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Peek inside Diagon Alley with exclusive walkthrough of Harry Potter pop-up book
Author J.K. Rowling's dark and enchanting Potterverse and its Wizarding World still hold a powerful grip on our hearts after seven main novels and 10 feature films. One of the most popular destinations for budding wizards and witches is the mysterious London shopping district known as Diagon Alley, where you can stock up on potions, textbooks, brooms, cauldrons, wands, and even down a frothy pint of butter beer.
Revisiting this beloved boulevard is a deluxe new Harry Potter pop-up book from Insight Editions titled A Pop-Up Guide To Diagon Alley and Beyond, brought to life by brilliant paper engineer Matthew Reinhart and illustrated by Kevin M. Wilson — and SYFY WIRE is presenting a special video tour of the book and all its secrets by its crafty creator.
Arriving on Oct. 27, this elaborate $75 gift book uses fantastically intricate pop-up spreads to render must-see Diagon Alley establishments such as Ollivanders' wand shop, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, and the Leaky Cauldron, plus other notorious locales like the Ministry of Magic and platform nine and three-quarters.
Pull tabs let fans discover secret moments from the films and take charge of the action to rescue a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon from the Gringotts dungeons, or assist Harry in navigating out of Knockturn Alley after an unfortunate Floo powder mishap. Next to each pop, learn hidden facts and insights from the making of the Harry Potter movies. Plus, the book opens into a displayable 4-foot, 3D diorama of all the pop-up paper sculptures.
Here's Matthew Reinhart from his home studio to introduce you to more of this magical book's surprises!
"It's not just a regular pop-up book, right?," Reinhart reveals in the video tour. "I always have to add something a little magical in there. There's all these little pull tabs where you can explore and look inside all the shops on Diagon Alley. And there are several spreads of different shops, whether it's Gringotts Bank, that actually magically raises up and you can see what's underneath.
"What's great about this book also, I've never done this, is the way this one becomes a diorama. You can actually unfold the entire book and display it. Along with, on the opposite side, you get the Hogwarts Express at platform nine and three-quarters."
"It turned out beautiful," he adds. "Even when I see it here, I'm shocked, because I worked on it for so long. Making a pop-up book like this, making something that becomes this whole big diorama, it takes a long time, there are many steps along the way It's a long process but it's fun for me at least, because I get to explore all of the Wizarding World and I get to really go deep dive into the world of Harry Potter and I love it. I've loved these books since I was younger."
