Mass Media and Chioldren Assignment: Kelly Mendoza

Rating: 9/10 (6 October 2006)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the first movie in the Harry Potter series. Harry Potter, for those who have been living under a rock for ten years, is a highly successful series of novels for children. The protagonist, Harry, is a neglected eleven-year-old schoolboy in England who learns he is not a regular boy at all. In fact Harry Potter is a wizard. As if that wasn't shocking enough to learn on your eleventh birthday, Harry also discovers that he is not alone, there is a large hidden community of wizardry and magic that Harry will come to live in.
The movie series created out of the novels, gives a visual touch to the bestselling books. Children who imagined what Harry's world looked like are given a stunning digital image of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Children have reacted to the Harry Potter series much like the children of the late seventies to early eighties reacted to Star Wars. Star Wars created a whole universe of aliens and spacecraft, which turned into a billion dollar empire of merchandise and licensing rights. Children fell in love with the Star Wars characters; toys and any other merchandise from that series were astonishingly successful.
Just as Star Wars was its own universe of marketability, so is the young wizard's Harry Potter's world. Harry lives in England, but attends a secret wizardry school. He requires a magic wand, a robe, a cauldron, magic potions, a flying broom, and many schoolbooks. Not surprisingly, children in the real world can find all of these items as toys in their local toy store, without the magical powers of course. But just because Harry Potter is marketable is not why he is successful.
Harry Potter's story speaks to the fantasies of all little children, He comes from a seemingly horrendous lifestyle to find out he is famous and powerful. Harry's parents died when he was an infant, his aunt and uncle raised him. They neglected him and only focused on their son Dudley, who was an overweight bully who only gained entertainment from torturing Harry. Harry was forced to live in a closet under the stairs. Harry was very alone. However, Harry soon gets what every child wants, after he discovers the truth of his past, he learns he is actually rich but didn't know it, and he attends school and finds friends and a group of people who love him.
The movie has many lessons for young children. It preaches equality, acceptance, hard work, and stresses the importance of family. Harry must constantly study for his classes, which get increasingly harder. He befriends a boy who is from a large poor Irish wizard family, Ron Weasley, even though the rest of the community seems to mock the Weasley family. He also befriends a nerdy, brainy girl, Hermione Granger. But the biggest social moral running through the entire series is that of accepting others who maybe different.
The wizarding world is locked in a hot debate over the education of witches and wizards. Magic skills are passed down from generation to generation, Harry's parents where very famous wizards who were murdered. Some witches and wizards are not the offspring of other magic folk. The magical children of wizards are described as "pureblooded". Many in the wizarding world wish to discriminate against those of who are not pure blood. They are referred to as "mudbloods", a derogatory term. Harry finds himself defending the "mudblood" children, namely his friend Hermione.
Harry Potter does not only appeal to one gender. Even though the main character is a boy, it has been found that girls enjoy the series just as much if not more than boys. The issues Harry faces are universal to childhood. He longs for friendship and family and gets all of his wishes. A pure fantasy for many children, which is why they are so attracted to it. Harry defeats the bully; he becomes successful at sports, battles evil, and becomes a popular hero among his peers.
Harry Potter is also a classic fantasy for children. Harry Potter is destined to battle the most evil wizard who ever lived; Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is responsible for the death of Harry's parents, and the deaths of many other good witches and wizards. Like with many children's films and stories, good and evil are clearly defined. Children can clearly rout for good to triumph evil.
The film is not without its critics. Some in the Christian community do not like the series because to seems to promote an anti-Christian life-style. Some Christians object to teaching children about fantasy magic, paganism, and a society that does not worship Jesus. Even though in the movie the characters all celebrate Christmas.
Overall I give the film an A-; there is not much in this film to be fearful of from the perspective of a parent. There is some fantasy violence, limited to magic beams emanating from wands. Children, can reenact the events in the film without any harm to anyone. The movie encourages children to work hard, play sports, and fight for equality. Children obviously love this series as it has been turned into a huge market empire. I would recommend it myself for anyone with children.