with a bully, not getting your own way and having family troubles. This is what all children and often adults deal with.

Like every good story, it should play with your emotions, you feel sympathy for Harry when his parents die and you feel genuine happiness when he is having fun with his friends.  Every base is covered in the books; there is a good badie Voldemort and plenty of mystery and suspense.

If you have never read a Harry Potter book and are planning on doing so you will be seriously surprised.  The stories will take you far away from home and this world and give you the ride of your life! Enjoy.

About the Author

For more information on going on a Harry Potter Studio Tour why not check out Brit Movie tours who offer are a London based tour company offering many other London tours.