From works of art to impressive natural formations, there’s plenty of optical illusions out there to play tricks on your mind. These clever brain-teasers can leave many of us stumped, but there’s no denying the sense of satisfaction that they bring once one works them out. However, it seems that there is one particular puzzle which may not have necessarily been picked up on. The optical illusion actually featured in the film series Harry Potter – however with so much action going on in the wizarding world, fans could be forgiven for missing it.
So, with eight instalments of the films to watch – where exactly was this unexpected brain-teaser?
The surprising secret lies within the set of the wizard pub and inn, The Leaky Cauldron.
In the film, a hallway of the venue seems almost never-ending, with it being more than 50 feet long on the big screen.
But, in actual fact, the setting was significantly smaller than that – thanks to a very clever trick.
The visual technique is known as forced perceptive, which creates the illusion of more space than there is.
The magic of this set was unveiled at The Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter in Watford.
Beside the set itself, the exhibit is accompanied by a short description on how the illusion is created.
“Forced perspective is an ancient artistic technique that uses optical illusions to make an object appear larger, smaller, farther, or closer than it actually is,” it explained.
And, when you stand up close to the exhibit, some of the tricks are clearly visible.
For example, the walls of the hallway are not vertical, but instead they are slanted.
Combined with the floorboards slightly changing their direction, this creates curvature and therefore the illusion of a longer corridor.