Harry Potter Statue Unveiled in London

Category: Lifestyle/Entertainment

Listening

Unlocking Word Meanings

Read the following words/expressions found in today’s article.

  1. titular / ˈtɪtʃ ə lər / (adj) – having the name of a character that appears in the title of a movie, book, etc.
    Example:

    Daniel Radcliffe played the titular role in the Harry Potter movies.


  2. still / stɪl / (n) – a photograph from a film
    Example:

    Several stills from the movie were used to promote it.


  3. upright / ˈʌpˌraɪt / (adj) – standing or sitting with one's back straight
    Example:

    The nurse asked him to stand upright so that his height could be measured correctly.


  4. finish / ˈfɪn ɪʃ / (n) – the surface coating of something, usually of furniture
    Example:

    The glaze gave the table a shiny finish.


  5. over the moon / ˈoʊ vər ðə mun / (idiom) – extremely happy about something
    Example:

    She was over the moon when she finally got promoted.


Article

Read the text below.

A bronze statue of Harry Potter playing the fictional sport Quidditch was recently unveiled at London’s Leicester [LES-ter] Square.


The statue is the ninth monument placed at Leicester Square as part of Scenes in the Square, a trail of statues that pays tribute to iconic movie characters. The statue was inspired by a scene from the first Harry Potter movie, in which the titular character flew for the first time while playing Quidditch, a sport played using flying broomsticks. It was placed near the cinema where Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone premiered 19 years ago.


3D Eye, the company that created Harry Potter’s statue, used stills from the movie as its reference to complete the life-size artwork. The company made a miniature model first before sculpting the final piece with clay. A steel frame inside the statue helps keep it upright. The final statue was cast using fiberglass and painted with a bronze finish.


To give the illusion that the statue is flying, it is held up about one meter above the ground by a pole that is covered by plants and vines.


Ros Morgan, the chief executive of the group that launched Scenes in the Square, was over the moon when she learned that the next statue was going to be of Harry Potter. She said that she is honored to have a character who is so important to the UK film industry on the trail.


Other statues in Leicester Square created before the Harry Potter statue include Bugs Bunny, Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, Batman, and Wonder Woman. They will remain in the square until 2023.


Viewpoint Discussion

Enjoy a discussion with your tutor.

Discussion A

• Do you think it’s a good idea to put a lot of effort into paying tribute to fictional characters? Why or why not?
• If you could include another iconic character for Scenes in the Square, who would it be? Explain.

Discussion B

• In your opinion, what makes a movie character iconic (e.g. people of all ages can recognize the character, the movie has a lot of sequels)? Discuss.
• Which character in the Japanese film industry do you think is the most iconic? Why?