Released in June 2004, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” has just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Considered one of the most popular opuses among fans, this film marked a decisive turning point in the Harry Potter saga, moving from a magical and childish universe to a darker and more distressing world. To better understand the conception of this film, we visited the Warner Bros studios in London and interviewed experts on Harry Potter and pop culture.
A difference in realization
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” clearly differs from the first two films thanks to a major change in director. Chris Columbus, known for “Mom, I Missed the Plane” and “Mrs Doubtfire”, who was responsible for adapting the first two books by JK Rowling.
Corentin Faniel, co-author of “Harry Potter Decrypted by His Fans”, explains: “Columbus made us discover Hogwarts through Harry’s amazed eyes. Leaving his Muggle world where he is mistreated, Harry arrives at Hogwarts and everything is wonderful, incredible, everything is magical.”
The first two films, full of colors, magic and gilding, were a success, bringing in nearly $2 billion. However, after these films, Chris Columbus decided to leave the world of Harry Potter and England to be closer to his family in the United States.
The arrival of Alfonso Cuarón
The producers therefore looked for a new director and turned to Alfonso Cuarón, a Mexican director. “He’s not in the children’s film at all. His last film before ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ was about the discovery of the sexual identity of adolescents, so we are not at all on the same theme, but nevertheless he recovers the project,” explains Ben Gib, creator of content around pop culture.
With a fresh perspective, Cuarón decided to completely reshape the Harry Potter saga to create a kind of horror film for children.
The transition to adolescence
To further distance himself from what Columbus had done, Cuarón decided to involve the actors, now teenagers, in the making of the film. According to Corentin Faniel, Cuarón asked the main actors to write an essay on the vision they had of their respective characters.
Ben Gib adds that Cuarón also brought much more realism: “He encouraged, for example, the use of real clothes instead of wizard robes all the time. On set, everyone could decide to dress as they wanted: wear their wizard robes or everyday clothes.”
More mature themes
The sets, costumes and atmosphere change, but another element makes “The Prisoner of Azkaban” unique: the main characters have grown up. The film therefore adapts to the age of the actors and turns the page on childhood.
“We observe a certain emancipation which pushes their characters to express themselves,” comments Corentin Faniel.
To emphasize this transition, Cuarón tackles much more sensitive subjects. Death, fear, revenge and depression are central themes. The director even uses magical creatures, such as Dementors, to evoke stronger emotions, according to Ben Gib:
“We have a story of revenge, death threats from Harry on Sirius. These are elements that completely break with innocence. We approach much more serious themes, with much darker creatures like the Dementors, which refer to depression.”
Find the full analysis in the video at the top of this article.
