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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

  • 20042004
  • PGPG
  • 2h 22m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
649K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
405
99
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
17 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureFamilyFantasy
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
649K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
405
99
  • Director
    • Alfonso Cuarón
  • Writers
    • J.K. Rowling(novel)
    • Steve Kloves(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Radcliffe
    • Emma Watson
    • Rupert Grint
  • 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
    • 294Critic reviews
    • 82Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 17 wins & 53 nominations total

    Videos17

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    Trailer 0:32
    Watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
    Harry Potter Franchise Retrospective
    Clip 3:15
    Watch Harry Potter Franchise Retrospective
    The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments to Revisit
    Clip 2:51
    Watch The 9 Most Surprising Harry Potter Movie Moments to Revisit
    Our Favorite Pets | IMDb Supercut
    Clip 1:25
    Watch Our Favorite Pets | IMDb Supercut
    'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:01
    Watch 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' | Anniversary Mashup
    A Guide to the Films of Alfonso Cuarón
    Clip 1:49
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Alfonso Cuarón
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: Hagrid's Hut
    Clip 1:07
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: Hagrid's Hut
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: I Am Professor Trelawney
    Clip 1:01
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: I Am Professor Trelawney
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: Mischief Managed
    Clip 1:20
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: Mischief Managed
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: That's A Hippogriff
    Clip 1:21
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: That's A Hippogriff
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: You Evil Little Cockroach
    Clip 0:38
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: You Evil Little Cockroach
    Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: I Suggest You Take Extra Care
    Clip 1:11
    Watch Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban Scene: I Suggest You Take Extra Care

    Photos538

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

    Gary Oldman Through the Years

    Gary Oldman Through the Years

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In order to acquaint himself with his two 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
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    Finally, a movie that captures the books' magic
    If there's anything this movie proves, it is the difficulty in separating the series from the demands of fans. This is clear just from hearing some of the comments. "Why didn't they identify the names on the Marauder's Map?" "Why wasn't the second Quidditch game shown?" "Why wasn't there more of Crookshanks the Cat?" By focusing on what the film didn't have, fans fail to look at the film on its own terms. I think this is by far the best Harry Potter movie yet.

    The only way to satisfy fans would be to include everything from the book, which would require a miniseries. Since that isn't what these films are, the story has to be abridged. The first two films tried to fit everything they could within a reasonable slot of time. The result was a set of films that felt cluttered yet incomplete. Had they continued with this strategy for this movie, based on a much longer book, it would surely have been over three hours long.

    The virtue of the latest film is that it makes a real attempt to adapt the story, not just marching in lockstep with the book's events. The screenplay is sparing, leaving out or simplifying loads of details not directly relevant to the plot. But it captures much of the book's delight and humor. The first two films fell short in this regard, because they lacked the guts to tinker with the details, even though that was the key to condensing the story while staying true to its spirit.

    The movie is still faithful to the book, of course. Many of the scenes are exactly as I had imagined them. When it deviates, it does so based on an understanding of the story and characters. This is evident in the way they show, for example, the Knight Bus; Hermione's overstuffed schedule; and the introduction of the Marauder's Map, a scene that captures the twins' mischievous personalities. The changes are clever and funny, and they help compensate for the movie's loss in other areas.

    Certainly this has something to do with the new director. Columbus's approach was to stick to the books as literally as possible, often draining them of their subtlety. For instance, where the books only hint that Dumbledore can see through the invisibility cloak, the earlier movies make it unmistakable. The new director never condescends to the audience in that way. This is a children's movie, but it is also a fantasy-thriller that we can take seriously, because not everything is spelled out for us. We're given a chance to think.

    But part of what makes the movie work is the book itself. The story is gripping from start to finish, because the threat looming over the school is established early on. Harry's personal life is sharply intertwined with the plot. We feel for him as we watch his disastrous (but hilarious) attempts to escape his uncle and aunt, and his humiliating reaction to the dementors. The story avoids common devices such as the talking killer or deus ex machina, which the other books have in abundance. The ending is nicely bittersweet and ambiguous. The plot is so complicated, however, that the book spends several chapters explaining it all. The movie wisely includes only very little of this, allowing the plot twists to become understood as the story progresses. I was surprised to see certain events that were in the movie but not the book lend support to an important theory some fans have had about what is to be revealed at the end of the series. Of course, it is well-hidden and won't give anything away for those who aren't looking for the clues.

    I was so satisfied with the film that it almost seems trivial to mention the flaws, but there are some. The portrayal of Fudge's assistant as the standard hunchbacked dimwit is out of place here, as it would be in anything other than a cartoon or spoof. The most serious misstep, though, is the casting of Michael Gambon as Dumbledore. Gambon's face seems frozen in a perpetual nonexpression, and his voice lacks resonance. He compares poorly to the late Richard Harris, whose line readings had gravity, and who played the character with a twinkle in his eyes. It is a pure mystery to me why this actor was chosen as a replacement, especially considering the fine performances from other members of the cast. Even the children are in top form here.

    Those complaints aside, this is the movie I was hoping they would make when the series began. If it doesn't live up to the book, so what? What's important is that it lives up to its potential as a movie. Fans who want a carbon-copy of the book are looking in the wrong place, because they're never going to get it here. This is probably the best example of a Harry Potter movie that we're ever likely to see.
    helpful•233
    44
    • kylopod
    • Jun 25, 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(Hogwarts)
    • 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
      • $797,660,766
    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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