20 Years of Harry Potter
January 6, 2022
This year, the world celebrates the 20th anniversary of Harry Potter’s start at Hogwarts in the movies-and the adventure of a lifetime for both the reader and the character himself.
Someone oblivious to Harry Potter might not even know what the fuss is about. After all, there are plenty of critically acclaimed books, bestsellers, and children’s books to read. Harry Potter, at a glance, is just like any book, written with morals, themes, and characters that learn and grow.
So many stores have entire sections dedicated to Harry Potter merchandise. Time-Turners, the books themselves, invisibility cloaks, dubious sweets, and so much more. Harry Potter’s fame doesn’t even end there with websites to find your Patronus and Hogwarts, as well as mobile games and other side stories to accompany Harry’s story.
Reflecting on the last twenty years of Harry Potter, how much has changed?
For one: Fantastic Beasts. A new story set in New York, 1927, starring Newt Scamander, a character only mentioned a few times in the Harry Potter series. However, throughout these movies, he is the protagonist, bringing in forlorn memories of Harry Potter and the legacy of Albus Dumbledore. Whereas the Harry Potter series primarily focused on the defeat of Voldemort and the learning of magic, Fantastic Beasts focuses on, well, beasts. Not only that, but J.K. Rowling has helped create a side-story to the Harry Potter series that has an entirely different feel. While Harry Potter was more happy and fluffy, focusing on love, Fantastic Beasts only has two main goals: defeat the villain and save creatures.
There are so many ways that Harry Potter has changed over the years. The inclusion of Quidditch as a sport, fan-based creation of artwork and stories, merchandise that spans beyond the realms of hoarding, mobile games for you to go to Hogwarts, and so much more. However, what remains true is that Harry Potter will probably always keep changing, and it will continue to change us.