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Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

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Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts
Promotional poster
Based onHarry Potter
by Warner Bros. Pictures
Directed by
Starring
Narrated byStephen Fry
Music byCharlie Mole
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Casey Patterson
  • Carol Donova
  • Ashley Edens
  • Marisa Clifford
  • Louis Mole
  • Sam Bridger
  • Isabel Davis
  • David Heyman
Producers
  • Lottie Allen
  • Alice Cady
  • Rosa Junkovic
  • Maryam Lamond
Production locationWarner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter
Cinematography
  • Simon Fanthorpe
  • Sebastian Feehan
  • Geoffrey Sentamu
Editors
  • Simon Bryant
  • Jim Clark
  • James Collett
  • Bill DeRonde
  • Asaf Eisenberg
  • Will Gilby
  • Lior Linevitz
  • Pablo Noe
  • Tim Perniciaro
  • Jacob Proctor
Running time103 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO Max
Release1 January 2022 (2022-01-01)

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts is a television special released on 1 January 2022 on HBO Max. It is a reunion special for the cast and crew of the Harry Potter film series, marking the twentieth anniversary of the series' first instalment, The Philosopher's Stone. It was produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and executive produced by Casey Patterson.

The films' protagonist trio Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson appear throughout the special, along with surviving principal cast members Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Tom Felton, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Mark Williams, Bonnie Wright, Alfred Enoch, Ian Hart, Toby Jones, Matthew Lewis, and Evanna Lynch, producer David Heyman, and filmmakers Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell, and David Yates. The special is also notable for marking Coltrane's final on-screen appearance prior to his death on October 14, 2022 at the age of 72.

Cast

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The reunion features clips of and pays tribute to cast members who have since died, including Helen McCrory, Alan Rickman, John Hurt, Richard Griffiths, and Richard Harris.[3]

Production

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Development

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In November 2021, Warner Bros. announced Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, a retrospective special featuring the cast and filmmakers of the Harry Potter film series to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of the series' first instalment, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001). The special is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon and executive produced by Casey Patterson.[4]

Absence of J. K. Rowling

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J. K. Rowling—the author of the original Harry Potter book series, who had a significant role in the production of the film adaptations—is largely absent from the special. She appears for under thirty seconds in archival footage from her interviews in 2019 and is mentioned by some of the special's interviewees, but no advertisements for the special featured images of her. Critics speculated that this was due to her views on transgender issues and, as The Daily Telegraph's Ed Power put it, consequent "public rebuke by the series' stars".[5] However, Entertainment Weekly reported that Rowling had been invited to appear but she felt that the archival footage was sufficient, with "sources close to the situation" denying that the author's decision was related to the controversy surrounding her remarks on transgender issues.[6]

Filming

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The special was filmed at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter in Leavesden, England.[4]

Corrections

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In the initial release, a childhood image of Emma Roberts was mistakenly presented as an image of a young Watson, and Oliver and James Phelps are mislabelled as each other. By 3 January, these errors had been corrected in a new version.[7][8]

Music

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The music for the TV Special was composed by Charlie Mole.[9] In addition, John Williams, who scored the first three Harry Potter films, re-recorded two of his compositions ("Hedwig’s Theme" and "Harry’s Wondrous World") for the special with the Synchron Stage Orchestra in Vienna, conducted by James Seymour Brett.[10]

Release

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Return to Hogwarts was released on HBO Max on 1 January 2022.[4] The special aired on 10 April 2022 on TBS, and on Cartoon Network ahead of the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.[4] It was later released on both Blu-ray and DVD on 9 August 2022.[11]

List of international distributors
Region Broadcaster(s) Ref(s)
Asia (selected countries) HBO Go [12]
 Australia Binge [13]
 Belgium Streamz (Flanders in Dutch)
Tipik and Auvio (Wallonia in French) 		[14][15]
 Canada Crave (in English and French) [16]
Central and Eastern Europe (selected countries) HBO Go [17]
 France Salto [18]
 Germany Sky [19]
 India Prime Video [20]
 Vietnam FPT Telecom [21]
 Ireland Sky and Now [22]
 Israel Yes [23]
 Italy Sky [17]
Latin America and Caribbean HBO Max [24]
 New Zealand TVNZ 2 and TVNZ OnDemand [25]
Nordic countries HBO Max [17]
 Russia Amediateka [17]
 Spain HBO Max [17]
  Switzerland Sky (in German)
RTS 1 (in French) 		[26][27]
 Portugal HBO Portugal [17]
 United Kingdom Sky and Now [28][17]
 United States HBO Max [4]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the special has a 93% approval rating with an average rating of 7.5/10, based on 27 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Affectionate and revealing, Return to Hogwarts offers an intimate glimpse into how the making of the Harry Potter franchise delivered its own special kind of magic for those involved."[29] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 65 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[30]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2022
 Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Streaming Variety Sketch Series, Talk Series, or Special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts Nominated [31]
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) Casey Patterson, Carol Donova, Ashley Edens, Marisa Clifford, Louis Mole,
Sam Bridger, Isabel Davis, David Heyman, Rob Paine, Chase Simonds,
Mike Darnell, Brooke Karzen, and Dan Sacks 		Nominated [32]
[33]
Outstanding Picture Editing for Variety Programming Simon Bryant, Jim Clark, James Collett, Bill DeRonde, Asaf Eisenberg,
Will Gilby, Lior Linevitz–Matthews, Pablo Noe, Tim Perniciaro, and Jacob Proctor 		Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Hipes, Patrick (20 December 2021). "'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts' Trailer Gets The Gang Back Together". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  2. ^ O'Connor, Roisin (28 December 2021). "Return to Hogwarts: JK Rowling not 'snubbed' as she makes appearance in Harry Potter reunion". The Independent. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  3. ^ "Harry Potter stars pay tribute to Alan Rickman and Helen McCrory". Digital Spy. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d e Spangler, Todd (16 November 2021). "Harry Potter 'Return to Hogwarts' Special to Reunite Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint for HBO Max". Variety. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Return to Hogwarts: Critics bemoan Rowling's absence in Harry Potter reunion". BBC News. 29 December 2021. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. ^ Romano, Nick (30 December 2021). "Why J.K. Rowling didn't join the Harry Potter reunion for the Return to Hogwarts special". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ Dever, Bear (2 January 2022). "Harry Potter Reunion Mistake: Emma Roberts Child Photo Used For Emma Watson". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  8. ^ Carras, Christi (3 January 2022). "HBO fixes 'Harry Potter' reunion special after fans spotted these big mistakes". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  9. ^ "'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts' featuring music by Charlie Mole airs 1st January". January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  10. ^ "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Return to Hogwarts Soundtrack Tracklist". soundtracktracklist.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Relive the Magic: "Return to Hogwarts" Set to Be Released on Blu-ray and DVD". MuggleNet. 24 June 2022. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  12. ^ Augustin, Richard (12 December 2021). "A First Look At Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint And Emma Watson On Set For The Harry Potter Reunion". August Man. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  13. ^ Hussey, Sam (6 December 2021). "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary Special: How to watch highly anticipated Return to Hogwarts reunion movie". Seven News. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Frissons : bande annonce de "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary : Return to Hogwarts"". Streamz (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  15. ^ Geoffroy Klompkes (20 December 2021). "Streamz brengt de langverwachte Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special op 2 Januari". Tipik (in French). Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  16. ^ Romualdi, Melissa (20 December 2021). "The Official 'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts' Trailer Is Here". ET Canada. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g "Watch the first trailer for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts and find out how to watch the show wherever you are". Wizarding World. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Harry Potter, Retour à Poudlard : Où et à quelle date voir l'émission en France ?" (in French). Le Parisien. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  19. ^ ""Harry Potter"-Reunion zum Jubiläum: Sky zeigt das große Special im Januar" (in German). TV Spielfilm. 6 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  20. ^ "'Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts' to premiere on Prime Video in India". The Hindu. 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 25 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  21. ^ "Thưởng thức màn hội ngộ của dàn sao Harry Potter sau 20 năm cùng mục HBO GO trên FPT Play". fpt.vn (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  22. ^ O'Donoghue, Denise (28 December 2021). "Harry Potter 20th anniversary: How to watch the reunion special and what to expect". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  23. ^ "ספיישל האיחוד של כוכבי "הארי פוטר" ישודר בישראל". mako (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 25 December 2022. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  24. ^ "Harry Potter regresa a Hogwarts por su 20 aniversario: Ya hay tráiler de la reunión de Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson y Rupert Grint". Marca Claro (in Spanish). 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  25. ^ Behan, Alex (28 December 2021). "Appointment Viewing: The week's best free-to-air and Sky TV programming". Stuff. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  26. ^ "Nach 20 Jahren zückt Harry Potter noch einmal den Zauberstab" (in German). Blick. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  27. ^ "" Retour à Poudlard " : voici la bande-annonce". 20min.ch (in French). 21 December 2021. Archived from the original on 19 May 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  28. ^ "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts official trailer revealed ahead of New Year's Day retrospective special on Sky & NOW". Sky Group. 20 December 2021. Archived from the original on 28 December 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 31 December 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2022. Edit this at Wikidata
  30. ^ "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  31. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (7 July 2022). "'This Is Us,' 'Succession,' 'Severance' Lead 2022 HCA TV Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  32. ^ "Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  33. ^ Peter White (12 July 2022). "Dave Chappelle's Controversial Special 'The Closer' Lands Emmy Nom". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 14 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
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