A MuggleNet Editorial: “Harry Potter and the Oscar Travesty”

by · February 27, 2012

The Academy Awards recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, films, music, and more, and is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world. The first Academy Award show was held on May 16, 1929 at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood and yesterday marked the 84th Annual event, viewed in over 100 countries by millions of people worldwide.

Last night marked the final chance for the Harry Potter series to get recognized for its worldwide box office success, and aside from the severe lack of nominations it received from the Academy, it had lost in the three categories it was listed for: Art Direction, Makeup, and Visual Effects. So why is it that this film series gets swept under the rug by the Academy when most of the other awards ceremonies have given it its due recognition?

The Harry Potter film series is based off of the all-time best-selling book series of the same name. Millions and millions of fans flocked to the theaters over the past decade to watch these films bring the book series to life, which is certainly not an easy task considering the extreme depth of material written by J.K. Rowling throughout the books. But the Screen Adaptations by Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg (OOTP) were expertly translated to bring Harry’s story to the forefront.

The film series featured the most legendary of British talent including Dame Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Kenneth Branagh, Brendan Gleeson, Gary Oldman, Richard Griffiths, Jason Isaacs, Julie Walters, Robert Hardy, and many many more. Additionally, the iconic film sets were designed by Oscar winning production designer, Stuart Craig (The English Patient and Dangerous Liaisons) and Stephenie McMillan (The English Patient).

Overall, this incredible film franchise has received a total of 12 nominations from the Academy, all in areas of technical achievements such as costume design, original score, cinematography, etc. but has failed each time in winning its respective Oscar.

So why does Harry Potter keep getting snubbed by the Academy? Is it because it’s a children’s movie series? No, HUGO, took home several of the trophies yesterday, and a number of other “children’s” films have obtained the highest of accolades in the past. Is it because it’s a fantasy series? No, Lord of the Rings took home thirteen Oscars for it’s fantasy series in 2003. Is it because they are considered British films? No, another British film, The King’s Speech, won just last year.

In the end, it really is a mystery as to why the Academy refuses to acknowledge the all-time leading franchise in movie history with an award that it truly deserves, especially in any one of the technical areas. As this editor stated in the title, it truly is Harry Potter and the Oscar Travesty!

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We will provide you another view of the Oscars and Harry Potter from MuggleNet staffer Kat, who is our resident award show expert, later today.