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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  • 20042004
  • PGPG
  • 2h 22m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
615K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
681
156
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe, and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Home Video Trailer from Warner Home Video
Play trailer0:32
6 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Family
  • Fantasy

Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses... Read allHarry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.

IMDb RATING
7.9/10
615K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
681
156
  • Director
    • Alfonso Cuarón
  • Writers
    • J.K. Rowling(novel)
    • Steve Kloves(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Radcliffe
    • Emma Watson
    • Rupert Grint
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alfonso Cuarón
  • Writers
    • J.K. Rowling(novel)
    • Steve Kloves(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Radcliffe
    • Emma Watson
    • Rupert Grint
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1.7KUser reviews
    • 289Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 17 wins & 53 nominations total

    Videos6

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    Trailer 0:32
    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    Harry Potter Franchise Retrospective
    Clip 3:15
    Harry Potter Franchise Retrospective
    The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments to Revisit
    Clip 2:51
    The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments to Revisit
    Our Favorite Pets | IMDb Supercut
    Clip 1:25
    Our Favorite Pets | IMDb Supercut
    'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:01
    'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' | Anniversary Mashup
    A Guide to the Films of Alfonso Cuarón
    Clip 1:49
    A Guide to the Films of Alfonso Cuarón

    Photos536

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Michael Gambon, David Bradley, and Rick Sahota in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Tom Felton and Sharon Sandhu in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Gary Oldman, Alfonso Cuarón, and Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Alfonso Cuarón in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Rupert Grint, David Heyman, Daniel Radcliffe, Jennifer Smith, and Sharon Sandhu in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Emma Thompson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Emma Thompson and Emma Watson in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
    Rupert Grint and Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Daniel Radcliffe
    Daniel Radcliffe
    • Harry Potteras Harry Potter
    Emma Watson
    Emma Watson
    • Hermione Grangeras Hermione Granger
    Rupert Grint
    Rupert Grint
    • Ron Weasleyas Ron Weasley
    Richard Griffiths
    Richard Griffiths
    • Uncle Vernonas Uncle Vernon
    Pam Ferris
    Pam Ferris
    • Aunt Margeas Aunt Marge
    Fiona Shaw
    Fiona Shaw
    • Aunt Petuniaas Aunt Petunia
    Harry Melling
    Harry Melling
    • Dudley Dursleyas Dudley Dursley
    Adrian Rawlins
    Adrian Rawlins
    • James Potteras James Potter
    Geraldine Somerville
    Geraldine Somerville
    • Lily Potteras Lily Potter
    Lee Ingleby
    Lee Ingleby
    • Stan Shunpikeas Stan Shunpike
    Lenny Henry
    Lenny Henry
    • Shrunken Headas Shrunken Head
    Jimmy Gardner
    • Ernie the Bus Driveras Ernie the Bus Driver
    Gary Oldman
    Gary Oldman
    • Sirius Blackas Sirius Black
    Jim Tavaré
    Jim Tavaré
    • Tom the Innkeeperas Tom the Innkeeper
    Robert Hardy
    Robert Hardy
    • Cornelius Fudgeas Cornelius Fudge
    Abby Ford
    • Young Witch Maidas Young Witch Maid
    Oliver Phelps
    Oliver Phelps
    • George Weasleyas George Weasley
    James Phelps
    James Phelps
    • Fred Weasleyas Fred Weasley
    • Director
      • Alfonso Cuarón
    • Writers
      • J.K. Rowling(novel)
      • Steve Kloves(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments

    The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments

    If rewatching all eight Harry Potter films feels as daunting as mastering Quidditch, we've got you covered with a guide to the franchise's most surprising moments worth revisiting.
    Watch the video
    Image caption not available
    2:51

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    Storyline

    Edit
    Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) is having a tough time with his relatives (yet again). He runs away after using magic to inflate Uncle Vernon's (Richard Griffiths') sister Marge (Pam Ferris), who was being offensive towards Harry's parents. Initially scared for using magic outside the school, he is pleasantly surprised that he won't be penalized after all. However, he soon learns that a dangerous criminal and Voldemort's trusted aide Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban Prison and wants to kill Harry to avenge the Dark Lord. To worsen the conditions for Harry, vile creatures called Dementors are appointed to guard the school gates and inexplicably happen to have the most horrible effect on him. Little does Harry know that by the end of this year, many holes in his past (whatever he knows of it) will be filled up and he will have a clearer vision of what the future has in store. —Soumitra
    • magic
    • wizard
    • werewolf
    • rat
    • school of magic
    • 398 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Have you seen this wizard?
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Family
      • Fantasy
      • Mystery
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated PG for frightening moments, creature violence and mild language
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to acquaint himself with his three lead actors and actress, director Alfonso Cuarón had each of them write an essay about their characters, from a first-person point of view. Emma Watson, in true Hermione fashion, went a little overboard and wrote a sixteen-page essay. Daniel Radcliffe, like Harry, wrote a simple one-page summary, and Rupert Grint, like Ron, never even turned his in.
    • Goofs
      Underage wizards are not allowed to use magic away from school, yet at the start of the film, Harry is using the 'Lumos' spell to light up his wand and do his homework, something which would have seen him expelled according to this rule.
    • Quotes

      Ron: [sitting bolt upright in bed] Spiders... the spiders... they want me to tap-dance. And I don't want to tap-dance!

      Harry: You tell those spiders, Ron.

      Ron: Yeah, tell them... I'll tell them...

      [falls straight back asleep]

    • Crazy credits
      During the credits you can see one of the footprints change from a human footprint to an animal's (naming Sirius) footprint
    • Alternate versions
      DVD includes the following deleted scenes:
      • A scene cut from the Knight Bus sequence in which the bus turns around several times on the spot in the middle of the street.
      • An extended version of the scene where the bird flies through the courtyard, across the bridge, and in the direction of Hagrid's hut. We see Hagrid attempt to catch the bird, but instead it ends up being crushed by the Whomping Willow.
      • A scene in the Great Hall, where Ron and Hermione tell Harry about their visit to Hogsmeade.
      • A scene where the Gryffindors meet Sir Cadogan.
      • A scene in the Gryffindor Common Room, where all the students are gathered as Ron tells Professor McGonagall that Sirius Black had gotten into the dormitory. Professor McGonagall then asks Sir Cadogan if he let anyone into the common room. Ron then tells Hermione that Crookshanks ate Scabbers. Upset, Hermione sits down on the couch next to Harry, who says that he could have killed Sirius Black.
    • Connections
      Edited into Nostalgia Critic: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Launch (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Double Trouble
      (uncredited)

      Lyrics by William Shakespeare

      Conducted, Composed, and Produced by John Williams

      Performed by 'The London Oratory School Schola'

    User reviews1.7K

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Best of the three
    Although this film isn't all that I'd hoped it would be, I believe that it was the best of the three 'Harry Potter' films so far, thanks largely due to director Alfonso Cuaron. In 'Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban', the trio are now thirteen and beginning their Third Year at Hogwarts, under the fear of an escaped criminal who played a part in the deaths of Harry's parents and seems to be stalking the school, preying on Harry.

    The child acting in this film has improved slightly with Emma Watson and Rupert Grint probably faring the best in comparison to their young co-stars. Although he is lumbered with a Ron who has once again been reduced to a comic character, it's a sign of Grint's abilities that he does well without looking embarrassed or too clownish. Dan Radcliffe was still very poor, obviously struggling to portray Harry's darker emotions in a manner that isn't wooden and awkward and and this was very apparent in the scene where he makes an atrocious effort to cry when he finds out his godfather had betrayed his parents to their deaths. while Tom Felton was let down by poor scripting of Draco.

    The adult cast were excellent. Remus Lupin and Sirius Black were perfectly cast. Lupin was soft yet stern when needed and you could feel there was a parental rapport between him and Harry, and I couldn't imagine anyone other than David Thewlis in the role. And Gary Oldman was great in depicting Black's determination, mingled with an hysterical madness due to his incarceration in the hellish wizarding prison Azkaban. As for Michael Gambon, who was recast in the role of Dumbledore, I felt he was an improvement. Richard Harris was a gifted actor but his Dumbledore had a cold, aloofness to him whereas Gambon was able to portray the warm, eccentricity of the character without diminishing the power and wisdom of Dumbledore. And the rest of the regular cast, such as Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, were perfect although we expect no better from them now!

    One of the best aspects of this film is how it no longer pandered to kiddies like the previous two films did. There was a darker, moodier edge to the story and the characters. The wizarding world no longer seemed like a perfect haven and the characters had grown beyond being innocent children; this reflected the book itself since many feel PoA was a turning point in the series where it finally felt like Harry Potter- boy and book- were growing up. The Hogwarts' setting differed from the previous films yet not only was it definitely more faithful to the books but finally it felt as if the castle was in Scotland rather than perpetually sunny Disney Land and this enhanced the mood being set in the film. The clock was a nice touch, linking to the theme of time in the actual storyline, as was the bridge in being a place for Harry to mull over his problems. Also, in many ways, this film could have ended up a muddled mess in regards to the ending but Cuaron handled the Time Turner scenes well.

    However, there were flaws to the film, which let it down. The characters of Hermione and Draco were poorly scripted so they seemed like two completely different characters from the ones we know and love in the books. Although Watson as an actress has improved since CoS, the main problem with the script is that Hermione is being portrayed as being too cool and cocky compared to the bookworm who has no interest in fashion that we know Hermione to be in the books. Steve Kloves, the scriptwriter who admits he's responsible for the change, really needs to learn heroines don't need to be cool Buffy types to be admired; part of why Hermione is so popular as a character in the books is that she appeals to girls who are bookish themselves and easily identify with her. And as for Draco, he comes across as too much of a cowardly, weak girlie-boy rather than an insidious, vicious brat who can be a threat to Harry when he chooses to.

    Also, there was no telling of what Black did to Snape in school that left him so bitter in his hatred and I wished they'd included the scene where he let slip what Lupin was, especially as this animosity between him, Black and Lupin plays a larger role as the books go on. And speaking of Lupin, the werewolf CGI was atrocious. He looked like an emaciated rat rather than the wolf-like creature who leaves even the more powerful wizards quivering in fear. I wished there was more in the ending too as I would have loved to see Vernon's face when he found out who Black was. Kloves needs to learn how to round the Harry Potter films off properly as this was also a sticking point in CoS.

    At the end of the day, there were scenes left out, some of which we didn't mind skipping but others (an explanation to Harry of James Potter's friendship to Black and Lupin) were sorely missed. It was a great film but it could have done with being made longer or skipping on non-essential scenes (less of the Knight Bus and Hermione punching Malfoy in a manner that makes her out to be a thug) to make way for scenes which are more important. I think I was disappointed because I was expecting something along the lines of RotK but it's still great viewing. I'd give it a seven-and-a-half out of ten with the hopes Cuaron will return to the helm again although preferably not with Kloves as the scriptwriter. I think Cuaron would be excellent working with a script produced by someone who has a better handle on the darker aspects of the books and a deeper understanding of the HP characters.
    helpful•68
    36
    • cosmic_quest
    • May 31, 2004

    FAQ36

    • Why were characters Miriam Margolyes ( Professor Sprout) and Gemma Jones (Madam Pomfrey) not in this movie?.
    • What is 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' about?
    • Is "The Prisoner of Azkaban" based on a book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 4, 2004 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Warner Bros.
    • Languages
      • English
      • Latin
      • Old English
    • Also known as
      • Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The IMAX Experience
    • Filming locations
      • Glenfinnan, Highland, Scotland, UK
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • 1492 Pictures
      • Heyday Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $130,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $250,105,651
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $93,687,367
      • Jun 6, 2004
    • Gross worldwide
      • $797,491,273
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 22 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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