Harry Potter Reunion: Return to Hogwarts

 

This was exactly what I needed right now. It was so wholesome and I loved it. I loved watching them reminisce on the past, and it allowed me to reflect on what the Harry Potter movies meant to me growing up as well. It was interesting to hear stories from the cast and things that the audience doesn’t get to normally see. It was neat to hear Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Tom Felton’s perspectives especially, about life on set, and stories growing up in the spotlight. It is such a unique perspective on a beloved franchise, especially since most of them started working on the franchise when they were kids. They worked with some of the greatest actors in the world and they probably didn’t even understand how crazy it was to be working with them at such a young age and for as long as they did. Big names like Alan Rickman, Helena Bonham Carter, Gary Oldman, and Ralph Fiennes.




What I really took away from it was that I never realized how for the majority of the cast, they grew up on these sets. They didn’t have a normal childhood. They were household names and they did this for the next ten years of their lives. A lot of franchises and series do not last ten years. That is a very unique experience, playing the same character for ten years. Hearing them talk about it, I felt different about the main three characters and their experience in the public eye. It wasn't really a project they could just walk away from if they wanted to. I think it is amazing and absolutely admirable how Emma Watson was able to go to college and continue to film the movies and do press tours and everything in between. 




The overall format and presentation of the reunion special was really well done. I liked how they separated it into different parts. It was well edited together so it felt like one continuous story as they went through the timeline of the films and different experiences on each film. It had a nice flow to it and it was nice how they moved from set to set and kind of matched characters with a setting people resonated with each character. 




I liked how they did the reunion on the sets from the original films, for me it brought back the nostalgia that I felt for the original movies and the impact they had on me growing up. I think what I always loved about Harry Potter was how the characters grew up with you as the series went on. I loved these movies and the books and I remember watching them over and over again. The whole reunion felt very personal and I loved that aspect of it. Harry Potter was one of the first things I remember obsessing over, one of the first times I remember being a part of fan culture, where everyone liked the thing that I liked. I loved this special and if you were ever a fan of the Harry Potter movies I highly recommend giving it a watch. It is super fun, full of nostalgia and interesting stories and perspectives.