When the story of ’the boy who lived’ moved from the page to the screen in one of the best movies about witches and wizards of the young century so far, the influence on the film industry was unmistakable. Both readers and movie lovers fell in love with the magic and the wild and dangerous adventures of the golden trio.
We’d be lying if we said we haven’t all imagined what it would be like to receive our Hogwarts acceptance letter, to ride a broom, and to learn spells. We’ve all done the test to see which house we’d be in, and what our patronus would be. Harry Potter wasn’t just a story; it built a community of devoted fans who found themselves lost beyond Platform 9 and 3/4, into one of the most memorable, magical worlds ever created.
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Millennial lives have been shaped by both the books and films, and it is no secret that watching any and every Harry Potter movie feels extremely nostalgic. Children growing up now are surrounded by Harry Potter lovers and will grow up to love the stories, no doubt waiting for their eleventh birthday in the hopes of receiving their letter. With secret corridors, moving staircases and lovable characters, our muggle lives seem to lack that special touch of magic that only Harry Potter can provide.
Now, with a theme-park, spin-offs, audiobooks, and merchandise galore, Harry Potter is more than just a collection of books and films, thanks to its strong community and bevy of fan fiction about the characters, a popular trend that continues to this day. So why is it that the Harry Potter cast and movies are still so beloved?
Harry Potter and the Sense of Belonging
Warner Bros. Pictures
The Harry Potter universe allows us to transport ourselves from our lives into something that brings us a sense of great comfort, love, and friendship. Author J.K Rowling’s ability to shape and invent a whole new world for us to escape is extraordinary and for a lot of fans, has generated a community for people to share, relate to and enjoy the wonders of the world of wizards and witches that exists beyond our own.
It’s no surprise, in our crazy, busy, scary life, that sometimes we feel like we need to escape. Both the Harry Potter books and the movies allowed people to find a sense of belonging through relating to the lovable characters throughout the series. The students and professors of Hogwarts are characters who have energetic, funny, and witty personalities that fans got to watch grow up and root for throughout the series. Watching them create lifelong, strong friendships both on and off the screen allowed the audience to feel like they connect to them and see themselves in them.
Part of the empathic appeal fans have is just simply getting to relate to the sometimes realistic coming-of-age of these characters. Some of the best moments from Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter (along with fighting Voldemort) go through typical, everyday teenage situations that both adults and teenagers alike can relate to. Experiences like friendship, feuds, teenage crushes, and breakups make the characters feel more realistic and not as fictional, allowing the audience to feel as though they are part of it. It’s a story about facing hard truths, maturing, and overcoming hate in the face of insurmountable suffering. Now, we can visit the magical world as often as we like, and it never gets boring.
Will Harry Potter Live On?
Almost 21 years later, Harry Potter remains extremely beloved by both literature and movie lovers. The wizarding world spread across seven books and eight films, and even spurred the Fantastic Beasts prequels, with Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore being released in April this year. The cast brought Rowling’s novels to life with the power of film and generated a magical world for us muggles to delve deep into.
But while the franchise came to a close in 2011, J.K Rowling wasn’t done there. In 2016, alongside author Jack Thorne, fans were brought another snippet of the magic with the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a two-part play that has since been performed on London’s West End. More recently, Chris Columbus, the director of the first two Harry Potter films, expressed his desire to bring the play to the screen in a film adaptation. However, fans will be disappointed to hear that Daniel Radcliff is not interested in returning to the world of Harry Potter, and Emma Watson even wanted to quit the Harry Potter franchise near its end.
Not to mention the controversy surrounding the transphobic comments made in 2020 by author J.K Rowling, which caused much backlash among fans and the actors themselves. Many fans appreciated that Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and even Harry himself, Daniel Radcliffe, spoke out against Rowling’s views. However, many fans are in conflict, wondering if they can continue being fans of the franchise if the person who created it had these views, or if they can separate themselves and continue their love for the magical world without Rowling. Despite this, with the cast voicing their support for the trans community, many of them are continuing to do advocacy work. This is what keeps our love for Harry Potter alive, and reminds us of the joy that the books and movies have brought us.
Whether The Cursed Child makes it to the screens or not, the Harry Potter story has seemingly come to a conclusion over a decade ago, but Warner Bros. wants to create more Harry Potter content regardless. Whatever happens, we will never forget the joy, love, and comfort these movies have given us. To this day, the movies and the cast are greatly loved, and the boy who lived will never be far from our hearts. Harry Potter will surely live on for many generations that follow and will always be a go-to comfort movie.
