The Harry Potter TV Show Needs To Fix 1 Prisoner Of Azkaban Change That Hurt The Movies

Summary The move away from wizard attire in The Prisoner of Azkaban hurt the magic and wonder of the Harry Potter movies.

HBO's Harry Potter TV show can fix the clothing problem and bring back the sense of magic lost in the films.

Accurate wardrobe in adaptations like Harry Potter is crucial for world-building and viewer immersion in the Wizarding World.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban made one change that ultimately hurt the movies, but it's something that the upcoming Harry Potter TV adaptation can easily fix. The Harry Potter series is among the most successful and beloved movie franchises of all time, with a worldwide box office total of $7.7 billion (via The Numbers) and an average Rotten Tomatoes score of 85%. Even so, the movies didn't get everything right. One change made in the third installment had a negative effect on every Harry Potter movie thereafter.

HBO's live-action Harry Potter TV remake was first announced in 2021. Though very little is known about the small screen version, it's understood that J.K. Rowling, controversial author of the Harry Potter novels, will have hands-on involvement in the project. While there are some movie changes the Harry Potter TV show should keep, an alteration made during The Prisoner of Azkaban is certainly not one of them.

Related What Happened To The Dursleys After Harry Potter Ended The Dursley family wasn't very well-liked in the Harry Potter franchise. But what happened to Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley after the series ended?

The Prisoner Of Azkaban's Costume Changes Hurt The Harry Potter Movies

This Made The Wizarding World Feel Less Magical

Close

The Prisoner of Azkaban was the third film in the series and the only Harry Potter installment directed by Alfonso Cuarón, who took over from Chris Columbus. With The Prisoner of Azkaban, Cuarón made several changes to what came before, such as introducing new parts of Hogwarts and employing a darker, more mature tone. These alterations would carry through into the remaining five movies, and so too would another, more controversial, change: the move away from wizard attire to more ordinary muggle clothing.

Columbus' two movies depicted the students of Hogwarts wearing school uniforms underneath robes at all times, save for holiday seasons and free time. Even when Harry Potter's young cast members were shown wearing normal muggle attire at Hogwarts in The Sorcerer's Stone and The Chamber of Secrets, the clothes were plain, old-fashioned, and not in keeping with contemporary styles. The Prisoner of Azkaban, on the other hand, portrayed the students of Hogwarts wearing contemporary muggle clothing whenever they were not in lessons, which was most of the time.

Ultimately, this shift took away some of the magic and wonder of the Wizarding World, making it feel a lot less extraordinary.

Though it seems like a small detail, this change had a large impact on the franchise. Every Harry Potter movie after The Prisoner of Azkaban followed the same template, depicting the main characters and their fellow Hogwarts students in regular clothes such as hoodies and jeans for the bulk of the runtime. Ultimately, this shift took away some of the magic and wonder of the Wizarding World, making it feel a lot less extraordinary. Additionally, it made no sense that the adult characters still wore old-fashioned garments.

HBO's Harry Potter TV Show Can Finally Do The Wizarding World's Clothing Justice

The Harry Potter TV Show Provides A Second Chance To Get Things Right

Ever since its announcement, the Harry Potter TV show has been struggling to justify its existence. After all, the Harry Potter movie series came to a conclusion only 13 years ago, and despite not being entirely faithful, the films were well-received by both critics and audiences. Correcting errors made by the original movies may be where the Harry Potter TV show can thrive, and high on the list of changes to make should be rectifying the film series' clothing problem.

It should be noted that despite being more faithful than what came after, neither The Sorcerer's Stone nor The Chamber of Secrets were entirely accurate with their depictions of Hogwarts attire. For starters, students in the Harry Potter books wear pointed black hats, which they are expected to keep on for the entirety of the school day. Aside from the first scene set in the great hall in The Sorcerer's Stone, where older students were shown wearing them, pointed hats remained largely absent from the big screen adaptations.

In the Harry Potter books, Hogwarts students are also expected to purchase a pair of protective gloves made of dragon hide.

The notion of students wearing ordinary clothes more often as the school years go by is something that simply doesn't happen in the Harry Potter novels. Therefore, the upcoming HBO Harry Potter TV show can right the wrongs of the movies by portraying Hogwarts students in clothing more in line with the books. In doing so, the show could bring back some of the sense of magic and wonder lost in later films.

Why Getting The Harry Potter Books' Wardrobe Right Is So Important For The Remake

Clothing Helps With Harry Potter's World-Building

Getting seemingly minor details like clothing design right is important for any movie or TV adaptation, but especially one based upon a rich fantasy world like Harry Potter. The Harry Potter universe which comes with its own rules, quirks, and intricacies separate from the real world. Nailing the aesthetic of that universe through things like wardrobe is fundamental to the viewer's understanding of how the Wizarding World works.

Related How Much The Harry Potter Cast Was Paid At The Beginning & End The Harry Potter movie franchise launched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint to stardom. That was reflected in how much they were paid.

The Harry Potter books do an excellent job of world-building and Rowling paints a vivid picture of almost every aspect of Wizarding World. Those familiar with the Harry Potter books will have a clear idea of what the Hogwarts uniforms should look like, and if the clothing isn't accurate, audiences could find themselves taken out of the story. It could also be argued that if the Harry Potter remake isn't more faithful to the books, then it will fail to justify its existence alongside the movie franchise. HBO's Harry Potter TV series has a big job on its hands getting things right, but at least it has The Prisoner of Azkaban's mistake to learn from.

Sources: The Numbers, Rotten Tomatoes