Emotional launch for final "Potter Film"

J.K. Rowling and the stars who brought her story of a boy wizard to life fought back tears at the final curtain call for Harry Potter.

"I'm barely holding it together," she admitted. "It's a very mixed bag of emotions I think we're all feeling tonight."

Thousands of fans from all over the world crowded London's Trafalgar Square to bid an emotional farewell at the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2."

Daniel Radcliffe, who played Potter, called the night "a fitting send-off. It feels right; it feels like we're doing justice to what is not just a fantastic film, but a fantastic series."

Pictures: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2" premiere
Pictures: ""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1" premiere
Special section: "Harry Potter" through the years

A fantastic series, CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata points out, that has already grossed $6.4 billion at the box office and launched its young stars into the stratosphere.

Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione Granger, told D'Agata, "I feel like I am having an out-of-body experience. It's kind of too much to take in, almost. It's really overwhelming, but it's a beautiful moment, and I can't really believe all of this."

Plucked out of obscurity at just 10 or 11 when the films began a decade ago, they've spent half their lives in another world.

Rupert Grint, better known as his Ron Weasley character, says, "It has been such an important part of me, really, and to have it kind of just suddenly end -- it's quite a weird feeling."

Movie critics, D'Agata observes, say, "The saga ends not with a whimper, but a bang, with more special effects than you can wave a magic wand at."