On each night of the show, a swarm of 1,200 synchronized drones take flight with choreography set to the soundtrack and dialogue from the eight Harry Potter films.DroneArt Show: Harry Potter/Supplied
If the skies around major Canadian cities look a little brighter this month, it’s not a magic trick. It’s the debut of DroneArt Show: Harry Potter, an open-air spectacle that will use drones instead of fireworks to celebrate 25 years of the boy wizard and his famous friends.
The inaugural experience is a collaboration between live-entertainment tech platform Fever, Warner Bros. and Nova Sky Stories, with stops in both Edmonton and Montreal on Sept. 18 and 19, and in Toronto on Sept. 25 and 26. The show debuted at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles this past June, with subsequent stops across the United States and Europe. Tickets are available online.
On each night of the show, a swarm of 1,200 synchronized drones take flight with choreography set to the soundtrack and dialogue from the eight Harry Potter films. A live violinist, selected from each city by Fever’s global music curation team, performs as the drones ebb and flow, and guests will sport synchronized LED wristbands that add to the overall magic.
“Harry Potter is one of the most ambitious projects we’ve been able to bring to Canada,” said Annie-Lou St-Amant, the regional manager for Fever Originals Canada. “It’s one of the largest drone shows that exist in the market.”
The hour-long show is pre-programmed with specialized software and GPS systems that allow the drones to stick to precise flightpaths that create the three-dimensional choreography and aerial formations. It launches with a single command as a team of trained operators supervise positioning, battery levels and overall quality.
“That is what allows hundreds of drones to move in harmony together,” Ms. St-Amant added.
The inaugural experience is a collaboration between live-entertainment tech platform Fever, Warner Bros. and Nova Sky Stories, with stops in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.DroneArt Show: Harry Potter/Supplied
Finding the venues to host a spectacle of this level posed a challenge. In Edmonton, the show takes place at the Exhibition Lands racetrack. Montreal hosts it at Quai Jacques-Cartier, and Toronto has set aside space at YZD, the former Downsview Airport.
As with any outdoor show, the Harry Potter drone experience is subject to weather conditions. Rain and winds not only have an impact on the audience, but on the main performers.
“The drones can only fly above a certain temperature, otherwise the batteries drain too fast,” said Ms. St-Amant. “That’s why in Canada we prioritize summer times. It also has to be dark outside, so the timing of the show is really important.”
This November marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the first film based on J.K. Rowling’s books. The movie has grossed more than US$1.02-billion worldwide over its lifetime at the box office and has made a household name out of its star, Daniel Radcliffe.
Recently, Cineplex re-released all eight films in the series in select theatres across Canada to commemorate the anniversary. There have also been several special events at Universal theme parks, studio tours in London and Tokyo, and a slew of special merchandise and collectibles popping up at various retailers.
Potterheads, as fans call themselves, are especially interested in the upcoming TV series that is set to launch on HBO (and Crave in Canada) on Christmas Day. Dominic McLaughlin stars as the title character alongside Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Other cast members include John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart.