Oscar winning and nominated costumes on display at Universal Studios Hollywood...

There's always something interesting to see at the NBC Universal Experience exhibit at Universal Studios Hollywood, but I have to say the archivists have outdone themselves this time with some real treasures on display yesterday, including costumes from three of the five Oscar nominated films for Best Costume Design from the 85th Academy Awards.

Original Universal Studios movie costumes and props

There were fabulous Oscar-winning gowns from Anna Karenina worn by Keira Knightley and designed by Jacqueline Durran, the gorgeous Medieval coronation dress worn by Kristen Stewart as the titular heroine in Snow White & The Huntsman and not to forget Anne Hathway's raggedy 'Fantine' dress worn by the winner of the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding role in Les Misérables.

Back to the Future DeLorean movie car on display

Another showpiece of the ever-changing exhibit which made me giddy with excitement was the original DeLorean 'hero' car used in the Back to the Future trilogy, plus fantastic costumes, props, blueprints and storyboards from the movies too.

Fast & Furious 6 movie cars on display

Speaking of cars, if you're a fan of muscle and sports cars then you should also check out these movie cars featured in Fast & Furious 6, alongside a Madame Tussauds waxwork of Vin Diesel, which can be currently found in the Upper Lot of the theme park.

Concept sketches, models and props on display

Back in the Lower Lot attraction there were also lots of behind-the-scenes concept sketches and design blueprints from famous films, plus original props and models, like these stop-motion animation puppets from ParaNorman
 and more besides.

ParaNorman stop-motion animation exhibit

Stick around in the days to come to see even more movie memorabilia from this historic treasure trove up close, including:

Oscar-winning opera gowns worn by Keira Knightley and Ruth Wilson in Anna Karenina
Paco Delgado's Oscar-nominated Fantine dress from Les Misérables worn by Anne Hathaway
Colleen Atwood Oscar-nominated coronation dress from Snow White & The Hunstman worn by Kristen Stewart
Roy Scheider's police uniform and concept sketches from Jaws
Golden Army Egg prop from Hellboy 2
Cheerleader outfit from Fast Times at Ridgemont Hiigh
Alexander Skarsgård's Navy uniform and missile prop from Battleship
Erykah Badu's Queen Mousette dress from Blues Brothers 2000
Eminem rap battle costume from 8 Mile
Merc ship miniature from The Chronicles of Riddick
Will Ferrell's costume and soccer trophy from Kicking & Screaming
Assassin weapon props from Wanted

As a little tease of things to come I'll leave you with this original prop featured in 2011's thriller Hanna, which starred Saoirse Ronan as a teenager raised to be the perfect assassin by her father Eric Bana.

Actual transponder prop from Hanna on display

This is the transponder which allows the CIA to find the rogue agent and his daughter in the wilds of Finland.

I'm excited to share all these discoveries with you so stay tuned for more Hollywoodland magic.

Stop-motion puppets, vehicles and sets from ParaNorman on display...

In addition to the Norman maquettes and stop-motion puppets from Laika's ParaNorman on display at the NBC Universal Experience attraction on February 7, 2013, there were also more characters, creatures, vehicles and sets featured in the 2012 animated horror comedy to ogle over and enjoy.

Original vehicles and stop-motion puppets featured in ParaNorman

Included in the ParaNorman exhibit to examine up close were stop-motion puppets of Norman's older sister 'Courtney Babcock', together with High School jock (and Neil's older brother) 'Mitch Downe' beside his crashed van (which evokes Scooby-Doo's iconic Mystery Machine don't you think).

50% van miniature from ParaNorman

In addition to this full-size and 50% scale model, I've seen another example of this ParaNorman van with the zombie on top of it on display at ArcLight Hollywood to promote the movie before its cinematic release.

ParaNorman movie poster

In the same way Universal Studios Hollywood had a fantastic stop-motion animation display for Coraline on past visits, they had this wonderful Hall of Records set from ParaNorman filled with zombies, school bully 'Alvin' (on the ladder) and Norman's friend 'Neil'.

Hall of Records set and stop-motion puppets exhibit from ParaNorman

It really is amazing to see the level of detail that goes into creating these elaborate sets, the miniature books and scrolls on the shelves, the tiled flooring and even the electric sockets on the walls.

If you like this, be sure to check out the Blithe Hollow Middle School set from ParaNorman also on display before the movie opened.

ParaNorman movie billboard

Go further behind-the-scenes with this book: The Art and Making of ParaNorman

Buy the movie: ParaNorman (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)

ParaNorman maquettes and stop-motion puppets on display...

If you liked 2012's stop-motion animated comedy horror ParaNorman, then you'll love this behind-the-scenes look at the puppets and models that helped bring animation house Laika's latest film to the big screen.

Original ParaNorman puppets and maquettes 

on display at Universal Studios Hollywood

This collection of original maquettes, puppets, props, hair tests and replacement facial expressions for the titular character 'Norman' were photographed on display within the NBC Universal Experience exhibit at Universal Studios Hollywood on February 7, 2013.

ParaNorman movie poster

In the stop-motion animated movie, Norman can speak to the dead and teams up with a ragtag team of school kids to defeat a centuries old witch's curse and hordes of zombies. During the film Norman climbs the Town Hall's Tower to read a ritual from a book to try and break the supernatural spell.

Norman puppet and Town Hall Tower set from ParaNorman

It always amazes me how much more work goes into an animated film, as everything has to be built from scratch, from the characters to the clothes they wear and world they exist within. It's also amazing that the puppets and physical objects have to be meticulously moved in tiny increments frame by frame to bring the story to life.

Norman puppet and zombie from ParaNorman

If you like this exhibit, be sure to check out these other fantastic stop-motion puppets and sets from ParaNorman on display when the movie was released.

ParaNorman movie billboard

Go further behind-the-scenes with this book: The Art and Making of ParaNorman

Buy the movie: ParaNorman (Two-Disc Combo Pack: Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet)

NBC Universal Experience costumes and props on display in February 2013...

At the start of February I ventured to Universal Studios Hollywood to peruse the latest movie and TV memorabilia on display within the theme park's NBC Universal Experience exhibit from the company's extensive film and television archives.

NBC Universal Experience movie costume exhibit

As well as original outfits and stop-motion puppets from more recent movies and TV shows, there was also a selection of costumes from real cinematic golden oldies on display.

Touch of Evil movie poster

Included in the display was this suit worn by Charlton Heston in the 1958 film-noir Touch of Evil.

Original suit worn by Charlton Heston as Mike Vargas in Touch of Evil 

The Golden Blade movie poster

Also part of the exhibit was this beautiful gold formal dress designed by Jay A. Morley, Jr. and worn by Piper Laurie as 'Krairuzan' from the 1953 movie The Golden Blade, in which she starred alongside Rock Hudson.

Original movie costumes from The Golden Blade 

and The Wild and the Innocent on display

The golden gown is picture beside Audie Murphy's 'Yancy' outfit from the 1959 Western The Wild and the Innocent, with costumes by Bill Thomas.

The Wild and the Innocent movie poster

Be sure to stick around for more fantastic costumes and props on display at Universal Studios Hollywood in February 2013 including:

Movie costumes worn by Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne in Les Misérables
Original stop-motion puppets from ParaNorman
Costumes worn by Michelle Rodriguez and Jordanna Brewster in The Fast and The Furious movies
Connie Nielsen's Lucilla costume from Gladiator
Actual props featured in Snow White & The Huntsman, Battleship and Hollywoodland
Costumes and props from TV's Will & Grace sitcom
Bollywood themed costumes and props from the soap opera Passions
Plus original costumes and props from TV's In Plain Sight, House M.D., The Office, Friday Night Lights, 30 Rock and Heroes

As you can see it was the usual treasure trove from the world of Hollywood's large and small screen.