The world of Harry Potter, bursting with magic and adventure, has enchanted readers and moviegoers for years. While the eight films brought the books to life, the series had four different directors, each with their take on the story.
Chris Columbus, who directed the first two films, established a magical and lighthearted tone that many fans loved. He was replaced by Alfonso Cuarón for the third movie, by Mike Newell in the fourth movie, and finally, David Yates took over for the final half of the epic story. However, many fans still wonder what could have been if Columbus remained at the helm for the entire series.
Chris Columbus Handled Harry Potter Kids Like No One Else
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer Stone was not the first movie where Chris Columbus was dealing with his younger generation. He had already directed The Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting, and even two parts of Home Alone. Thus, he had a natural edge over other Harry Potter directors.
When it came to his part in the first movie, Columbus was almost perfect in controlling the kids. In a behind-the-scenes clip from the movie, he is seen instructing kids in a manner that makes every viewer listen like a kid themself.
“Do not eat any of the treats in the middle of the table. They look great on the screen but you will get very sick if you eat them. Only eat things that are in on the plates in front of you” – Chris Columbus instructing all Hogwarts students
For those lacking context, most of the food on Hogwarts’ table was fake plastic food to save on budget.
“The Doors swing open. Quirrel runs in, everybody stops talking and watches Professor Quirrel run down the middle of this aisle. When he faints, everybody panics” – Columbus instructing the Troll in Dungeon scene to kids
Needless to say, the kids did a wonderful job bringing Rowling’s and Columbus’ ideas to screen. While the kids had grown up a bit when Columbus left the role, it would still have been a different experience had he directed all the movies.
Why Did Chris Columbus Leave Harry Potter After The Second Movie?
Chris Columbus left after the second movie due to exhaustion. It was taking a “ridiculously” long time to shoot these movies and Columbus was very tired after the first two parts. He had joined the series with the aim of directing all parts, but just couldn’t carry on after the first two movies as he revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
“I had to be basically performing with them. So that was why it was so exhausting. I wasn’t just sitting in a director’s chair yelling ‘Cut’ and ‘Action’ and telling my assistant to go over and give them a note. I was physically involved. I think I dropped about 15 pounds on that first movie just from the activity alone.”
Nonetheless, the other directors picked up right from where Columbus left and helped make Harry Potter a global phenomenon.
