Apr 18, 2026 1:43pm IST
‘Finding Harry’: 15 Thoughts I Had About The ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot Documentary
HBO’s “Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic” documentary, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Harry Potter reboot series, might have confirmed something. The Wizarding World can still cast a spell on us Muggles, after all this time. Here are 15 thoughts I had while watching the 25-minute special.
1. Right off the bat, a glimpse of the Hogwarts Express, Harry's Cupboard Under The Stairs, and Hogwarts grounds act like a Portkey to a happier, easier time. It feels like we never left.
2. It’s a great idea, almost poetic, to have Hagrid actor Nick Frost narrate the documentary and John Lithgow’s Albus Dumbledore be the one to usher you into the journey.
3. The way Professor Dumbledore explains it, the Harry Potter reboot is trying to do eight-episode seasons, one for each book in the series. And that hits the spot for every Harry Potter book fan who missed its little details, side quests and tertiary characters (like Peeves the Poltergeist) they didn’t get to see in the film franchise.
4. 40,000 auditions? I do not envy this job of recasting for such iconic characters! Barring a few controversial choices, it’s a job well done. The main trio of Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) and Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger) look like they’ve jumped right off the page.
5. They’ve redesigned everything! From the Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans and Chocolate Frogs packaging to Butterbeer served in growlers. The details have my attention at this point, and I am taking it all in with childlike wonder. Because even though both Diagon Alley and Privet Drive look exactly how I remember them from the movies, you can tell there are frills and embellishments added that leave room for discovery.
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6. They’ve taken nature as the root of magic and integrated naturalism into the set design and aesthetic. Tree murals on walls, vines adorning the entrance to the Great Hall… It makes sense, too. The Wizarding World is a stagnant society, stuck in time, and unadaptive to technological advancements, so they're likely to be closer to nature and revere it.
7. Janet Treer looks convincing, even if much younger, and Professor McGonagall. Dame Maggie Smith’s piercing look is missed. But watching Treer in character, ushering the first years into the Great Hall, didn’t feel as jarring as I'd expected.
8. Letter and Décor artist Julian Walker is talking about how his father designed and painted the Quidditch Box used in the first film. Now, 26 years later, he is doing it! Another crew member, John Nolan, worked on "Prisoner of Azkaban" and "Goblet of Fire" as a trainee. Sentimental stories like these would totally reel me in.
9. First Rocky the alien from "Project Hail Mary," and now the HP owls. Animatronics and creature effects sound like the coolest departments to hang around. They have a Build-Your-Own-Owl station. No, really. They're gluing 36,000 feathers per owl, and they've made 10 owls for the show. BTS details from fantasy films and series sets never cease to amaze, amaze, amaze!
10. An animatronic, biting Scabbers the rat? Harry, better catch him now. We still hate Peter Pettigrew in this house. The technology and effort behind all of the magical creatures have me excited about slimy Flobberworms, which Hagrid himself had pointed out in the books as the most boring ever. He'd sure love the never-seen-before fire crabs and DugBob designs.
11. They're talking about keeping the fashion rooted in 1991 trends. Inky, moody tones for the wizards and pastel palettes with synthetic fabrics for the Muggles. But the consensus after the first look trailer is that Snape wouldn't be caught dead in a zipper cloak. They should've explained that! The litmus test, of course, will be how on point they get Parvati and Padma Patil's Yule Ball outfits. Somebody page Manish Malhotra to be on standby.
12. “To honour what’s gone before, but to find more detail,” seems to be the mantra of the entire series. And this documentary is a clever effort to remind us it's the same story, yet still different, and offering up surprises in the details that matter.
13. Paapa Essiedu is here, and I realise everyone on this cast is just so much younger than the original, isn't it? Essiedu (35) is the right age for Snape (31) in the first book, and yet he doesn't carry the years of heartbreak and bitterness that Rickman's Snape had etched on his face for this role. The documentary seems to address all the critiques, for now, like how old John Lithgow would be by the time the series wraps if it delivers one season a year.
14. Essiedu's Snape is perhaps going to be the most difficult character to warm up to. The concerns and discourse around his casting seem valid. This entire cast has a tough gig ahead of them, especially the kids.
15. The new Platform 9 and ¾ has a proper cafe! These world-building expansions seem to offer an even more immersive experience, and I am curious to see what more they’ve taken from or added to canon. Nick Frost is getting on board the Hogwarts Express, and all I can think is, I am sat for this Harry Potter reboot with cautious optimism.
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