On his eleventh birthday, an orphaned and mistreated boy named Harry Potter discovers that he is a wizard and has been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Leaving behind his mundane life, he enters a world of magic, flying broomsticks, and enchanted creatures. However, amidst making new friends and learning spells, Harry uncovers a dark secret about his past and a dangerous plot surrounding a legendary object hidden within the school's walls—one that the evil wizard who killed his parents will stop at nothing to possess.
Information |
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Language |
English |
Country |
United Kingdom United States |
Premiere date |
November 16, 2001 |
Running time |
152 minutes |
Genre |
Fantasy Adventure Family |
Budget |
$125,000,000 |
Box Office |
$1,023,842,938 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Chris Columbus |
Produced by |
David Heyman |
Written by |
Steve Kloves |
Music by |
John Williams |
Cinematography |
John Seale |
Edited by |
Richard Francis-Bruce |
Production Co. |
Warner Bros. Pictures Heyday Films |
Distributed by |
Warner Bros. Pictures |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in Harry Potter Collection
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The Plot
The Arrival on Privet Drive
In the late hours of the night on November 1, 1981, the celebrated wizard Albus Dumbledore and his deputy, Minerva McGonagall, meet on the quiet street of Privet Drive in the Surrey town of Little Whinging. They engage in a somber discussion regarding the tragic deaths of James and Lily Potter. McGonagall, having spent the day spying on the residents of Number 4 Privet Drive in her Animagus form—a silver tabby cat—expresses deep concern. She objects to Dumbledore’s plan to leave the Potters' one-year-old son, Harry, with the non-magical family residing there, the Dursleys. She views them as the "worst sort of Muggles," utterly unfit for the task.
Dumbledore explains the necessity of this arrangement: the Dursleys are the only living relatives Harry has left. Specifically, Petunia Dursley is the only one who shares Lily’s blood, a connection that ensures a powerful magical protection for Harry and his family. The conversation is interrupted by the arrival of their half-giant associate, Rubeus Hagrid, who descends from the sky on a flying motorcycle with the sleeping infant Harry in his arms. Dumbledore gently places Harry on the doorstep of Number 4 with an explanatory letter tucked into his blankets. Before departing, the three wizards wish the boy luck, leaving him to his fate.
The Letters from No One
Ten years later, Harry Potter lives as a household servant to the Dursleys, who treat him with open hostility. He attempts to act as a seemingly ordinary boy while bearing the brunt of constant bullying from his spoiled cousin, Dudley. During a family outing, Harry inadvertently causes an accident involving a snake at the zoo, an event that hints at his suppressed abilities. Shortly after, the household is bombarded by unsolicited letters delivered by owls, addressed specifically to Harry.
Determined to keep Harry ignorant of his heritage, Harry's uncle Vernon moves the family to a desolate, two-story hut on a remote island to escape the barrage of mail. However, as midnight strikes, signaling the start of Harry's eleventh birthday, the isolation is shattered. A mysterious stranger breaks down the door to the horror of the Dursleys. The intruder is Hagrid, who introduces himself to Harry and reveals the life-changing truth: Harry is a wizard.
The Keeper of Keys
Hagrid presents Harry with a birthday cake and his official acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Vernon attempts to stand his ground, forbidding Harry from attending, which leads to a heated confrontation where Harry and Hagrid chastise Vernon and Petunia for lying to the boy for his entire life. When Vernon insults Dumbledore, Hagrid loses his temper and threatens the couple, punctuating his point by magically cursing Dudley, causing a pig's tail to sprout from the boy's rear—much to Harry's amusement.
Diagon Alley and the Boy Who Lived
By morning, Hagrid escorts Harry to London to purchase school supplies. They enter Diagon Alley, a hidden wizarding street, and visit Gringotts Bank, where Harry discovers a substantial inheritance left to him by his parents. After purchasing a wand, Hagrid surprises Harry with a snowy owl as a birthday present. Later, while resting in the Leaky Cauldron, Hagrid explains the source of Harry's fame in the wizarding world.
He reveals that when Harry was an infant, Lord Voldemort, one of the century's greatest Dark wizards, murdered James and Lily Potter with the infamous Killing Curse. However, when Voldemort turned the wand on Harry, the curse rebounded. The attack left Voldemort powerless and destroyed his physical form, while Harry survived with nothing more than a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead.
The Journey to Hogwarts
A few weeks later, Harry arrives at King's Cross Station and boards the Hogwarts Express via the concealed Platform 9 3/4. During the journey, he befriends Ron Weasley, a boy from a large but poor pure-blood wizarding family, and Hermione Granger, a witch born to Muggle parents. These two are destined to become his lifelong best friends. Upon arrival at Hogwarts, the first-year students undergo the Sorting Ceremony to be placed into one of four houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin.
Aware that Slytherin is capable of producing dark wizards like Voldemort, Harry silently begs the magical Sorting Hat not to place him there. The Hat respects his choice and sorts him into Gryffindor, the house known for bravery, joining Ron and Hermione. During the feast, Harry notices Professor Severus Snape, the sinister Potions master and head of Slytherin House, giving him peculiar, lingering looks.
Secrets of the Castle
Harry begins his education in wizardry, slowly uncovering more about his past. By the end of the first week, he and Ron learn that Gringotts Bank was broken into shortly after their visit, specifically the very vault Harry and Hagrid had visited. Harry also discovers a natural talent for flying on broomsticks. While defending fellow Gryffindor Neville Longbottom from the bullying of Slytherin first-year Draco Malfoy, Harry catches the attention of Professor McGonagall. Instead of punishment, he is recruited as the Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, learning later that his father held a similar position.
Curiosity leads the trio into trouble when Harry, Ron, and Hermione accidentally encounter a giant three-headed dog named Fluffy in the forbidden corridor on the third floor. The beast belongs to Hagrid. Meanwhile, the Gryffindor team captain, Oliver Wood, begins training Harry, orienting him to the mechanics of Quidditch in preparation for the upcoming season.
The Troll and the Mirror
On Hallowe'en, the celebratory feast is interrupted when the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrell, bursts into the Great Hall, fearfully announcing that an escaped mountain troll is in the dungeons before fainting. As the students are escorted back to their common rooms, Harry and Ron realize Hermione is unaware of the danger. They rush to save her, fighting the troll and incapacitating it. This act of bravery cements their friendship.
During Harry's first Quidditch match, his broomstick is hexed, nearly throwing him to his death. Hermione spots Snape staring at Harry and muttering incantations, leading her to believe the Potions master is cursing the broom. She sets Snape's robes on fire to break his concentration, allowing Harry to regain control and catch the Snitch, winning the match for Gryffindor. Following the game, Hagrid accidentally slips a name to the trio while being questioned about Fluffy: Nicolas Flamel.
At Christmas, Harry receives an anonymous gift: an Invisibility Cloak that once belonged to his father. He uses it to explore the Restricted Section of the library in search of information on Flamel but only finds a screaming book. Fleeing the library, he discovers the Mirror of Erised, a magical object that shows him a vision of his deceased parents. Dumbledore finds Harry entranced by the image and explains that the mirror shows the deepest desires of one's heart, warning him not to dwell on it lest he go mad.
The Philosopher's Stone
When the school term resumes, the trio deduces that someone is trying to get past the three-headed dog. They eventually learn that Nicolas Flamel is the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, a magical object capable of producing the Elixir of Life, which grants immortality. They conclude that Fluffy is guarding the Stone and suspect that Snape is trying to steal it to restore Voldemort's power.
Seeking more information, they visit Hagrid's hut, only to find him hatching a dragon egg. A Norwegian Ridgeback emerges, which Hagrid names "Norbert." The friends convince Hagrid that he cannot keep the dragon, and they arrange for it to be sent to Romania to live with others of its kind. However, they are caught out of bed by Filch after Draco Malfoy tips off the staff. McGonagall confronts them, and along with Malfoy, they are given detention.
The Forbidden Forest
For their detention, the four students are sent into the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid to investigate the injury of a unicorn. Splitting up, Harry and Draco stumble upon the dead creature and witness a terrifying sight: a hooded figure drinking the unicorn's blood. Draco flees in terror with Hagrid's dog, Fang, leaving Harry vulnerable. The hooded figure attempts to attack Harry but is driven away by the arrival of a centaur named Firenze.
Firenze explains that unicorn blood can keep a person alive even if they are an inch from death, but at a terrible curse. Harry realizes the hooded figure was a weakened Voldemort and solidifies his theory that Snape is seeking the Stone to restore the Dark Lord to full strength.
Through the Trapdoor
Harry later learns from Hagrid that he accidentally revealed to a stranger in a pub that Fluffy falls asleep if played music. Realizing this stranger was likely Snape, the trio rushes to warn Dumbledore, only to find he has been called away on urgent business. Convinced the theft will happen that night, Harry, Ron, and Hermione resolve to retrieve the Stone first.
They bypass Fluffy by playing music and descend through the trapdoor, facing a series of magical obstacles set by the teachers. Hermione uses her knowledge of spells to free them from the crushing vines of Devil's Snare. Next, Harry uses his skills as a Seeker to fly among hundreds of enchanted winged keys and catch the specific one needed to unlock the door. Finally, they face a violent, life-sized chessboard. Ron directs the game, ultimately sacrificing himself to a brutal move to allow Harry and Hermione to advance. Hermione stays behind to tend to Ron, leaving Harry to proceed to the final chamber alone.
The Man with Two Faces
In the final room, Harry is shocked to find not Snape, but Professor Quirrell. Quirrell reveals that it was he who let the troll in on Hallowe'en and he who tried to curse Harry’s broom during the Quidditch match; Snape had actually been muttering a counter-curse to save Harry. Quirrell forces Harry to look into the Mirror of Erised, hoping the boy can locate the Stone. Due to an enchantment placed by Dumbledore, one can only find the Stone if they wish to find it but not use it. Harry feels the weight of the Stone materialize in his pocket.
When Harry refuses to reveal what he sees, Quirrell removes his turban, revealing the face of a weakened Voldemort living on the back of his head. Voldemort attempts to manipulate Harry, pledging to resurrect his parents in exchange for the Stone. Harry refuses, and Quirrell attacks. However, upon touching Harry’s skin, Quirrell’s hands begin to burn and crumble. Harry’s touch is lethal to him. As Quirrell turns to dust and dies, Voldemort’s spirit rises from the remains and passes through Harry, knocking him unconscious before fleeing.
The End of Term
Harry wakes up in the school hospital wing, where Dumbledore explains that the Stone has been destroyed. He reveals that Quirrell could not touch Harry because Lily Potter’s sacrifice left a lingering, love-based protection in Harry's skin. Harry is soon reunited with Ron and Hermione, who have both recovered.
At the end-of-year feast, the Great Hall is decked in Slytherin colors, as they lead with 472 House Points against Gryffindor's 312, Hufflepuff's 352, and Ravenclaw's 426. However, Dumbledore interrupts the proceedings to award last-minute points for the recent events. He awards fifty points to Hermione for the cool use of intellect, fifty points to Ron for the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in years, and sixty points to Harry for pure nerve and outstanding courage. Finally, he awards ten points to Neville Longbottom for the bravery of standing up to his friends. These additions bring Gryffindor's total to 482, winning them the House Cup. As the students prepare to leave for the summer, Harry acknowledges that while he is returning to Privet Drive, Hogwarts is his true home.
