Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a 2001 adventure movie directed by Chris Columbus and Steve Kloves, with a running time of 2h 32m. It stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
Harry Potter has spent eleven years in a cupboard under the stairs, unwanted by the relatives who took him in. A letter changes everything: he is a wizard, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is expecting him. Chris Columbus films Rowling's first book with a warm, faithful hand, walking a wide-eyed audience through the Great Hall, the moving staircases, and a first flying lesson alongside Harry. He finds two friends in Ron and Hermione, a protector in Dumbledore, and the first threads of the mystery around his parents' deaths and the wizard who caused them.
Quick answers
What is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone about?
Harry Potter has spent eleven years in a cupboard under the stairs, unwanted by the relatives who took him in. A letter changes everything: he is a wizard, and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is expecting him. Chris Columbus films Rowling's first book with a warm, faithful hand, walking a wide-eyed audience through the Great Hall, the moving staircases, and a first flying lesson alongside Harry. He finds two friends in Ron and Hermione, a protector in Dumbledore, and the first threads of the mystery around his parents' deaths and the wizard who caused them.
When was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone released?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released on 16 November 2001.
How long is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone runs 2h 32m.
Who made Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was directed by Chris Columbus, Steve Kloves and John Williams.
Where can I watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone?
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is available on DirecTV On Demand, HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, MAX (Via Amazon Prime), Peacock and Peacock Premium.
Where to watch Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Stream: DirecTV On Demand, HBO (Via Hulu), HBO Max, MAX (Via Amazon Prime), Peacock, Peacock Premium
Rent: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Spectrum On Demand
Buy: Fandango at Home
Official site
Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter
- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley
- Emma Watson as Hermione Granger
- Richard Harris as Albus Dumbledore
- Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy
- Alan Rickman as Severus Snape
- Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid
- Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall
- Richard Griffiths as Vernon Dursley
- Ian Hart as Quirinus Quirrell
- Fiona Shaw as Petunia Dursley
- John Hurt as Mr. Ollivander
Reviews
Still holds up completely. It still feels magical going back. A world that just works!
martin rated it 10/10
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A few thoughts on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
For another young hero learning to master a strange power, Avatar: The Last Airbender charts the same path from novice to adept with real emotional weight. Fullmetal Alchemist trades wands for alchemy and pushes the coming-of-age story somewhere darker. Readers chasing destiny and dragons can open Brisingr, deep in Christopher Paolini's Inheritance cycle. And the game Hogwarts Legacy lets you walk the castle corridors yourself.
Misfit students bonding at a school for the gifted and strange
Harry's first year at Hogwarts is really about the friends who turn a strange school into a home. Hogwarts Legacy drops you into that same castle to build your own story there, My Hero Academia and Assassination Classroom send their own gifted, strange students through schools that shape who they become, and If You Could See the Sun follows a girl guarding a secret at a school just as watchful.
A chosen kid, an ancient evil, and a quest that spans a saga
Harry's story starts small, a boy in a cupboard, but it already points toward a bigger fight against the wizard who killed his parents. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Star Wars follow that same shape at a grander scale, Brisingr sends a young rider against an empire, and Wizard and Glass and Oathbringer both trace the long history behind an ancient fight.
Animated worlds where wonder hides real danger
Chris Columbus fills Hogwarts with moving staircases and living portraits, the kind of everyday magic that Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke build whole worlds from. Avatar: The Last Airbender gives its young hero an animated universe with real stakes to match, and The Wizard of Oz sends a child through a doorway into somewhere just as strange as platform nine and three quarters.
Cozy spellbound stories for kids who never got their letter
Harry's cupboard-under-the-stairs childhood ends the moment a letter arrives, and these stories share that same wish-fulfillment spark. The Girl Who Drank the Moon and Redwall build cozy fantasy worlds around ordinary kids and creatures discovering magic of their own, Hocus Pocus and Practical Magic turn witchcraft into something warm and communal, and The Witches keeps a childhood chill sitting right alongside the wonder.