When JK Rowling began penning the first Harry Potter plot, she could not have known what a phenomenon her hero would become. From the pages of a fantasy novel, the bespectacled youth with a scar has grown into a global sensation worth in excess of £9bn.
Films, books, games, toy figures, fancy dress parties, and a whole wing at the Warner Bros. Studio in London have all been dedicated to the little magician. And as if by magic, Harry Potter continues to reinvent itself.
The transformation of Harry Potter begins in the very first pages of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. We are lead into the world of wizardry where it is apparent something mysterious has happened to the protagonist before being whisked back in time to the life of an eleven year-old boy.
After the success of Rowling’s fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in 2000, Warner Bros stepped in with an offer to produce the book series for the silver screen. Needless to say the marketing franchise resulted in an endless list of merchandise and memorabilia.
A magic touch
The Harry Potter films proved to be as big a hit in the box office as they were in the bookshops. And it was a quick-fire process. Just three days after Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released, production on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets began.
Remarkably, only one year and one day separate the release of the two films, the first debuting on 14 November 2001 and the second shown for the first time in public on 15 November 2002.
Such was the success of the Harry Potter films that Warner Bros. Studio London dedicated an entire studio to the world of wizardry from their base in Leavesden.
The Making of Harry Potter tour experience showcases a wealth of iconic props and costumes including a 1:24 scale model of Hogwarts Castle where the pupils of “The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry” were lectured on the art of magic.
Playing Harry Potter
The Potter magic doesn’t end on the screen with films. To date there are eleven Harry Potter video games, all of which have been produced by EA Games so fans can actively play the hero in their own world of wizardry.
Harry Potter characters have also appeared as Lego models, another spin-off idea that has been translated into code for gamers to indulge in the LEGO Harry Potter Years.
All seven Harry Potter books have been produced as audiobooks too. They are narrated by Stephen Fry for audiences in the UK, while Jim Dale covered the American version.
Rowling’s next reinvention of her favourite character will be for the stage, a project the writer began in 2013. The writer announced that the stage production will focus on Harry’s formative years when he was parentless and destitute – again going full circle to the beginning of his story.
Harry Potter is the epitome of a fictional character that has become larger than life – but then all the best characters are. With so many fans comparing their own evolution during the Harry Potter years, maybe the spellbinding stories will inspire Harry Potter fans to reinvent their own life.
All images via Creative Commons: Image of Harry Potter Books, Image of Hogwarts, Image of Lego.