Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Details

The third time is a charm with the Christmas release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban on DVD and VHS on 19th November 2004 from Warner Home Video. The most recent instalment of the Harry Potter series from director Alfonso Cuaron (Y Tu Mamá Tambien) and screenwriter Steve Kloves, based on J.K. Rowling's award-winning novels, takes audiences on another adventure with more mystery and magic than ever before.

The £46 million UK box office smash features the returning Harry Potter cast of Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, joined by Hogwarts professors including Robbie Coltrane (Rubeus Hagrid), Alan Rickman (Professor Severus Snape), Maggie Smith (Professor Minerva McGonagall), Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore), David Thewlis (Professor Lupin) and Gary Oldman as Sirius Black.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban enchanted critics across the nation, garnering high praise for Alfonso Cuaron's innovative direction and for capturing the world that is Harry Potter. The Times stated, "Cuaron's appointment to this franchise is the most inspired Hollywood gamble of the year...a master class in oral joy. The camera work is a sensual feast", and The Sun commented that the film was "Siriusly brilliant. By far the best one yet."

The Sunday Telegraph praised Curaon's appointment and commented, "Cuaron has done a truly inspired job: this is the darkest and most sophisticated Potter film yet".

"Fans can expect great things from the home video release of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," said Jason Mather, Marketing Manager of Family Entertainment at Warner Home Video. "The two-disc DVD will provide viewers with a full, interactive Harry Potter experience and add a new dimension to the film. It offers never-before-seen footage and interactive material that allows audiences to really participate in the magic of Harry Potter. Children of all ages will have fun exploring what the DVD has to offer."

Synopsis

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a great threat to Harry. Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse half-eagle Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack, which is considered the most haunted building in Britain. 

In addition to these new experiences, Harry must overcome the threats of the soul-sucking Dementors, outsmart a dangerous werewolf and finally deal with the truth about Sirius Black and his relationship to Harry and his parents. With his best friends, Harry masters advanced magic, crosses the barriers of time and changes the course of more than one life. Directed by Alfonso Cuaron and based on J.K. Rowling's third book, this wondrous spellbinder soars with laughs, and the kind of breathless surprise only found in a Harry Potter adventure.