It's the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Movie!

It's been 20 years since Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie premiered November 14, 2001 and the magic still has not faded. Fans, including myself, are still enchanted with the movie that brought the first story to life. Whenever I watch the movie, I feel like good storytelling always seems present no matter how it was adapted from the book. Of course there were a few changes from the book but the film did such a good job of capturing so much of story, themes and characters that are beloved by fans. When I look back at the movie, I can't help being drawn into the story all over again seeing how terrible Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin are to him but getting to celebrate Harry getting to know a magical side of himself that his horrible magic loathing family tried to pretend didn't exist.

I love that as with the book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone perfectly captured the wide-eyed wonder as Harry fully immersed himself in the magical community. As the viewer, you could feel his excitement and wonder when he saw Diagon Alley and finally making his way to Hogwarts where even more wonder awaited him. He never felt more at home than when he was at Hogwarts and meeting new soon to be lifelong friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

To this day, I'm still surprised by the impact the Harry Potter books and movies have made in pop culture and it doesn't look like they're going anywhere. As a fan, I still love both media but it's something about the first story. It's the beginning of a saga which gives you the first glimpse into the magical world and of Harry Potter and his family and friends and the constant and growing threat of Voldemort. The Harry Potter book and movie series may have ended but the story and characters will live on. Happy 20th Anniversary Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone!