Pack your robes and wands because we’re heading back to Hogwarts for an evening of memories, fun and magic- Obviously. After the success and immense popularity of the Friends reunion, the world suddently began craving other spectacular reunions. That was actually one of the benefits of the Covid pandemic, we saw various reunions take shape. However, none of them took us back to the magical world of Hogwarts. Despite having our fair share of new stories set in the Wizarding World, there’s something about seeing the original cast and crew that hits differently. Out of all of the wonderous franchises out in the world, Harry Potter is one of the biggest and most deserving of a magical reunion.
Look at where we are now. It’s 2022 and the Harry Potter Studio Tour had quite a few special guests to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter. The Great Hall opened its doors to all of our favourite Wizards, Witches, Professors and villains, and what a sight it was. Harry Potter: Return To Hogwarts saw the wonderful stars and directors across the franchise reunite for a lengthy and fully nostalgic special that looked to revist each film. It was as though we were put into Hagrid’s motorbike and taken on a 10 year journey. We started at the night where young Harry defied the Dark Lord himself and went through all of Harry’s amazing and dangerous adventures leading us to the final confrontation at Hogwarts.
For many of us, Harry Potter became a huge part of our lives so it was an absolute priviledge to revisit those fond memories with new inside stories. It offered a fresh perspective. But more importantly, it was an absolute pleasure being able to witness the impact this franchise had on the young actors and actresses.
For the majority of the cast and crew, Harry Potter was their life for an entire decade. An entire decade of playing the same characters and attending the same fictional school. Not only is that a long time but it meant that these children grew up on set which comes with its own set of unique challenges ranging from the mere prospect of growing up, the complexities of celebrity culture, and the evolving and stressful nature of film sets. There’s no possible way to explore all of the memories and journeys experienced by each cast member. However, this reunion does a fantastic job of giving us a brief glimpse into life on set.
It brought back a lot of memories. Some really fond memories of experiencing Harry Potter at various stages of my life. But it was so nice to see so many special cinematric moments from the other side. Not as a viewer, but from behind the scenes. Directly from the characters we grew to love and despise. With Harry Potter being such an extensive and wide franchise, there were obviously limitations in regards to a reunion. Who will appear and who won’t? I love the fact that this feature focused on the relationship between Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson. Especially since their bond is such a unique one that is ultimately structured around circumstance but then reinforced by the shared experience of spending ten years on a movie set.
While it does indeed focus on the main trio, we did have the chance to walk through other key moments that brought important characters and actors together. The actual format they went for worked really well because it was like being on a timeline where we would visit each movie in chronological order allowing us to dip in and out of particular rivalries, memories and scenes. There are some fantastic pairings in this reunion and an absolute favourite would have to be Helena Bonham Carter and Radcliffe. Despite their characters being complete binary opposites, they both had such a wonderful energy as soon as they saw eachother. It was so endearing to watch and out of all of the conversations, theirs tickled me the most. Which was very amusing and interesting because of the relationship Harry and Bellatrix have.
There was so much love and care in this reunion. You could instantly see the importance of these characters and the weight associated of portraying such literary and cinematic icons. While this reunion was full of fun and pleasant memories… I am really glad and very thankful that it dabbled in the tougher elements. It was a surprise actually. Thoughts regarding the future and the idea of being stuck in the Wizarding World forever were really refreshing to see. At the end of the day, this was an immense investment and it would be foolish to think that these young and fresh stars glided through this challenge without any problems.
Ultimately, Return to Hogwarts is a heart-warming adventure through time that’ll have every single Potter fan smiling. It was impossible not to smile when each member entered the frame. There are moments of sadness, opportunities to reminisce over the legends we’ve lost along the way… But this special was constructed out of pure love for the world created by so many. We’ve entered new territory in regards to world-building and franchise construction. Things are definitely different. But it’s safe to say that Harry Potter is still in a league of its own. No matter what happens next, I don’t think we’ll ever see something of this magnitude again.
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Watch Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts right now exclusively on Sky and streaming service NOW. NOW members can watch the TV specials with a NOW Entertainment Membership and enjoy all ten movies with a NOW Cinema Membership.
Will you be watching this long-awaited reunion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. Also, please do let us know which House you belong to- I’m a proud Huffelpuff!
While you’re here, don’t forget that The Secrets of Dumbledore is coming out next year. You can catch up on all things Fantastic Beasts right here. What a fantastic time it is to be a fan of the Wizarding World.
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