Be Spellbound By These 20 Amazing Harry Potter Movie Facts
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Whether you are 5 or 25, The Harry Potter series will always be magical in every way possible. For almost two decades our favourite crew of wizards at Hogwarts has taught us valuable lessons about friendship, acceptance, love and bravery whether that is from our book shelves or the big screen.
Learn more about the beloved films with these fun facts down below.
And for all you true Potterheads, we've got a spellbinding 40% off the Harry Potter London Experience that'll transport you to the wizarding world in no time. Grab your wands and fly on down to the Palace Theatre!
1. Dumbledore is an old English word for bumblebee. JK Rowling said she imagined him humming to himself as he bumbled around.
2. If a muggle should find Hogwarts it would look like a dilapidated old building with a large "KEEP OUT: Dangerous" sign on it.
3. Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone was published in 1998, which is the year that the final Battle of Hogwarts was fought.
4. The Hogwarts School Motto is Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillanduswhich translates as "never tickle a sleeping dragon".
5. The International Statute of Secrecy states that when wizards are out and about in muggle society they should do their best to dress like them, but few wizards like wearing trousers compared to free flowing robes.
6. The only spells and incantations that appear in Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stoneare Wingardium Leviosa, Petrificus Totalus, Alohomora and Locomotor Mortis.
7. Dame Maggie Smith played Minerva McGonagall in the first of the Harry Potter movies but when she shifted into her Animagus cat state another actor picked up the role - a cat called Mrs P. Head.
8. The tabby cat that played Mrs Norris in Philosopher's Stone ran off from the set only to return 48 hours later.
9. JK Rowling put King's Cross Station in the books because it was on a train from there to Scotland that her parents met. “I never knew the slightest indecision about the location of the portal that would take Harry to Hogwarts,” she said.
10. The young actors in the early Harry Potter movies were not free of teenage heartache. Both Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint admitted to having unrequited crushes on Emma Watson!
11. Tom Felton originally auditioned for the roles of both Ron and Harry before landing the role of Draco Malfoy.
12. In the books Harry Potter is described as having green eyes but Daniel Radcliffe has blue eyes. He tried wearing green contact lenses but found it uncomfortable and trying to make his eyes green post production didn't look convincing. JK Rowling said the only thing that mattered was that his eyes should be same colour as his mother's.
13. Harry, Ron and Hermione defeated the troll in the girl's bathroom on 31st October 1991 and it's the day they first became friends. It's the ten year anniversary of when Harry's parents were murdered by Voldermort.
14. The pockets of Tom Felton's Hogwarts robes were sewn shut during the filming of Prisoner of Azkaban because he kept trying to smuggle food on to the set.
15. If all the Harry Potter books sold were laid out in a line they would go around the equator over 1.6 times. And the line gets longer by the day!
16. Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone contains 77,869 words. There are 1,100,086 words in the entire series.
17. During scenes in the first movie where Harry, Hermione and Ron were seen in a classroom doing work, they were actually doing their real life school work.
18. Dragon blood has a variety of uses one of which is as an oven cleaner.
19. There were three owls on set for the first film all of them playing the role of Hedwig. There were seven different owls used in the films overall; Gizmo, Kaspar, Oops, Swoops, Oh Oh, Elmo and Bandit.
20. Ginny Weasley became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies, but eventually retired to take care of her children. She then became the senior Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.
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Bachelor of Arts specializing in English and European Literature
Vicki BarkerBachelor of Arts specializing in English and European Literature
An adventurous writer based in Surrey, Vicki is a mum of two sporty and outdoorsy 15-year-old twin girls. She loves exploring London and the surrounding counties, always on the lookout for new and interesting things to do with her family. She has a Bachelor's degree in English and European Literature from the University of Warwick. Finding ways to keep the girls entertained is a challenge she enjoys, and spending quality time with her teens is always great fun and helps them bond together.
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