Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)

"Everything Will Change"

- Official tagline

The film version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (released June 4, 2004) included the basic plot of the book; however, the story centred around the difficulties of becoming an adolescent. It was directed by Alfonso Cuarón and produced by David Heyman, Chris Columbus, the director of the first two films and Mark Radcliffe. It was the first film to be using IMAX Technology only on IMAX Cinemas.

The Trio

 * Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
 * Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
 * Emma Watson as Hermione Granger

Hogwarts staff

 * Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore
 * Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
 * Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
 * David Thewlis as Remus Lupin
 * Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
 * Emma Thompson as Sybill Trelawney
 * Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick
 * David Bradley as Argus Filch

Other Hogwarts denizens

 * Dawn French as The Fat Lady
 * Paul Whitehouse as Sir Cadogan
 * Violet Columbus as Girl With Flowers
 * Annalisa Bugliani as Mother in Portrait
 * Tess Bu Cuarón as Baby in Portrait
 * Freddie Davis as Old Man in Portrait
 * Caridad Angus as Female in Portrait

Order of the Phoenix

 * Gary Oldman as Sirius Black
 * Julie Walters as Molly Weasley
 * Mark Williams as Arthur Weasley
 * Richard Fish as Bill Weasley
 * Alex Crockford as Charlie Weasley

Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters and followers

 * Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew
 * Peter Best as Walden Macnair

Gryffindor

 * Unknown Actress as Alicia Spinnet
 * Danielle Tabor as Angelina Johnson
 * Ekow Quartey as Bem
 * Alfred Enoch as Dean Thomas
 * James Phelps as Fred Weasley
 * Oliver Phelps as George Weasley
 * Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley
 * Rick Sahota as Gryffindor Boy
 * Unknown Actress as Fay Dunbar
 * Unknown Actress as Fay Dunbar's friend
 * Unknown Actress as Katie Bell
 * Kandice Morris as Kellah
 * Jennifer Smith as Lavender Brown
 * Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom
 * Sean Biggerstaff as Oliver Wood
 * Sharon Sandhu as Padma Patil (Ravenclaw house in the book)
 * Sitara Shah as Parvati Patil
 * Chris Rankin as Percy Weasley
 * Devon Murray as Seamus Finnigan

Slytherin

 * Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
 * Josh Herdman as Gregory Goyle
 * Genevieve Gaunt as Pansy Parkinson
 * Bronson Webb as Slytherin Boy (possibly Theodore Nott)
 * Jamie Waylett as Vincent Crabbe

Unknown House

 * Phil Cross, Natasha-Maria Smith , Xorael Harrison and many unknowns as Choir members

Ministry of Magic

 * Robert Hardy as Cornelius Fudge

Wizarding World-related

 * Julie Christie as Madam Rosmerta
 * Jim Tavaré as Tom
 * Lee Ingleby as Stan Shunpike
 * Jimmy Gardner as Ernie Prang
 * Abby Ford as Leaky Cauldron Maid
 * George Potts as Bald Wizard

Ghosts, spectres, photos or flashback performances

 * Adrian Rawlins as James Potter
 * Geraldine Somerville as Lily Potter

Muggles

 * Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
 * Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
 * Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley
 * Pam Ferris as Marge Dursley

Magic creatures

 * Lenny Henry as the voice of Shrunken Head
 * Rusty Goffe as Goblin
 * Unknown Actors as Goblins

Animals

 * Hugo as Fang
 * Maximus, Alanis and Cornilus as Mrs. Norris
 * Gizmo, Ook, and Sprout as Hedwig
 * Crackerjack as Crookshanks
 * 12 Unknown rats as Scabbers
 * Unknown dog as Black's Animagus
 * Unknown dog as Ripper
 * 4 Unknown toads as Trevor

Plot
Harry Potter is spending his summer at the Dursleys' house. Uncle Vernon's sister Marge arrives for a visit and at dinnertime, she viciously insults Harry and his parents. Harry's anger and unconscious magical powers cause her to inflate and float away. Expecting to have been expelled from Hogwarts for using magic outside of school, Harry flees. After seeing a large black dog, the Knight Bus appears and takes Harry to the Leaky Cauldron. There, Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge tells Harry he will not be expelled. Harry learns that Sirius Black, who is said to be a supporter of Lord Voldemort, has escaped from Azkaban. He is also informed by Arthur Weasley that Black will likely come after him.

Harry journeys to Hogwarts with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger; they are now entering their third year. On the train they share a compartment with the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Remus Lupin, who is sleeping when they enter the compartment. Abruptly, the Hogwarts Express is stopped and a Dementor boards, searching for Black. The creature has a profound effect on Harry, causing him to faint. Lupin awakens and repels the Dementor. At school, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore informs the Hogwarts students that because Black is at large, Dementors have been set up around the school as a protection. In addition to Lupin's appointment, Hagrid is announced as the new Care of Magical Creatures teacher. As lessons begin, Hermione frequently arrives at their various classes by appearing out of nowhere. Lupin's lessons prove enjoyable, as he teaches useful spells and helps less confident students like Neville Longbottom. However Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class does not go as planned, and on the first day, Draco Malfoy deliberately provokes the Hippogriff Buckbeak into attacking him. His father successfully has Buckbeak sentenced to death. Later, third year students are allowed to go to Hogsmeade, but since Harry's uncle Vernon didn't sign his letter of permission, he stays talking with Lupin, who says that he knew Harry's parents, and they were two great individuals.



Returning to the Gryffindor's tower, they find the Fat Lady's portrait empty, having been attacked. Dumbledore and the school Caretaker Argus Filch find the Fat Lady in another portrait, completely scared. She says that Sirius Black has entered the castle, and wanted to enter Gryffindor Tower. Dumbledore sends all the students to sleep in the Great Hall, in which Professor Snape says to Dumbledore that the appointment of a teacher may had been dangerous. Dumbledore denies this, though both think that Harry may be in danger. Later, in a Defence Against The Dark Arts class, Snape substitutes Lupin, saying that he's "incapable of teaching". He teaches them about werewolves and animagi. An Animagus is a human who can turn into another animal and back into human when they choose. They can turn into only one animal.

During a Quidditch match, several Dementors approach Harry, causing him to fall off his broomstick; Dumbledore slows his descent. Harry then decides to learn how to fight the Dementors. Lupin says he will teach him, but after the holidays, since he feels sick. Near Christmas, Harry attempts to sneak to Hogsmeade without permission, but is caught by Fred and George Weasley, who give him the Marauder's Map so that he can enter the village through a secret passage. At Hogsmeade, Harry overhears that Black was his godfather and his parents' best friend. Black is said to have divulged the Potters' secret whereabouts to Voldemort and murdered their mutual friend Peter Pettigrew. Harry says to his friends that is looking forward to kill Black.

The holidays pass, and Lupin teaches Harry the spell to conjure a Patronus, a 'shield' or 'force' that can repel a Dementor. A Patronus is the opposite of a Dementor which breeds on unhappy thoughts and bad memories. The happier the thought used to cast the spell, the more powerful the Patronus. After several tries, Harry manages to create a Patronus. One night, Harry is using the Marauder's Map, and he sees Pettigrew's name. Going where he's supposed to be, he sees no one, but is caught by Snape. Lupin appears and sees the map, he then gets Harry away. In his classroom, he says to Harry that is very irresponsible of him to wander around with the map. Before leaving, Harry says that the map may not be working properly - he has seen Pettigrew's name on it, despite the fact that he's supposed to be dead. Lupin says that it's not possible, and stays looking at the map, quietly.

In Divination class, after everyone's gone, Professor Trelawney enters into a trance while Harry's there and predicts that the Dark Lord's servant will return to his master that night. Harry, Ron and Hermione visit Hagrid to console him over Buckbeak's impending execution. While there, Ron discovers his rat, Scabbers, who had disappeared earlier in the year, and whom Ron had believed to be dead. While the trio is chasing Scabbers, a large dog drags both Ron and and the rat into a hole at the base of the Whomping Willow. Harry and Hermione follow, finding a tunnel leading to the Shrieking Shack. The dog is revealed to be Sirius Black, who is an Animagus. Lupin arrives as well and upon seeing Scabbers, embraces Sirius as an old friend. After being confronted by Hermione, Lupin admits to being a werewolf. Snape appears, planning to catch Black and Lupin and hand them over to the Dementors, but is knocked out by Harry. Lupin and Black explain that Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew in his Animagus form. Everything that Black is accused was actually Pettigrew and the pair force Pettigrew back into his human form. Lupin and Sirius prepare to kill Pettigrew but are stopped by Harry, who tells them that it was not what James would have done. As the group head back to the castle the full moon rises, causing Lupin to transform and Pettigrew to escape. Lupin and Sirius fight in their animal forms, until Lupin is distracted, and Sirius and Harry are attacked by Dementors. As Sirius is about to have his soul removed, Harry sees a figure in the distance cast a powerful stag-shaped Patronus, scattering the Dementors and saving their lives.

Hermione reveals that she possesses a time-turner, which is how she has been taking multiple classes at once. She and Harry travel back in time three hours, watching themselves go through the night's events. They set Buckbeak free and return to the Whomping Willow. As the Dementors are about to attack the "other" Harry and Sirius, Harry realizes that the person he saw was actually him and casts the Patronus. Harry and Hermione rescue a captured Sirius and give him Buckbeak to escape on, as time equals out again. At the end of the year, Lupin resigns, knowing that people will not allow a werewolf to teach their children. Later, Sirius sends Harry a Firebolt, an extremely fast racing broom.

Differences between novel and film

 * The film starts with Harry performing the "Lumos Maxima" Spell, well aware of the Restrictions of Underage Wizards and did not receive any warnings. In the book, Harry uses a simple torch. Lumos Maxima is later used in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.
 * In the book, at the dinner party, Aunt Marge allows Ripper to drink tea off of a saucer. In the film, she allows him a drink of brandy from her glass.
 * In the book, Harry pretends to be Neville Longbottom while on the Knight Bus, running from the Ministry of Magic. In the film, Harry doesn't pretend to be Neville; however, his identity is still kept secret.
 * The film makers added Shrunken Heads that have the ability to talk, probably to add humour. So far these creatures have been unique to this film only. In an interview on the DVD release, J.K. Rowling said the addition of the shrunken heads had her full support, and she only wished she'd thought of them herself.
 * When the Gryffindors and Slytherins go to their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson in the book there are many Hippogriffs, but in the film it is only Buckbeak.
 * The origins of the Marauder's Map are not revealed in the film. The whole storyline of the Marauders is left out, including that James was an Animagus that transformed into a stag. However, in the film Harry still makes the connection between the stag and his dad. This also causes a continuity error in the later films as Harry knew who Wormtail was in the fourth film, and Sirius is called "Padfoot" in the fifth. However, in the film Sirius shows knowledge of the map stating that the map never lies.
 * Unlike in the previous films the majority of the Quidditch season was cut out, aside from the first match. The game where Harry sees Marcus Flint, Crabbe, Goyle and Malfoy disguised as Dementors and the game where Gryffindor wins the Quidditch Cup were omitted. Consequently, Cho Chang, Harry's future girlfriend, does not appear until the next film.
 * In the book the rain during the Hufflepuff Quidditch match makes it difficult for Harry to see until Hermione casts Impervius on his glasses, In the film, the Quidditch players wear goggles.
 * Also in the book, Harry falls off his broom and Cedric catches the Snitch. In the film, he is struck by lightning and Harry falls off his broom, leaving the Snitch apparently uncaught. Also in the film, Katie Bell crashes after her broom catches fire which never occured in the books.
 * In the book, Harry sees the Grim in the Stands watching him. Whereas in the movie, Harry flies high into the sky, and instead sees a cloud shaped like the Grim. In the game Harry sees it in the stands like in the book.
 * In the book, Harry received his Firebolt for Christmas right after his Nimbus 2000 was destroyed. Eventually, Sirius Black revealed he had sent the broom. In the film, Harry receives the Firebolt at the end of the film, and although there was no note, Harry knew that Black had sent it after seeing one of Buckbeak's feathers enclosed with it.
 * Crookshanks' role is almost entirely removed. His friendship with Padfoot, and his role in the shrieking shack were completely cut.
 * In the book, Harry and Ron get in a huge argument with Hermione because of the problems she caused towards their possessions (Harry's Firebolt and Ron's rat Scabbers), until Hagrid set them straight about their selfishness. In the film most of this is omitted, except for some of Ron's initial arguments with Hermione which didn't go as far as the book.
 * The film omitts the part where Hermione, and later Ron and Harry (once they settle their dispute with her) help Hagrid prepare his defence for Buckbeak's trial.
 * In the film, the part where Sirius tries to kill Wormtail disguised as a rat in the middle of the night is omitted. The part where Sir Cadogan becomes the portrait for Gryffindor is also omitted. This is left as a deleted scene.
 * In the film, Harry's two visits to Hogsmeade are combined into a single trip. So in the film, Harry throws snowballs at Draco and his cronies while under the Invisibility Cloak. In the novel, he throws mudballs. The scene is also extended, with Harry also pantsing and kicking Crabbe's backside, pulling the other Slytherin Boy's hat over his eyes and swinging him around by his scarf, and dragging Malfoy away by his feet. Omitted from the film is the hood of the cloak falling off Harry's head causing Malfoy to learn of Harry's unauthorized visit.
 * In the book Ron and Hermione were with Harry when he eavesdropped on Fudge's conversation with a few of Hogwarts staff in the Three Broomsticks Inn about Sirius Black and his connection with James Potter. In the film Harry was alone as the Inn forbade underage wizards from entering the pub that day. Also in the film Harry sneaked in using his Invisibility Cloak, while in the book he hid underneath Ron and Hermione's table as he did not bring the cloak during his first visit to Hogsmeade.
 * In the novel, a small Christmas feast is held with only thirteen people, at which Sybill Trelawney predicts that "the first to rise shall be the first to die". This is omitted from the film.
 * In the novel, while trying to make the Marauder's Map "reveal its secrets", Snape tries once and fails. He then tries again and it fails. He tries once more and it finally works. In the film, he only tries once and it works.
 * In the film, Snape catches Harry in the hallway after he saw Pettigrew's name one night on the Marauder's map and went to find him. In the book, Snape caught Harry after being seen by Malfoy in Hogsmeade. Both versions end the same though where Lupin covers for Harry and then takes the map into his possession.
 * In the film, after seeing Pettigrew's name on the map, he says this to Lupin. In the book, Harry never saw Pettigrew's name on it, and Lupin was the one who saw Pettigrew's name after acquiring the map. These events are what caused Lupin to believe that Sirius is innocent.
 * In the book, when Professor Snape is insulted by the Marauder's Map, every Marauder says something different to Professor Snape, with Lupin saying the bit about Snape minding his own business. In the film, the map reads, "Messers. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs offer their compliment to Professor Snape and request that he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business."
 * In the book, during his first anti-dementor lesson, Harry tries to ward off the dementor three times before succeeding. But in the film, he only tries twice. Also, Harry's memory in the book that works is the memory of how happy he was that he would be leaving the Dursleys. In the film, he uses a made-up memory of his parents.
 * In the novel, Hermione slaps Malfoy and he reacts passively. In the film, this is slightly extended. Instead, Hermione first draws her wand on Malfoy, and then punches him in the nose, in both situations he acts cowardly.
 * In the book Harry, Ron, and Hermione all try and disarm Snape at the same time, causing him to hit against the wall and go unconscious. In the film it is only Harry who does this.
 * In the books, a transformed werewolf is described as looking almost like a true wolf except for a few subtle differences like the shape of the snout and tail and the eyes. However in the film a transformed werewolf looks more like the anthromorphic versions from other werewolf films.
 * In the book, Snape had been unconscious because of the spell cast by Hermione, Ron, and Harry and had to be suspended in mid-air by magic to be brought out of the Shrieking Shack. He was not there to protect Hermione, Ron, and Harry when Lupin transformed into a werewolf, but in the film, Snape was not unconscious and he protected Harry, Ron, and Hermione from Lupin. In the book Snape gains consciousness only after Sirius and Harry become unconscious because of the Dementors but in the film, he is conscious from the beginning.
 * In the book Hermione rescues Sirius Black with "Alohomora," but in the film, she uses "Bombarda", a spell made up for the films.
 * In the book, Hermione is with Harry and Sirius when they are attacked by the Dementors. In the film, she stays behind with Ron.
 * In the film, when Harry and Hermione go back in time, Hermione throws an ammonite fossil at Harry to get his attention, so he can see Fudge and Macnair coming to Hagrid's hut. Hermione later howls like a wolf to call Lupin away from fighting Padfoot, in turn causing him to come after them instead, at which point they are rescued by Buckbeak. In the novel, neither of these two events occur.
 * The part of Ron receiving the owl Pigwidgeon from Sirius Black to replace Scabbers has been omitted. This caused a continuity error with the following films where Ron was seen with him, without any explanation on how he got an owl.
 * The letter addressed to Harry that Sirius sent with Pidwidgeon which gave him visitation rights to enter Hogsmede was omitted. This caused some continuity errors in the following films of Harry being able to enter Hogsmede freely.

Differences from earlier films in the series

 * In the, to date, single most noticeable change of cast, Michael Gambon now plays Dumbledore, following the death of Richard Harris who played the wizard in the first two films. Gambon's portrayal in this and future films is of a more robust and eccentric wizard. The films have made no attempt to reconcile the change in Dumbledore's appearance and demeanour, although given the concept of the series, it is not impossible to do so (Rowling, for her part, did not suggest any change of appearance in Dumbledore in the books she wrote after the part was recast). One change noted several times on the associated DVD featurettes is that Gambon plays Dumbledore with a more pronounced Irish accent than his predecessor, who was also Irish. (Coincidentally, Gambon's very first film role was as an unnamed bit character in Laurence Olivier's 1965 version of Othello, which starred Maggie Smith as the female lead.)
 * The Harry Potter logo itself has changed, with the "P" lightning bolt and 'tongue' merging,and a 'tail' is inserted, and is now more of a silver colour than the gold logo used in the previous films.
 * The Leaky Cauldron has now changed location and structure.
 * Tom, the bartender and landlord of the Leaky Cauldron, has been replaced by a different actor.
 * Hogwarts itself has new features:
 * The Clock Tower, Clock Tower Courtyard, Covered Bridge and the Stone Circle are added to the back of the school.
 * The Central Tower and the two Bell Towers now have different shapes.
 * The Dark Tower is also added in between the Central Tower and Defence Against the Dark Arts tower.
 * The Quidditch pitch is mostly shown with only the wooden frame.
 * Hagrid's Hut is now located down the hill to the back of the castle.
 * The location of the portrait of the Fat Lady, the entrance to the Gryffindor Common Room, has been moved to the middle of the moving staircases, in plain view to any student not in Gryffindor. The appearance of the Fat Lady has also changed, with a different actress, background and ballgown from the first film. Her portrait is also no longer located on corridor but instead of the Grand Staircase.
 * The Whomping Willow is in a different location than in The Chamber of Secrets; in the earlier film, the Willow was very close to the school inside the Training Grounds. In this film, the Willow is a considerable distance from the school, at the bottom of a hill and amidst rocky terrain.
 * Most wands have taken different shapes.
 * Scabbers, Ron's rat, now has excess hair on his ears.
 * Whenever a spell is now cast in the film, a faint whistling can be heard. This is the only film where this sort of event takes place.
 * The Hogwarts uniforms have changed; in the first two films, the students wore plain black robes with thick striped ties, and in the third film and onward, they wear robes with coloured hoods and pinstripe ties, in addition to the rest of the uniform being darkened.
 * This is the first and only film not to feature the title in clouds.
 * Professor Flitwick was not cast in this film. Instead, his actor, Warwick Davis, appeared as the choir conductor (credited only as "wizard"). In Goblet of Fire, Davis was again credited as Flitwick, but retained the appearance of the choir conductor.
 * This is the second film that has no lightning during the title. The first one is The Chamber of Secrets and the last one is The Goblet of Fire.
 * This is the only film where each letter of "Harry Potter" and each word from the rest of the title moves loose from each other.
 * This is the first film to feature specialized closing credits. The ones in this film are made to look like the Marauders map with the cast names accompanied by the "footsteps".

Mistakes

 * When Harry is talking to Hagrid in Hagrid's Hut the lighting of some crew equipment can be seen off his glasses, this can also be seen in Professor Trelawney's class.
 * After Ron puts roller skates on his boggart, Seamus walks up to it, but in the next shot Parvati is up.
 * In Hagrid's hut, Hagrid throws food at a root-like-creature and completely misses, but in the next shot the creature catches the food.
 * The first time Hermione throws the fossil at the pot in Hagrid's hut it breaks differently to the second time she throws it.
 * Hermione punches Malfoy differently the second time in the nose, first she draws back fully then the second time she only turns away the tiniest bit then punches him.

Box office
Prisoner of Azkaban has the dubious distinction of being, as of 2009, the lowest-grossing film in the series. It was far from a failure by any means: it generated worldwide box office of more than US$750 million and is currently ranked the 25th highest grossing film of all time.

Release dates

 * 19 October, 2010: United States (DVD/Blu-ray Ultimate Edition Box Set)
 * (Upgraded Prisoner of Azkaban is PG-13)

Notes and references
Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban (Film) Harry Potter et le Prisonnier d'Azkaban (film) Гарри Поттер и узник Азкабана (фильм)