This page will contain external links about Harry Potter, as they become available.

Harry Potter

This article is about the Harry Potter book series. For information about the actual character, see Harry Potter (character).
Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. This original edition was distributed throughout the English-speaking world outside of the United States (within the U.S., it was distributed as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

Harry James Potter (born July 31, 1980) (see timeline) is a fictional young wizard who is the protagonist in a series of fantasy and wizardry novels by J. K. Rowling and the movies based on them. The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), was released in 1997, but takes place in 1991.

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

Overview

To read a complete synopsis of the first five books, and an incomplete synopsis of the sixth and seventh, see Harry Potter (plot).

The Harry Potter books are primarily aimed at older children (because they have progressively darker themes), but have fans of all ages, as demonstrated by the publication of editions of each book with cover artwork intended for adults. There is also a series of Warner Brothers films based directly on the books, the first of which was released in 2001.

According to Rowling, the stories appeared in her head, fully formed, while she was on a train from Manchester to London. Her favourite place to write the first book was at an Edinburgh café table, while drinking endless cups of coffee. Unsubstantiated rumours and magazine articles claim that sales from the books, as well as royalties from films and merchandise, have made Rowling richer than Queen Elizabeth II, though in a 2003 interview, Rowling denied having more than £280,000,000, which is Queen Elizabeth's supposed fortune.

Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns to use magic, brew potions, and play Quidditch. Harry also learns to overcome many obstacles, such as:

  • dealing with his rival, Draco Malfoy
  • having the entire school against him (Chamber of Secrets, Order of the Phoenix)
  • fighting off Dementors (Prisoner of Azkaban)
  • asking a girl to the Yule Ball (Goblet of Fire)

Rowling has announced that seven books are planned, each gradually a little darker than its predecessor, as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort (Tom Marvolo Riddle), gains power. As of early 2005, five books have been published, and an English language publication date of 16 July 2005 has been announced for the sixth volume, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Rowling has revealed hints about the plot of the book on her personal website [1] (http://www.jkrowling.com/).

Cover of the United States edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The books are written in third person limited omniscient mode, with Harry as the central character. The books are generally written from Harry's point of view, with short exceptions in Philosopher's Stone and Goblet of Fire. This is one reason that readers feel such a strong kinship to Harry; the story is literally told through his character.

The books have been compared to many well-known novels, including C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. They also fit into a British genre of novels about boarding school life, and sections involving the Dursleys, Harry's relatives, remind some readers of Roald Dahl's works.

Certain aspects of the Harry Potter series have even entered the real world, such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which inspired an actual product of that name, marketed by the Jelly Belly Company.

The novels

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
    • Story time: 1991–1992
    • Release: June 26, 1997
    • Note: Both the book and the film were retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S., with similar alterations to the text.
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
    • Story time: 1992–1993
    • Release: 1998
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    • Story time: 1993–1994
    • Release: September 8, 1999
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    • Story time: 1994–1995
    • Release: July 8, 2000
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    • Story time: 1995–1996
    • Release: June 21, 2003.
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
    • Story time: 1996–1997
    • Release: July 16, 2005.
  7. Title unknown
    • Story time: 1997–1998

Harry is expected to leave the school in mid-1998, shortly before his eighteenth birthday — supposing, of course, that he lives to do so (as Rowling likes to remind her readers when asked about Harry's career after school).

The books have become popular enough that bookstores now hold "midnight release parties" on the day Harry Potter books are released.

The Harry Potter books have been translated into many languages. See List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages and Harry Potter in translation series. For the English language, there exists an adapted American English version of each book, with lexical changes like football to soccer, video recorder to VCR, or do his nut becoming go ballistic.

In 2001 two books supposedly reproduced from copies owned by Harry (complete with notes scribbled in the margins by Harry and his friends) were published. They were Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp. These books were written by J. K. Rowling with proceeds going to Comic Relief.

Regarding the existence of Harry Potter novels beyond the seventh, Rowling has said that she might write an eighth book some day. If she does, she intends it to be a sort of encyclopedia of the wizarding world, containing concepts and snippets of information that were not relevant enough to the novels' plot to be included in them. She has also said that she will not write any sort of "prequel" to the novels since by the time the series ends all the necessary backstory will have been revealed.

The films

For details of which actor plays which character in the various movies, see the Harry Potter cast article.
  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
    • Release: November 16, 2001
    • Director: Chris Columbus
    • Note: Both the book and the film were retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S., with similar alterations to the text.
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
    • Release: November 15, 2002
    • Director: Chris Columbus
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    • Release: June 4, 2004, UK: May 31, 2004
    • Director: Alfonso Cuarón
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
    • Release: November 18, 2005
    • Director: Mike Newell
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
    • Release: Expected around Spring or Fall 2007.
    • Director: David Yates

All three of the currently released films were among the top ten grossing films of their year, with all three films being in the top 50 films of all time list. [2] (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm)

Themes

Like many works of science fiction and fantasy, the Harry Potter series uses analogies to real issues, rather than confronting the issues themselves.

Racism

The most obvious is the analogy of "blood purity" to racism. This theme is explored with characters such as Remus Lupin, a werewolf; Rubeus Hagrid, a half-human, half-giant; and Hermione Granger, who is muggle-born, or of non-magical parentage. Even Harry's friend Ron Weasley, from a tolerant family, is shocked to learn of Lupin's lycanthropy in Prisoner of Azkaban, and Hagrid's ancestry in Goblet of Fire. Ron's mother, Molly Weasley, apparently without realizing it, also expresses open prejudice against werewolves in Order of the Phoenix despite sharing a temporary home with one. "Blood purity" also contains elements of the class-system that was previously a feature of British society, particularly within educational institutions such as universities or public schools similar in nature to Harry's school, Hogwarts.

Ironically, some Harry Potter fans did not absorb the lessons about racism that Rowling teaches her readers. Recently, certain fans had been complaining about the casting of an "Asian" actor for the role of Cho Chang in the fourth Harry Potter film. An "anti-fan site" has been started to target this particular actor.

Choices

Rowling has stated that, rather than intentionally placing themes in her books, she lets them "grow organically". One of the most significant recurring themes is that of choice. In Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore makes perhaps his most famous quote on this issue: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." He confronts the issue again in Goblet of Fire, when he tells Cornelius Fudge that what one grows up to be is far more important than what one is born. Rowling has commented that Dumbledore often speaks for her.

Also, through the novels, Harry must choose between what is right and what is easy. This theme is expected to arise more and more frequently as the choices Harry must make become more and more difficult.

Prejudice

Much like Star Trek, Harry Potter makes statements about real issues of prejudice by assuming that they do not exist. For example, it is taken for granted that every profession in Rowling's world has personnel who are both male and female; even the sports teams are mixed.

Even homophobia has made a subtle appearence in the books, in the form of taunting comments from Harry's boorish cousin Dudley in Order of the Phoenix.

Nevertheless, the wizard world is faced with much prejudice of its own kind. There are a great many in the Harry Potter universe that disdain any non "pure" wizard or witch, to say nothing of any intelligent but non-human species(of which there are many).

For example, elves are considered fit for nothing but subjugation and slavery, despite their humanlike feelings and their own unique magical powers. This theme is explored in the books.

Humility

The novels also focus on the importance of humility. Harry has to spend many tedious years in the muggle world with his abusive relatives, who treat him very poorly. When Harry learns that he is the famous "Boy Who Lived", he is more concerned about living up to his reputation than using it to his own advantage, contrasting with his counterpart, Draco Malfoy. Harry turns out to be a very proficient Quidditch player, and excellent at Defence Against the Dark Arts. Instead of basking in the glory of his abilities, he is humble, and even bashful, when complimented on his skills.

Controversy

The books have provoked various kinds of controversy.

Accusations of promoting witchcraft

According to the American Library Association, the Harry Potter novels have been among the most frequently challenged in school libraries since 1998. The complaints allege that the books have occult or Satanic themes, are violent, and are anti-family.

Some Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft or Satanism. "It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian group based in Colorado Springs. "However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly denounced in scripture."[3] (http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_06.htm). The official exorcist of Rome, Father Gabriele Amorth, believes that the Harry Potter books can be a bad influence on some children by getting them interested in the occult. See Christian views on witchcraft.

The current Pope, Benedict XVI, also condemned the books, stating they are "a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow properly." [4] (http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/article/2439745)

In contrast, other members of the Catholic Church gave the series their approval, by saying that it is imbued with Christian morals, and that the good versus evil plot is very clear. The late Pope John Paul II praised the books for their message about the evils of racism and genocide. Christian Congregationalist minister John Killinger also argued that rather than corrupting children's minds, the novels encourage young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus. The book The Hidden Key to Harry Potter: Understanding the Meaning, Genius, and Popularity of Joanne Rowling's Harry Potter Novels, written by John Granger, a Reader in the Orthodox Church, claims to uncover Christian themes in its analysis of the story.

Much less controversy has occurred in the United Kingdom, where religion plays a smaller role in public affairs than in the United States.

The controversy was spoofed on the television show The Simpsons. In one episode, ultra-Christian Ned Flanders "reads" Harry Potter to his son and says "…and Harry Potter and all his wizard friends…went straight to Hell for practicing witchcraft". His son cheers and Ned throws the book into the fireplace.

Accusations of plagiarism

Rowling prevailed in a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement, filed by Nancy Stouffer, writer of The Legend of Rah and the Muggles and allegedly of Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly. The first book features creatures called "muggles". U.S. District Judge Allen G. Schwartz rejected Nancy Stouffer's claims that she was plagiarised, and fined Stouffer $50,000 for "submission of fraudulent documents" and "untruthful testimony", but stopped short of having Stouffer criminally charged with perjury. Stouffer was required to pay a portion of the attorney's fees incurred by Rowling, her U.S. publisher Scholastic Press, and Warner Bros. Films.

Comic book fans have noted that a comic book series first published in 1990 by DC Comics called The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman, shares many similarities to Rowling's book. These include a dark haired young boy with glasses, named Tim Hunter, who discovers his own potential as the most powerful wizard of his age after being approached by magic-wielding individuals, the first of whom gifts him with a pet owl. Rowling officially denies being aware of this series, and Gaiman has gone on record stating that he believes similarities to be either coincidence, or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes.

Recent viewers of the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes, scripted by Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter movies, have noticed similarities between its characters, setting, events and tone, and those of the Harry Potter series.

The Ken Akumatsu Manga Mahou Sensei Negima is often regarded as a Harry Potter clone, despite the only similarity being a 10-year-old wizard from England.

Parodies of Harry Potter

Books

  • Barry Trotter, by Michael Gerber—a series of Harry Potter parodies published in the United States and the United Kingdom.
  • Porri Gatter by Andreyi Zhvalevskiyi and Igor' Miyt'ko—Belarusian series of Harry Potter parodies.
  • Tanya Grotter (Таня Гроттер in Cyrillic), by Dmitri Yemetz (Дмитрий Емец in Cyrillic)—Russian series about a magical schoolgirl, described by the author, as "a sort of Russian answer to Harry Potter".
  • Heri Kókler, by K. B. Rottring (pseudonym) — a series of Harry Potter parodies in Hungarian. Kókler means 'mountebank, charlatan, swindler' and beside the sound resemblance, the fictional name of the author is a pun too: kb. means 'approx.' and rotring means 'mechanical pencil' in Hungarian (after the noted manufacturer). As of 2004, nine volumes have been published. See [5] (http://www.colors-computer.hu/~herikokler/)

Sketches on Saturday Night Live

  • Welcome Back, Potter: A teaser for a new program that placed Harry Potter in the Gabe Kaplan role from the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Originally aired November 16, 2002, and hosted by Brittany Murphy. [6] (http://snltranscripts.jt.org/02/02fpotter.phtml)
  • Hogwart's Academy: A sketch lampooning a suddenly buxom Hermione. Features Rachel Dratch as Harry, Seth Meyers as Ron, and guest host Lindsay Lohan as Hermione. Originally aired May 1, 2004. [7] (http://snltranscripts.jt.org/03/03rpotter.phtml)

Other

  • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Fifteen Minutes (http://www.livejournal.com/community/m15m/2237.html)—a popular and hilarious, if a bit sarcastic, re-telling of the third Harry Potter film by Cleolinda Jones.
  • Harry Plodder and the Kidney Stone—a text-driven parody of the first book by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by James Warhola. Cover story of Mad Magazine March 2000 issue.
  • "Harry Plodder and the Sorry-Ass Story"— a parody of the first film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Mort Drucker. Cover story of Mad Magazine December 2001 issue.
  • "Harry Potter and the Lamest of Sequels"—a parody of the second film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Tom Richmond. Cover story of Mad Magazine December 2002 issue.
  • "Harry Potter and the Pre-Teen Nerds are Actin' Bad"— a parody of the third film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Hermann Mejia. Cover story of Mad Magazine July 2004 issue.
  • Bothering Snape and Trouble at Hogwarts (http://www.potterpuppetpals.com/)—two PG-13 rated parodies featuring puppet-style Harry Potter characters in "new" adventures.
  • Brink o' Doom (http://home.att.net/~coriolan/musical/brinkofdoom.htm)—a musical based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Caius Marcius, featuring lots of singing and dancing, and dementors in kilts, who open the musical by performing a "traditional Azkaban Island fling (i.e., they fling a few prisoners into a vat of molten lead)"
  • "Wizard People, Dear Readers" (http://www.illegal-art.org/video/wizard.html/)—an audio work by Brad Neely of Austin, Texas. Originally a free CD shared with Neely's friends, "Wizard People" provides an ongoing farcical narration, meant to be played while a DVD of the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone plays with the sound off. In 2004, the New York Underground Film Festival rented a print of the film from Warner Brothers, screened it with the sound off, and played Neely's soundtrack instead. Shortly thereafter, website Illegal Art made Neely's work available for free download. In the following year, Neely also performed "Wizard People" live in several cities, until Warner Brothers took action against theatres that had rented prints, and forced them to cancel the shows.
  • Torg Potter and the Sorcerer's Nuts (http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020902) and Torg Potter and the Chamberpot of Secretions (http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030915)—two one-month storylines of the Sluggy Freelance webcomic, parodying the first two Harry Potter books (the links above show only the opening panels of each storyline).
  • Ethel Roberts: THE TRUTH BEHIND HARRY POTTER!! (http://www.n-chicken.net/misc/potter-essay.shtml)—A essay by the fictional Ethel Roberts, claiming that the Harry Potter books are promoting witchcraft. It has led to hate mail from Harry Potter fans who took it seriously. ([8] (http://www.n-chicken.net/tomfoolery/potterhatemail.shtml) [9] (http://www.n-chicken.net/tomfoolery/potter-madddawg.shtml))
  • In 2003, Comic Relief performed a spoof story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan. It featured Dawn French as a female Harry; Jennifer Saunders as Ron Weasley and J. K. Rowling; Miranda Richardson as Hermione; Nigel Planer as Dumbledore (wearing the beard and costume of Richard Harris); Jeremy Irons as Professor Severus Snape; Ronnie Corbett as Hagrid and Basil Brush as Dobby the House Elf (Basil explains that he only took the role after being turned down for Gollum in The Two Towers).
  • In The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, episodes feature "Toadblat's School of Sorcery", Nigel Planter (who has a L on his forehead), and other obvious Harry Potter spoofs.
  • Henry Skreever was the title of a book series in an episode of the children's television show Arthur. A new book had just come out entitled Henry Skreever and the Cabbage of Mayhem and all the characters were reading it.
  • "Harry Bladder," a sketch on the children's comedy show All That.
  • A collection of Harry Potter sketches on the Australian comedy show Big Bite. It was based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and included such characters as Haggis, Professor Stumblebum, and Mailman, Mailboy's father (the two Malfoys).
  • Hari Potret, an Indonesian TV series for young children, aired from mid-2000 until late 2004. It features a little boy named Hari who loved photography (therefore nicknamed 'potret', means 'photo'). He lived with his cruel uncle (Oom Balon), aunt (Tante Rika), and cousin (Duta), and later on he discovered that he was the son of the most powerful wizardry couple. They are deceased, murdered by an evil wizard named Baron Muka Peot (roughly translated as "Crumple-Faced Baron") who obsessed with the idea of taking control of the whole world. Hari made friends with little boy genie, Jin Farid, and a girl fairy, Pipit. They unfunnily resembles Harry Potter's best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively, as Jin Farid was portrayed as funny but plucky (compare to Ron) and Pipit was portrayed as bushy-haired, cunning and bossy (compare to Hermione). Hari was described as being able to turn all his photos into the moving ones, like those magically-transformed photos/paintings in Harry Potter books.The character of Duta also had a gang of three naughty schoolboys, who resemble Draco Malfoy and his colleagues, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe.

Hari Potret first appeared in another TV series called Jin & Jun, probably as a small parody regarding to the booming popularity of Harry Potter in Indonesia. There, Hari used the famous spell "Wingardium leviosa" to do ALL kinds of magic (instead of only for levitating objects, as described in the first Harry Potter book). Later, after the producers ended Jin & Jun, they made Hari Potret into a separated series.

Strangely, though, the local TV channel that hosted "Hari Potret" had managed to cooperate with Warner Bros to air "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" movie, and Hari Potret acted as the 'warming-up' for two months before the actual Harry Potter showed.

Unauthorised books featuring Harry Potter

Several unauthorised derivative books have been written, either directly featuring Harry Potter, or using similarly named characters. J. K. Rowling and her publishers are making attempts to stop the distribution of these books.

Written in Bengali:

  • Harry Potter Kolkataye (Harry Potter in Kolkata (Calcutta)), by Uttam Ghosh

Written in Chinese:

  • Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon
  • Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll (哈利・波特与瓷娃娃 or Hālì Bōtè yǔ Cíwáwa)
    • Article (http://www.cjvlang.com/Hpotter/ciwawa.html) on the cjvlang website
  • Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle
  • Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase

Trivia

  • The Hogwarts Express train—used by students to get to the school—is located at platform "nine and three-quarters" at King's Cross Station in London. This location is based on a popular British legend which states that the body of the Celtic leader Boadicea is buried under platform ten.
  • P. G. Wodehouse's 1948 novel Uncle Dynamite includes a character named Police Constable Harold Potter, and another called Hermione (not Granger, but Bostock)
  • Dutch Prime Minister (2002—) Jan Peter Balkenende is known for his resemblance to Harry Potter. A similar nickname was given to the Bulgarian politician Nikolay Vassilev who started his political career as Minister of Economy, and was later re-assigned Minister of Transport and communications.
  • Simon Ammann, Swiss ski jump athlete who won double Gold medals at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, is affectionately nicknamed "Harry Potter" because he likes to wear big round spectacles.
  • Supporters of Vladimir Putin have often accused the makers of the Harry Potter films of having deliberately modelled Dobby after the Russian president.
  • A skit on an episode of the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a character named Harold Potter.
  • A news presenter on Channel 10 News, Gold Coast, Australia, is called Harry Potter
  • Canadian Cabinet Minister Pierre Pettigrew entered federal politics the same year (1994) that traitor Peter Pettigrew escapes Harry and his friends.
  • Miranda Richardson will play journalist Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: following her appearance in the Comic Relief sketch, this makes her the second actress to have portrayed two J.K. Rowling characters on film to date. The first was Dawn French who played Harry Potter in the same sketch and the "Fat Lady" in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
  • Albus Dumbledore's partner in the Philosopher's Stone is Nicolas Flamel, an alchemist. An alchemist of the same name lived in Paris and is a well known historical figure. Nicolas Flamel is also referenced as a secret head of the Priory of Sion in Dan Brown's book The Davinci Code.
  • Not counting Nicolas Flamel, the only other real person named in the Harry Potter books is Natalie McDonald, who was sorted into Gryffindor in Goblet of Fire. This girl, an avid Harry Potter fan, e-mailed J.K. Rowling, but tragically died of cancer the day before the author responded. Since her death Rowling has struck up a friendship with Natalie's mother, and decided to add the girl's name to her then-unfinished fourth book.
  • The gravesite in Jerusalem of a British soldier named Harry Potter has become a tourist attraction.

This page about Harry Potter includes information from a Wikipedia article.
Additional articles about Harry Potter
News stories about Harry Potter
External links for Harry Potter
Videos for Harry Potter
Wikis about Harry Potter
Discussion Groups about Harry Potter
Blogs about Harry Potter
Images of Harry Potter

Written in Chinese:. Spielberg started a fanciful story of how he broke into Hollywood by sneakily squatting in an unoccupied office on the Universal Studios lot. In fact, he had an unpaid summer job on the lot. Written in Bengali:. He has seven children—four biological: Max Spielberg (from his former marriage to actress Amy Irving), Sasha, Sawyer, and Destry Spielberg (from his current marriage to Capshaw); two adopted (Theo and Mikaela Spielberg); and one stepdaughter (Jessica Capshaw). Rowling and her publishers are making attempts to stop the distribution of these books. Spielberg is married to actress Kate Capshaw, whom he cast in Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom. K. Following the critical and box office success of Schindler's List in 1993, Spielberg founded and continues to finance the Shoah Project, a non-profit organization with the goal of providing an archive for the filmed testimony of as many survivors of the Holocaust as possible, so that their stories will not be lost in the future.

J. He is one of the co-founders of Dreamworks Pictures (Dreamworks SKG, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen providing the other letters in the company name), which has released all of his movies since Amistad in 1997. Several unauthorised derivative books have been written, either directly featuring Harry Potter, or using similarly named characters. He was also, for a short time, the executive producer of the long-running medical drama ER which currently airs on NBC. Strangely, though, the local TV channel that hosted "Hari Potret" had managed to cooperate with Warner Bros to air "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" movie, and Hari Potret acted as the 'warming-up' for two months before the actual Harry Potter showed. He is also a lover of animated cartoons, and has produced several hit cartoons (and a few flops), including Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Freakazoid. Later, after the producers ended Jin & Jun, they made Hari Potret into a separated series. Spielberg has produced (without directing) a considerable number of films, and can be credited with launching the career of Robert Zemeckis.

There, Hari used the famous spell "Wingardium leviosa" to do ALL kinds of magic (instead of only for levitating objects, as described in the first Harry Potter book). See also: List of Spielberg films. Hari Potret first appeared in another TV series called Jin & Jun, probably as a small parody regarding to the booming popularity of Harry Potter in Indonesia. This film is written by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Tony Kushner. The Ken Akumatsu Manga Mahou Sensei Negima is often regarded as a Harry Potter clone, despite the only similarity being a 10-year-old wizard from England. As of March 2005, Spielberg is slated to direct the Untitled 1972 Munich Olympics Project, formerly known as Vengeance. Recent viewers of the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes, scripted by Chris Columbus, director of the first two Harry Potter movies, have noticed similarities between its characters, setting, events and tone, and those of the Harry Potter series. Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) will provide the special effects.

Rowling officially denies being aware of this series, and Gaiman has gone on record stating that he believes similarities to be either coincidence, or drawn from the same fantasy archetypes. This movie will also feature Tom Cruise in a leading role. These include a dark haired young boy with glasses, named Tim Hunter, who discovers his own potential as the most powerful wizard of his age after being approached by magic-wielding individuals, the first of whom gifts him with a pet owl. Production started in October 2004 and is currently set for release on June 29, 2005. Comic book fans have noted that a comic book series first published in 1990 by DC Comics called The Books of Magic, by Neil Gaiman, shares many similarities to Rowling's book. In August 2004, Spielberg's newest project, a modernized adaptation of War of the Worlds was greenlit. publisher Scholastic Press, and Warner Bros. Films. As of 2004, he has won two Academy Awards for Best Director, one for Schindler's List and another for Saving Private Ryan.

Stouffer was required to pay a portion of the attorney's fees incurred by Rowling, her U.S. Spielberg used Hanks again in 2004 for The Terminal, the story of an East European traveller living in an airport terminal. Schwartz rejected Nancy Stouffer's claims that she was plagiarised, and fined Stouffer $50,000 for "submission of fraudulent documents" and "untruthful testimony", but stopped short of having Stouffer criminally charged with perjury. In recent years, Spielberg has gained increased popularity through Minority Report (2002), starring Tom Cruise as a futuristic cop on the run from his own future; and Catch Me If You Can (also in 2002), a story about a con-man (with Leonardo di Caprio and Tom Hanks). District Judge Allen G. The film drew mixed reviews. U.S. The futuristic story of a humanoid android longing for love, A.I. featured groundbreaking visual effects, but unfortunately was not the blockbuster film Spielberg had hoped for.

The first book features creatures called "muggles". In 2001, Spielberg filmed fellow director and friend Stanley Kubrick's final project, A.I.: Artificial Intelligence, a project planned for many years but which Kubrick was unable to finish during his lifetime. Rowling prevailed in a lawsuit alleging copyright infringement, filed by Nancy Stouffer, writer of The Legend of Rah and the Muggles and allegedly of Larry Potter and His Best Friend Lilly. Spielberg considered it one of his finest works, yet in a highly publicized "showdown", it lost the Best Picture Oscar at the 1999 Academy Awards to Shakespeare in Love. His son cheers and Ned throws the book into the fireplace. Another of Spielberg's most critically acclaimed films, Saving Private Ryan, was released in 1998. The controversy was spoofed on the television show The Simpsons. In one episode, ultra-Christian Ned Flanders "reads" Harry Potter to his son and says "…and Harry Potter and all his wizard friends…went straight to Hell for practicing witchcraft". It was in that same year that Spielberg finally won the critical acclaim he had long sought for making Schindler's List (based on a novel about a man who sacrificed everything to save thousands of people from the wrath of the Holocaust). That film earned him his first regular Academy Award for Best Director (it also won Best Picture).

Much less controversy has occurred in the United Kingdom, where religion plays a smaller role in public affairs than in the United States. It would eventually overtake E.T. as the all-time top grossing film for several years (until James Cameron's Titanic). The book The Hidden Key to Harry Potter: Understanding the Meaning, Genius, and Popularity of Joanne Rowling's Harry Potter Novels, written by John Granger, a Reader in the Orthodox Church, claims to uncover Christian themes in its analysis of the story. In 1993, Spielberg decided to once again tackle the adventure genre, as he released the movie version of Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park, about killer dinosaurs rampaging through a tropical island resort. Christian Congregationalist minister John Killinger also argued that rather than corrupting children's minds, the novels encourage young readers to follow the teachings of Jesus. The over-budget film was not a box-office success. The late Pope John Paul II praised the books for their message about the evils of racism and genocide. Hook focused on a middle-aged Pan (played by Robin Williams), who returns to Neverland to face the title character (Captain Hook, played by Dustin Hoffman).

In contrast, other members of the Catholic Church gave the series their approval, by saying that it is imbued with Christian morals, and that the good versus evil plot is very clear. He eventually decided to create his own take on the Pan legend in 1991. The current Pope, Benedict XVI, also condemned the books, stating they are "a subtle seduction, which has deeply unnoticed and direct effects in undermining the soul of Christianity before it can really grow properly." [4] (http://www.hollywood.com/news/detail/article/2439745). Spielberg had tried numerous times to film a live-action version of Peter Pan without success. See Christian views on witchcraft. Thalberg Memorial Award for his work as a creative producer up to that point. The official exorcist of Rome, Father Gabriele Amorth, believes that the Harry Potter books can be a bad influence on some children by getting them interested in the occult. Although nominated throughout his career for an Academy Award, the gold statuette had long eluded Spielberg, although in 1986 he was awarded The Irving G.

"However, the positive messages are packaged in a medium — witchcraft — that is directly denounced in scripture."[3] (http://www.cesnur.org/recens/potter_06.htm). However, Spielberg was awarded the Directors Guild Award for his work on the film. "It contains some powerful and valuable lessons about love and courage and the ultimate victory of good over evil," said Paul Hetrick, spokesman for Focus on the Family, a national Christian group based in Colorado Springs. It received 11 Academy Award nominations in 1986, but Spielberg was snubbed in the Best Director category, which sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Some Christian groups in the United States have denounced the series for promoting witchcraft or Satanism. The film was released to great acclaim and proved Spielberg's ability as a serious, dramatic filmmaker. The complaints allege that the books have occult or Satanic themes, are violent, and are anti-family. Many critics were unsure of whether or not Spielberg could handle such serious material, as his output to that point had been viewed as "lighter" entertainment.

According to the American Library Association, the Harry Potter novels have been among the most frequently challenged in school libraries since 1998. In 1985, Spielberg made The Color Purple, an adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The books have provoked various kinds of controversy. Despite their enormous appeal, few film scholars and critics place such Spielberg films as Raiders or E.T. in the same class as The Godfather, Citizen Kane, or many other classics of the cinema. Instead of basking in the glory of his abilities, he is humble, and even bashful, when complimented on his skills. When E.T. was released, Steven Spielberg, a Porsche 928 aficionado, had his car's moon-roof button re-designed with the movie's logo as both a gag for passengers, and a tribute to the movie's success. Harry turns out to be a very proficient Quidditch player, and excellent at Defence Against the Dark Arts. E.T. went on to become the top-grossing film of all time for many years.

When Harry learns that he is the famous "Boy Who Lived", he is more concerned about living up to his reputation than using it to his own advantage, contrasting with his counterpart, Draco Malfoy. the Extra-Terrestrial, a Disney-inspired story of a boy and the alien whom he befriends (and is trying to get back "home" to outer space). Harry has to spend many tedious years in the muggle world with his abusive relatives, who treat him very poorly. One year later, Spielberg returned to his alien visitors motif with E.T. The novels also focus on the importance of humility. Raiders itself spawned two sequels, also directed by Spielberg and executive produced by Lucas. This theme is explored in the books. In 1981, Spielberg teamed up for the first time with his friend George Lucas to make Raiders of the Lost Ark, his homage to the cliffhanger serials of the Golden Age of Hollywood, with Harrison Ford (whom Lucas directed in Star Wars) as the dashing hero Indiana Jones.

For example, elves are considered fit for nothing but subjugation and slavery, despite their humanlike feelings and their own unique magical powers. But what some would consider Spielberg's greatest film work was still to come, beginning in the 1980s. There are a great many in the Harry Potter universe that disdain any non "pure" wizard or witch, to say nothing of any intelligent but non-human species(of which there are many). An expanded version has been shown on network television and later on Laserdisc and DVD. Nevertheless, the wizard world is faced with much prejudice of its own kind. Although the film did make a small profit, it is considered by some to be Spielberg's first flop, although today it is also considered a cult classic. Even homophobia has made a subtle appearence in the books, in the form of taunting comments from Harry's boorish cousin Dudley in Order of the Phoenix. days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with the two top stars from Saturday Night Live, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, along with other all-stars.

For example, it is taken for granted that every profession in Rowling's world has personnel who are both male and female; even the sports teams are mixed. For example, Spielberg's next film was 1941, a big-budgeted World War II comedy farce set in L.A. Much like Star Trek, Harry Potter makes statements about real issues of prejudice by assuming that they do not exist. The success Spielberg was beginning to enjoy, as well as his eventual tendency to make films with wide mainstream and commercial appeal, also subjected him to disdain in critical circles by film reviewers. This theme is expected to arise more and more frequently as the choices Harry must make become more and more difficult. The film remains a cult sci-fi classic among its fans. Also, through the novels, Harry must choose between what is right and what is easy. In 1976, Spielberg was asked by Alexander Salkind to direct Superman, but decided instead to expand on a pet project he had on his mind since his youth: a film about UFOs, which became Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

Rowling has commented that Dumbledore often speaks for her. Jaws won four Academy Awards (for editing and sound), and grossed over US$100 million at the box office, setting the domestic record for box office gross. In Chamber of Secrets, Dumbledore makes perhaps his most famous quote on this issue: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." He confronts the issue again in Goblet of Fire, when he tells Cornelius Fudge that what one grows up to be is far more important than what one is born. Spielberg's debut theatrical feature film, The Sugarland Express (takes place and filmed on location in Sugar Land, Texas and is about a husband and wife attempting to escape the law), won him critical praise and enough studio backing to be chosen as the director of a summer movie that would secure him a place in the history of motion pictures: Jaws, a horror film based on the Peter Benchley novel about encounters with a killer shark. One of the most significant recurring themes is that of choice. This film, about a truck mysteriously terrorizing an average citizen, has become a cult classic, having been released on video several times over the years. Rowling has stated that, rather than intentionally placing themes in her books, she lets them "grow organically". While working on this segment its star Joan Crawford collared a production executive and said, "Keep an eye on this kid, he's going places." After directing episodes of various TV shows, including some early Columbo TV movies, Spielberg directed his first well-known feature with a 1971 TV "movie-of-the-week" entitled Duel (later released to theatres overseas and eventually in the U.S.).

An "anti-fan site" has been started to target this particular actor. He was making amateur 8mm "adventure" movies with his friends as a teenager (scenes from these amateur films have been included on the DVD edition of Saving Private Ryan), and he made his first short film for theatrical release, Amblin', in 1968 at the age of twenty one. (Spielberg's own production company, Amblin Entertainment, was named after this short film.) His maiden directorial work was a segment of the pilot film to Rod Serling's Night Gallery. Recently, certain fans had been complaining about the casting of an "Asian" actor for the role of Cho Chang in the fourth Harry Potter film. Spielberg is known by film historians as one of the famous "movie brats" of the 1970s: along with fellow filmmakers (and personal friends) George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, John Milius, and Brian De Palma, Spielberg grew up making movies. Ironically, some Harry Potter fans did not absorb the lessons about racism that Rowling teaches her readers. He is seen as a figure who has the influence, financial resources, and acceptance of Hollywood studio authorities to make any movie he wants to make, be it a mainstream action-adventure movie (Jurassic Park) or a three-hour-long black and white drama about a controversial historical subject (Schindler's List). "Blood purity" also contains elements of the class-system that was previously a feature of British society, particularly within educational institutions such as universities or public schools similar in nature to Harry's school, Hogwarts. As of 2004, he has been listed in Premiere and other magazines as the most "powerful" and influential figure in the motion picture industry.

Ron's mother, Molly Weasley, apparently without realizing it, also expresses open prejudice against werewolves in Order of the Phoenix despite sharing a temporary home with one. Spielberg is the most financially successful motion picture director of all time. He has helmed an astounding number of feature films that have become enormous box-office hits, and this has given him enormous influence in Hollywood. Even Harry's friend Ron Weasley, from a tolerant family, is shocked to learn of Lupin's lycanthropy in Prisoner of Azkaban, and Hagrid's ancestry in Goblet of Fire. One consistent theme in his work is a childlike, even naïve sense of wonderment and faith, as attested by works like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Hook and A.I.. This theme is explored with characters such as Remus Lupin, a werewolf; Rubeus Hagrid, a half-human, half-giant; and Hermione Granger, who is muggle-born, or of non-magical parentage. He is noted in recent years for his willingness to tackle emotionally powerful issues, such as the horrors of the Holocaust in Schindler's List, the inhumanity of slavery in Amistad, and the hardships of war in Saving Private Ryan. The most obvious is the analogy of "blood purity" to racism. Steven Allan Spielberg (born on December 18, 1946 in Cincinnati, Ohio but raised in the suburbs of Haddonfield, New Jersey and Scottsdale, Arizona), is an American film director whose films range from science fiction to historical drama to horror.

Like many works of science fiction and fantasy, the Harry Potter series uses analogies to real issues, rather than confronting the issues themselves. For his work on the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation since 1994, he was awarded with the Great Cross of Merit with Star, the German version of the Great Officer's Cross, in September 1998 for "a very noticeable contribution to the issue of the Holocaust". [2] (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm). According to Daily Variety, the biopic, tentatively titled Celluloid Titans, is being executive produced by Jody Brockway. All three of the currently released films were among the top ten grossing films of their year, with all three films being in the top 50 films of all time list. The A&E Network is expected to announce that it will produce a two-hour drama about the relationship between filmmakers George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. She has also said that she will not write any sort of "prequel" to the novels since by the time the series ends all the necessary backstory will have been revealed. He first enrolled at Long Beach State in 1965.

If she does, she intends it to be a sort of encyclopedia of the wizarding world, containing concepts and snippets of information that were not relevant enough to the novels' plot to be included in them. in Film Production and Electronic Arts with an option in Film/Video Production from California State University, Long Beach. Regarding the existence of Harry Potter novels beyond the seventh, Rowling has said that she might write an eighth book some day. In 2002 Spielberg was awarded a B.A. Rowling with proceeds going to Comic Relief. [1] (http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/05.29.97/spielberg-9722.html). K. He went to Saratoga High School and quipped that it was the "worst experience" of his life and "hell on Earth".

They were Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander and Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp. These books were written by J. Supports the Democratic Party of United States. In 2001 two books supposedly reproduced from copies owned by Harry (complete with notes scribbled in the margins by Harry and his friends) were published. The asteroid 25930 Spielberg is named in his honour. For the English language, there exists an adapted American English version of each book, with lexical changes like football to soccer, video recorder to VCR, or do his nut becoming go ballistic. Spielberg, an Eagle Scout, designed the requirements for the Boy Scout Cinematography merit badge. See List of titles of Harry Potter books in other languages and Harry Potter in translation series. Steven Spielberg won Best Director and Best Picture Oscars that year.

The Harry Potter books have been translated into many languages. Eleven years later, in 1993, Steven Spielberg cast Richard Attenborough as the grandfather in Jurassic Park (his first performance in 13 years) and Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List. The books have become popular enough that bookstores now hold "midnight release parties" on the day Harry Potter books are released. In 1982 Ben Kingsley won Best Actor and Richard Attenborough won Best Director for the film Gandhi, which beat Steven Spielberg's film E.T. for Best Picture. Harry is expected to leave the school in mid-1998, shortly before his eighteenth birthday — supposing, of course, that he lives to do so (as Rowling likes to remind her readers when asked about Harry's career after school). Spielberg had a cameo role as the Cook County assessor in the last minutes of the 1980 film The Blues Brothers. Certain aspects of the Harry Potter series have even entered the real world, such as Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, which inspired an actual product of that name, marketed by the Jelly Belly Company. While the films that Steven Spielberg directed have won numerous awards, no actor or actress has won an Academy Award for a performance for one of his films.

They also fit into a British genre of novels about boarding school life, and sections involving the Dursleys, Harry's relatives, remind some readers of Roald Dahl's works. The Sugarland Express (1974). Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. Jaws (1975). R. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). R. 1941 (1979).

S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia and J. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). The books have been compared to many well-known novels, including C. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982). The books are generally written from Harry's point of view, with short exceptions in Philosopher's Stone and Goblet of Fire. This is one reason that readers feel such a strong kinship to Harry; the story is literally told through his character. E.T. The books are written in third person limited omniscient mode, with Harry as the central character. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984).

Rowling has revealed hints about the plot of the book on her personal website [1] (http://www.jkrowling.com/). The Color Purple (1985). As of early 2005, five books have been published, and an English language publication date of 16 July 2005 has been announced for the sixth volume, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Empire of the Sun (1987). Rowling has announced that seven books are planned, each gradually a little darker than its predecessor, as Harry ages and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort (Tom Marvolo Riddle), gains power. Always (1989). Harry also learns to overcome many obstacles, such as:. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

Each book chronicles one year in Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he learns to use magic, brew potions, and play Quidditch. Hook (1991). Her favourite place to write the first book was at an Edinburgh café table, while drinking endless cups of coffee. Unsubstantiated rumours and magazine articles claim that sales from the books, as well as royalties from films and merchandise, have made Rowling richer than Queen Elizabeth II, though in a 2003 interview, Rowling denied having more than £280,000,000, which is Queen Elizabeth's supposed fortune. Jurassic Park (1993). According to Rowling, the stories appeared in her head, fully formed, while she was on a train from Manchester to London. Schindler's List (1993) (Academy Award, Best Director, Best Picture). There is also a series of Warner Brothers films based directly on the books, the first of which was released in 2001. Amistad (1997).

The Harry Potter books are primarily aimed at older children (because they have progressively darker themes), but have fans of all ages, as demonstrated by the publication of editions of each book with cover artwork intended for adults. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). The first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the United States), was released in 1997, but takes place in 1991. Saving Private Ryan (1998) (Academy Award, Best Director). Rowling and the movies based on them. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence (2001). K. Minority Report (2002).

Harry James Potter (born July 31, 1980) (see timeline) is a fictional young wizard who is the protagonist in a series of fantasy and wizardry novels by J. Catch Me If You Can (2002). The gravesite in Jerusalem of a British soldier named Harry Potter has become a tourist attraction. The Terminal (2004). Since her death Rowling has struck up a friendship with Natalie's mother, and decided to add the girl's name to her then-unfinished fourth book. War of the Worlds (2005). Rowling, but tragically died of cancer the day before the author responded.

This girl, an avid Harry Potter fan, e-mailed J.K. Not counting Nicolas Flamel, the only other real person named in the Harry Potter books is Natalie McDonald, who was sorted into Gryffindor in Goblet of Fire. Nicolas Flamel is also referenced as a secret head of the Priory of Sion in Dan Brown's book The Davinci Code. An alchemist of the same name lived in Paris and is a well known historical figure.

Albus Dumbledore's partner in the Philosopher's Stone is Nicolas Flamel, an alchemist. The first was Dawn French who played Harry Potter in the same sketch and the "Fat Lady" in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Rowling characters on film to date. Miranda Richardson will play journalist Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: following her appearance in the Comic Relief sketch, this makes her the second actress to have portrayed two J.K.

Canadian Cabinet Minister Pierre Pettigrew entered federal politics the same year (1994) that traitor Peter Pettigrew escapes Harry and his friends. A news presenter on Channel 10 News, Gold Coast, Australia, is called Harry Potter. A skit on an episode of the British television series Monty Python's Flying Circus featured a character named Harold Potter. Supporters of Vladimir Putin have often accused the makers of the Harry Potter films of having deliberately modelled Dobby after the Russian president.

Simon Ammann, Swiss ski jump athlete who won double Gold medals at the 2002 Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, is affectionately nicknamed "Harry Potter" because he likes to wear big round spectacles. A similar nickname was given to the Bulgarian politician Nikolay Vassilev who started his political career as Minister of Economy, and was later re-assigned Minister of Transport and communications. Dutch Prime Minister (2002—) Jan Peter Balkenende is known for his resemblance to Harry Potter. Wodehouse's 1948 novel Uncle Dynamite includes a character named Police Constable Harold Potter, and another called Hermione (not Granger, but Bostock).

G. P. This location is based on a popular British legend which states that the body of the Celtic leader Boadicea is buried under platform ten. The Hogwarts Express train—used by students to get to the school—is located at platform "nine and three-quarters" at King's Cross Station in London.

Harry Potter and the Crystal Vase. Harry Potter and the Golden Turtle. Article (http://www.cjvlang.com/Hpotter/ciwawa.html) on the cjvlang website. Harry Potter and the Porcelain Doll (哈利・波特与瓷娃娃 or Hālì Bōtè yǔ Cíwáwa)

    .

    Harry Potter and Leopard-Walk-Up-to-Dragon. Harry Potter Kolkataye (Harry Potter in Kolkata (Calcutta)), by Uttam Ghosh. Hari was described as being able to turn all his photos into the moving ones, like those magically-transformed photos/paintings in Harry Potter books.The character of Duta also had a gang of three naughty schoolboys, who resemble Draco Malfoy and his colleagues, Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe. They unfunnily resembles Harry Potter's best friends Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger respectively, as Jin Farid was portrayed as funny but plucky (compare to Ron) and Pipit was portrayed as bushy-haired, cunning and bossy (compare to Hermione).

    Hari made friends with little boy genie, Jin Farid, and a girl fairy, Pipit. They are deceased, murdered by an evil wizard named Baron Muka Peot (roughly translated as "Crumple-Faced Baron") who obsessed with the idea of taking control of the whole world. He lived with his cruel uncle (Oom Balon), aunt (Tante Rika), and cousin (Duta), and later on he discovered that he was the son of the most powerful wizardry couple. It features a little boy named Hari who loved photography (therefore nicknamed 'potret', means 'photo').

    Hari Potret, an Indonesian TV series for young children, aired from mid-2000 until late 2004. It was based on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and included such characters as Haggis, Professor Stumblebum, and Mailman, Mailboy's father (the two Malfoys). A collection of Harry Potter sketches on the Australian comedy show Big Bite. "Harry Bladder," a sketch on the children's comedy show All That.

    A new book had just come out entitled Henry Skreever and the Cabbage of Mayhem and all the characters were reading it. Henry Skreever was the title of a book series in an episode of the children's television show Arthur. In The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, episodes feature "Toadblat's School of Sorcery", Nigel Planter (who has a L on his forehead), and other obvious Harry Potter spoofs. Rowling; Miranda Richardson as Hermione; Nigel Planer as Dumbledore (wearing the beard and costume of Richard Harris); Jeremy Irons as Professor Severus Snape; Ronnie Corbett as Hagrid and Basil Brush as Dobby the House Elf (Basil explains that he only took the role after being turned down for Gollum in The Two Towers).

    K. It featured Dawn French as a female Harry; Jennifer Saunders as Ron Weasley and J. In 2003, Comic Relief performed a spoof story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan. ([8] (http://www.n-chicken.net/tomfoolery/potterhatemail.shtml) [9] (http://www.n-chicken.net/tomfoolery/potter-madddawg.shtml)).

    It has led to hate mail from Harry Potter fans who took it seriously. Ethel Roberts: THE TRUTH BEHIND HARRY POTTER!! (http://www.n-chicken.net/misc/potter-essay.shtml)—A essay by the fictional Ethel Roberts, claiming that the Harry Potter books are promoting witchcraft. Torg Potter and the Sorcerer's Nuts (http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=020902) and Torg Potter and the Chamberpot of Secretions (http://www.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=030915)—two one-month storylines of the Sluggy Freelance webcomic, parodying the first two Harry Potter books (the links above show only the opening panels of each storyline). In the following year, Neely also performed "Wizard People" live in several cities, until Warner Brothers took action against theatres that had rented prints, and forced them to cancel the shows.

    Shortly thereafter, website Illegal Art made Neely's work available for free download. In 2004, the New York Underground Film Festival rented a print of the film from Warner Brothers, screened it with the sound off, and played Neely's soundtrack instead. Originally a free CD shared with Neely's friends, "Wizard People" provides an ongoing farcical narration, meant to be played while a DVD of the film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone plays with the sound off. "Wizard People, Dear Readers" (http://www.illegal-art.org/video/wizard.html/)—an audio work by Brad Neely of Austin, Texas.

    Brink o' Doom (http://home.att.net/~coriolan/musical/brinkofdoom.htm)—a musical based on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by Caius Marcius, featuring lots of singing and dancing, and dementors in kilts, who open the musical by performing a "traditional Azkaban Island fling (i.e., they fling a few prisoners into a vat of molten lead)". Bothering Snape and Trouble at Hogwarts (http://www.potterpuppetpals.com/)—two PG-13 rated parodies featuring puppet-style Harry Potter characters in "new" adventures. "Harry Potter and the Pre-Teen Nerds are Actin' Bad"— a parody of the third film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Hermann Mejia. Cover story of Mad Magazine July 2004 issue. Cover story of Mad Magazine December 2002 issue.

    "Harry Potter and the Lamest of Sequels"—a parody of the second film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Tom Richmond. Cover story of Mad Magazine December 2001 issue. "Harry Plodder and the Sorry-Ass Story"— a parody of the first film, by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by Mort Drucker. Harry Plodder and the Kidney Stone—a text-driven parody of the first book by Desmond Devlin, illustrated by James Warhola. Cover story of Mad Magazine March 2000 issue.

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Fifteen Minutes (http://www.livejournal.com/community/m15m/2237.html)—a popular and hilarious, if a bit sarcastic, re-telling of the third Harry Potter film by Cleolinda Jones. [7] (http://snltranscripts.jt.org/03/03rpotter.phtml). Originally aired May 1, 2004. Features Rachel Dratch as Harry, Seth Meyers as Ron, and guest host Lindsay Lohan as Hermione.

    Hogwart's Academy: A sketch lampooning a suddenly buxom Hermione. [6] (http://snltranscripts.jt.org/02/02fpotter.phtml). Originally aired November 16, 2002, and hosted by Brittany Murphy. Welcome Back, Potter: A teaser for a new program that placed Harry Potter in the Gabe Kaplan role from the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter.

    See [5] (http://www.colors-computer.hu/~herikokler/). As of 2004, nine volumes have been published. Kókler means 'mountebank, charlatan, swindler' and beside the sound resemblance, the fictional name of the author is a pun too: kb. means 'approx.' and rotring means 'mechanical pencil' in Hungarian (after the noted manufacturer). Rottring (pseudonym) — a series of Harry Potter parodies in Hungarian.

    B. Heri Kókler, by K. Tanya Grotter (Таня Гроттер in Cyrillic), by Dmitri Yemetz (Дмитрий Емец in Cyrillic)—Russian series about a magical schoolgirl, described by the author, as "a sort of Russian answer to Harry Potter". Porri Gatter by Andreyi Zhvalevskiyi and Igor' Miyt'ko—Belarusian series of Harry Potter parodies.

    Barry Trotter, by Michael Gerber—a series of Harry Potter parodies published in the United States and the United Kingdom. Director: David Yates. Release: Expected around Spring or Fall 2007. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

      .

      Director: Mike Newell. Release: November 18, 2005. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

        . Director: Alfonso Cuarón.

        Release: June 4, 2004, UK: May 31, 2004. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

          . Director: Chris Columbus. Release: November 15, 2002.

          Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

            . Note: Both the book and the film were retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S., with similar alterations to the text. Director: Chris Columbus. Release: November 16, 2001.

            Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

              . Story time: 1997–1998. Title unknown
                . Release: July 16, 2005.

                Story time: 1996–1997. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

                  . Release: June 21, 2003. Story time: 1995–1996.

                  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

                    . Release: July 8, 2000. Story time: 1994–1995. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
                      .

                      Release: September 8, 1999. Story time: 1993–1994. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

                        . Release: 1998.

                        Story time: 1992–1993. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

                          . Note: Both the book and the film were retitled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S., with similar alterations to the text. Release: June 26, 1997.

                          Story time: 1991–1992. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

                            . asking a girl to the Yule Ball (Goblet of Fire). fighting off Dementors (Prisoner of Azkaban).

                            having the entire school against him (Chamber of Secrets, Order of the Phoenix). dealing with his rival, Draco Malfoy.