The publication of the seven Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling marked a fundamental shift in children’s publishing. They showed that ‘children’s books’ could be blockbusters, and, more importantly, that children’s and young adult literature was something that adults were also interested in reading. This lead to many other franchise-like books/films such as The Hunger Games, Twilight, etc. that tried to capture some of the same magic.
By the time that the fourth book came out, the books had a massive following. This is a clip from a ‘release party’ in 2000 for the 4th book.
The books became even bigger worldwide successes through translation, and especially the films that began coming out between the release of books #4 and #5.
Harry Potter has gone on to become one of the biggest cultural franchises in history, spawning movies, additional movies set in the same world (Fantastic Beasts), Theme Park lands at Universal Studios, a Broadway play, an official online community platform, and more. It has also served as the inspiration for lots of fan activity, including not only fanfiction but bands, quidditch leagues, online communities and wikis, fanvids, and so much more.
This fan-made video offers some musings on why the books/films were so successful. There are several things in it that are definitely arguable and more complex than how they are presented, but it’s good food for thought.
J.K Rowling has engaged heavily with the fan community, both in positive and more recently negative ways.
Harry Potter has thrived because of adaptations across media.
Read pages 1-10 of “Introduction: Harry Potter and the Magical Screen” from Transforming Harry : The Adaptation of Harry Potter in the Transmedia Age, edited by John Alberti, and P. Andrew Miller, Wayne State University Press, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/brooklyn-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5406181.
An official ‘8th’ book of the Harry Potter series was released as the play script for the West End/Broadway play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a story that takes place once Harry and his friends are adults and features their children. It relies heavily on knowing the Harry Potter saga. The play is sold in two parts, with the first ending on a cliffhanger.
This is the trailer for the play which was first down in the UK, and then came to New York, and other places around the world.
The return from COVID has led the Broadway production to condense the show into one longer production.
How familiar were you with Harry Potter? Do you have any ideas about why it became such a big deal? How and why do you think that the success of this series might have influenced future publishing for children? (Respond – all)
8 thoughts on “Before and After Harry”
I am very familiar with Harry Potter. I read all of the books and watched all the movies. It was the book that got me into reading, so I can only imagine it did for many other kids as well. When I read it I felt like I was apart of their world and it opened up my imagination. It is a whole other world and their is so much detail to it. I don’t think there will ever be a series as influential or groundbreaking as Harry Potter. We root for the good characters and for Voldemort’s defeat and it makes us feel all kind of emotions. There are so many different characters to root for or relate to and people love to see themselves as the characters. It’s not only for kids, but also for adults. The series keeps getting more and more suspenseful by book/ movie and people can’t wait to see or read the next one. I also think it is so cool that there is now a Harry Potter world, where you can physically go and experience what it would be like to go to Hogwarts and Harry’s world for yourself. I think that the Harry Potter series heavily influenced the genre of fantasy and movies like the Hobbit and Lord or the Rings probably derived some inspiration from Harry Potter.
I’m not too familiar with Harry Potter, I only watched the first movie. I know once the book and movies came out it became very popular but I just never really gravitated towards it. what I can remember from the movie is him learning about himself, his family and enrolling in a school. I think aside from the fantasy the movies and books bring there is also a message that influenzae/ teaches children a lesson, give them a message for example just never giving up. I think that could be a reason why the series could have influenced future publishing for children to incorporate both fantasy and real life experiences both children and adults go through in life.
I had watched all the Harry Potter movies but I currently don’t have a clear picture of the order that the events in each film. I would love to rewatch it, I did not read the books though. I do think that the reason that it had become such a big deal is because of the mystery that it held and also how it was something that all ages were able to watch or read which can increase their success in reaching out to people. I loved the thrill that it held and it was almost as if it was a 3D movie in my case, I found it to be a film that you weren’t able to just pause and resume back to the following day, but its something you need to watch from start to finish in one setting! I think that the success of these series might have influenced future publishing for children because it allows them to use their imagination and see actions that are part of the unordinary. As kids, our minds think of creatures being able to fly, do magic, fight against villains and beasts, which is exactly what Harry Potter provides.
I am very familiar with the Harry Potter books and films. Unlike many others though, I started with the films first and then read the books. There was just something about Harry Potter that made me fall in love with the storyline, the characters, and just about everything about it. I think the reason it became so popular was the fact that it was for every age, and that it was easy for many people to read. People fell in love with the characters and storyline, especially since it continued on to 7 books. Also, many kids who started reading from the first book and went on to read the rest basically grew up with the characters each time a new book was released. The same thing with the films because they came out a year or two apart and everyone was basically growing up with the characters in a sense. And I think this is why it might have influenced future publishing for children and teens because kids love series of books and so that is why there are many authors who incorporate that into their writing.
The amount of times I binge watched Harry Potter is embarrassing. These are movies that I will never get bored of. I feel like it became such a big deal because it has so many themes that catch the audiences attention. Harry Potter is both for children and adults which is why people of all ages are interested in it. It seems realistic, obviously im not talking about the magic and stuff but somewhat of the storyline and the themes like family, loss etc… It might have influenced future publishing for children because it has many lessons and themes that they can learn from.
I havent read or saw anything of Harry Potter but Im familiar with it because a family memebr likes it. I think it became a big deal over covid and more people on the internet were bragging about how good it was so then everyone wanted to try it out. For kids in teh future I feel that it would expand their readign and be able to read longer books and understand these stories better
I’m familiar with Harry Potter but only through the movies as a kid, those large books intimated me. I know the overall concept of Harry Potter but it’s been a long time since I watched any of the movies. over all I remember really enjoying the movies and I don’t mind watching them again. I think the success of these series may have influenced future children’s publications as they allow children to use their imaginations and see plots that are part of the unusual. When you think of creatures that can fly, use magic, and fight villains and beasts, I feel that harry potter gave the future children a guide line and gave the children access to be as creative as they want.
I never watched or read Harry Potter before because I am not a fan of fantasies and also I was just never really interested. A lot of my friends like Harry Potter and call me weird that I never even watched the movie but I know I don’t enjoy watching such things so I never bothered. Because they allow children to use their imaginations and see plots that are part of the unusual, I believe the success of these series may have influenced subsequent books for children.