Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Trivias

In opening scene in Harry's bedroom, it can be seen in one shot that Harry is lying on a sheet of glass (to allow magical lighting effect) rather than on a sheet.

Emma Thompson accepted the role of Professor Trelawney to impress her four year old daughter, Gaia.

'Alfonso Cuaron' had an idea for there to be tiny people inhabiting Hogwarts, and jumping on piano keys in one scene. J.K. Rowling firmly vetoed it, saying tiny people were completely foreign to the world of her books.

When Dudley is watching television, he is watching "The Generation Game" (1971). We see a contestant put some headphones on, and in the next shot we see the same clip.

Other directors reportedly considered for this installment of the Harry Potter series included Callie Khouri and Kenneth Branagh.

After the death of Richard Harris, many actors were considered for the vacant role of Albus Dumbledore. Christopher Lee was in the frame for a while, and there was a rumor (reported in many newspapers) that Ian McKellen was also considered. Michael Gambon finally got the role.

The effects team spent six months creating the dementors.

Honeydukes "is floor-to-ceiling psychedelia" and includes Mexican skulls made of sugar. The cast was told that the Honeydukes candy was lacquer-coated, when in fact it wasn't, to prevent candy from disappearing between takes.

After the class has finished dealing with the boggart, Harry's scar appears to be on the wrong side. We are seeing his reflection in the mirror on the door of the wardrobe that holds the boggart.

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione are talking to Hagrid about Buckbeak's execution we see Harry get up and walk away from the rock he is sitting on. But in the next shot, Harry is sitting back down on the rock.

During his conversation with Fudge, Harry's arm switches position on the back of the chair.

When Harry is interrogated by Professor Snape about the Marauder's Map in the darkly-lit hallway, the drawstrings on Harry's sweatshirt change position. In one shot, they fall parallel, but in the next shot, they criss-cross. Also, when Lupin is talking to Harry in his classroom minutes later, the drawstrings switch from being cris-crossed to falling parallel between shots.

Illusionist Paul Kieve served as a consultant. He taught magic to several members of the cast including Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson (Harry and Hermione) and worked extensively to create physical magical effects. He is the first illusionist to have worked on any of the series of films. He is also to make a cameo appearance in the film in a scene in the Three Broomsticks pub.

Filming was halted following the vandalization of the train used as the Hogwarts Express.

The set for Honeydukes was previously been used for Olivander's Wand Shop in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001).

David Thewlis was originally considered to play Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001).

The film was offered to director Guillermo del Toro but he opted to do Hellboy (2004) instead.

Marc Forster was offered the job of directing this film but declined and did Finding Neverland (2004) instead.

'Emma Thompson (I)' accepted the role of Professor Trelawney to impress her four year old daughter, Gaia.

Gary Oldman says he accepted the role of Sirius Black because he "needed the work". He hadn't acted for over a year. His last film was Sin (2003/I) (V), which was filmed in 2002.

Alfonso Cuarón coached Daniel Radcliffe in one scene where the latter had to act awed: "Pretend you're seeing Cameron Diaz in a G-string". It worked.

A clause in Cuarón's contract forbade the director from cursing in front of the kids on set.

Cameo: [Ian Brown] the singer (formerly of the Stone Roses) appears briefly in the bar at the start of the movie reading "A Brief History of Time". He was originally cast as the pub landlord, but the role was cut right down due to timing issues.

Executive producer Chris Columbus (who directed the first two films) offered the role of director to Alfonso Cuarón after watching Cuarón's A Little Princess (1995).

When we see the Marauder's Map for the first time, the name 'Newt Scamander' can be seen. In the Harry Potter universe, he wrote the book "Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them", but isn't a teacher at Hogwarts.

Because he would be overseeing this film's post-production work, director Alfonso Cuarón declined the offer to direct Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005). Mike Newell was then chosen by Warner Brothers.

The German subsidary of Warner Bros. tried to cut down the film (as they did with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)) to secure a more commercial "Not under 6" rating. They submitted several versions but all were rejected by the German ratings board FSK for this rating. In the end the uncut version was released with a "Not under 12" rating.

Broke UK box office records when it grossed £5.3 million in its opening day of release on 31 May 2004, making it the biggest opening day and single day of all time.

The spot on Harry's shirt in the finale moves from a large, dark spot over his breastbone to a less distinct spot over his right ribcage.

The bulge of Emma Watson's microphone battery-pack is clearly visible under the back of her pink hoodie as Hermione and Harry head down to Hagrids hut, just after they move away from the stairs where Malfoy and his cronies are running up.

When Harry is bowing to Buckbeak in the pumpkin patch near the end of the movie, you can see the bulge of his microphone battery pack, which is under the back of his sweatshirt.

You can sometimes see lighting devices reflected in the characters' glasses. As Harry is telling Hagrid "It'll be fine" as they are hurrying out the door, you can see lighting equipment reflected in Harry's glasses. Also, in Trelawney's first class, you can see similar lighting equipment reflected in her glasses.

In Hagrid's hut the first time, Hermione open's the back door to leave and sticks her head out before Hagrid opens the front door to let in Dumbuldore and Fudge. When time is turned, you can clearly see that Hagrid opens the front door before Hermione opens the back door.

When they're in the Shrieking Shack, Ron is pointing as he says "He's an animagus!" however, his hand then goes from pointing to holding Scabbers between shots.

On the train, the bottle of water is on the left-hand side of the tray. However, when the bottle of water starts freezing, it is in the center of the tray. After the Dementor attack, it is on the left of the tray again.

When the Whomping Willow hits Harry and Hermione, they land on the grass hard. However, as Hermione gets up, she pushes down on the grass they are on, and you can tell that it is separate from the rest of the grass around them. They obviously landed on a softened mat rather than the regular ground.

In the hut, when the rock comes flying in the window, it breaks the urn into three large pieces. When we see it broken again later, it breaks into several small pieces.

When Lupin is talking to Harry about Harry's parents a piece of lighting equipment is reflected in Harry's glasses.

Warner Brothers supplied ushers at cinemas with night vision goggles to prevent illegal recording and pirating of the film.

On the fountain in the courtyard exit to Hogsmeade, there are several statues of Eagles eating snakes. This is a commemoration to director Alfonso Cuarón and his mexican heritage, as the exact image appears on the Mexican flag.

The rating in the Netherlands for this film is "not under 9". This rating was created especially for the film, since it was judged to be too scary for 6 year olds and the next rating, "not under 12", would exclude too much of the target audience.

Aware of his fondness for music, Gary Oldman presented Daniel Radcliffe with a bass guitar as a gift when they met.

In order to acquaint himself with his three lead actors, director Alfonso Cuarón had each of them write an essay about their characters, from a first-person point of view. Emma Watson, in true Hermione fashion, went a little overboard and wrote an 16 page essay. Daniel Radcliffe wrote a simple one-page summary, and Rupert Grint never even turned his in.

When Harry blows up his aunt, you can see the cables that she is attached to.

In the Shrieking Shack, just before Lupin and Sirius point their wands at Peter, a blue piece of tape is visible on Peter's "missing" finger, meaning the visual effect to remove it wasn't done for that particular shot.

In the Shrieking Shack, when Peter Pettigrew is kneeling and begging for mercy, he has all ten fingers (as opposed to the nine he should have) splayed on the ground in front of him.

When the DADA class lines up to each have a go at the ridiculus Charm, Seamus clearly behind Ron in the queue, followed by Harry. Once Ron ends his turn, Parvati is then next (not Seamus), followed by Harry.

The mud on Hermione's trousers changes throughout the time-turner scene.

During the first Divination lesson, Professor Trelawney picks up Neville's cup from the table in front of Dean Thomas, comments on it, puts it back on its saucer and moves on. Immediately afterwards Neville grabs the same cup now standing directly on the tablecloth.

After the dementors attack the train, Harry stares out the window at his reflection. You can see the camera (and its green light) reflected in the glass as well.

In the scene where Harry is given the Maruader's Map by the Weasley twins, the name "Moony" is misspelled as "Mooney". While not really a mistake, there is still an interesting connection. The film's visual effects supervisor is named Karl Mooney. The spelling was changed deliberately for the in-joke.

The lyrics to the song the choir sings in the Great Hall, "Double, Double; Toil and Trouble..." are from William Shakespeare's Macbeth (Act 4, Scene 1). In Macbeth, these words are recited by three witches casting a spell to foretell the murderous and treacherous Scottish king's future. As the story goes, Shakespeare "borrowed" these lines from real witches, who in turn cursed the play... the reason why the word "Macbeth" is considered bad luck if uttered in a theatre.

When Harry, Hermione, and Ron are returning to the school from Hagrid's hut when after witnessing Buckbeak's execution, Hermione hugs Ron and Harry hugs Hermione - a reference to Cuarón's movie Y tu mamá también (2001).

The set for the sequence where Professor Lupin teaches Harry to defend against the dementors previously served as Dumbledore's office in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)

When the Boggart takes the form of a giant snake, the "snake pit" theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is worked into the soundtrack by John Williams who also did the music for that film.

When Snape is filling in for Lupin in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Hermione's Time Turner changes from hanging over her robe, to under, then over again between shots.

On the Knight Bus, as Stan Shunpike holds the newspaper in his hands the position of the hat on his head changes between shots.

In the latter part of the movie, when a cloud moves to reveal the full moon, Harry and Hermione's faces light up as though a light shines directly in front of them. The moon however, is to their right.

In the CoMC class, when Harry is approaching Buckbeak, Ron is behind him. Sometimes he has his "Monster Book of Monsters" under his left arm, and sometimes the book is missing.

When Seamus and Harry are trying to get into Gryffindor and the Fat Lady finally stops singing after breaking her glass, the portrait swings into the room. The following shot showing Harry and the rest from the inside clearly shows the Fat Lady portrait/door swinging the other way.

In Trelawney's class when Ron says, "You're going to suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it," you can see Hermione in the background moving her lips to the words.

During the credits on the Marauder's Map watch for: Footprints that turn into paw prints; footprints that chase other footprints; cat prints that chase owl prints; extra-large footprints by Robbie Coltrane's credit; footprints that take special interest in the closing credits' creator; two pairs of footprints in a scandalous configuration in a corner turret; footprints that scurry away when the page covering them is lifted; footprints that get stuck in an alcove; footprints that walk into a room labeled "The Grindylow Lagoon," then sink; and Hogsmeade landmarks, including the Book of Monster's (sic) Repair Shop and The Stink Bomb Shop; toward the end, footprints can be seen playing hopscotch. By the listing for the song "La cumparsita" (The song played in the TV Show that Dudley Dursley is watching after Aunt Marge has flown out the window) a set of footprints can be seen tapping one of their feet.

Director Cameo: [Alfonso Cuarón] the man seated holding two lit candles when Harry enters Madame Rosmerta's Tavern.

Alfonso Cuarón had never read the Harry Potter books or seen the first two movies when he was offered the job of director.

Sir Cadogan, played by Paul Whitehouse, was cut almost completely out of the film. You do still see Sir Cadogan jump into the shot of Ron, Harry and Hermione right after Ginny tells them the Fat Lady is gone. He appears in a picture behind them.

A fire near the Glenfinnan viaduct in Scotland delayed filming of the Hogwarts Express scenes for a day.

Two Knight Buses were built: one for exterior shots and one for interior shots.

At Hagrid's hut, after Harry, Ron, and Hermione sneak out the back and are hiding behind the pumpkins, when Hermione turns and looks over her shoulder at the sound of the breaking branch, as they go to leave, she turns back around to face the cabin before heading off to her left. When 'time turned Harry and Hermione' are watching themselves, when Hermione turns and looks behind her, she continues turning to her right to leave, never facing the cabin.

Lupin changes position between shots shortly before Harry takes his turn to fight the boggart.

When Harry and Hermione are hiding from the werewolf, and they back away from a tree, Hermione is 2-3 steps behind Harry and closest to the werewolf. In the next shot, she is in front of Harry as he puts his arm around her to protect her.

In the finale, when Harry passes out (the first time,) he stays conscious long enough to see the light of the patronus fade, therefore, he sees himself. When time-turned, however, he passes out before the light of the patronus fades.

The Slytherin table is at one end of the hall, in front of the entrance. Whereas the Gryffindor table is at the other end. But during the feast they are shown right behind each other.

When Dudley is watching T.V. at dinner time, the T.V. starts of on the left side of the Aunt and then it cuts back and the T.V. is on the right side of the Aunt and then it cuts back again and it is back on the left side of her again. * there are actually two televisions, one in the dining room and the other in the conservatory, so either television would have been seen in the camera view. When Dudley is watching T.V. at dinner time, the T.V. starts of on the left side of the Aunt and then it cuts back and the T.V. is on the right side of the Aunt and then it cuts back again and it is back on the left side of her again.

Harry's grip on Buckbeak when they fly early in the movie changes between shots when they pull in for a close-up.

When Hermione jumps over the branch of the Whomping Willow, you can see the cables pulling her up.

Ian McKellen turned down the role of Dumbledore. Having appeared as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings, he said, "I had enough trouble living up to one legend. Two would be too much to hope for."

Ron's dream about spiders making him tap-dance is a two-in-one reference of the next book. In 'Goblet of Fire' there is an unforgivable curse where you can control what someone does, taught by Professor Moody. He makes a spider tap-dance on the desk.

Prior to its release, material related to the film was labeled with the code title "Radiator Blues".

Professor Dumbledore seemingly stalls the executioner by saying that he needs to sign the execution order, and that he has "a very long name". In the book "Order of the Phoenix", his full name is revealed to be Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

During the scene where we first meet Buckbeak the Hippogriff, just after Ron pushes Harry forward there is a shot of the animal pooping. The CGI team believes this might be the first example of a CGI animal doing this, but the BBC miniseries "Walking with Dinosaurs" (1999) had done it first.

After Dumbledore says his final lines outside the infirmary, he goes down the stairs humming La Raspa, the Mexican hat dance.

Ron's pimples move about his face from one shot to the next.

Alfonso Cuaron had an idea for there to be tiny people inhabiting Hogwarts, and jumping on piano keys in one scene. J.K. Rowling firmly vetoed it, saying tiny people were completely foreign to the world of her books.

In the classroom scene where Lupin (David Thewlis) puts on a gramophone while the students fight a Boggart, we see a close-up of the gramophone, and on it is the word 'Thewlis'.

When Chris Columbus was still slated to direct, Robson Green was considered for the role of Sirius Black.

When the train stops and Harry standing in the doorway, the train jolts hard enough for Harry to fall back into his seat, yet the bottle on the tray doesn't move at all.

In Hogsmeade, Draco Malfoy flinches before being hit by Harry's snowball.

The tune played on the gramophone during the Boggart scene is Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing" which also appeared in 1941 (1979).

The lyrics in the song sung by the Hogwarts choir, "Something Wicked This Way Comes", are taken from William Shakespeare's "Macbeth".

When Hermione angrily knocks over the crystal ball during the last Divination scene, a red and black tube can be seen jutting out of its side.

When Hermione attacks Malfoy, her wand is in her right hand but she punches him with her right hand shortly after with no indication of any switching.

Musician Ian Brown makes a cameo appearance as a wizard in The Leaky Cauldron reading A Brief History of Time.

The score was composed and conducted by John Williams and released on CD on May 25, 2004.

The set of Honeydukes seen in this film is a redress of the set of Flourish and Blotts seen in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, which, in turn, was a redress of the set of Ollivander's from the first film. This means the same set was used in all three films, but it was used as a different location in each.

The film broke several opening records around the world upon its release, including the top grossing film in UK film history, and made approximately $US 35.1m in its first 3 days, totaling $US 158.1m in ten days. As of September 28, the film had grossed $US 785m worldwide.

In the Netherlands the film was given a special rating of 9.

Some may think the OFLC (Office of Film and Literature Classification, Australia) was right to rate this movie M (The equivalent to the MPAA's PG-13 classification) at first, but the rating was lowered to PG on appeal.

David Thewlis, who plays Professor Lupin, was an original choice to play Professor Quirrell in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

J. K. Rowling said she "got goosebumps" from seeing this film because it contained things that inadvertently foreshadowed information to be revealed in coming books. This comment has created speculation among fans as to what these things might be.

The dementors were inspired by nightmares J.K. Rowling had as a teenager.