Before I begin, I feel that I need to address the elephant, or should I say sorcerer, in the room. Yes, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has a different title in the United States. Why? Allow me to explain. Someone at Scholastic, who bought the U.S. rights to Harry Potter, thought the word “philosopher” sounded too archaic for readers, and thus Sorcerer’s Stone was swapped in. Series creator J.K. Rowling has since stated that she regretted this change and would have fought against it had she been in a stronger position at the time.
Naturally, when it came time to adapt the books for film, Warner Bros. elected to keep Sorcerer’s Stone as the domestic title and Philosopher’s Stone everywhere else. This means that there are very subtle differences between the two versions of this movie as every scene that mentions the titular stone had to be shot twice, once with the actors saying “philosopher’s” and once with “sorcerer’s.” For the sake of consistency, after the following section, this Canon entry will be using the international title since a) I’m a Canadian and b) Philosopher’s Stone is the far superior title.
What Harry Potter Means to Us
I will admit that I did not know anything about Harry Potter when my now husband and I decided to see the film in the theaters. I hadn’t read the book, nor did I realize what a cultural phenomenon the series had become by that point. But we had an afternoon free, and it was a random movie decision. I left the theater thinking that The Sorcerer’s Stone had been quite charming, and it inspired me to pick up the first book in the Harry Potter series, which got me completely hooked on the entire Wizarding World from that moment on.
While the book is always better than the movie, Chris Columbus took Rowling’s vision of Harry’s world and translated it to the screen without missing a beat. There’s a sense of wonder in the way Columbus directed the film, and he brought out the best in all of his actors, especially the trio, who were so young and clearly so new to acting that I’m sure it wasn’t an easy feat. While the movies continued to get darker and, in my opinion, better, it was still The Sorcerer’s Stone that kicked off the entire journey. If this movie had failed to capture its audience, there would be no HP cinematic universe to enjoy… and if it had failed to capture *me*, I would have likely never picked up the book series that ended up meaning so much to me… so The Sorcerer’s Stone will always have a special place in my heart.
–Romona Comet
When Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone came out, I thought it looked stupid. I had no interest. To be honest, at the time, I was not into fantasy at all, and the only examples of it I really liked were Conan the Barbarian (the original, noobs) and John Boorman’s Excalibur. And when Chamber of Secrets came out and I saw Dobby, that sort of sealed the deal. Harry Potter was not for me.
But one fateful Thanksgiving day, after stuffing myself with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and dessert, I was lying on my parents’ couch trying to nod off and take that sweet, sweet after Thanksgiving dinner nap and what should be on TV? You guessed it. Harry Potter. I think it was Chamber of Secrets, but I can’t remember for sure. Well, despite the overdose of tryptophan, ol’ Harry held my attention, and I ended up watching the whole movie. When the credits rolled, I couldn’t believe it, but I actually enjoyed it. I wanted to see more.
So I did.
And then I got curious about the books. And during a two-week military training exercise, I read The Sorcerer’s Stone. I loved it! I mean, I was absolutely taken in by Rowling’s charming but simple writing. So I kept reading. And I kept watching.
I still love those early movies. They just have a playfulness and innocence about them that is comforting.
But I still hate Dobby.
–Billy Dhalgren
Welcome to the Wizarding World
I’m old enough to be part of the original Harry Potter generation, eagerly awaiting the release of each new book and/or movie. I still remember coming home from school one day (yes, I’m young) to see that my mother had bought us Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets on VHS (but not that young).
There is something whimsical about the two Harry Potter films that were directed by Christopher Columbus. Before Alfonso Cuarón ditched the robes for street clothes in Prisoner of Azkaban, the first two films fully embraced the magical attire described in the books. Whereas the later films blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, Philosopher’s Stone truly felt like these worlds were separate. Witches and wizards may live among us, but they remained hidden behind brick walls that required a magic touch to pass through.
Love her or hate her, Rowling turned an idea into a multi-billion dollar empire that encompasses everything from film and television to video games and theme parks to a never-ending line of merchandise. Before Philosopher’s Stone was published, Rowling had suffered domestic abuse, been divorced, and was living in relative poverty. It’s a rags-to-riches story that proves anyone can succeed in this world as long as they have the goods. Originally intended for children, Harry Potter has been embraced by all ages of muggles, showing that a good story does not need to be confined to one demographic.
A Creator’s Magic Touch
Scholastic may have won the battle in naming the first Harry Potter book, but Rowling wasn’t about to let her work get rejigged again without her approval. One of the many conditions that Rowlings insisted upon when bringing Harry Potter to film was that the entire cast be British and Irish (i.e., no Americans). I cannot stress enough how important this decision was because if Steven Spielberg, who was at one point in negotiations for the director’s chair on Philosopher’s Stone, had gotten his say, we’d have ended up with Haley Joel Osment as Harry Potter (the horror).
While a creator can eventually become their creation’s own worst enemy, I have no issue with someone wanting to be directly involved with an adaptation of their work. What made Harry Potter successful (and Warner Bros. a lot of money) was Rowling making sure that the films remained faithful to the fanbase. If you think that it wouldn’t have mattered if Rowling was involved in the franchise or not, I implore you to watch 20th Century’s Percy Jackson film adaptations, which got almost everything about Rick Riordan’s Greek mythology-based children’s series wrong. Fans hated the movies, Riordan hated the movies, and they were utter failures at the box office. Oh, and Columbus directed the first Percy Jackson movie, proving that lightning does not strike twice… at least when it comes to adapting beloved fantasy novels.
Now, more than a decade later, Percy Jackson has been adapted again, this time to television with a series on Disney+. Unlike the movies, Riordan was directly involved with the Disney+ show, playing a major role in the casting, set design, writing, and post-production. And guess what… fans loved it! The show was a huge success. With Hollywood desperate to milk dry any IP it can get its hands on, it is nice knowing that the creators who have some actual skin in the game are fighting the good fight to make sure these aren’t cash-grab adaptations. So long as Rowling is alive, I know that the Harry Potter franchise is in good hands.
Legacy: A Whole Generation’s Star Wars
With the Harry Potter franchise on the cusp of its 30th anniversary, I feel safe in saying that this is a generation’s Star Wars. Philosopher’s Stone, and the seven sequels that followed, inspired a whole generation to dream big and never let evil win. Like Lucas, Rowling has given the fandom its own prequels (Fantastic Beasts) and sequel (The Cursed Child) to love and/or hate. While the Harry Potter franchise had a better handle on quality control, I’ll admit that there is no greater villain than Darth Vader and lightsabers are cooler than wands. However, Harry Potter has some pretty great quotes, and Dobby, who is a fan-favorite that everybody (except Dhalgren for some reason) loves.
As a redhead, I’ve dressed up as Ron Weasley for Halloween more times than I can count. These are characters that mean something to millions around the world. They can look at Harry or Ron or Hermione, or maybe even Draco, and see themselves in that person. As a muggle, we’ll never get our letter to Hogwarts, but we can watch these movies and, for a couple of hours, feel like a wizard.
Now, I’ll leave you with a quote from Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid) from Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, which perfectly sums up how this franchise, just like Star Wars before it, will continue to inspire and grow with each new generation:
“The legacy of the movies is, I suspect, that my children’s generation will show them to their children. So you could be watching it in 50 years’ time, easy. I’ll not be here, sadly, but… But Hagrid will, yes.”
Are you a fan of Rowling’s Wizarding World? Do you have a fun fact, piece of trivia, or analysis about the first Harry Potter film? Share it in the comments!
