Creating the World of Harry Potter (2009)

The magic begins. The choices, the breakthroughs, the early decisions that impacted all the films are explored here via rare footage, cast and crew reminiscences and more. Learn about the extensive search by producer David Heyman and director Chris Columbus for the perfect actors to portray Harry, Ron and Hermione and see the earliest meeting of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.

“We really do look at the story and characters first,” producer David Heyman says. “That's the heart and that's the soul of the film.” And that's the heart and soul of this incisive, decade-spanning exploration of how the series' actors bring the beloved Harry Potter characters to life. Discover which parts of the J.K. Rowling books helped Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson and more stars make their roles leap from page to screen. See screen tests, including Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood) and Jessie Cave (Lavender Brown) working with the established stars. Learn why so many of Britain's acting greats wanted to be part of Harry Potter's world...and which ones became mentors to the young stars. Share each director's vision as you watch Daniel, Rupert and Emma grow up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Your journey into Harry’s world continues.

The creatures of 'Harry Potter's world get their own one-hour documentary to wow us with their imagination and creation. It's interesting to see how visuals evolved and how creatures became more and more lifelike as the franchise has progressed. Concept art, models, and computer rendering are all covered here as the special effects wizards of 'Harry Potter' craft some pretty imaginative and fun monsters.

Actors and members of the cast talk about how music affects each of the 'Harry Potter' films and how the music really sets the scene for the movie. At the beginning they show some scenes from the sixth film in split screen as we see the orchestra playing along with the movie and how it all went together. They also show sound effects happening in split screen with the actual movie. After the lively introduction this brand new documentary dives into how the music and sound effects drive the story and the emotion being captured on.

Deeper. Bolder. Darker. As the eight Harry Potter films trace Harry's journey from innocent schoolboy to selfless hero, the series undergoes a transformation. Evolution - packed with exclusive content - takes you along for every exciting step of the 10-year filmmaking odyssey. Join the four directors and key members of the crew and cast, including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, as they explore how the creative vision for the films evolved to maintain the integrity and increasing intensity of J.K. Rowling's expansive literary series. From the ever-changing architecture of Hogwarts castle and growing landscape of the wizarding world, to the darkening palette of each successive film, to the young actors maturing along with their characters, it is a wondrous and spectacular adventure to experience.

In Harry Potter's world, portraits come to life, potions transform, time reverses, Quidditch players soar, dragons attack and magic is everywhere. Explore the moviemaking magic that created the wizardry and wonder of the Harry Potter film series. Now, fascinating insights, interviews and watch-it-happen footage let you experience the triumphs of the technical wizards who conjured up an awe-inspiring alternate reality. Share the fun as Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson negotiate the moving stairs. Marvel as an oversized water tank transforms into the depths of the black lake for the Triwizard Tournament. Discover which amazing sequence was filmed entirely using computer-generated imagery. Watch as blue and green screen backgrounds transform into towering structures and endless landscapes. You don't know the magic until you've seen Magical Effects.

This is one of the best entries in this series of documentaries. It's one of the most personal and forthcoming retrospective looks at the franchise as a whole. J.K. Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves sit down and have a frank chat about the movie franchise. They talk about changes of the story as they adapted the scripts from the original novels. They discuss controversial changes, they're honest about what they think could've been done better, and they even touch on Dumbledore's ambiguous sexuality. This is a great amount of insight on what it was like adapting the books to films. How Rowling felt about the films, how it was difficult to include everything that fans loved, and what needed to be left out in order to create streamlined movies.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are spotlighted here. This part of the series takes a long, hard look at what it was like for these once-young actors to literally spend their childhoods in front of the camera. For ten of their most formative years these three, along with all the other recurring characters, were asked to take on the roles of some of the most popular characters ever to be committed to film. They were worldwide superstars and this documentary shows how it affected them and how they were able to grow despite the immense fame placed upon them.