Documentaries

Emmy Nominations for ” Outstanding ” Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

About Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

The 2022 special Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts has received two Emmy nominations. The reunion debuted on New Years Day on the streaming service HBO Max and was in celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001). Not only did the special see the return of many familiar faces, it saw a return to familiar spaces too as filming of the special took place in the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter.

The special comprises of exclusive interviews and conversations with cast members as they take a retrospective look across the series that changed their lives, as well as the lives of fans all around the world. While the film gives fans another chance to see the magic of Harry Potter that brings along with it a sentimentality, the special is not without its more emotional moments; we’d recommend having a few tissues on standby, especially as Robbie Coltrane recounts his time on the production of the film series and the future impact the film may have on generations to come.

Who do We See?

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), Emma Watson (Hermione Granger), and Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley) all return alongside other notable cast members such as: Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort), Toby Jones (Dobby), Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom), Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley), James Phelps (Fred Weasley), Oliver Phelps (George Weasley), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), Ian Hart (Professor Quirrell), Alfred Enoch (Dean Thomas), Mark Williams (Arthur Weasley), as well as producer David Heyman, and filmmakers Chris Columbus, Mike Newell, David Yates, and Alfonso Cuaron.

The archival footage also features several actors who don’t appear in the special, proving to be a fun opportunity to try and spot as many other of your favourite faces whenever they happen to appear on screen.

We are also treated to narration by Stephen Fry.

Where is J.K. Rowling?

Whilst there is archival footage of the writer featured, she doesn’t make a return herself for the film. Whilst there was speculation that she was intentionally excluded from the special due to controversy, it was also reported that she was invited to feature but felt that the archival footage was enough.

Which Emmy Nominations has the Special Received?

The special has two Emmy nominations:

Outstanding Picture Editing For Variety Programming – 2022

Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) – 2022

The 20th Anniversary special’s competition for Outstanding Picture Editing are:

HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show – “Save My Edges, I’m A Donor!”

TBS’ Conan – “Series Finale”

HBO’s Last Week Tonight With John Oliver – “The Confesstigators (segment)”

Comedy Central’s The Daily Show With Trevor Noah – “Jordan Klepper Takes On “Wellness” Anti-Vaxxers + Fringewatching Rep. Lauren Boebert”

And it’s competition for Outstanding Variety Special are:

CBS’ Adele: One Night Only

Netflix’s Dave Chapelle: The Closer

Netflix’s Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special

CBS’ One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga

These nominations will add to the long list of awards the Harry Potter series has received nominations for, including 24 at the British Academy Film Awards, and 5 at the Grammy Awards. Six of the eight films have also previously been nominated for 12 Academy Awards (Oscars) but did not win any.

Watch the Trailer of Harry Potter 20th Anniversary

Reviews of Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Rotten Tomatoes gave the film 93% on the Tomatometer and 87% Audience Score.

IMDb gave the film a rating of 8/10 and has a popularity of 2,139.

Metacritic gave the film a rating of 65 with a User Score of 6.4.