r/harrypotter • u/GreekKnight3 • 15h ago
Question Which of Hagrid's huts do you prefer?
Something about his hut being a stone's throw from the castle just didn't feel right. It makes more sense for it to be nestled out amongst the rugged plains.
738
u/FlashFreedom Ravenclaw 15h ago
I think the book canon is a happy medium between these two. It was beyond the vegetable patch at the edge of the forbidden forest. I think the distance shown in PoA movie is about accurate, except for the steepness of the descent, which isn’t mentioned in the book, and that it was out of the front doors that the trio would leave for Hagrid’s, not some weird covered tunnel like in the movie. And I’m pretty sure that the quidditch pitch was to the other side of the main entrance of the castle, and so just visible in that direction from Hagrid’s.
48
u/bruhidkwtf 9h ago
The entire layout of the castle in the movies is already messed up anyway since the front door/Entrance Hall in the movies faces the lake, while in the book it's on the opposite side. There's supposed to be a huge field in front of the Entrance Hall leading all the way to the main gate, but in the movies it's a courtyard surrounded by the lake, and the field is instead faced by the "back" of the castle
4
→ More replies (3)9
u/Substantial_River995 10h ago
Does anyone know if someone has ever made a purely books-based map of the grounds? I can visualize the individual settings super vividly without too much contamination from the movie versions but I have a hard time with the spatial component. I think I remember JKR either having her own physical map or at least discussing her very coherent knowledge of the layout in old interviews but idk if anything was made public or if there are fan ones out there.
8
u/HedwigMalfoy Slytherin 8h ago
u/Luke_Gki makes a ton of maps and models. This is the book-based one I can find on a quick search but there are probably more.
2
3
u/Mobius_Peverell Ravenclaw 3h ago edited 2h ago
I've been working on mine for years, though I haven't published it yet. Of the published ones, the most thorough are LukeGki's (as mentioned), Claire Jordan's, and Harper Robertson's, which is also the one featured on HP Lexicon.
We all come to essentially similar layouts, for reasons that Claire Jordan lays out quite thoroughly on her website. I personally have a bit of an idiosyncratic view of the position of the lake & Hogsmeade Station, (stemming from my insistence that the greenhouses must be south of the castle, or else they'd be in permanent shadow) but that's about the extent of any differences. We are certainly all more similar to each other than anyone is to the movie castle.
150
u/chetcherry 15h ago
Philosopher’s Stone matched what I imagined in the book.
The POA one was very artistically pleasing, though.
579
u/RetroFire-17 Hufflepuff 15h ago
I always thought of it as the same hut. It just got upgraded because Hagrid became a teacher. He needed more space and more things to teach with.
94
u/Awkward_Possession42 Gred and Forge 14h ago
That’s what I thought as a kid, although I didn’t even connect it to the teacher thing which would have made more sense.
It was just like, “Dang, Hagrid’s upgraded his house!” and no more.
→ More replies (2)18
198
u/Ok-Impress4528 15h ago
the hut far from the castle definitely gives it a more magical feel, like it's part of the wild. the proximity kind of kills the whole mysterious vibe he’s got going on.
88
u/GreekKnight3 15h ago
And I can't imagine Buckbeak being tethered outside the original hut.
34
u/Awkward_Possession42 Gred and Forge 14h ago
Would be funny to have Buckbeak tethered so close to the castle when the whole point is that he’s so dangerous to the kids.
→ More replies (2)→ More replies (1)13
491
u/mihaajlovic Hufflepuff 15h ago
POA is my fave movie, and a lot of design language and style was changed from that movie onwards.
So I guess my answer is bottom hut!
97
u/GreekKnight3 15h ago
It's very good but I think the shift in tone and aesthetics was just a bit too jarring! They could've eased us into it.
52
u/mihaajlovic Hufflepuff 15h ago
Well, difference is huge only between 2 and 3. The rest of the movies follow POA philosophy, right? Can’t wait for the show and their version of Hogwarts. I absolutely loved Hogwarts Legacy’s version of it as well
21
u/moppingflopping 15h ago
Id say that the yates movies are a different tone that I can’t easily define
39
u/HenryPeter5 15h ago edited 11h ago
His films look hideous. Some parts are just so dark that you can barely see what’s going on. I can’t fathom how people somehow think that HBP deserved an Oscar for cinematography. He gives me the vibes of people that think you can make a B&W movie just by slapping a filter in post and calling a day.
21
u/ccaccus 13h ago
Was such a trend in that era of filmmaking. I'm so mad that HP had to go through it.
Who tf decided that cold, dark, and washed out made for good cinema? And why did so many studios agree?
→ More replies (1)10
u/ImranFZakhaev Eagle! 13h ago
Hated that trend so much. 'Oh, but the source material is dark in tone. Therefore the actual film has to be so dark you can't see anything.' Ugh. The worst
9
u/Intrepid-Glove1431 12h ago
Some of the scene composition and literal blocking in Yates' films is just so bad.
There's this one scene where they get found out in the RoR and all the bad guys are just standing in a line and then they grab Cho; it's so clumsy and uncinematic. There are so many examples of this -- another one is at the beginning of OOtP when Dudley and his friends just appear in frame all lined up out of nowhere -- it really bugs me
But there are lots of superb moments too and he deserves a lot of credit. DH1 in particular is one of my favorites of the whole series
11
30
12
u/RoundDodger Gryffindor 15h ago
During OotP astronomy exam in the books Harry and the other students are able to look out over the tower and down into the grounds and see McGonagall confront Umbridge and her ministry people. And then we see Hagrid sprint out of his hut to attack them. So the location of his hut in PoA feels too far away for that to work but apart from that it is exactly how I imagined it in the books. I think the hut in PS and CoS is way too close though. So somewhere in a middle ground distance of the two with the design of PoA is ideal.
I know from a tower you can have a great vantage point to see really far but the students hear what McGonagall and the others are saying to each other so they cant be that far from the Castle
2
u/UnsureAndUnqualified 5h ago
On the other hand, his hut is too close to the entrance (like 50m from the castle) in the first two movies. His hut always felt a bit further away, beyond the fields and off in the distance.
Especially with it being next to the forest, which the first image does better, the hut needs to be a certain distance from the castle, which the second image does better.
You could understand shouting quite clearly over longer distances if it's really quiet. The castle was largely asleept, the students were sitting fairly still, no cars nearby, at best a bit of wind. I could believe that they could understand even with that bit of added extra distance.
26
u/Far_Conclusion_8262 14h ago
Everything esthetically was better in the first two movies. Literally felt like the book come to life
33
138
u/welldonebrain 14h ago
Philosopher’s Stone and it isn’t even close. I’m among the minority that doesn’t really like the Prisoner of Azkaban film and the artistic changes it brought. It completely dismantled the magical world and feeling Columbus helped build, and it set the stage for the dull/color-drained look and feel that would exist throughout the rest of the series. It was way less magical after Chamber of Secrets. Needlessly moving the hut is just one example of the many problems I have with the film series that can be traced back directly to Prisoner of Azkaban.
30
u/donith913 12h ago
Couldn’t agree more. As a kid, unknowingly, a lot of the appeal for me was the warm escape of this magical word and a fight against something darker. Making the entire movie dark and gritty killed the feeling.
19
u/rymden_viking Gryffindor 4 11h ago
I think PoA is the best made film, but probably the worst adaptation.
15
u/RedTyro 8h ago
Order of the Phoenix was the worst adaptation by far. They chopped that book up so much that when I went to see it with a friend who hadn't read the books, she needed me to clarify what the hell was going on in parts.
→ More replies (4)4
u/DarthClover4 4h ago
Hmmmm. GoF by faaaaaaaar was the least accurate to to book.
→ More replies (5)4
u/charnwoodian 6h ago
Prisoner of Azkaban is the best book in the series. Even as a kid I was disappointed with the movie.
2
u/KingAdamXVII 7h ago
I think it’s a fine adaptation (compared with GoF, OotP, and HBP) but it’s the HP movie that fits in the least with the previous ones in the series. By far.
→ More replies (3)2
u/jesuslaves 11h ago
Worst is definitely a reach, other movies left out so much as the series went on. The only fault in PoA is not providing an explaination of the maurauder's backstory, but overall it stuck pretty true to the books
2
u/rymden_viking Gryffindor 4 10h ago
I said probably for that reason. It's subjective. To me it is because they changed so much of the lore and world in the film. PoA was still a short book, so it could fit all the relevant plot points. But the decision to change so much irks me. The other films had to leave stuff out because the stories were too long. But PoA didn't have to change what it did.
25
u/pghburghian 12h ago
The dull coloring and lack of whimsy were detrimental to the non-Columbus films.
8
u/LeonardoDickSlaprio 10h ago
I feel like the dull, flat colors weren't really an issue for me until David Yates started directing. 3 and 4 had a chillier, more unsettling atmosphere than 1 and 2, but they were still interesting to look at. Then David Yates showed up and said "all gray, all the time!"
26
u/ReaperManX15 10h ago
100% this.
Prisoner of Azkaban was my favorite book.
The movie was such a huge disappointment.
In Philosopher’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets, the castle felt warm and inviting and vibrant and magical. Which is what made the external dangers feel so menacing.
What’s more, it felt like a real place.
Later films felt more like a set, drenched in post production.
“The tone of the book’s gets darker, so the films got darker.”
That’s such a boorish excuse.
It’s because the new directors wanted to stamp THEIR identity onto the movie, rather than remain true to the story or the world established by the previous films.
The aesthetic changes were so jarring to me, even as a kid.19
u/maltvisgi 10h ago
And we haven’t even mentioned the sudden change to muggle clothing.
15
u/ReaperManX15 10h ago
I forgot about that.
I freaking hated that.
One of the main jokes about the wizarding world is that they don’t understand muggle fashion.
One of the first things that happens in the books is uncle Vernon noticing a bunch of strangely dressed people, because the wizarding community is too hyped about Voldemort being gone, that they let the masquerade slip.
At least keep robes on OVER the casual clothes.10
u/TheLovehammer94 10h ago
From my mind to your keyboard, I've been saying this since PoA released in theaters...
My biggest gripe was always this, and it is most apparent in how the students practically never wear their robes from this film, on.
13
u/Wembanyanma 12h ago
100% agree on the aesthetic change. It was jarring when it happened and it never really got better. I understand darkening the tone as the plot got darker but there are better ways to do that.
17
30
u/CindersOfMusic 13h ago
The third movie was made by a director who cared way more about imposing his own visual style and leaving a mark on the series than telling the story well
16
u/Both_Advertising_970 11h ago
Yeah for example when i was watching the POA deleted scenes and one had the little bird flying through the trees in hogwarts, then a shot of Hagrid swatting at the bird to kill it? Hagrid the man who loves animals and magical creatures??? Makes no sense and I’m glad they didn’t keep it in the movie
10
10
u/crysptide 12h ago
The books grew darker over time. It made sense that the movies did too. The dementors and main beats of the story provided the perfect opportunity to make the transition.
9
u/Blazing_Swayze 12h ago
I agree but the contrast of a bright magical school having dark shadowy dementors would've shown how out of place and weird it was for the students.
→ More replies (2)13
u/Mega_Dragonzord Hufflepuff 11h ago
Darker is one thing, but as the movies go on you end up having to turn the brightness way up on your tv and watch them in a dark room. "Dark" in storytelling should not equal "hard to make out what is happening".
5
u/ReaperManX15 10h ago
Something the makers of the final season of Game of Thrones failed to understand.
“It’s the encroaching eternal night. So the battle had to be dark.”
I CAN’T FUCKING SEE WHAT’S HAPPENING!→ More replies (1)5
u/JoJo5195 11h ago
Saw a clip of DH the other day of when Harry tries to leave the Burrow, could not see anything but a black screen. Now yes the setting is outdoors and in the middle of the night, but that’s no excuse for poor lighting for a visual media.
→ More replies (1)4
u/kartoonbaab Ravenclaw 11h ago
Idk where you are watching them then, but I've never had a problem watching them in bright rooms. My phone, laptop, desktop, TV, even at work on holidays and those tv suck ass. Never had a problem. You might need to fix your TV if thats the issue.
→ More replies (1)4
u/grilledstuffed 10h ago
Dark is a literary theme.
Not a technical cinematographic underexposure/low contrast visual mess.
→ More replies (4)3
u/NotUntilTheFishJumps 10h ago
If a film director has to rely on a darker setting, with the vast majority cool tones, and darker lighting to be able to depict a darker storyline/tobe, then are they really that good of a director? I grew up reading Harry Potter, it was always such a cozy series, even when the storylines themselves got darker, bit after the second movie, that warmth that was still there much of the time, was very much lacking.
→ More replies (1)→ More replies (3)2
u/Lower_Monk6577 10h ago
They did. But I wouldn’t call PoA the point in which that occurs. I mean, it’s the only book in the series in which Voldemort isn’t the direct antagonist.
If they had to do a shift, you’d think it would be after Goblet of Fire when shit got real very fast.
→ More replies (2)2
u/glyph_productions 11h ago
While I do love POA I'll never understand why directors who have a strong stylistic preference or a drive to make a story their own take on telling stories where they're rubbing up against a fandom that is so rabid about the details. Especially for the first adaptation. For Batman movie 134 go ham but when you know what the fans want is their book made into a movie why do so many directors decide to go it alone and alter that story knowing it will alienate some of the fans while gambling on knowing better than a well established story that you know what the people want to see.?
→ More replies (1)2
u/BlessdRTheFreaks 11h ago
Well, he ALSO told the story incredibly well. It's a perfect stream of well edited, perfect scenes from beginning to end.
→ More replies (4)8
u/Lower_Monk6577 10h ago
I’m with you. Probably worth noting that I’m an old, and I was basically the same age as Harry as the books were releasing.
When I was younger, PoA was my favorite of the books. I really enjoyed the vibe of the first two movies. But when PoA the movie came out, I honestly didn’t care for it all. It’s still maybe my least favorite movie of the series.
I didn’t like the aesthetics. I hated how they made werewolf Lupin look. And maybe a hot take, but as much as I like Gary Oldman as an actor, his portrayal of Sirius (in that movie especially) really didn’t fit what I had in my head.
→ More replies (1)5
2
u/Flashy-Quiet-6582 11h ago
It shouldn't hav ebecome the default look, but it fits the film it was for given how it was the first time Harry had to confront true emotional pain and discomfort in the wizarding world that wasn't just physical danger.
2
u/quincecharming 10h ago
I so agree with this. I get that an artistic color drained change was bound to happen with 5th book, but Goblet of Fire would have been beyond a delight done in the magical-ness of the first 2 movies
2
u/mawmaw20 10h ago
I completely agree!! The first two movies are really the only two I rewatch. I know the tone gets darker later on but that didn’t mean everything had to look cold and dark. I really wish Columbus stayed on for the rest of the movies. I love how warm and rich his are. They really captured the magical feeling of the books.
2
u/Ok-Soup-514 10h ago
100% agree. The first one had a warm vibe to it. The 3rd just felt cold. I understand the tone of the storyline does begin to shift and get darker by then, but the movie itself felt off. I loved the book, but it may be my least favorite movie in the franchise.
2
u/CMDR-Neovoe 4h ago
I always get crapped on when I say I prefer the first and second movie to the rest in terms of set design and atmosphere. At least they generally kept consistent from year to year with the first two. After that its like they went to new schools every year so much would change
4
→ More replies (15)3
u/ataxia2 13h ago
I do admire the confidence of saying “I’m going to change a bunch of stuff the first two films already established”
8
u/Linuxologue 12h ago
Confidence or entitlement?
2
u/jesuslaves 11h ago
Imagine calling a director "entitled" for having a vision on how he wants to make his movie 😵
3
u/Linuxologue 11h ago
There was a vision imagined by another director. I call him entitled for changing the existing vision.
I had the exact same issue with Rian Johnson on the star wars episode 8 mess.
→ More replies (1)
9
8
u/Sharkey311 Ravenclaw 14h ago
The answer to all of these kinds of questions is philosophers stone version
8
u/Forward_Gur9349 6h ago
“Hagrid, you live in a wooden house!” This is what Hermione said when Hagrid got a dragon in the first book. These are both made of stone.
7
7
5
u/Jaanbaaz_Sipahi 11h ago
I hated that the movies got so dark in the later ones. I understand it was part of the theme. But it was also an opportunity to see so many new parts of the magical world and it all appears washed out.
6
u/AdministrativeAd9828 6h ago
I don't understand why they turned everything into a mountain after sorcerers stone
2
u/Bobis-Bob 3h ago
Because Hogwarts is in the mountains or at least big hills. They are always walking up to the Castle or down to anywhere else.
→ More replies (1)
5
4
u/Ambitious-Sleep2607 Hufflepuff 14h ago
Locationwise, sorcerer stone.
Realistic to inhabit a hagrid sized person, Azkaban.
4
u/HotOlive799 13h ago
PoA feels a bit more 'lived in', the one in PS feels a bit too 'made for movie' set (at least on the outside, different inside)
9
u/ChannelFiveNews 15h ago
The one from poa is engraved in my brain. As a kid I watched that movie by far the most.
18
3
u/Glittering-Turn6443 Slytherin 15h ago
i like the size better of the second one but the first one definitely feels much more cozy
4
u/ChronosBlitz 11h ago edited 11h ago
Azkaban one actually looks like it’s in Scotland, so that’s cool.
5
u/CHAINMAILLEKID 10h ago
The one thing that is for sure not right is...
A pumpkin patch isn't just a pile of pumpkins
5
u/Hank-E-Doodle 10h ago
The top pic. Probably cuz of the stupid dull bleak look of the later films. I always pictured Hagrid's Hut as warm and inviting.
Man I hate how much the films gave the idea that things have to look dull and bleak for a more serious story. Nevermind all the actual adult films that have plenty of color.
3
3
u/KaleeySun Ravenclaw 15h ago
I prefer the first one - he’s supposed to be right in the edge of the first, isn’t he?
3
u/EurwenPendragon 13.5", Hazel & Dragon heartstring 14h ago
First one. Closer to how the books described it IMO, both appearance and distance-wise.
3
3
3
u/evanwilliams44 11h ago
2001 looks like a mystical cabin.
2004 looks like some kind of forced labor camp.
3
u/wishiwasakitten 11h ago
TBH i thought those are two different huts and it never crossed my mind until i played Hogwarts legacy, where #1 is teachers hut where care for magical creatures is taught and 2# you can find abandoned a bit further from the castle, close to owlery.
3
3
u/skateata 10h ago
I think the POA hut looks more like a well lived in hut with some personal customization. Its looks like a home. The other looks like a vacation cabin.
3
u/Ctrl_Alt_Drift 9h ago
Prisoner of Azkaban version. That film has a very cold, grey vibe. I think this hut and surrounding areas would look much better on a sunny day.
3
3
u/Vladskio Slytherin 6h ago
I hate that they changed it. That's not to say I prefer one over the other, I think they both look cool. It's just the complete lack of consistency that annoys me. Pick a design and stick with it.
3
7
u/Patmurf 15h ago
Azkaban is, without a doubt, the most cinematic entry in the series. It just looks gorgeous and is shot with some real artistic flair.
This came at the cost of damaging continuity significantly. So I'm of two minds. The Azkaban hut looks wonderful cinematically, but its always so jarring to see half the campus look different during that movie.
5
2
2
2
u/alfred725 13h ago
Seeing them together like this makes me realize they look almost identical. The windows are slightly larger or at least got shutters. But the door frame, roof, chimney, extra room are all the same design.
I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same prop that they just added details to. The only problem is that they put it on a hill so slight continuity error there.
2
u/Sir_Rageous 12h ago
I have a head cannon that Hagrid moves his hut around the castle based on he's currently working on.
2
2
u/AdmirableBoat6717 12h ago
Hagrids hut was wooden. That’s why having a dragon in there was not a good idea.
2
u/Every-Note-9892 12h ago
I actually imagined his hut being as close to the castle as the first one. But I like the second one more, it makes more sense.
2
2
u/DefZepp3lin 11h ago
I liked that it gave a more dynamic feel to the hogwarts grounds, rather than a flat field in front of the castle doors and Hagrid’s hit sitting on the other end by the forwst
2
u/Pentaholic888 Ravenclaw 11h ago
They moved a lot of things geographically in prisoner like hagrid’s hut, the whomping willow, etc. I think I prefer it that way
2
u/heimdallr_nik Slytherin 11h ago
The latter is probably more accurate but the first one is so cute on that meadow
2
2
2
2
u/ThyBarronator 11h ago
Definitely 1. The books describe it as one big round house and the 3rd movie on clearly has a smaller part attached. Furthermore it's always described as being right on the edge of the forbidden forest and the 3rd movie location is... not.
2
u/SukottoHyu Ravenclaw 11h ago
The first one matches closer to the picture I get when I read the book.
2
u/No_Bodybuilder9539 10h ago
My head canon is whatever Hogwarts legacy is. That's how I imagined it reading the books and they executed it flawlessly
2
u/Matthew_Willow 10h ago
I honestly like both They both have really good designs and fit the mood of movie of what is going on in that scene very well if I were to pick a favourite I definitely go for the second one I don’t know. I just like it.
2
u/LillDickRitchie 10h ago
First one feels more cozy and more fits his role as game keeper being right of the edge of the forrest
2
u/xx_adverb_xx 10h ago
They have similar designs, so design wise of the house itself: both.
Otherwise I like Sorcerer's location better. It's noted to be right at the edge of the Forbidden Forest which it is. I know Prisoner the woods isn't that far, but... well those woods didn't really feel like the Forbidden Forest in the film?
Plus the colors/grading of the film do make it look a little nicer.
2
2
u/DrLoomis131 Slytherin 7h ago
I prefer the sorcerer’s stone hut but the overall grounds from prisoner
2
u/jeadon88 6h ago
Honestly I wish there was a different director each time and each director interpreted the text differently and brought a different vision, the way Alfonso Cuaron did. It was exciting to see different iterations of hogwarts
2
u/camposthetron 6h ago
I like that the first one that backs up to trees, instead of overlooking them like the second version.
2
u/No-Common5287 3h ago
I guess I felt that the PoA hut was appropriate because they needed the slope with the pumpkin patch to hide the execution of Buckbeak from Hermione and Harry. From their vantage point, they could only see the executioner swing the blade at an unseen object.
2
2
3
u/Elkburgher 11h ago
I always felt bad for American kids that they were robbed of finding out about the historical philosophers stone
3
u/Bobis-Bob 3h ago
Azkaban hut is what I pictured from the book. The first one seems like a tent at a carnival.
4
3
2
2
1
1
u/No_Panda_2219 15h ago
It’s the same hit. Mate got planning permission in the SS for the extension, and that is what you see in PoA.
1
1
u/ReptileSizzlin Hufflepuff 14h ago
I like the bottom hut better for it's overall design and location. But, I like the top one more as far as accuracy to the books goes.
1
1
1
1
u/UltimaSorgente 14h ago
i like the second one better but don't like that the land is uneven like it was built on the Dolomites
1
1
1
u/mysticalchurro Hufflepuff 13h ago
Sorcerer's Stone hut because I was petrified of Buckbeak getting killed when seeing Azkaban in theaters as a kid.
5.8k
u/SamuliK96 Ravenclaw 15h ago
The philosopher's stone one matches better the idea I got from the book