CORE NEWS FACTS

• Direct from London’s Leavesden Studios, where the Harry Potter films are created, comes a film artifact sure to excite Harry Potter fans in Toronto.  Hovering three metres tall and shrouded by an inky black cloak, a vile creature known as a Dementor, has been added to the Dark Forces area of Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which is now open at Ontario Science Centre through August 22, 2010.

• Early in the Harry Potter films, Harry learns that the Ministry of Magic uses Dementors to guard the wizard prison of Azkaban. These gruesome creatures use their unique powers to subdue inmates by draining them of all happiness and hope for freedom.

• Harry first encounters Dementors in the third film when they come to Hogwarts in search of the escaped prisoner- Sirius Black. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix™, Dementors mysteriously attack Harry and his non-magical cousin while Harry is away from the safety of Hogwarts™. And in the two-part finale to the film series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, fans can expect more than one hair-raising confrontation with these foul beings.   

• Fans who cannot wait for the next film to arrive in cinemas only need to visit Harry Potter: The Exhibition to come face-to-face with the authentic Dementor model used in the films. Those who dare to gaze upon the Dementor will be fascinated by the attention to detail from the soul-sucking mouth on the creature’s eye-less face, to the skeletal arms and hands it uses to reach out for its next victim.    

About the Exhibition

Visitors that tour the exhibition will be taken on a journey into the world of Harry
Potter through several themed vignettes based on iconic Hogwarts settings. Along the way they will discover some of their favourite props and costumes, all of which were handpicked by GES, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the filmmakers themselves. Some of the key artifacts on display include Professor Snape’s robes; Professor Trelawney’s crystal ball and exotic wardrobe; costumes and props from Professors Lupin™, Lockhart™ and Umbridge™; props and artifacts from the Yule Ball, including costumes from notable characters such as Harry Potter, Ron Weasley™, Hermione Granger™ and Professor Dumbledore™; and life-size centaurs, a caged dragon, Buckbeak™ the Hippogriff and a giant Acromantula spider.

Harry Potter: The Exhibition was created by GES in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products. After its run at the Ontario Science Centre, the exhibition will be displayed in other major cultural and entertainment venues, museums and institutions worldwide.

Ticket Information

The exhibition is a timed entry experience and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. now through August 22, 2010. Friday and Saturday evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. with reduced admission rates starting at 6 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.OntarioScienceCentre.ca, by calling 416-696-1000, or by visiting the box office.

Admission to Harry Potter: The Exhibition, which includes general admission to the Science Centre’s exhibition halls, is $27.50 for adults; $23.50 for seniors and youth (ages 65+ and 13-17); $20.00 for children (ages 4-12). For Ontario Science Centre members, admission is $14 for adults; $12 for seniors and youth; and $10 for children.