harry potter movie review in english

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Harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, common sense media reviewers.

First Potter movie is a magical ride but also intense.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Plenty examples of courage, teamwork, and loyalty.

Harry's relationship with Ron and Hermione demonst

As one of the most beloved characters in the Harry

Kids are in peril often, mostly from fantasy creat

While the candy featured in the film wasn't origin

Positive Messages

Plenty examples of courage, teamwork, and loyalty. Friendship, standing up for others, expressing compassion, generosity, perseverance, and the triumph of the underdog are also strong themes.

Positive Role Models

Harry's relationship with Ron and Hermione demonstrates the idea behind strength in numbers when it comes to friendship. They're able to work together despite their respective flaws, forgive one another for their mistakes, and overcome great challenges. Hermione is studious and unafraid to express how smart she is, earning admiration of her teachers and eventually peers. Harry stands up for those who've been compassionate toward him, as well as those he feels deserve better treatment; he treats people with respect and loyalty. His generous tendencies encourage viewers to use their experiences with adversity in a positive manner.

Diverse Representations

As one of the most beloved characters in the Harry Potter series, Hermione shines as a multi-dimensional young girl. She's smart and speaks her mind, even when her classmates ridicule her for it. Among the student body at Hogwarts, witches and wizards of color appear, including Harry's fellow Gryffindors Dean Thomas and Lee Jordan, who are both Black. But they have few lines, and their roles aren't central to the plot. Disparities in wealth and privilege are revealed with Ron having less money than Harry, while Draco exudes high-class snobbery, though the issue isn't explored deeply. A Hogwarts teacher Professor Flitwick is played by an actor who was born with the condition spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenital (SED), which caused his dwarfism. The movie, like its source material, plays into fat-phobic stereotypes, depicting villains such as Harry's Uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley as gluttonous and less intelligent.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Kids are in peril often, mostly from fantasy creatures. A three-headed dog chases Harry and friends. Harry and Draco see a dead, bloody unicorn and are chased by a hooded figure in the Forbidden Forest. Harry and friends fight a troll and knock it unconscious, are nearly crushed by a constricting plant, are chased by flying keys, and pummeled by a life-sized chess board. One character dies by turning to dust. Mostly friendly ghosts roam the halls; the ghost Nearly Headless Nick shows how he got the name. Flashback to the (bloodless) death of Harry's parents and much discussion about how they died and the one who killed them.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

While the candy featured in the film wasn't originally real, it is now: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, Jelly Slugs, and more. And then there are the action figures, Lego playsets, wands, clothing, and much more associated with the franchise.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone , the first movie in the massively popular and successful Harry Potter series (all based on the books by J.K. Rowling), has some intense and scary moments. Harry Potter ( Daniel Radcliffe ) and friends -- who are only 11 years old here -- are in peril and get hurt, but not seriously, and most of the scares come from fantasy creatures. There's a flashback to the (bloodless) death of Harry's parents and discussion about how they died and the villain who killed them. Characters show courage, teamwork, and loyalty. Friendship, standing up for others, expressing compassion, generosity, perseverance, and the triumph of the underdog are also strong themes. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

Parents say (149)
Kids say (545)

Based on 149 parent reviews

inappropriate for most

Some scary scenes that could be a bit much for littles. but a great introduction to the harry potter franchise., what's the story.

When HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE begins, Harry ( Daniel Radcliffe ) is an orphan who lives with the awful Dursleys, his aunt, uncle, and cousin. On his 11th birthday, Harry receives a mysterious letter, but his uncle destroys it before he can read it. Letters keep coming, and the Dursleys panic and hide away on a remote island. But they're found by Hagrid ( Robbie Coltrane ), a huge, bearded man with a weakness for scary-looking creatures. It turns out that the letters were coming from Hogwarts, a boarding school for young witches and wizards, and Harry is expected for the fall term, so Hagrid whisks him off to begin his new life as a wizard in training. On the train to Hogwarts, Harry meets his future best friends, Ron Weasley ( Rupert Grint ) and Hermione Granger ( Emma Watson ). When school begins, things really get exciting, with classes in Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, a sport called Quidditch (a sort of flying soccer/basketball), a mysterious trap door guarded by a three-headed dog named Fluffy, and a baby dragon named Norbert. Throughout the year, Harry adjusts to his magical life and begins to come to grips with his famous status in the wizarding world and what he represents to the darker forces there. He also learns some important lessons about loyalty and courage.

Is It Any Good?

This first film in the Harry Potter series is filled with visual splendor, valiant heroes, spectacular special effects, and irresistible characters. It's only fair to say that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is truly magical. The settings manage to be sensationally imaginative and yet at the same time so clearly believable and lived-in that you'll think you could find them yourself, if you could just get to Platform 9 3/4. The adult actors are simply and completely perfect. Richard Harris turns in an excellent performance as headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Maggie Smith (whose on-screen teaching roles extend from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie to Sister Act ) brings just the right dry asperity to Professor McGonagall, and Coltrane is a half-giant with a heart to match as Hagrid. Alan Rickman provides shivers as potions master Professor Snape, and the brief glimpse of Julie Walters (an Oscar nominee for Billy Elliott ) will make you glad you'll be seeing more of her in future movies. And the kids are all just fine, though here they're mostly called upon to look either astonished or resolute.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the Harry Potter book series that inspired Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and the other movies. Do you like the books or movies better?

Which themes from the first in the series pop up again in later installments?

What do you think about Harry and his friends going away to school? Would you ever want to do something like that?

How do Harry and his friends demonstrate teamwork , perseverance , and courage in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone ? Why are these important character strengths ?

Movie Details

In theaters : November 16, 2001
On DVD or streaming : May 28, 2002
Cast : Daniel Radcliffe , Emma Watson , Rupert Grint
Director : Chris Columbus
Studio : Fine Line Features
Genre : Fantasy
Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Adventures , Book Characters , Friendship , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
Run time : 152 minutes
MPAA rating : PG
MPAA explanation : some scary moments and mild language
Last updated : May 25, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone Review

16 Nov 2001

152 minutes

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone

Sometimes the best plan is to do things by the book. With over 100 million Harry Potter readers desperate to rush down cinema aisles to see their hero on the big screen for the first time, you can't blame Chris Columbus for sticking close to J.K. Rowling's novel. It's one thing to let your imagination loose with the words on the page; it's another to have those images backed up by a multi-million dollar Hollywood budget. And from the very first sight of an owl perched on the Privet Drive road sign to the closing shot of the Hogwarts Express pulling away from the station with the majestic school sitting high on the hills behind, we know that every golden galleon has been well spent.

That's why this faithful adaptation won't fail to win over the book's fans with its 'wow' factor. It thrives on audience recognition. John Williams' score swells at the key moments - Here's your first glimpse of Hogwarts! Isn't Diagon Alley crammed with Dickensian detail! - as Columbus pulls back curtain after curtain to reveal all of the avid readers' favourite bits. The stand-out sequence is the Gryffindor versus Slytherin Quidditch match, a fast-paced medieval Rollerball with broomsticks. It soars where The Phantom Menace's podrace stalled on the third lap.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone has one advantage over so many other blockbusters: it already knows that it's the first in a series, so it doesn't have to become a self-contained hit movie before its sequels can receive the green light. This means it deliberately takes its time setting up the characters and the scenario before, like the book, pulling in a quest-cum-whodunnit plot to provide a climax. This structure is fine for the initiated, but it might leave first-timers feeling a bit uncomfortable with the shape of the movie. And because it's more of a kids film than the book was just a kids book, the two-and-a-half hour running time is bound to provoke some cinema squirming from young viewers.

That said, Columbus ensures there's a bit of on-screen magic coming our way every couple of minutes, and not just in the shape of expensive effects. Near-perfect casting ensures character colour from the adult actors and allows the central trio of kids (Radcliffe, Grint and Watson) to prove that three heads are better than one (unless your name is Fluffy).

Coltrane as cuddly giant Hagrid and Grint as Harry's cheeky chum, Ron, steal some scenes, but it's Radcliffe who leads us through Harry's journey from open-jawed underdog to pint-sized hero. Sympathetic and strong, brave and believably ordinary, he becomes the audience's counterpart in this weird world of witches and wizards.

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DVD & Streaming

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Action/Adventure , Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Content Caution

In Theaters

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter; Richard Griffiths as Uncle Vernon Dursley; Fiona Shaw as Aunt Petunia Dursley; Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley; Emma Watson as Hermione Granger; Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley; Robbie Coltrane as Gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid; Richard Harris as Headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Alan Rickman as Professor Severus Snape; Maggie Smith as Professor Minerva McGonagal; Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy

Home Release Date

Chris Columbus

Distributor

Warner Bros.

Movie Review

As far as Harry knows, his parents were killed in a car crash when he was an infant, and he’s stuck with his aunt and uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley. Like a modern Cinderella, Harry sleeps in a closet and waits on his relatives hand and foot while his pudgy cousin Dudley is spoiled rotten. But as Harry’s 11th birthday approaches, all of that changes. A gentle giant named Rubeus Hagrid shows up to inform Harry that he is a wizard by birth and invite him to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

At Hogwarts, Harry finds much of what his pitiful life has lacked. Close friends. Bits of his own family history. Magical skills. Recognition. And a starting position on the Quidditch team (think airborne soccer)—an honor unheard of for a “first-year.” But he also gets a few things he didn’t bargain for, including a mystery and a ferocious three-headed dog named Fluffy. Most formidably, he finds he’s the object of renewed hatred from the evil Voldemort, who killed his parents. Harry meets the challenge head-on and faces off with this villain so wicked other wizards won’t even speak his name. Voldemort gets what’s coming to him, but you can be sure he’ll be back in the sequels.

positive content: Two prominent teachers at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall, are some of the finest authority figures to grace a kids’ movie in quite some time. Professor McGonagall is stern and a stickler for rules. But rather than scorning her, Harry and his friends like and respect her. Dumbledore proffers wise advice and teaches common sense. He becomes like a father to Harry, comforting him when he misses his parents and taking time to talk through his questions and problems.

When Harry is being assigned to one of Hogwarts’ four houses, the “sorting hat” assesses his character, then applauds him for having “courage, talent, not a bad mind and a thirst to prove [himself].” During the course of the story, it becomes clear to Harry that—just as Lucifer was once a high angel—these talents could just as easily have landed him in the malevolent Slytherin house as in the noble Gryffindor. His own human potential for “going bad” bothers Harry until Dumbledore reminds him that he asked not to be put in Slytherin and teaches him that choosing the good over the bad makes all the difference.

The evil acts of dark-side wizards—such as killing a unicorn for its life-giving blood—are denounced. In addition, lines spoken by villains expose dark-side philosophy, which is then refuted when the scoundrels are defeated. For example, one of Voldemort’s followers says to Harry, “There is no such thing as good and evil. There is only power and those too weak to seek it.” Harry swiftly and strongly opposes both this villain and his sentiments.

When Harry discovers that it wasn’t a car crash that killed his parents, he also learns that his mother actually died saving his life. Dumbledore instructs him on the importance of sacrificial love, telling Harry, “love leaves a mark that lives in your very skin.”

Harry, Ron and Hermione go on an Indiana Jones- like adventure, solving puzzles and dodging obstacles to unravel their mystery and find the sorcerer’s stone. One leg of the course is a life-sized chess game in which captured pieces get smashed by their opponents. As an accomplished chess player, Ron gets to call the shots, and in a heroic act, he sacrifices his knight (and gets injured in the process) in order to save Harry.

spiritual content: The big debate about Harry Potter , of course, is whether its magic is of a spiritual or mechanical nature. More on that follows, but for now, magical elements are listed here as “spiritual content.”

Before he discovers he’s a wizard, Harry accidentally dissolves the glass over a snake cage at the zoo. This begins to make sense to Harry when Hagrid comes to take him to Hogwarts. The giant asks, “Did you ever make things happen that you couldn’t explain?” The light comes on for Harry—his mysterious power comes from being a wizard. Hagrid makes Dudley grow a pig’s tail. Doors open Ali Baba-style to a series of taps from Hagrid’s pink umbrella (which also happens to shoot fire). Harry and friends get to the platform for the Hogwarts Express by walking through a brick wall in a London train station. On the train, Ron tries to put a spell on his pet rat to turn it yellow. Other spells are of similar sort, spoken in Latin and intended to make changes in the physical realm. Harry and his friends take classes in Potions, The History of Magic, Defense Against the Dark Arts, etc. Their school supplies include robes and magic wands which they purchase on a magical street called Diagon Alley. When Harry goes to pick out a wand, he finds that it is the wand that instead “picks” him. Wandmaker Mr. Ollivander tells Harry that the wand he was “destined for” is “brother” to the wand Voldemort used to kill Harry’s parents and give him his scar. At Hogwarts, the ceiling in the Great Hall is “bewitched” to look like the night sky. Staircases move under the influence of permanent spells. The school celebrates Halloween with a huge banquet, but it also celebrates Christmas in the same way. The dormitories are supervised by silvery-gray ghosts. The head of Harry’s dormitory is Nearly Headless Nick, who died 500 years previously in a botched decapitation.

Missing from the movie (and at no great loss) is the one class that, in the book, came closest to mentioning supernatural contact—Divination. Also missing is a particularly troublesome line in which Dumbledore says, “To the well-organized mind, death is just the next great adventure.”

All the villains in The Sorcerer’s Stone are practitioners of “The Dark Arts.” Their spells come in the form of curses and are used to harm other wizards. Foremost on the dark side is Voldemort, who uses a death curse to kill Harry’s parents and to try to kill Harry.

Also very troubling is the overarching idea that Harry is “rescued” from a miserable life by a bunch of wizards and witches. Of course, there are two ways to see this. Viewers who bring to the movie a background in Christian fantasy may see it as somewhat similar to C.S. Lewis’ Narnia—a magical world far more exciting and “fitting” for the human spirit than the plain physical world. On the other hand, there’s the likely interpretation that Harry is being “saved” by witchcraft, a disturbing idea to say the least. The immediate emotional impact of film makes the concept even more dangerous, because passive thrill-seekers won’t necessarily ponder and process it as they might while reading a book.

sexual content: None.

violent content: Uncle Vernon never hits Harry, but he treats him roughly at times. He also tries to shoot at Hagrid, but the giant bends the end of his shotgun. Scenes that flash back to the death of Harry’s parents are short and discreet, showing only a flash of light and Harry’s mom falling to the ground.Hagrid kicks down a door when he comes to retrieve Harry from the Dursleys. (He then apologizes and puts it back in place.) One student gets caught on a runaway broom, crashes into a building and falls, breaking his wrist. Ron accidentally gets hit in the nose with a broom handle. A huge digitally animated troll smashes up a school bathroom and tries to hurt Hermione. A wand up the nose (gross!) distracts him and his own club eventually knocks him out. A Quidditch match turns ugly and Harry is nearly knocked from his flying broom. Ron, Harry and Hermione get trapped in the clutches of a vining plant with a vicious will of its own. The chess scene is intense, with many shattering chess pieces. Ron gets forcefully knocked to the ground.

Because watching film footage takes less time than reading pages, Harry’s final battle scene is actually shorter in the movie than in the book. Thankfully missing is a lot of Voldemort’s dialogue in which he repeatedly instructs a follower to kill Harry. Still, the scene is intense, and for young viewers, scary. Things look grim for Harry at first, until he discovers that his mother’s love has placed a seal on him that makes it impossible for his enemy to touch him. (Instead, physical contact causes his foe to be charred to a crisp.) The evil wizard Voldemort leaves the building in a dramatic and somewhat frightening rush.

crude or profane language: There’s a line about someone falling on his “a–.” Ron once exclaims, “Bloody hell!” Also: three misuses of God’s name and one use of “d–n.”

drug and alcohol content: On several occasions, Hagrid talks about visiting a pub. He enters one and the bartender says, “The usual, Hagrid?” to which Hagrid replies, “Not today. I’m on official Hogwarts business.” One student tries to turn water to rum, but fails.

other negative elements: Though it’s arguably played down from the book, Harry and his friends sometimes break rules with impunity. For example, Harry is told not to fly on his broomstick; he does it anyway (albeit for noble purposes) and ends up being rewarded with a starting spot on the Quidditch team.

conclusion: Aside from the exceptions noted, Harry Potter the movie is quite faithful to Harry Potter the book—a smart move on the part of filmmakers, who knew any significant departure would quickly alienate the target audience. The masterfully made film offers virtually no surprises. That leaves us dealing with the same questions that have been lurking since the first copy of J.K. Rowling’s book rolled off the press. Is it fantasy magic or occult magic? Does the distinction even matter?

These questions are both difficult and worthwhile. Fantasy (not just “make believe,” but a rich literary tradition with extensive principles and precedents) has made use of wizards and magic for centuries. Even Christian fantasy has employed “good witches.” Sometimes it has been as clear-cut as Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia , sometimes not. Christian fantasy fans contend that such tales have a powerful ability to convey truth and that real-world rules don’t apply in fantasyland. Well-respected Christian author Chuck Colson explains that Harry ’s magic is of an entirely different nature from real-world witchcraft: “Harry and his friends cast spells, read crystal balls, and turn themselves into animals—but they don’t make contact with a supernatural world.”

Similarly, Wren Walker, a practicing witch in Clearwater, Fla., and co-founder of the Witches Voice, an umbrella group for witches and Wiccans worldwide, insists that Harry Potter could never be an instructional piece for real-life witchcraft. “Spells tend to be more like prayers for most Wiccans and witches that practice it in the religious sense,” says Walker. “We don’t use ‘abracadabra.’ If somebody wanted to pick up the book and do the things in it, it wouldn’t be witchcraft.”

Richard Abanes, author of the book Harry Potter and the Bible , disagrees. While Rowling insists her stories are imaginary, she “admits she has been studying witchcraft to make the books more ‘accurate,'” Abanes told Crosswalk.com, which reports that Rowling also claims a significant minority of the sorcery appearing in her books is “material that was once believed in Britain.” “What she fails to mention,” Abanes says, “is that the vast amount of the occult she borrows from historical sources still plays a role in modern witchcraft.”

Such debate within the Christian community (and outside of it) will continue to rage. But even if Harry Potter ‘s magic isn’t of the occult, it still carries with it serious dangers. First, Rowling’s stories—unlike Lewis’ or Tolkien’s—are neither a Christian allegory, nor do they subscribe to a consistent Christian worldview. And second, we live in a culture that glorifies and promotes witchcraft and the occult. No matter what the essence of Harry’s magic, the effect of it is undoubtedly to raise curiosity about magic and wizardry. And any curiosity raised on this front presents a danger that the world will satisfy it with falsehood before the church or the family can satisfy it with truth. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone definitely raises those curiosities. That, accompanied by violent and scary scenes, a few mild profanities, and hints at moral relativism should be enough to keep families from shouting hurrah for Harry.

Lindy Keffer

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The first movie was the setup, and this one is the payoff. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" leaves all of the explanations of wizardry behind and plunges quickly into an adventure that's darker and scarier than anything in the first Harry Potter movie. It's also richer: The second in a planned series of seven Potter films is brimming with invention and new ideas, and its Hogwarts School seems to expand and deepen before our very eyes into a world large enough to conceal unguessable secrets.

What's developing here, it's clear, is one of the most important franchises in movie history, a series of films that consolidate all of the advances in computer-aided animation, linked to the extraordinary creative work of J.K. Rowling, who has created a mythological world as grand as "Star Wars," but filled with more wit and humanity. Although the young wizard Harry Potter is nominally the hero, the film remembers the golden age of moviemaking, when vivid supporting characters crowded the canvas. The story is about personalities, personal histories and eccentricity, not about a superstar superman crushing the narrative with his egotistical weight.

In the new movie, Harry ( Daniel Radcliffe , a little taller and deeper-voiced) returns with his friends Ron Weasley ( Rupert Grint ) and Hermione Granger ( Emma Watson , in the early stages of babehood). They sometimes seem to stand alone amid the alarming mysteries of Hogwarts, where even the teachers, even the august headmaster Albus Dumbledore ( Richard Harris ), even the learned professors Snape ( Alan Rickman ) and McGonagall ( Maggie Smith ), even the stalwart Hagrid the Giant ( Robbie Coltrane ) seem mystified and a little frightened by the school's dread secrets.

Is there indeed a Chamber of Secrets hidden somewhere in the vast pile of Hogwarts? Can it only be opened by a descendent of Salazar Slytherin, the more sinister of the school's co-founders? Does it contain a monster? Has the monster already escaped, and is it responsible for paralyzing some of the students, whose petrified bodies are found in the corridors, and whose bodies are carried to the infirmary still frozen in a moment of time? Do the answers to these questions originate in events many years ago, when even the ancient Dumbledore was (marginally) younger? And does a diary by a former student named Tom Marvolo Riddle--a book with nothing written in it, but whose pages answer questions in a ghostly handwriting--provide the clues that Harry and his friends need? (Answer to all of the above: Probably.) This puzzle could be solved in a drab and routine movie with characters wandering down old stone corridors, but one of the pleasures of Chris Columbus' direction of "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" is how visually alive it is. This is a movie that answers any objection to computer animation with glorious or creepy sights that blend convincingly with the action. Hogwarts itself seems to have grown since the first movie, from a largish sort of country house into a thing of spires and turrets, vast rooms and endlessly convoluted passageways, lecture halls and science labs, with as much hidden below the ground as visible above it. Even the Quiddich game is held in a larger stadium (maybe rich alumni were generous?). There are times, indeed, when the scope of Hogwarts seems to approach that of Gormenghast, the limitless edifice in the trilogy by Mervyn Peake that was perhaps one of Rowling's inspirations.

The production designer is Stuart Craig, returning from "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." He has created (there is no other way to put it) a world here, a fully realized world with all the details crowded in, so that even the corners of the screen are intriguing. This is one of the rare recent movies you could happily watch with the sound turned off, just for the joy of his sets, the costumes by Judianna Makovsky and Lindy Hemming, and the visual effects (the Quiddich match seems even more three-dimensional, the characters swooping across the vast field, as Harry finds himself seriously threatened by the odious Malfoy).

There are three new characters this time, one delightful, one conceited, one malevolent. Professor Sprout ( Miriam Margolyes ) is on the biology faculty, and teaches a class on the peculiar properties of the mandrake plant, made all the most amusing by students of John Donne who are familiar with the additional symbolism of the mandrake only hinted at in class. The more you know about mandrakes, the funnier Sprout's class is.

She is the delightful addition. The conceited new faculty member, deliciously cast, is Gilderoy Lockhart ( Kenneth Branagh ), author of the autobiography Magical Me, who thinks of himself as a consummate magician but whose spell to heal Harry's broken arm has unfortunate results. And then there is Lucius Malfoy ( Jason Isaacs ), father of the supercilious Draco, who skulks about as if he should be hated just on general principles.

These characters and plot elements draw together in late action sequences of genuine power, which may be too intense for younger viewers. There is a most alarming confrontation with spiders and a scary late duel with a dragon, and these are handled not as jolly family movie episodes, but with the excitement of a mainstream thriller. While I am usually in despair when a movie abandons its plot for a third act given over entirely to action, I have no problem with the way "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" ends, because it has been pointing toward this ending, hinting about it, preparing us for it, all the way through. What a glorious movie.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film credits.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets movie poster

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

Rated PG For Scary Moments Some Creature Violence and Mild Language

161 minutes

Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter

Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley

Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy

Alan Rickman as Prof. Snape

Maggie Smith as Prof. McGonagal

Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid The Giant

Richard Harris as Prof. Albus Dumbledore

Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy

Directed by

Chris Columbus
Steve Kloves

Based on the novel by

J.K. Rowling

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, t... Read all Harry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of courage. Harry Potter lives his second year at Hogwarts with Ron and Hermione when a message on the wall announces that the legendary Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The trio soon realize that, to save the school, it will take a lot of courage.

Chris Columbus
J.K. Rowling
Steve Kloves
Daniel Radcliffe
Rupert Grint
Emma Watson
1K User reviews
144 Critic reviews
63 Metascore
14 wins & 50 nominations total

Harry Potter

Ron Weasley

Hermione Granger

Albus Dumbledore

Uncle Vernon

Aunt Petunia

Dudley Dursley

Fred Weasley

George Weasley

Mrs. Weasley

Ginny Weasley

Mr. Weasley

Percy Weasley

Draco Malfoy

Lucius Malfoy
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Did you know

Trivia Tom Felton forgot his line when Draco sees Harry disguised as Goyle, so he improvised "I didn't know you could read".
Goofs (at around 20 mins) The scene in Flourish & Blotts, where Hermione's parents are seen inside Diagon Alley, has been called a plot hole. Normally, Muggles cannot enter, or see, Diagon Alley. However, the Grangers are accompanied by Hermione, who, as a witch, would know how to enter through the Leaky Cauldron (and be able to see the pub). In the book, the Grangers comment to Mr. Weasley about having visited Gringotts to exchange their Muggle money for Wizarding money. If this is the case, they obviously aren't the first Muggles to enter Diagon Alley (indeed there have been numerous children who must have been taken there by their parents alongside a school staff member to buy their first year equipment for Hogwarts).

Dumbledore : It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.

Crazy credits At the end of the credits we see what happened to the amnesiac Professor Gilderoy Lockhart. He has written a book titled "Who Am I?". His moving image on the book's cover wears a straitjacket, and hums the movie's theme tune.
Alternate versions German theatrical version was cut (the Willow tree bashes the car three times less, Ron being attacked by a spider in the car, close up of a bone in the dungeons, Harry being pursued by the Basilisk, Harry uses the tooth only once to kill Voldemort, the death of Voldemort, the death of the Basilisk) to secure a "Not under 6" rating. Additionally some dialogue was changed (when Harry hears the Basilisk at the beginning, it says "I will get you" instead of "I will kill you"). This version was released on DVD & VHS in Germany and Austria but not in Switzerland where the uncut version was released (resulting in high exports to the two other countries). The uncut version of the movie was rated "Not under 12" and was shown on TV and released on Blu-ray.
Connections Featured in Troldspejlet: Episode #27.12 (2002)

User reviews 1K

Nov 10, 2002
How long is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets? Powered by Alexa
The fang of the Basilisk was able to destroy the horcrux in Tom Riddle's diary so, when the Basilisk bit Harry, why didn't it destroy the horcrux inside of him?
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November 15, 2002 (United States)
United Kingdom
United States
Harry Potter và Phòng Chứa Bí Mật
Glenfinnan Viaduct, Fort William, Highland, Scotland, UK (Hogwarts Express Bridge)
Warner Bros.
Heyday Films
1492 Pictures
See more company credits at IMDbPro
$100,000,000 (estimated)
$262,641,637
$88,357,488
Nov 17, 2002
$882,544,885

Technical specs

Runtime 2 hours 41 minutes
Dolby Digital EX
IMAX 6-Track
12-Track Digital Sound

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone review – 20 years on, it’s a nostalgic spectacular

The first film in the franchise is re-released into a very different world – but it’s as entertaining and exhilarating as ever

T he very first Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (or “Sorcerer’s Stone” for its release in the United States, where audiences were assumed to be unfamiliar with this alchemical term) is now re-released after 20 years, into a rather different world. Sadly, the actors who played the original Dumbledore, Snape, Uncle Vernon and Mr Ollivander – Richard Harris, Alan Rickman , Richard Griffiths and John Hurt – are no longer with us. The Harry Potter franchise itself is still a colossal commercial entity, an IP Shangri La, although its creator JK Rowling is now at the centre of an acrimonious gender politics debate – undreamed of in 2001 – and the world of children’s and YA fiction, which she almost singlehandedly revived all over the world, is strongly policed on just these issues.

It’s amazing and poignant to remember the sheer excitement of that HPATPS premiere in November 2001: I myself called it an “old-fashioned pre-September 11 news event”. Harry Potter emerged into cinemas as we were still all stunned by 9/11, but yet to see the retaliatory “war on terror”. This film, emerging four years after the original novel, marked the birth of a new consolatory pop culture myth, to rival Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, and the circumstances of its own arrival became mythic, from Rowling’s own early poverty to the snapping up of film rights.

Warner Bros had gambled on three cherubically young actors to carry the series through their own adolescence to its finale: Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione and Rupert Grint as Ron. Opinions on the acting may divide here, and it was admittedly Robert Pattinson (playing Cedric Diggory in Goblet of Fire), who had the real career staying power. But I can’t think of these characters played by any other actors: the thought of the stories being remade or re-adapted with a different cast is heresy. I even grew to like Grint’s very broad, goofy acting, in which he was encouraged by director Chris Columbus at the outset. Radcliffe’s bespectacled moon face looks heartbreakingly unformed.

In the film we see Harry Potter coming to terms with his messianic purpose: he is released from his Dickensian incarceration in the Dursley household and sent for his first term at Hogwarts with its public-school/Oxbridge traditions. Harry learns how to play quidditch (like Tom Brown learning rugby) and he and his three pals are sorted into their various houses; they encounter the formidable teaching staff, including Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith), Professor Quirrell (Ian Hart) and Professor Snape (Alan Rickman) and then meet the challenge of a deadly assault on Harry.

And it’s still a very entertaining and spectacular movie, with a rush of nostalgia to go alongside the exhilaration of fun, even though some of the “flying” effects during the big quidditch match aren’t quite what we’re used to in 2021. “Wingardium Leviosa,” says the earnest, wide-eyed Hermione … and the story is airborne again.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter (Books)
Harry Potter (Film)
Daniel Radcliffe
Emma Watson
Rupert Grint

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How to Watch Harry Potter Movies In Order: See All 11 Movies Chronologically

Everyone came into the Wizarding World through the Harry Potter books and movies, which introduced us to a gifted 11-year-old, his friends Ron and Hermione, and their hallowed school of magic, Hogwarts. Watching the Harry Potter movies in order, seeing the story unfold chronologically in-universe, used to be as easy as finding the one where Daniel Radcliffe looks youngest and starting from there.

But the series has expanded now with the Fantastic Beasts movies, set some 70 years before The Sorcerer’s Stone . So to watch the Harry Potter movies in order, your journey now begins with Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them , set in 1926 and starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scarmander. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set in 1927. The third Fantastic Beasts intends to release July 2022, with two more movies to close out the Scarmander and Grindelwald saga.

Then the story of Harry himself begins, starting with Sorcerer’s Stone and concluding in the second-part of The Deathly Hallows , for eight Certified Fresh movies in a row. There’s also a Harry Potter series early in development for HBO Max. For now, see our guide below on how to watch all Harry Potter movies in order. — Alex Vo

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016) 74%

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) 36%

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022) 46%

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) 81%

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) 82%

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 90%

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 88%

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) 78%

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) 84%

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) 77%

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) 96%

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Harry Potter – Film Review – Sample

Jan 30, 2023 | Review Writing | 0 |

Harry Potter is a film series based on the popular books by J.K. Rowling. The series consists of eight films released between 2001 and 2011, following the story of Harry Potter, a young wizard who discovers his true identity and battles the evil Lord Voldemort.

Overall, the Harry Potter film series is a well-made and enjoyable adaptation of the books. The films capture the magical world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its characters, bringing the books to life in a visually stunning and emotionally engaging way.

The special effects, production design, and score are all top-notch, creating a fully realized and immersive magical world. The cast of the films is excellent, with standout performances from Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, and Rupert Grint as Ron.

The films effectively convey the themes of friendship, bravery, and the fight against evil, making them appealing to both children and adults. The series also successfully builds tension and anticipation throughout, leading to an epic and satisfying conclusion.

In conclusion, the Harry Potter film series is a must-see for fans of the books and anyone looking for a fun and captivating fantasy adventure.

Summary Harry Potter is an eight-film series based on J.K. Rowling's popular books. The series follows the story of young wizard Harry Potter as he discovers his true identity and battles Lord Voldemort. The films are well-made and enjoyable adaptations, capturing the magical world of Hogwarts and its characters, with stunning special effects, production design, and score. The cast is excellent, with standout performances from Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. The films convey themes of friendship, bravery, and the fight against evil and build tension throughout, leading to an epic conclusion. The Harry Potter film series is a must-see for fans of the books and those seeking a captivating fantasy adventure.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

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20 Movies Like 'Harry Potter' to Watch For a Magical Adventure

Missing the magical world of Hogwarts?

Based on J. K. Rowling 's acclaimed fantasy novel series, the Harry Potter films have become a quintessential hallmark of 21st-century cinema, following the titular Harry Potter ( Daniel Radcliffe ) and his friends through their adventures at Hogwarts. The franchise is still adored by a sizable fandom over ten years since the eighth and final movie was released, and moviegoers' appetite for wondrous and magical adventures remains firmly intact.

Thankfully, there have been plenty of movies like Harry Potter that can satisfy the itch of all Potterheads . Ranging from box office blockbuster sensations to underrated gems, each of these films has an enchanting allure that stems from a mesmerizing story world of fantasy and magic and narrative dedication to adventure and friendship.

20 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' (2010)

Directed by john turteltaub.

While it hasn't aged as one of Disney's most revered family adventures in recent years, 2010's The Sorcerer's Apprentice still has plenty to offer as a charming, kid-friendly blockbuster that makes good use of an exceptional ensemble cast. It focuses on the bond between Balthazar Blake ( Nicolas Cage ), a centuries-old wizard who was an apprentice to Merlin ( James A. Stephens ), and David Stutler ( Jay Baruchel ), a college kid who is revealed to be Merlin's descendant and Balthazar's last hope against a growing evil.

Cage operates at his performative, effervescent best, and his chemistry with Baruchel is surprisingly strong, especially as they are supported by a cast that includes Alfred Molina , Monica Bellucci , Teresa Palmer , and Alice Krige . While it didn't re-invent the genre and has faced some criticism for its narrative clichés, The Sorcerer's Apprentice is a breezily fun fantasy adventure with an emphasis on its central friendship which is suitable for all Potterheads.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

*Availability in US

19 'Seventh Son' (2014)

Directed by sergei bodrov.

Combining an all-star cast with a blockbuster budget, plenty of fantasy intrigue, and the ambitious recruitment of acclaimed Russian filmmaker Sergei Bodrov , Seventh Son didn't end up being the barnstorming epic it had been conceived as. However, this doesn't necessarily mean it was terrible. Loosely based on Joseph Delaney 's The Spook's Apprentice , it takes place in 16th century Europe as the powerful though young Thomas Ward ( Ben Barnes ) works with witch hunter Master Gregory ( Jeff Bridges ) to vanquish an all-conquering evil.

With Julianne Moore , Alicia Vikander , Olivia Williams , Djimon Hounsou , and Kit Harrington making up the supporting cast, Seventh Son 's release was marred by poor reviews and an unsteady release schedule . Granted, it's not the greatest movie ever made, but it still offers plenty of magical action thrills that are serviceable for viewers craving an exciting fantasy escape.

Seventh Son

18 'the golden compass' (2007), directed by chris weitz.

Despite being a successful performer at the box office, The Golden Compass never gained enough traction to become a true hit of modern fantasy, but it remains a hidden gem that lovers of the genre can uncover and enjoy. Based on Northern Lights by Philip Pullman , it transpires in an alternate world where people’s souls accompany them as animalistic beings known as daemons. It follows Lyra ( Dakota Blue Richards ), a young girl, as she sets out to rescue her kidnapped friend from a dark evil that is experimenting on children.

The Golden Compass was harshly criticized for lacking much of the thematic bite of the novel, particularly concerning its brutal commentary on religion, but it still excels as a wondrous and entertaining tale bolstered by a truly awe-inspiring ensemble cast. Sadly, The Golden Compass wasn’t able to become the major fantasy franchise it was designed to be, but it offers enough for genre fans to get some escapist thrills.

The Golden Compass

Not available

17 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief' (2010)

Directed by chris columbus.

Coming from Chris Columbus , the director of the first two Harry Potter movies, the first of the Percy Jackson movies has become something of a cherished cult classic based on Rick Riordan 's popular debut novel The Lightning Thief . It focuses on Percy Jackson ( Logan Lerman ), a teenager with dyslexia who learns he is a demigod when he is accused of stealing Zeus's ( Sean Bean ) master lightning bolt and is tasked with returning it to prevent the tumultuous relations between the Gods from spiraling to all-out war.

Like the Harry Potter films, it follows a young protagonist buoyed by two incredibly loyal friends who join him on a spellbinding magical adventure that meshes the modern world with high fantasy. While the film drew some criticism for its departure from its source material, it did earn a sequel in 2013's Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters , while Riordan's novel series has recently been the subject of a television adaptation which was recently renewed for a second season.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: Lightning Thief

Watch on Disney+

16 'Doctor Strange' (2016)

Directed by scott derrickson.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is arguably the only film series of the 21st century thus far to surpass the influence and pop-culture impact of the Harry Potter films. As the MCU's resident sorcerer, Doctor Strange's ( Benedict Cumberbatch ) films present a magical high point of the superhero franchise, with the 2016 origin film more aligned with the sense of fantasy spectacle and blockbuster fun of Harry Potter compared to the much darker Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness .

In the wake of a catastrophic accident that damages his hands beyond repair, Doctor Strange follows its titular neurosurgeon as he endeavors to find a cure for his ailment, a trek which leads him to Kamar-Taj and the guidance of The Ancient One ( Tilda Swinton ). Its engagement with its magical elements was its defining quality, making Doctor Strange an appropriately wondrous blockbuster for all fans yearning for more movie magic.

Doctor Strange

15 'upside-down magic' (2020), directed by joe nassbaum.

A Disney Channel original film , 2020's Upside-Down Magic is a terrific film for younger fans of the Harry Potter movies. It tells the tale of two young best friends who learn they have magical abilities, with Nory ( Izabela Rose ) capable of transforming into animals while Reina ( Siena Agudong ) can control fire. While Reina excels with her powers, Nory faces issues with hers and is placed in the Upside-Down Magic program to safeguard her from the Shadow Magic, an evil entity that possesses those with imperfect abilities.

It boasted a central idea of overcoming and embracing one's unique qualities, while also showcasing the importance of friendship. Taking plenty of inspiration from Harry Potter , it also made exceptional use of the wondrous setting of Sage Academy as a school for magical youths, one haunted by a mysterious and dark evil. With a post-credits scene teasing more to come, Upside-Down Magic could expand into a larger franchise, though there has been no word on a potential sequel.

14 'Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium' (2007)

Directed by zach helm.

Taking the fantasy wonder and magical intrigue of Harry Potter and plonking it in a toy store, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium was an immersive, feel-good flick about the power of self-belief. It focuses on Molly Mahoney ( Natalie Portman ), an aspiring concert pianist who works at the titular toy shop under the eccentric, 243-year-old Mr. Magnorium ( Dustin Hoffman ). When Mr. Magnorium declares his intent to pass ownership of the store over to Molly, she begins to worry as the store's magic starts to fade during the transition.

The underrated 2000s family film was aimed at younger audiences and, as a result, there are a few narrative pitfalls that adults may get caught up on that kids would simply ignore. That being said, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium still contains a great deal of fantasy wonder, charming sentiment, and visual pizzazz to be a fun-filled adventure that rises to a rewarding, if not somewhat predictable, grand finale.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium

13 'labyrinth' (1986), directed by jim henson.

One of the most famous fantasy films of the 1980s, if not of all time, Labyrinth is revered as an imaginative and arresting visual spectacle that coasts on a simple but effective story and an iconic performance from David Bowie . It follows sixteen-year-old Sarah ( Jennifer Connelly ) as she struggles to solve a labyrinth to rescue her baby brother who has been taken by the Goblin King (Bowie).

The fantasy allure of the film is plain to see, with the mesmerizing design of the goblins and the labyrinth itself presenting a richly immersive world rife with quaint 80s charm. Its story of a youth becoming a hero and being forced to take on a powerful evil should also resonate with Harry Potter fans.

12 'Stardust' (2007)

Directed by matthew vaughn.

One of the more underrated fantasy films of the 21st century and a truly brilliant outing from director Michael Vaughn , Stardust was a magical, fairy tale adventure inspired by the novel by Neil Gaiman . An elaborate story, it predominantly takes place in the fantasy land of Wall, a guarded realm in the English countryside. Its main thread follows Tristan ( Charlie Cox ), a young Englishman who ventures into Wall to retrieve a fallen star for his beloved, but his journey takes many unexpected turns along the way.

With a vast array of excellent characters brought to life by a dazzling ensemble cast which included Michelle Pfeiffer , Robert De Niro , Claire Danes , Mark Strong , and a pre-fame Henry Cavill among many more, Stardust was a spectacular, fun-filled adventure. Its blending of fantasy and real-world settings struck a similar balance as the Harry Potter films , while its touches of comedy, romance, adventure, and action gave it an accessible and enjoyable atmosphere as well.

11 'The House with a Clock in Its Walls' (2018)

Directed by eli roth.

With gore maestro Eli Roth directing, and a screenplay from The Boys creator Erik Kripke , it is perhaps a surprise that The House with a Clock in Its Walls was such an accessible and endearing dose of family-friendly fantasy. It follows Lewis Barnavelt ( Owen Vaccaro ) who, following the death of his parents in a car accident, moves to live with his uncle Jonathan ( Jack Black ), who is secretly a warlock. With help from their neighbor, a powerful witch in Florence Zimmerman ( Cate Blanchett ), Lewis and Jonathan try to find a hidden clock capable of bringing about the end of the world.

Appealing to children and adults, the film imbues its adventure story with deft and clever uses of comedy and even horror , making for a fun-loving flick defined by its accessible tone. Both Black and Blanchett are fantastic in their roles, and their chemistry together as feuding friends is sublime, while the story plays with a similar sense of wonder and underlying family tragedy that made Harry Potter so enrapturing .

The House with a Clock in Its Walls

Watch on Fubo

10 'The Kid Who Would Be King' (2019)

Directed by joe cornish.

An overlooked modern gem plucked straight from Arthurian legend, The Kid Who Would Be King was a refreshing, vibrant, and exciting fantasy adventure. Set in modern-day London, it follows a boy starting secondary school as he discovers Excalibur and enlists his friends to become knights of the Round Table. With an ancient evil regaining power, Alex ( Louis Ashbourne Serkis ) and his classmates unite with an old wizard to fight against an enchantress who will enslave Britain.

With the young heroes, its mixing of modern reality and mythological magic, and its action spectacle , The Kid Who Would Be King has a similar appeal as the Harry Potter movies. However, it does intelligently skew away from the Chosen One narrative, making Alex an ordinary boy who needs to earn Excalibur through merit. With Patrick Stewart portraying Merlin while Rebecca Ferguson was the villainous Morgana, the film was an effective fantasy adventure.

The Kid Who Would Be King

9 'the chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe' (2005), directed by andrew adamson.

Not unlike Harry Potter , The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe started out as a hit novel, with author C. S. Lewis publishing the fantasy adventure in 1950. The story famously follows four siblings who move to the countryside to escape the bombing of London. In their new home, they discover a magical wardrobe that leads to the magical land of Narnia, a mystic realm where their arrival has been prophesied to help defeat an evil queen.

The situation the four Pevensie siblings find themselves in holds a similar sense of boredom and yearning that Harry Potter experiences, one that is resolved by a breathtaking adventure in a beautifully realized world of magic and wonder . A substantial box office hit, it earned two sequels, while a new adaptation of C. S. Lewis’ novels has been green lit on Netflix with Greta Gerwig set to direct .

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

8 'the neverending story' (1984), directed by wolfgang petersen.

A certifiable classic not only of fantasy cinema but of 80s film, The NeverEnding Story is pure escapism as a powerful and engrossing tale about unlikely young heroes and the importance of imagination. It primarily follows a young boy who avoids his bullies by hiding in a bookstore. As he begins reading an old book, he finds himself being drawn into the magical realm of Fantasia and its desperate fight against an all-consuming evil known as The Darkness.

While its effects are revealing of its age, The NeverEnding Story still holds an enigmatic allure over modern viewers with its rich story world and its immersive, captivating narrative. It received two sequels over the following ten years, though neither was able to match the brilliance of the original, which has been immortalized as a true cult classic with a fanbase that still continues to expand four decades since its release.

The Neverending Story

7 'matilda' (1996), directed by danny devito.

An iconic adaptation of Roald Dahl 's equally famous children's novel of the same name, Matilda remains an adored classic of family entertainment which is faithful to the source material. Directed and co-produced by Danny DeVito (who also co-stars), it tells the tale of young Matilda ( Mara Wilson ), an intelligent girl saddened by a difficult relationship with her family while also falling victim to the cruel and sadistic school principal, Miss Trunchbull ( Pam Terris ). However, when Matilda learns she has telekinetic powers, she starts to act as an agent of karma.

Roald Dahl's comedic instincts almost always had a dark cynicism about them, one that DeVito excelled at capturing in a manner that was delightfully twisted and effective without ever being confronting. Matilda 's magical prowess gave it an effortlessly enchanting aura, one which combined beautifully with its appetite for poetic justice to be a rewarding watch for kids and adults alike.

6 'The Craft' (1996)

Directed by andrew fleming.

Something of a dark alternative to Harry Potter , The Craft had a similar focus on young spellcasters in school but did something completely different with the concept . It follows Sarah Bailey ( Robin Tunney ), a teenage girl with magical powers who attends a new school and befriends three social outcasts who are also, secretly, witches. As they begin experimenting with spells as a coven, they start to obsess over what they can do with their growing powers.

While Robin's grounded moral compass ensures that things don't spiral too chaotically out of control, The Craft still offers more than a glimpse at what a dark Harry Potter franchise could have looked like, especially when sorcerers mingle with those without magic. A cult classic meshing of fantasy, horror, and teen dramedy, The Craft has gradually grown in popularity over the decades and even received a loosely connected sequel, The Craft: Legacy , in 2020.

5 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' (1971)

Directed by robert stevenson.

A mesmerizing marriage of live-action and animation , Bedknobs and Broomsticks stands as a Disney classic even though it has long lived in the shadow of Mary Poppins . Set during the Blitz of 1940, it follows three children who have been sent to live with an apprentice witch, Miss Eglantine Price ( Angela Lansbury ). The kids, Miss Price, and her witchcraft mentor Emelius Brown ( David Tomlinson ) embark on a quest to defeat the Nazis, flying around on an enchanted bed that takes them on an outrageous adventure.

A cheerful and charming dose of Disney family entertainment, Bedknobs and Broomsticks had a central focus on magical adventure and brought it to life with spellbinding animation and a vast array of wonderful characters. It continues to thrive as a classic family adventure today and makes for a great option for Harry Potter fans with an interest in older movies.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks

4 'teen witch' (1989), directed by dorian walker.

A fantasy, high school romance realized in a way that can only be described as all-out 1980s, Teen Witch ran with a simple story of young love and magic. Louise Miller ( Robyn Lively ) is a 15-year-old schoolgirl in love with school quarterback Brad Powell ( Dan Gauthier ), but she struggles to make him notice her, especially as he is involved with one of the cheerleaders. However, when Louise learns she is the descendant of the witches of Salem, she begins using magic to get what she wants.

While the film sometimes toes a problematic line (which wouldn't have been at all out of place for the 80s), it does handle Louise's manipulation of magic with maturity and grace as she turns into a powerful witch in the movie . Focusing on how Louise's excitement gradually turns to shock and even fear at what she is capable of with her powers , Teen Witch is a schlocky though enjoyable magical adventure.

Watch on Hoopla

3 'Pan’s Labyrinth' (2006)

Directed by guillermo del toro.

Guillermo del Toro ’s highly acclaimed masterpiece serves as an entrancing and harrowing spectacle that brilliantly mixes fantasy, horror, and fairy tale narrative to be a richly rewarding film worthy of multiple rewatches. Its ability to juggle juxtaposing tones of adventure and terror, and find a profoundly human heart underneath it all, makes it a breathtaking fantasy, one that resembles Harry Potter in its interest in incorporating real world issues with its magical journey.

The film takes place in Francoist Spain, following young Ophelia ( Ivana Baquero ) as she and her heavily pregnant mother make a demanding move into the forest to be with Ophelia’s brutal stepfather. In the forest, Ophelia learns of three tasks she can complete to return to her rightful position as princess of the underworld, all while a conflict between soldiers and rebels rages around her. Visually superb and completely engulfing, Pan’s Labyrinth is a standout highlight of modern fantasy film and of international cinema.

Pan's Labyrinth

2 'miss peregrine’s home for peculiar children' (2016), directed by tim burton.

A recent triumph from Tim Burton , Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children excelled as a mixture of the filmmaker's trademark offbeat style and a charming, quirky narrative of found family and magic. The fantasy adventure follows a teenager, Jake ( Asa Butterfield ), as he discovers a home for children with supernatural abilities run by the strict yet caring headmistress, Miss Peregrine ( Eva Green ). With the dangers mounting as he learns more about the residents and their powers, Jake agrees to help them protect their home from a terrifying force known as the "Hollowgasts."

Whatever lulls are present in the narrative are compensated for by a striking and mesmerizing visual display that accentuates the off-kilter tone and the suitably peculiar sense of familial warmth. Complemented by a note-perfect performance from Green, the film should appeal to all Harry Potter fans with its wholesome tone and magical thrills .

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

1 'escape to witch mountain' (1975), directed by john hough.

A tale of young orphans cast amid a world of peril, Escape to Witch Mountain i s a brilliant and timeless story of the purity of kids within a greedy and opportunistic world . It focuses on Tia ( Kim Richards ) and Tony Malone ( Ike Eisenmann ), two orphaned siblings with magical abilities who become the obsession of Aristotle Bolt ( Ray Milland ), a ruthless multi-millionaire who wants to exploit the children to increase his wealth. As they are pursued by Bolt and his goons, the kids find an unlikely ally in Jason O'Day ( Eddie Albert ), a crotchety old widower who lives in a Winnebago Motor Home.

A good option for fantasy fans who want a different spin on magical kids, Escape to Witch Mountain offered an intriguing explanation for the Malones' abilities while presenting a story that was both fun and thrilling. Audience interest in the story has lingered as well, with the film earning a direct sequel and a television spin-off, while it has more recently been remade as Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson .

NEXT: The Best Fantasy Movies of All Time, Ranked

Most Harry Potter Fans Don't Notice This Clever Detail From the Movies

The Wizarding World has so many scenes bursting with gorgeous food, but the depiction of those snacks and treats helps to tell this darkening story.

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Food is such a critical part of the wizarding world, the harry potter series got darker as the movies progressed, the food choices reflect upon that changing tone, the harry potter series could tap into more unseen food themes.

It's important to remember the ongoing controversial statements by the creator of the Harry Potter franchise. CBR supports the hard work of industry professionals on properties fans know and love and the wider world of Harry Potter that fans have adopted as their own. You can find CBR's continuing coverage on Rowling here .

Food is a vital part of Harry Potter's Wizarding World.
The darker the movies have gotten, the more the thematic cuisine was also affected.
With the future bright for the franchise, food could return in a big way.

The Wizarding World is a vibrant and wonderful place steeped in history and legend. The Harry Potter saga has been a worldwide phenomenon, ranging from the books and spinoffs to the movies, games, audio dramas, and even graphic novel retellings. There are plenty of recurring themes throughout the series, as the novels discuss aging, friendship, family, love, and community. So many of those key qualities are framed through food. It might not be the first thing fans think of when they ponder on Harry Potter and the titular character's journey, but food often plays a huge part in the biggest moments of the saga. Not only is what the characters eat so fundamental in understanding who they are as they grow and mature, but it's also a valuable way of measuring the changing tone of the movies themselves.

Compare the very first Harry Potter film to the very last, and it's easy to see just how contrasting they truly are. There are, of course, some components that remain consistent throughout, like the style of magic and the core trio of heroes. But there are other elements that change with the times, reflecting the need for the series to mature as the cast and characters do. Yet, the food of the Wizarding World has the strange distinction of both staying the same and shifting to match the mood of the film it's contained within. It's thus important to therefore look at how this detailed portrayal of food links to the storytelling in the first place, what role it plays in the Wizarding World as a whole, and how this technique could be used again when the Harry Potter narrative is retold from a new lens. Food is just as crucial to the Wizarding World as it is to the audience that enjoys it, and the film saga helped to boost media literacy in its nuanced use of the culinary realm.

The Food Represents the Magic of the Harry Potter Landscape

23 foods are named as part of Harry's first feast.

One Epic Harry Potter Duel Was Even Better Than the Final Showdown

Time and again, the Wizarding World presents spectacular food to the audience, with an eye to its value and importance. Harry Potter is set within the United Kingdom and so the food of Harry's world is framed by British cuisine. Pasties, roast dinners, pies, mash, treacle tart; there's an endless array of classics from across the pond that are on display in some form within the Harry Potter saga. While some may see these types of food as mundane, there's a homeliness and comfort to them that gives Harry a sense of familiarity after growing up so entrenched in the Muggle world. Food is thus one of the major ways that Harry is introduced into a more vibrant and exciting landscape. The trolley sequence, for example, where Harry buys a bit of everything, is such a fantastical display of childhood happiness. Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Beans line the carriage, and audiences get that same insight into an impossible world, just as Harry does. That grandiose presentation is enhanced by the feasts of the first few films, where students pack into the Great Hall and are delighted by all manner of bizarre delicacies. These scenes are absolutely iconic, but they also inform the audience about the characters, their tastes, how they present themselves, and what food means to that community. Eating, for Harry and his friends, is a communal experience, and those meals help define who they hold close in their lives.

Food continues to reappear throughout the Wizarding World timeline as a vital part of life for the Witches and Wizards within the UK community. Stalwarts such as Honeydukes, The Three Broomsticks, and The Leaky Cauldron reappear as vital spots that provide sustenance to all around, with colorful candy, Butterbeer, and robust pea soups showing the sheer variety of food on offer. In each of these instances, there's a sense of love attached to the cuisine, whether it's because of whom these meals are shared with or the familial aspect in which they are presented. Just like at Hogwarts, these locations are presented as safe spaces, providing Harry with a haven away from the bleak Muggle reality he has come from. Of course, food is important in the Muggle world, too. Who could forget the famous floating cake scene that gave Harry such anxiety as he attempted to stop Dobby the House Elf from crashing the sweet treat down on his family's guests? Each time, in the early films especially, that food shows up, it says something more about the Wizarding World's people and about Harry's close circle of friends. But, this portrayal of food doesn't just lend itself to strong character moments and world-building.

Increased Threats Lead to a Grittier Tone

Honeydukes was originally opened in 1641 by Ambrosius Flume. It survived after the new Wizarding War.

One of Harry Potter's Most Important Professors Doesn't Get Nearly Enough Credit

Progress past those early Harry Potter movies, or indeed the books , and it's evident that times are changing. A darker tone seeps into the material as Death Eaters rise and Voldemort returns. Each book or movie boasts further moments of danger, with Sirius Black's arrival, the Triwizard Tournament, Voldemort's first attack, and the death of Dumbledore all playing into the notion that Harry's havens won't be safe for much longer. The Wizarding World itself changes during the play of films, with Diagon Alley becoming a shell of its former self and characters isolating away from their communities. Throughout the fifth and sixth films, it seems that there's a conflict brewing, with Dumbledore's Army and the Order of The Phoenix assembling as if they are war cabinets, rallying the troops. Those moments of humor are still present, but the lighter tone fades with each entry as the characters come of age and are forced to navigate a tenser time.

This all comes to a head in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I and Part II, where war is very much at Harry's doorstep. Traveling cross country, destroying Horcruxes threatens to tear the core trio apart. The battle of Hogwarts tears down the institution that Harry had called home for so long. In each of these instances, those familiar structures that had been built over the first few films are put to the test, and there's a sense that perhaps they won't survive. Visually, the films actually grew darker, and they included more adult themes and content, from murder to torture. Harry Potter is so unique as a film franchise because it aged as its audience did, allowing it to enter new realms. But what's all this got to do with food? Well, the beauty of this blockbuster franchise is that it continues to encourage quality filmmaking. And the symbolism that pops up again and again, even as the tone shifted, related back to food.

The Feasts Just Keep Getting Smaller!

The final scene of Harry Potter features a chocolate frog calling back to food once more.

Newt Scamander's Connections to Harry Potter's Story, Explained

The first time food was used to demonstrate the aging of the characters was during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry and the other Gryffindor boys each take turns trying a candy that has an adverse effect on them. They roar like lions and steam like trains. It's a funny moment and one that allows them to grip hold of their childhoods despite the fact that they are clearly becoming young adults. As the movies progress, the feasts grow smaller. Depicting harder times, there's less reason to celebrate, and although there are standout exceptions like the Yule Ball, which attempts to build that sense of community again, it's clear that magical meals are becoming less important to Hogwarts. It is almost as if the magic is being pulled out of the world, with the Hogwarts Express Trolley barely getting a look-in in subsequent movies and the treats of Honeydukes feeling more like an indulgence for younger wizards and witches. Harry and his friends frequent pubs or sophisticated dinner parties, full of their own complicated political maneuverings. When once, eating was a joyous moment, suddenly, there's diplomacy attached to a meal.

The only true comfort that Harry seems to find in food is once he is with his family, the Weasleys, at the Burrow. There's a particularly memorable scene involving Mince Pies in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that promotes a warmer tone, a far cry from how cold some of those other food experiences had become. Harry still feels a connection with his loved ones, but these moments are more isolated as the films progress. By the time Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows rolls around, food is an afterthought. The characters eat for practicality while on the run from the Death Eaters , and as the core trio takes bites out of one another, those shared meals become less familial. But of course, there's always hope in Harry Potter. And when the shadows are gone, and the darkness rises, the joyousness of food returns. The very final scene in Harry Potter depicts a Chocolate Frog on the Hogwarts Express, a callback to Harry's first time on the train. The magic and wonder is returning again, and the food is just so important in that storytelling.

There Are More Book Moments That Could Play Into the Show

Over one hundred house-elves work in the Hogwarts Kitchens.

The Harry Potter Movies Fumbled a Key Moment From the Books

Harry Potter and, to a wider extent, the Wizarding World use food very effectively in many areas. It provides characters with iconic moments and speaks to the imagination of this landscape. While the films do such a wonderful job of depicting the importance of cuisine, the books go even further in showcasing food and its appeal. There are so many moments from the source material that haven't made it to screen yet, that could only bolster this thematic storytelling. The bizarre ice cream flavors of Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, for instance, is another wonderful callback to childhood. And there's a whole campaign concerning the Hogwarts Kitchens and the staff that work there, which was never depicted on screen, that could have helped to frame Hermione Granger with even more compassion. These are surely foodie moments that can be explored down the line, though.

The Harry Potter reboot series is just around the corner and there are going to be plenty of influences taken from the film series and repurposed for another medium. But the amazing work that the film series did concerning its exploration of food has to be protected. The reboot show can take these lessons and run with them, expanding on those themes and bringing in further elements from the page. From Pumpkin Juice to Fudge Flies, Fizzing Whizbees to Shepard Pie, a great deal of love and care has gone into crafting the flavors that make up this fictional space, and to truly bring the Wizarding World and its emotional arcs to life, the reboot will need to honor those flavors.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry's rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Must Add 1 Storyline Fans Have Been Waiting 25 Years For

Adding a more in-depth Marauders storyline to HBO's Harry Potter remake is crucial for fans who crave more backstory and depth.
Fans have long desired more Marauders content, as their brief appearance in the films left audiences wanting more of their story.
Expanding on the Marauders' storyline not only enhances the series for fans, but also adds depth and tragedy to Harry's own storyline.

Now that HBO's Harry Potter television series is definitely happening, there are many questions about what the show will do with the original plot and how it will add or take away from what the film franchise already did, and there is one particular storyline above all that definitely needs fleshing out in the TV series. Back in April 2023, at a Max streaming event, Warner Bros. and Discovery announced that a new era of Harry Potter is coming via a television series created by HBO. Currently, the highly-anticipated Harry Potter remake is set to be released in 2026.

Remaking the Harry Potter franchise is a big undertaking, and although HBO has a strong track record, there are still many obstacles to overcome and pivotal choices to make. It is well-known by now that the Harry Potter film franchise ignored certain aspects of the Harry Potter books , and in actuality, a big reason for the creation of this new TV show is for a more book-accurate Harry Potter project . However, that isn't necessarily all that fans want. In fact, there are certain aspects of Harry Potter that, if added, would certainly make the TV show better for fans.

8 Harry Potter Movie Moments That Made Absolutely No Sense (But The TV Remake Can Fix)

The Harry Potter movies didn't have time to make all the big reveals and plot twists make sense, but HBO's TV remake can tie up these loose ends.

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Must Add A More In-Depth Marauders Storyline

The marauders deserve more of a spotlight.

If HBO wants to make their Harry Potter series better for fans, then adding a more in-depth Marauders storyline is definitely the way to go. The Marauders first appear in Harry Potter in the third book, and third movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. The Marauders are a group of friends from decades ago made up of Harry's father, James, his godfather, Sirius, his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, and Ron Weasley's pet rat-turned-human-man, Peter Pettigrew . Their spotlight is dim and brief in the movie, and could be bigger on the small screen.

Ultimately, the Marauders deserve a bigger plotline because their story is one of the franchise's most interesting. Although they take up a fraction of the plot , what occurs between these men, on and off-screen, is incredibly heartwarming and devastating. In just Prisoner of Azkaban alone, Harry learns so much more about his parents and the family he could have had if Voldemort had not intervened. The Marauders offer a glimpse, for both Harry and the audience, at a better time in the wizarding world . Somehow, it evokes nostalgia and a longing for more that HBO can finally provide.

Harry Potter Fans Have Wanted More Marauders Content Since Prisoner Of Azkaban

The marauders are a fan-favorite.

It is difficult to stress just how much the Marauders are beloved when they are included so little throughout the Harry Potter franchise. Although Sirius, Remus, and Peter remain characters in the books and movies after Prisoner of Azkaban, their Marauders pasts are really only explored in the third installment. But even just those few moments during the climax of the film have invigorated Harry Potter fans . Despite being a small subplot, the Marauders have stuck with audiences for a very long time, and especially when it comes to the movie adaptations, fans have always wanted more.

A strong indicator of how much Harry Potter fans love the Marauders is how much fanfiction and fan theory has been dedicated to them since the books and movies became popular. There is as much fanfiction about the Marauders as there is about Harry, Ron, and Hermione. These characters have been fleshed out by fans in a way that the Harry Potter books and movies never did .

At this point, the Marauders have become their own fan-made entity, separate from the official franchise. That is how much Harry Potter fans are dedicated to the previous generation at Hogwarts.

A More Detailed Marauder Storyline Makes Harry Potter's Main Plot More Tragic

Marauders show what could have been.

While adding more of the Marauders to HBO's Harry Potter would be a gift for fans, that is not the only reason to flesh out their storyline. In fact, more Marauders would actually benefit Harry's storyline . Finding out that Sirius Black is not only his uncle, but was framed as a criminal by Peter Pettigrew is a shocking revelation, almost as shocking as Lupin's identity as a werewolf and Snape's bad relationship with all of them. These reveals are groundbreaking for Harry, and it would make more sense for his character to continue being shocked beyond Prisoner of Azkaban.

Furthermore, the context is pivotal. In just one night, Harry learns so much more about his parents. Not only does he discover that there are living people who were close to his parents, but he realizes that they still hold love for him too . Although Harry enjoys the love of the Weasleys in the first two installments, Prisoner of Azkaban finally gives him his own family, and this is too important to keep restrained to one season. The Marauders' tragic story of friendship and betrayal has a huge impact on Harry, and it needs to spill over into the consequent seasons.

The Marauders, as evidenced by the Marauders Map, referred to themselves as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs.

How HBO's Remake Can Expand On The Marauders' Story Without A Spinoff

Giving the marauders plenty of screen time.

There are many subtle ways in which the Marauders can play a bigger role in HBO's Harry Potter series. First and foremost, there is screen time. While Sirius and Lupin play significant roles in Prisoner of Azkaban, they continue to be in Harry's life beyond that, and the TV show needs to emphasize that . Sirius, in particular, is Harry's only surviving family member, and therefore, he deserves more screen time. Furthermore, the Marauders storyline in Prisoner of Azkaban cannot be fumbled. Showrunners must make it a big deal, and force it to live up to what occurs in the 1999 movie .

In reality, a spinoff would not be a bad idea either. While the Marauders storyline in Prisoner of Azkaban is one of the best in the series, what fans really want is an exploration of the Marauders school days. HBO can certainly do this via well-timed flashbacks, however a spinoff would not be the worst option . In this way, showrunners could really focus on the friendship and the eventual falling out, but most importantly, give new Marauders content that only fans have been able to make for the past 25 years.

Overall, HBO will really have to focus on emphasis. Harry Potter is such an expansive story, and though it has been adapted before, there are ways to make the story feel different by emphasizing different parts . If HBO puts a big emphasis on Harry knowing very little about his parents, then the Marauders reveal will feel even bigger. If the show focuses heavily on the relationship between Harry and Sirius, it will feel even more tragic when he meets his unfortunate fate. All in all, the series has the opportunity to come at Harry Potter from a completely new angle.

Harry Potter

Genres Family, Adventure, Fantasy

Streaming Service(s) HBO Max

Franchise(s) Harry Potter

HBO's Harry Potter Remake Must Add 1 Storyline Fans Have Been Waiting 25 Years For

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Every harry potter book, ranked worst to best.

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10 Things That Happen In Every Harry Potter Book

Harry potter: 13 differences between the sorcerer’s stone & the philosopher’s stone, the harry potter tv show needs to fix 1 prisoner of azkaban change that hurt the movies.

Chamber of Secrets lacks the wonder and plot twists of other books, but sets up crucial elements for the series.
Goblet of Fire is tonally uneven but marks a significant turning point in the series with entertaining storylines.
Sorcerer's Stone is a magical introduction with hints of darker storylines, capturing readers with classic storytelling tropes.

Every reader of the Harry Potter books will have their favorite, but a few are generally considered the best and others the worst. Chronicling young Harry’s coming-of-age and his conflict with Lord Voldemort to determine the fate of the Wizarding World, Harry Potter is one of the most popular fantasy book series of all time. It is often credited with reviving reading culture and has spawned two connected movie franchises, an upcoming TV show, and several theme parks and other destination experiences.

Certain books in the Harry Potter series bear the burden of world-building and therefore come across as interim novels before the series gets to its biggest events. However, other installments demonstrate that it is possible to set up vital plot elements while still constituting compelling prose. Its overall biggest strength is in the characters, where even the supporting arcs merit audience investment, elevating even the de facto worst book of the series.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter book series includes ten events or tropes that occur in one way or another in each of the seven iconic books.

7 Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Chamber of secrets is slow in comparison to the other books..

In retrospect, an entire book dedicated to the threat of an evil serpent living in Hogwarts castle and the blame somehow being cast upon Harry and Hagrid seems strange. Landing in the middle of the pre-Voldemort trilogy, Chamber of Secrets doesn’t have the wonder of its predecessor or the amazing plot twists of its sequel. It does have some good plot twists, such as Ginny’s role in the attacks on students and the “I am Lord Voldemort” reveal, while the overall story twists the childlike magic of the first novel, dipping into darker aesthetics.

Chamber of Secrets’ biggest contribution to the series’ overall plot is setting up the politics of blood purism in the Wizarding World, the crux of the conflict with Voldemort and his followers. The introduction of characters like Dobby and the dynamics between Harry and the Weasley family are also highlights. However, people who are re-reading Harry Potter are likely just waiting to get to better things during Chamber of Secrets , one of the books where the ways the world revolves around Harry are the most contrived.

6 Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Goblet of fire is slightly confusing, with a shocking change in tone..

The other time that the Wizarding World bends out of shape to place Harry at the center of things in an awkward way is when he is selected as a Triwizard champion in Goblet of Fire . Granted, Harry is the protagonist of the series and the target of Lord Voldemort’s constant assassination attempts, and there is a story-relevant reason for him being forced into the Triwizard Tournament . Yet fans love to criticize how the Ministry of Magic representatives decide to make Harry a champion rather than just calling it a mistake and excusing him from it.

On other fronts, Goblet of Fire can come across as meandering. Part of this is due to J. K. Rowling realizing a plot hole midway through writing it and having to go back and undo it. It is also tonally strange when most of the book is dominated by the festivities of the Quidditch World Cup and the Triwizard Tournament until the final dark chapters depicting Voldemort’s return. Cedric Diggory’s death is a tragic, effective moment that illustrates Voldemort’s cruelty and indicates what is to come.

Goblet of Fire also represents a vital crossroads for the Harry Potter series, even if not everyone loves reading it. It is a strange mix of entertaining and seemingly pointless storylines: The beginnings of teen romantic drama are amusing, while Rita Skeeter blasting that romantic drama in the newspapers is cringe-worthy. There are reasons to love Goblet of Fire and reasons to hate it, but other books in the series are decidedly better.

5 Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Sorcerer's stone is the magical introduction to the world of harry potter..

Harry is dazzled by his introduction to the Wizarding World, while hints of darker things lying in wait there set up a bigger story.

Some people will dismiss Sorcerer’s Stone as the serviceable opener of the series that does what it needs to do, so bigger and better things can happen later. However, the way it does this merits reevaluation. The first few chapters leading up to Hagrid’s arrival are a strange but spectacular mystery of what is causing the bizarre events in Harry and the Dursleys’ lives, while Harry receiving an explanation in the form of a Hogwarts acceptance letter is incredibly satisfying while promising years of magic to come.

The rest of the book demonstrates a kind of magical wonder that only appears in brief flashes throughout the rest of the series. Harry is dazzled by his introduction to the Wizarding World, while hints of darker things lying in wait there set up a bigger story. Sorcerer’s Stone utilizes a classic children’s literature trope in the protagonist’s transition from the mundane world to the magical one, which captured the minds of readers from the beginning.

In the UK, Harry Potter’s first story is called The Philosopher’s Stone but stateside it’s Sorcerer’s Stone. What are the differences between the two?

4 Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Order of the phoenix is the darkest harry potter book yet with many amazing characters..

Order of the Phoenix was the darkest, most mature Harry Potter book yet — at the time. There is a feeling of a promise being honored now that the overall plot of the war with Voldemort is finally taking shape. This brings with it the introduction of many new fan-favorite characters who are members of the Order of the Phoenix , while others’ return gives the series a sense of continuity. The scope of the action is bigger, while readers are provided with a love-to-hate villain in Dolores Umbridge who both compliments and contrasts the threat of Voldemort.

Order of the Phoenix is one of the points in the series that is poignantly written, even if it is emotionally strenuous to read. The Wizarding World turns against Harry; Voldemort’s return and the Ministry’s campaign force Harry and his friends to grow up sooner rather than later, even though the reality that they are nearing adulthood becomes clear. However, they rise to this responsibility by forming Dumbledore’s Army.

Dumbledore’s Army fulfills a beloved trope of a young rebellion taking shape in the face of corrupt authority figures. However, it avoids the feeling of being too trope-y characterizing every rebellion-based series that came after The Hunger Games . Order of the Phoenix pushes the story and the characters further than ever before, illustrating their strengths and flaws while stressing their need for each other.

3 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Deathly hallows is the satisfying conclusion to harry potter..

Deathly Hallows is the conclusion that ties the entire series together, with beats that nod to Sorcerer’s Stone and subtle symbolisms that readers are still dissecting. The story demands that Harry, Ron, and Hermione be away from Hogwarts, but their return to the series’ primary setting for the final battle creates the perfect “it all ends here” feeling. As the characters reunite for their final stand, the narrative gives the Hogwarts teachers some amazing moments to truly showcase their knowledge of magic, and in McGonagall’s case, to have the epic face-off with Snape that she deserves.

The biggest caveat of Deathly Hallows is that it is too miserable to read, but every death has an individual narrative purpose — such as Remus and Tonks’ deaths drawing a parallel between Harry and Teddy — as well as generally illustrating the cost of war. There are happy moments mixed in: Bill and Fleur’s wedding, Teddy’s birth, and Percy reuniting with his family. Deathly Hallows is a heartbreaking but satisfying whirlwind of epic final battles where everything is wrapped up, before giving the characters a happy ending of peaceful family life (not considering The Cursed Child’s plot).

2 Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

Prisoner of azkaban features beloved characters and wild plot twists..

Prisoner of Azkaban is a fan-favorite primarily due to the introduction of Sirius and Remus , who bring with them more information about Harry’s past and his parents. The book gives a fuller picture of the Potter family, where Lily and James’ lives have a bearing on the story rather than just their deaths. The story is built around a wild plot twist and a theme of time ticking away, something director Alfonso Cuarón illustrated beautifully in the movie adaptation.

Prisoner of Azkaban is possibly the best book to re-read because once readers know the plot twist, they realize all the tiny hints throughout. Remus’ odd reaction to Harry mentioning Sirius, the description of Scabbers missing a toe, and other moments all contribute to a classic mystery where all the seemingly unrelated elements fit together in the end. However, Prisoner of Azkaban also showcases that the Wizarding World is fallible — the government consistently arrests the wrong people — demonstrating that Voldemort is not the only evil out there and contributing to a more complex story.

HBO's upcoming Harry Potter TV remake has the chance to right the wrongs of the movies, including a frustrating Prisoner of Azkaban change.

1 Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Half-blood prince's slower plot allows for more elegant writing..

However, Half-Blood Prince stands out as the best-written Harry Potter book because it is also deeply romantic.

Half-Blood Prince had its work cut out, needing to set up all the plot points necessary to make the last book happen. However, the exploration of Voldemort’s origins is one of the novel's greatest strengths. It also introduces even more nuances to the story and themes with Draco’s hesitance to murder for Voldemort and the continued politics with the Ministry and teachers. Amid all this, Harry has become a young man who verbalizes his opinions about the government and the school in a way even more mature than leading secret rebellions.

However, Half-Blood Prince stands out as the best-written Harry Potter book because it is also deeply romantic. Major storylines are about finding happiness while the world is burning down; everything comes full circle with Harry and Ginny’s relationship , as well as Ron and Hermione’s . There is some drama in the Weasley family with Molly not approving of Fleur — they reconcile after Bill is attacked, only for Tonks to drop the bombshell of her relationship with Remus seconds later. This novel of gradual plot progression in both the major conflicts and relationships is a strong contender for the best in the series.

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphaned boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film saga that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the tricky world of growing up, school life, and magic. Starting from year one and moving to their seventh year, the films chronicle the students' time at Hogwarts while unfurling a sinister plot that centers around the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and professors at Hogwarts will fight to carry on as the world around them may change forever. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.

Is A Harry Potter & The Cursed Child Movie Really On The Way?

The trailer circulating on social media is pretty convincing.

A scene from the Harry Potter film 'The Deathly Hallows' 2.

Have you seen the trailer for the supposed "new" movie for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child ? We all know that everything you read or see on the internet isn't necessarily true, and unfortunately, we've gotten our hopes up before when it comes to reported long-awaited reboots or sequels. So, is this another case of the internet getting ahead of itself? Or could a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie really be headed to theaters in 2025?

It's been over a decade since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 hit theaters and even longer since the book's release. Since then, fans have gotten prequels and sequels, promised made-for-television reboots, and even whole theme park areas devoted to the wizarding world of Harry Potter . There's simply no denying the stranglehold Potter and his friends hold over so many people across the globe.

Fans were especially excited with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child . Following the next generation of Hogwarts students , it gave fans a chance to catch up with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and their children. Not surprisingly, the book and subsequent play were both smashing successes. But since then, fans have greedily awaited news of Cursed Child being turned into a film.

Now, with even movie posters and a supposed "first official trailer" circulating across social media, could it be coming to fruition? Here's what may (or may not) be happening with that.

Is a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie on the way?

Hate to suck all the joy out of your world like a dementor , but a Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie is doubtful at this time.

The rumor seems to have started with a photoshopped "movie poster" featuring pictures of the original series' actors as they look now, a decade later. The graphic has popped up on multiple platforms, including Harry Potter fan groups and private pages.

The rumor was bolstered further when a very realistic "trailer" started making the rounds on fan pages.

The trailer was uploaded to YouTube by Teaser Pro, who is known for creating fake trailers using existing videos from other movies. Since then, other fake/fan-made trailers have also gotten some traction.

And while the trailers will probably make you wish a movie was on the way, it likely isn't. No one who would be involved with the film production — from Warner Bros. to the stars of the franchise — has confirmed anything "official."

So, there's no hope?

Oh, come now... there's always hope. Although no Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie currently appears to be in production, that doesn't mean it won't happen at some point. After all, the Harry Potter universe is a cash cow — and we all know Hollywood likes those.

Rupert Grint isn't ruling out returning to the role of Ron Weasley. Last year, he told This Morning , "Yeah, I think if the timing was right and everyone was kinda coming back, I'd definitely revisit it. It's a character that's important to me. I kinda grew up, and we kinda became the same person. I feel quite protective of him as well."

Daniel Radcliffe seems less enthused but didn't totally obliterate any chance of a reprisal. Speaking to The New York Times in 2022, he said, "I'm never going to say never, but the Star Wars guys had like 30, 40 years before they went back. For me, it's only been 10. It's not something I'm really interested in doing right now."

Given that Emma Watson (along with Radcliffe) have publicly expressed their frustration with J.K. Rowling's beliefs in recent years, it's unclear whether she'd be open to becoming Hermione Granger again.

A film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would also have to address the absences left by the passing of crucial franchise stars, including Alan Rickman (Severus Snape), Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), and Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid).

What is Harry Potter and The Cursed Child about?

The Cursed Child takes place almost two decades after the events in Deathly Hallows .

It follows Albus Potter (Harry's son) as he goes through school and attempts to make a name for himself outside his famous father's legacy. With Harry still clearly embedded in the Wizarding World and working for the Ministry of Magic, that proves rather hard to do. Along the way, more Hogwarts lore unfolds as new friends with familiar last names appear. As you already know, though, nothing in the magical world is as it seems, and plot twists are just part of life.

Could it be part of the Harry Potter reboot on Max?

In April 2023, Max announced a reboot of the Harry Potter world in the form of an upcoming TV series based on all seven books about everyone's favorite boy wizard. According to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, it's anticipated to premiere in 2026, with plans in place for a decade-long series.

Given the order of the books the show will be drawing from, that would logically mean the Max series wouldn't get to The Deathly Hallows content until sometime in the 2030s.

Considering that The Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the events of The Deathly Hallows , it's practically inconceivable that the same actors cast in the new series could be aged up enough to play the characters of The Cursed Child.

Bottom line: If you want to watch Harry Potter and the Cursed Child , you'll have to see it on stage — at least for now.

20 Magical Movies Like Harry Potter to Watch Next

Go on countless magical adventures with these Harry Potter-esque films to watch next.

The holiday season is all about having fun. What can be more fun than getting under your coziest blanket and having a glorious Harry Potter movie marathon? The Harry Potter franchise is a winter staple nowadays, and no matter how many times we watch the series, we can't seem to get enough. The films follow a young Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) as he moves through each year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he faces some of the darkest and most threatening forces in the Wizarding World.

The Harry Potter franchise is one of history's most immersive and complex film franchises. With that, the magic, fun, and nostalgia attached to it are something we all search for beyond the confines of the films themselves. There are many films out there that create the same allure as Harry Potter , from the fantastical sense of adventure to the coming-of-age themes. Come with us as we explore more films and franchises that harness the same sense of magic as the Harry Potter franchise once did.

20 Fantastic Beasts Franchise (2016-2022)

Starting off on the most predictable foot, the Fantastic Beasts prequel spin-off series is the closest you can get to just watching the Harry Potter films. This series takes place in the same universe as the Harry Potter films, but decades before its events. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them came out in 2016, followed by The Crimes of Grindelwald in 2018 and The Secrets of Dumbledore in 2022. These films follow the adventures of one Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, and explore the deep lore surrounding the intricate history of the Wizarding World.

Fantastic Beasts Is Set in the Wizarding World

Although the Fantastic Beasts franchise fell short of recreating the magic of the original Harry Potter series, some of the elements we all know and love are expanded upon. Some of the slang is there, some creatures and spells are familiar, and if diving deep into Harry Potter history is your thing, the Fantastic Beasts series is the perfect next watch for you. What these films have going for them is the nostalgia factor through and through. Stream on Max

19 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)

The chronicles of narnia: the lion, the witch and the wardrobe.

Part of Harry Potter 's magic falls upon the fantasy adventure aspect, especially since it is primarily set in its own intricate world. Another book-to-film adaptation that takes this level of adventure and magical fantasy to a whole new level is The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe .

This 2005 film follows the four Pevensie siblings as they flee their home in the midst of World War II. In their new home, the youngest sibling, Lucy (Georgie Henley), stumbles upon a wardrobe that transports her and her siblings into the magical land of Narnia where they are destined to fight the White Witch, played by Tilda Swinton.

Narnia Is a Perfect Follow-up

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is the perfect post- Harry Potter watch. There are mystical creatures, a magic system, epic action sequences, and four interlocked coming-of-age stories. The Narnia franchise perfected the young adult fantasy genre, and this film delivers every sense of nostalgia and wonder you could want. With more buzz surrounding Greta Gerwig's upcoming adaptation , the time is now to revisit Narnia. Stream on Hulu and Disney+

18 The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)

The sorcerer's apprentice.

Magic has always been at the center of what makes Harry Potter special. Well, take a young kid and toss him into a world of magic he once thought impossible, and you get a story like The Sorcerer's Apprentice . Starring Nicolas Cage as the mentor, Balthazar Blake, and Jay Baruchel as the apprentice, David Stutler, this film is a magical journey you want to go on. We follow David's apprenticeship as he harnesses the beginnings of his sorcery talents. Along the way, he finds his life in danger and a love story that could complicate things.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Is Absolutely Charming

The Sorcerer's Apprentice is not presented as the kind of fantasy film that would seemingly stand out. However, a pleasant surprise, the film is entirely wholesome and full of charm. The cast is charismatic, and with such an adventurous and goofy plot, this film is just a lot of fun magic that makes it a great pick after the Harry Potter films. Stream on Disney+

17 Percy Jackson Franchise (2010-2013)

In the era where YA book-to-film adaptations were all the rage, and we got masterpieces like The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner , we also got the Percy Jackson series. These films are adaptations of the book series by Rick Riordan. The first film, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief , follows Percy (Logan Lerman) when he finds out that he is a demigod with a mortal mother and Poseidon as his father. He is brought to Camp Half-Blood to learn the tricks of the trade and ends up encountering some new friends and foes that drag him into some dangerous adventures.

Percy Jackson Reimagines Greek Mythology

Mystical bloodlines, magic, and Greek mythology are a great jump from the Harry Potter series. The Percy Jackson films were not exactly what fans wanted in an adaptation, as they fell short in some aspects. However, the deep love for Lerman's portrayal of Percy Jackson was never questioned. With the upcoming Disney+ series reboot, which is full of promise and a young and bright-eyed cast, the Percy Jackson films are a great way to introduce yourself to the world. Stream on Disney+

16 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

2016's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is a fantasy adventure film that somehow manages to utilize its own peculiarities to stand in the same realm as Harry Potter . The film follows a young boy named Jake, who comes across the magical Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Here, Jake learns that the other children there have a unique set of powers. He is now on a journey to discover his own in order to save the day.

A Terrific Tim Burton Book-To-Film Adaptation

This Tim Burton film is as mystical and magical as it is quirky and sometimes dark. There is a sense of mystery that envelopes this movie's plot, roping us into a world unknown much like Harry's journey in the Wizarding World. As another book-to-film adaptation, there was a lot of pressure for this film to live up to book standards, and yet, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children stands a child's dark magic dream film, if you ask us. Stream on Disney+

Related: The Harry Potter Movies Are the Perfect Cozy Christmas Binge

15 Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Bridge to terabithia.

Grab your tissues and run. With the internet resurfacing our obsession with Josh Hutcherson , there is no way to forget the film Bridge to Terabithia . This young-adult fantasy film follows Jesse Aarons (Hutcherson) and his newfound friendship with Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb). The two use the power of childhood imagination to conjure up a fictional realm called Terabithia, where they come across magical creatures and other fantastical elements their minds could hardly wrap around. The two find refuge in this imaginary land in order to escape the hardships of their reality.

Bridge to Terabithia Is a Compelling Tearjerker

You're going to cry: Bridge to Terabithia is a film designed to send tears down your face. Nostalgia is a powerful thing and many of us remember where we were when this movie emotionally destroyed our young hearts. Both Hutcherson and Robb are relatable and lovable. And, above all, the film is deeply wholesome and full of wonder. Stream on Disney+

14 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)

As far as beloved fantasy series go, nothing holds a candle to Harry Potter like The Lord of the Rings does. The Lord of the Rings trilogy — comprising The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers , and The Return of the King — is epic high fantasy at its finest. The film follows a very important ring that ends up in the hands of a very ordinary Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, who, along with the Fellowship, must bring the Ring to Mordor to destroy it and save Middle-earth.

The Middle-Earth Franchise Is Grandiose

The entire Middle-earth franchise, which includes The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, is almost the perfect thing to watch if you loved Harry Potter. The sense of fantasy in the films' world-building and the magic of building a franchise is hard to recreate. However, both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings do a fantastic job of taking audiences and fans to places they never thought possible. Stream on Prime Video

13 The Hobbit Trilogy (2013-2014)

The great thing about The Hobbit trilogy — which consists of An Unexpected Journey , The Desolation of Smaug , and The Battle of the Five Armies — is that you can either watch it after the Lord of the Rings trilogy or before, and still appreciate its expansion of Tolkien's lore.

A prequel to the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and after, The Hobbit sees Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he embarks on an unexpected journey across Middle-earth and first comes across the One Ring . Familiar faces like Sir Ian McKellen's Gandalf, Cate Blanchett's Galadriel, and Hugo Weaving's Elrond make appearances of varying degrees in this trilogy, which is a treat for LOTR fans.

More Middle-Earth, More Stellar Fantasy

The Hobbit marked Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth after almost a decade since the release of The Return of the King . With the advancement of cinema technology between the two trilogies, he was able to bring a more vibrant and spectacular Middle-earth to the big screen. The Hobbit may not have been without its flaws, but it served as a great introduction to Tolkien's stories for a new generation of fantasy film-lovers, particularly those who had aged out of Harry Potter (which ended the year prior) and were ready for something more mature. Stream on Max

12 Doctor Strange (2016)

Doctor strange.

Magic in the MCU was brought to the forefront with the epic introduction of Doctor Strange . Played by the fantastic Benedict Cumberbatch, Dr. Strange is an MCU Avenger who started off as an arrogant doctor living a life of luxury in New York. After a tragic accident that left the mobility in his hands detrimental to his career, Strange seeks out a magical loophole to hopefully get his career back. Instead, he finds something even more thrilling.

Doctor Strange Brought Magic to the MCU

Doctor Strange has easily become one of the most beloved heroes in the MCU. Cumberbatch breathes a comedic and sophisticated life into the Marvel hero, who works expertly with the other characters (from Rachel McAdams' Christine to Benedict Wong's Wong). This film brings together adventure, action, and, of course, magic into our worlds like nothing else. If any MCU film is going to serve as your next magical adventure, it has to be Doctor Strange. Stream on Disney+

11 Seventh Son (2014)

Seventh son.

In the 2014 film Seventh Son , audiences follow the clash between Master Gregory, played by Jeff Bridges, and Mother Malkin, played by Julianne Moore. Mother Malkin was an evil witch who was defeated and imprisoned by Master Gregory, and after many years, she escapes and is thirsty for revenge. In order to take her down once again, Master Gregory takes Tom Ward (Ben Barnes) as an apprentice, and the two navigate the world of magic.

Seventh Son Features Fun Fantasy Elements

More than just the appeal of Ben Barnes, this film is adventurous and full of some of the best fantasy elements that could be used in film, such as adventure, a unique magic system, and a threatening woman antagonist. With a fantastic cast, including Barnes, the incomparable Julianne Moore, Jeff Bridges, Alicia Vikander, and Kit Harrington, Seventh Son should be on your watch list ASAP. Rent on Prime Video

Related: The Best TV Series About Magic, Ranked

10 The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)

2018's The House with a Clock in Its Walls is a fantasy film that is perfect for the whole family. Investigating a mysterious noise from an old and abandoned house sounds like a great activity for 10-year-old Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) and his Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black). Here, Lewis learns that his uncle and their neighbor have magic powers that lead to Lewis breathing new life into the undead. The town he once knew emerges as a cesspool of witches and warlocks alike.

Jack Black Brings Plenty of Fun

Any movie with Jack Black is going to be a fun ride. This has just the right amount of mystery and magic to keep audiences interested. What's more, the cast is extremely fun and charismatic — a bonus to this solid fantasy film. Releasing at a time when fantasy was at its peak on television (courtesy of Game of Thrones ), while fantasy on the big screen was falling behind, The House with a Clock in Its Walls was a solid effort to restore magic and wonder in theaters. Stream on Hulu

9 Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium (2007)

Mr. magorium's wonder emporium.

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium stars Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Magorium, Natalie Portman as Molly Mahoney, and Jason Bateman as Henry. The film surrounds the wondrous and magical Wonder Emporium that is owned by 243-year-old Mr. Edward Magorium. However, once Magorium places the responsibility on his manager, Molly, the Emporium's mood shifts. Molly and accountant, Henry, are left to figure out how to manage the Emporium's magic to make it in the business.

Mr. Magorium Is Incredibly Whimsical

Fantasy films are always meant to be fun. And, here, we are taken to the purest corners of childish imagination. This film is whimsical, colorful, and full of life. Just think about the stores in Diagon Alley in Harry Potter , and how they are full of magic and mystery around every turn — Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium captures that perfectly and then some. Buy on Apple TV

8 Abigail (2019)

One of the best parts of the Harry Potter franchise is the integration of dark magic. 2019's Abigail dives all the way into a world of dark magic that makes it a needed entry on this list. In the film, a young Abigail (Tinatin Dalakishvili) has been locked within the walls of a city, a necessary protection to keep the population safe from disease. However, in a search to find her missing father, Abigail discovers that she also has magical powers.

Abigail Focuses on Dark Magic

Seeing dark magic at the forefront of a film is an interesting premise that immediately sets Abigail apart from Harry Potter and many other films on this list, which makes this one worth a watch. That said, it remains faithful to the magical movie subgenre, offering complex world-building, characters to root for, and a visual feast for the eyes. Stream on Prime Video

7 Matilda (1996)

A young kid with powers they have trouble navigating that is also mistreated by their family? Sounds Harry-Potter -coded to us. Matilda came out in 1966 and follows Matilda Wormwood ( played by Mara Wilson ), a young genius who is living in a "me against the world" environment. She is neglected at home by her own family, and she is constantly tormented by a classmate at school. However, Matilda, the gifted and resilient girl she is, discovers the telekinesis powers that she uses to protect herself and her friends.

Matilda Is a Remarkable Roald Dahl Adaptation

The nostalgia we have attached to this film is so comforting. Matilda is hilarious and the addition of some dark undertones makes this film something special. The genius of Roald Dahl's mind comes to life in this film adaptation of his beloved story, and we cannot get enough of it. In many ways, Matilda primed audiences for Harry Potter , bringing us into the world of a young girl navigating her magical powers. Stream on Roku

6 Now You See Me (2013)

Now you see me.

Harry Potter is magic — real magic. However, what about some magic that can exist in the world we live in? Now You See Me is a film that leans into the kind of magic that we see in a real-life show. There is sleight of hand, tricky illusions, and heart-stopping stunts.

Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Isla Fisher, this film follows a band of misfit magicians who come together to create the greatest magic act (and heist) known to man. However, along the way, the group gets caught up in some testy encounters with law enforcement, and they become fugitives.

Now You See Me Features Real-Life Magicians

Entertainment is the main goal of magicians in our reality. Well, this film is entertainment at its finest. Now You See Me is such a standout film and is designed to take you on a wild and magical journey full of twists and turns that even the best of us could not predict. The film is perfectly cast and the fast-paced nature of the plot will have you at the edge of your seat from start to finish. Stream on Max

5 Stardust (2007)

Love is a theme that spans throughout the entirety of all eight Harry Potter films. Love is also the takeoff point in the adventure fantasy film Stardust . In the film, a young man named Tristan (Charlie Cox) goes on an adventure to find a fallen star that he believes will win over his lover Victoria (Sienna Miller). Instead of retrieving the stone, Tristan is met with Yvaine (Claire Danes), a woman whose power is valuable to more than one foe.

Stardust Is an Underrated Gem

This 2007 adventure fantasy has a star-studded cast including Danes and Cox, but also Henry Cavill as Humphrey, Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia, and Ben Barnes as Dunstan Thorn. Magic kingdoms, super-powerful magical beings, and evil witches make up a recipe for a great fantasy film. Stardust is such an unexpected gem in the fantasy realm, and cannot be missed. Stream on Prime Video and Paramount+

4 The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008)

The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2008 fantasy adventure film that follows a family that faces the introduction of magic into their ordinary world. The Grace family has provided Jared, one of the three Grace children, with the title of a resident troublemaker. Therefore, when the family moves, and strange things start to happen, and Jared is thought to be the culprit. However, a magical book that Jared finds could be the key to handling the magical creatures that stalk the grounds of the old estate.

The Spiderwick Chronicles Is Pure Fantasy

There are magic and magical creatures — what could be more Harry Potter ? This film is pure fantasy. The plot is fast-paced, has high stakes, and is full of adventure and action. Also, actors Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Seth Rogen, and David Strathairn are perfect in their roles. Stream on Prime Video and Paramount+

3 Coraline (2009)

The Harry Potter franchise does a great job at mixing dark and horror elements with whimsical childhood wonder. The stop-motion animated film Coraline does just that, too. The 2009 film follows a young Coraline as she explores the ins and outs of her new home. When she comes across a secret door, she enters an alternate universe that is almost a mirror of her reality. However, in this alternate universe, everyone has buttons for eyes, and they are ready to do everything they can to get her to stay there.

Coraline Is Imaginative and Creepy

Coraline is one of the darkest and creepiest children's films out there. This film feels like pure imagination and wonder come to life, and there are magical aspects throughout. However, it is the story that draws people in; themes of family, loss, and coming-of-age are standouts. Coraline has garnered such a passionate cult following and is easily one of the best-animated films of all time. Stream on Max

2 Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Alice in wonderland.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland utilizes a more whimsical and fairytale style of fantasy than Harry Potter . Starring Mia Wasikowska as Alice, this classic story follows Alice after she flees her own wedding and ends up falling down the rabbit hole. After landing in Wonderland, Alice begins to piece together her role in the ongoing Wonderland conflict involving the threatening Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter.

Alice in Wonderland Is a Classic Fantasy Tale

Alice in Wonderland is a story we all know and love. Tim Burton's distinct style has left a lasting impression on the film world, and the implementation of his visual trademarks into such a bright and charismatic story makes for a unique and engaging watch. This film is full of charm and is sure to knock your socks off. Stream on Disney+

1 Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl's moving castle.

If there is any animated franchise out there that does magic in such a masterful way, we have to give it to Studio Ghibli. Specifically, Howl's Moving Castle is the film that you should be watching after Harry Potter . This film follows a wizard named Howl, who befriends a young woman named Sophie. After a pretty ordinary life, Sophie is ready to take on an adventure with Howl and his magic flying castle. However, not all is sunshine and rainbows: the pair is forced to navigate a curse placed on Sophie by the Witch of Waste.

Howl's Moving Castle Is a Fantastic Animated Feature

Howl's Moving Castle is a must-watch for any fan of Studio Ghibli. The breathtaking animation is a given, the storyline is adventurous, and the characters are lovable beyond belief. Beyond the magical aspect of this animated film, Howl's Moving Castle is one of those films that will stick with you long after the credits roll. Like Harry Potter , it will leave you wishing you could transport yourself into Howl and Sophie's world. Stream on Max

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Lorenza izzo to lead opposite diego boneta in prime video comic book series ‘el gato’, ‘harry potter’ tv series due to hit max in 2026: everything we know about the cast, who’s creating it, what j.k. rowling says & more – update.

By Tom Tapp

Deputy Managing Editor

All The Harry Potter Movies In Chronological Order: From ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ To ‘Deathly Hallows’ To ‘Fantastic Beasts’

‘Grown-ish’ Recap: Here’s What Happened In The Nostalgic Series Finale

Early reports had each season of the series focusing on one book in the Harry Potter book series, which consists of seven novels, but Bloys said the project would run for “10 consecutive years,” which would seem to defy the 1 season, 1 book assertion. For those who say Fantastic Beasts could be leveraged to provide 10 seasons over 10 years, WBD brass said specifically during the announcement that FB will not be a part of the series.

Whatever the case, Bloys promised that, as the company embarks on its new Harry Potter adventure, “We do so with the full care and craft of this franchise.”

Who is creating the Harry Potter series?

It has taken a bit, given the initial announcement was in April 2023, but in recent months Warner Bros. invited a select group of creatives in to pitch ideas for what the series could be. They were Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran and Michael Lesslie. Now, the streaming service and Warner Bros. Television have narrowed it to Jordan, Moran and newer addition Francesca Gardiner, sources said.

Deadline broke the news last month that Succession writer Francesca Gardiner is among the finalists. Gardiner was a consulting producer on Seasons 3 and 4 of HBO’s Succession . Before working on the Jesse Armstrong creation, she was an exec producer of HBO and BBC fantasy co- production His Dark Materials and was a co-exec producer of AMC’s Killing Eve . She has also written on shows including Starz’s The Rook and Amazon’s The Man In The High Castle.

Jordan created Netflix series Teenage Bounty Hunters . Jordan is also working with the Orange Is The New Black streamer on The Decameron , which received a series order in 2022.

Tom Moran is a British writer, who created Amazon series The Devil’s Hour , which starred Peter Capaldi. He also worked on Amazon sci-fi series The Feed and Rob Lowe cop drama Wild Bill .

It’s an interesting mix of Brits and Americans, most of whom have some experience working with streamers and many of whom have shepherded projects in the sci-fi/fantasy space.

We’ve heard that the group of writers were commissioned by Max to create pitches for a series reflecting their take on the IP. Rowling is understood to be involved in this pitching process. The trio will be able to hone in on their pitches for the next couple of months, with a decision on who gets the job expected in June.

When will the Harry Potter series be released?

The series is expected to be on air in 2026, according to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.

“We’ve not been shy about our excitement around Harry Potter,” Zaslav told Wall Street analysts on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call. “I was in London a few weeks ago with Casey [Bloys, CEO of HBO] and Channing [Dungey, chairperson of Warner Bros Television] and we spent some real time with JK and her team,” he enthused. “Both sides just thrilled to be reigniting this franchise. Our conversations were great.”

Given the results on that earnings call, WBD needs Harry Potter’s magic sooner rather than later.

RELATED: ‘Harry Potter’ Alum Jessie Cave On Miriam Margolyes’ Take On Adult Fans: “I Really Don’t Like That She Said That”

Ditto J.K. Rowling, whose production company posted a 74% drop in profits in 2022. That rebounded somewhat after the stage version of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child proved to be a post-pandemic crowd pleaser. The author got a $10.5 million paycheck for it in 2023.

The success of the stage show demonstrates that there’s still an appetite for Hogwarts-related content. Likewise the massive hit that is Hogwarts Legacy, which became the bestselling video game of 2023 , moving 22 million units. (That’s fantastic, but for comparison Rowling’s seven bestselling Harry Potter books have moved 600M copies worldwide.)

At a Goldman Sachs conference last year, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav made pointed out the need for more Hogwarts magic explicitly. Ignoring the Harry-less Fantastic Beasts films, the CEO insisted the boy wizard presents a huge opportunity, claiming that the IP has been “underused” of late.

“We haven’t done anything with Harry Potter for more than a decade,” he said, before going on to note that when one examines the performance of Warner Bros. over the last 20 years without accounting for it’s big three — Potter , Lord of the Rings and DC — the company’s performance is “relatively flat.”

RELATED: J.K. Rowling Reveals How She Told ‘Harry Potter’ Star Alan Rickman About Character’s Big Secret

Zaslav called that type of big-ticket IP “one of the big differentiators of this company.” And he seems to be counting on it to make a big difference.

“When you put those franchises in, it’s the best-performing studio in the world. We need to deploy our best capital, and we need to do it with the best creative people in the world,” he said.

How to watch the series

In addition, WBD’s other current epic literary adaptation, House of the Dragon , is available not only on the company’s streaming service, but also to cable subscribers on HBO. The Potter series will follow suit, according to execs. So if you have HBO via your cable provider, you’re all set.

If you’re in Canada, WBD has struck a multi-year licensing agreement with Crave for the likes of Harry Potter , Game of Thrones , the DC Universe and HBO content.

Which actors are starring in the series? Are any of the original Harry Potter stars returning?

There will be new actors playing the series’ main characters, but no one has been cast yet. Warner Bros. TV Group Chairman Channing Dungey said recently that that casting will come after they find a showrunner.

As for that, Warner Bros. is very likely looking to cast young actors, given that they’re proceeding through Rowling’s books in order. “The tricky part is the first two books, where the kids are on the younger end, around 11 or 12,” said Dungey of the casting process.

“We have been trying to be very close to the vest,” said Bloys. “We haven’t gone out to agencies. We have our own internal process where we’ve been thinking about people but we have not wanted to go out into the world. Now that the news is out there…we’ll start going out to the business.”

RELATED: Daniel Radcliffe Was “Terrified” Of Alan Rickman In First Three ‘Harry Potter’ Films

As for a return of any of the film franchise’s stars — like Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson or Rupert Grint — never say never. It would certainly be a PR boost for the series and, while new actors will be cast in the primary roles, there are always flashforwards or the currently en vogue multiverse plot ploy that could create space for more familiar faces in the series.

But Daniel Radcliffe has said he is fine with sitting on the sidelines.

“My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” Radcliffe told ComicBook.com . “So I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way. But I do wish them, obviously, all the luck in the world and I’m very excited to have that torch passed. But I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”

Radcliffe echoed these thoughts in an interview with E! News saying he is “excited to watch as an audience member.”

When asked if he would be in it, he said “I don’t think so, I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break.”

Another longtime Potter player who likely won’t be involved is David Yates, who directed the last four movies, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) and Deathly Hallows Part One and Two (2010 and 2011). In addition, Yates took on the Potter spinoff Fantastic Beasts trilogy. He says there has been no conversation about his involvement with the series. And it sounds like he’s ok with that.

“Huge affection and a lovely group of people I worked with,” Yates told Deadline . “But we haven’t had a conversation since we finished it.”

“It’s been about ‘Let’s just park it, and be done for a while,'” he said of the Potter franchise.

Your Hogwarts letter is here. Max has ordered the first ever #HarryPotter scripted television series, a faithful adaptation of the iconic books. #StreamOnMax pic.twitter.com/3CgEHLYhch — Max (@StreamOnMax) April 12, 2023

Will J.K. Rowling be involved in the new Harry Potter TV series?

Yes. A deal for J.K. Rowling’s involvement in the series had been the biggest hurdle in its path to the screen: The author has creative control over any exploitation of her work. That agreement was finalized in 2023.

Rowling and longtime confederates Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts are exec producing, so she is expected to be involved in the decision-making on the series. David Heyman, who developed the films, was talks to do the same. Rowling’s Brontë Film and TV is producing with Warner Bros. Television. Brontë Film and TV was founded by Rowling and her literary agent, Neil Blair, in 2012.

“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” said Rowling in a statement.

Since Warners launched its streaming service, there’s always been a goal to exploit Warners’ biggest franchise for streaming. Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav, taking the reigns after the merger last year, met with Rowling several times in the UK. He’s even spoken up in support of the author, who has been involved in an ongoing controversy over her comments on transgender issues . Asked about the streaming event about those controversies, Bloys demurred.

“No, I don’t think this is the forum [to discuss that],” he said. “That’s a very online conversation, very nuanced and complicated and not something we’re going to get into.”

“Our priority is what’s on the screen,” Bloys continued. “Obviously, the Harry Potter story is incredibly affirmative and positive and about love and self-acceptance. That’s our priority — what’s on screen.”

As for how close the author will be to the series, Bloys said, “[Rowling] will be involved. She’s an executive producer on the show. Her insights are going to be helpful on that.”

The author’s involvement could prove a hurdle to having the principals from the films involved in the series. Relations between Rowling, Radcliffe and Emma Watson can’t be great, given the author recently said she was “bloody angry” over stances taken by trans rights activists, which she sees being in opposition to women’s rights.

Rowling claimed that “thousands are complicit, not just medics, but the celebrity mouthpieces, unquestioning media and cynical corporations.” Asked specifically whether she would forgive Radcliffe and Watson for their unabashed pro-trans rights stance on the issue Rowling replied, “Celebs who cosied up to a movement intent on eroding women’s hard-won rights and who used their platforms to cheer on the transitioning of minors can save their apologies.”

Bloys was clear, however, that WBD wasn’t entirely dependent on Rowling for the project.

“The TV show is new and we’re excited about that. But, remember, we’ve been in the Potter business for 20 years. This is not a new decision for us, we’re very comfortable being in the Potter business.”

How much will the series cost to produce?

“You know we make shows at this scale with House of the Dragon , Game of Thrones ,” said Bloys. “I imagine will be that scale or higher. The shorter answer is whatever it takes to make a quality show.”

Will there be other Harry Potter-related projects?

“We’re free to do anything we want,” Zaslav has said, before hedging a bit. “Some areas we need to do with J.K., other areas we have the full ability to go forward. This is a full deployment on Max of Harry Potter. We can still develop other properties.”

It’s unclear where those boundaries lie, but it is clear that Warner Bros. Discovery would like more Potter. Since he took control of the merged company, Zaslav has stressed multiple times his focus on franchises, with mining the Harry Potter IP identified as a top priority.

Deadline understands that there may also be an opportunity for more than one of the above-mentioned writers to be involved and that Max is open to the possibility of developing more than one idea based on Harry Potter.

How long has this been in the works?

Max and its then-parent company WarnerMedia started exploring a potential Harry Potter TV series a couple of years ago. At the time, Warner Bros. appointed Kids, Young Adult and Classics president Tom Ascheim to manage the Wizarding World and Potter franchises, which include theme parks, tours and the $9.1 billion-grossing theatrical library that spans the Harry Potter and spinoff Fantastic Beasts titles. Under that setup, Ascheim became WarnerMedia’s senior rep in its relationship with Rowling and her representatives, and exploratory conversations for a Max series got underway.

After the Discovery acquisition was completed a year ago, that unit was disbanded and Ascheim exited the company . However, the importance of the Harry Potter IP has only grown post-merger.

Zaslav spoke about his family’s own personal connection to the series.

“My wife and I, we read (the Harry Potter books) to each of our three kids,” said Zaslav, going off script at the Max announcement. “It’s really moving, for ten consecutive years, people will see Harry Potter on HBO; I mean it’s really something.”

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