Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (movie)

***Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*** is a 2004 fantasy movie directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It is based on J. K. Rowling's 1999 novel of the same name. It is the sequel to _Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets_ (2002) and the third part in the _Harry Potter_ movie series. The movie stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley, and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger.

It was the first appearance of Michael Gambon as Professor Albus Dumbledore, because of Richard Harris' death in 2002.

The movie was released on 31 May 2004 in the United Kingdom, and on 4 June 2004 in North America, as the first _Harry Potter_ movie using IMAX Technology and released into IMAX theatres.

It was nominated for two Academy Awards, Best Original Music Score and Best Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards in 2004.

## Plot

Harry Potter spends another summer with his abusive aunt and uncle. After his uncle's sister insults Harry's dead parents, Harry accidentally uses magic to make her inflate and float away. Harry leaves the house and reunites with his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They find out that a prisoner named Sirius Black has escaped Azkaban, which is a prison for dangerous witches and wizards.

While on the train to Hogwarts, a Dementor enters the train searching for Sirius Black. The Dementors are ghost-like creatures which suck all the happiness and life out of anything. They are the guards used by the magical government to guard Azkaban. The Dementor attacks Harry, but Harry is saved by a new teacher at Hogwarts named Professor Lupin.

Ron's brothers, Fred and George give Harry a magical map of Hogwarts which shows were everyone is. While using the map and his invisibility cloak, Harry learns that Sirius Black is his godfather who told Lord Voldemort where Harry's parents were hiding. This allowed Voldemort to find and kill them.

While outside, Ron's pet rat, Scabbers escapes. While chasing his rat, Ron is dragged into a hole at the base of a tree by a large black dog. Harry and Hermione go into the hole, which leads to an underground room. The dog is actually Sirius Black. Professor Lupin arrives and reveals that he is Sirius Black's friend.

Lupin and Sirius explain that Sirius is actually innocent and that they were friends with Harry's parents. They reveal that the person who actually betrayed Harry's parents was a man named Peter Pettigrew. Sirius and Lupin then use magic to reveal that Ron's rat is actually Peter Pettigrew. Peter escapes and Sirius is caught by the Dementors. The headmaster, Professor Dumbledore, helps Harry and Hermione use time travel to save Sirius from the Dementors. Professor Lupin resigns from his job because he is actually a werewolf.

## Other websites

- Official Warner Bros. Page

## Infobox (film)

- **name**: Harry Potter
- **director**: Alfonso Cuarón
- **screenplay**: Steve Kloves
- **music**: John Williams
- **cinematography**: Michael Seresin
- **editing**: Steven Weisberg
- **distributor**: Warner Bros. Pictures
- **runtime**: 141 minutes
- **language**: English
- **budget**: $130 million
- **gross**: $796.2 million