Accio Tissues!: First Look and Featurette Released for “Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts”

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While Muggles may be getting ready to start fresh in the new year, witches and wizards are anxiously counting down the minutes until we can return to Hogwarts with our favorite students and teachers in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the theatrical release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Tomorrow, HBO Max will release the Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts special, which will reunite several of the cast and crew members who helped bring the Potter movies to life. In the meantime, while we sit and wait, wishing that we could summon up a Time-Turner, Warner Bros. and HBO Max have gifted us with a first look and a featurette to help build anticipation for the big event.

Earlier this week, the long-running morning talk show Today got the opportunity to reveal an exclusive first look at Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts. The short clip features behind-the-scenes footage of the young actors on the set of Sorcerer’s Stone. Over what feels like home movies, Daniel Radcliffe recalls how difficult it must have been for the crew to shoot since the kids were allowed to have fun on the set. Of course, the most notable example was of a makeup artist trying to do a touch-up on Rupert Grint while he’s animatedly telling a story about a mousetrap and covering his face. Following that, Emma Watson and director Chris Columbus reminisce about how all the youths were just so excited to be filming a Harry Potter movie, echoing Columbus’s sentiments in a recent interview.

 

 

Also, yesterday, HBO Max released a special featurette titled “Where the Magic Began” that focuses on the filming of the special. The clip features tons of behind-the-scenes footage of the actors visiting Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter spliced with interviews of the cast members discussing their emotional reunion and the franchise’s lasting impact on us, the fans.

 

 

Aside from the actors who played the golden trio, Daniel, Rupert, and Emma, alongside Sorcerer’s Stone director Chris Columbus, the clip also features several cast members from the films, including Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas), James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), and Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange). So many familiar and beloved faces.

Accio box of tissues! Perhaps even all the tissues. If this featurette is any indication of the actual special, then we’re going to need all the tissues we can get. It’s going to be an emotional day for witches and wizards everywhere.

Are you excited for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts? Which actor or crew member are you most excited to revisit? Let us know in the comments and share your reactions with us tomorrow on Instagram.

 

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Adam Poncharoensub

"Hogwarts is my home!" is a phrase that I've uttered more times than any sane person should (and my long-suffering friends can attest to it.) For as long as I can remember, I've always found myself escaping reality into the wizarding world to feel at peace. Instead, I'm more likely wandering the suburbs of South Florida shouting choice "Harry Potter" and Batman quotes at unsuspecting victims.