Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001)
The film begins with Professor Albus Dumbledore and Professor Minerva McGonagall meeting on November 1, 1981, on Privet Drive in Little Whinging, a town on the outskirts of Surrey, England. The two wizards discuss the latest events in the magical world. Voldemort, the most powerful dark wizard of all time, has finally been defeated. Unfortunately, he killed Lily and James Potter before his downfall. Their one-year-old son, Harry, miraculously survived, bearing a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. Harry is prophesied to become a legend in the wizarding world, The Boy Who Lived. According to Dumbledore, Harry needs to stay as far away as possible from the magical world, where premature fame and attention could overwhelm him.
Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, a half-giant, and a close friend of Dumbledore, brings the Potters’ child to the two professors.
Harry is left with Muggles—his maternal relatives, Petunia and her husband Vernon. The Dursleys have their own son, Dudley, who is spoiled and obnoxious.
The Dursleys despise all things magical and hide Harry’s magical abilities from him, instead telling him that his parents died in a car accident. They treat Harry poorly—for instance, he sleeps in a cupboard under the stairs, where spiders live. On Dudley's birthday, the family visits the zoo. In the reptile house, Harry unexpectedly communicates with a boa constrictor. Dudley, fascinated by the "tricks the snake is doing," rushes to the enclosure and pushes Harry so hard that he falls. At that moment, the glass of the enclosure vanishes, and the snake escapes, thanking Harry for its freedom. Dudley ends up trapped in the enclosure where the snake was, as the glass reappears.
Before Harry’s eleventh birthday, he starts receiving strange letters in increasing quantities. These letters, as it turns out, are invitations to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Dursleys prevent Harry from reading the letters and take him to a small island, but Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper, arrives and reveals the truth about the magical world and Harry’s parents. The Dursleys are adamant that Harry should not attend Hogwarts, fearing he will become "one of THOSE" and "disappear like his parents." Vernon speaks disparagingly of Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts. An enraged Hagrid retaliates by casting a spell with his umbrella, giving Dudley a pig's tail.
Hagrid takes Harry to London. At the Leaky Cauldron, Harry meets Professor Quirinus Quirrell, the nervous and stammering Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. From the pub, they enter Diagon Alley, the main street of the magical quarter, where Harry first visits Gringotts Wizarding Bank to access the money left to him by his parents. He then purchases everything he needs for his studies and receives a pet owl as a birthday gift from Hagrid. Harry also learns about Voldemort, the dark wizard responsible for his parents' deaths, who vanished years ago but is still feared by many.
In Ollivander's wand shop, Harry discovers a unique connection to Voldemort—their wands contain feathers from the same phoenix.
After visiting Diagon Alley, Harry heads to Hogwarts to learn the art of magic. On the train, he befriends Ron Weasley, a boy from a poor wizarding family, and later meets Hermione Granger, an initially bossy know-it-all who enters their compartment looking for Neville Longbottom's lost toad.
Upon arriving at Hogwarts, new students are sorted into one of four houses using a sentient Sorting Hat, which once belonged to Godric Gryffindor, one of the school’s founders. The houses have distinct characteristics: Slytherin values ambition, Ravenclaw prizes intelligence and wisdom, Gryffindor cherishes bravery, and Hufflepuff is for the honest, fair, and hardworking (or those who don’t fit elsewhere). The Sorting Hat finds it difficult to place Harry but ultimately assigns him to Gryffindor at his mental insistence not to join Slytherin. Ron and Hermione also join Gryffindor, while the arrogant and hostile Draco Malfoy ends up in Slytherin.
As Harry studies at Hogwarts, he learns more about the wizarding world, his past, and his parents. Among other things, the wizarding newspaper *The Daily Prophet* reports an attempted break-in at Gringotts Bank on the same day Harry and Hagrid visited. The targeted vault, which the intruder sought, had already been emptied by its owner. Harry, Ron, and Hermione grow suspicious.
Neville Longbottom struggles during a flying lesson, falling and breaking his wrist. Madam Hooch takes him to the hospital wing, and Draco Malfoy steals Neville’s Remembrall. Harry chases Malfoy on a broomstick and retrieves the stolen item, showcasing remarkable flying skills. Instead of being punished, Harry is invited by Professor McGonagall to join the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Seeker, the youngest player in a century. Oliver Wood, the team captain and Keeper, teaches Harry the basics of the sport.
In Charms class with Professor Flitwick, Hermione successfully performs the Levitation Charm on a feather, while Ron struggles. After class, Ron comments that no one wants to be friends with Hermione because she is insufferable. Overhearing this, Hermione hides in the girls’ bathroom and cries. Meanwhile, a troll enters the castle and attacks Hermione. Harry and Ron rescue her, defeating the troll with the Levitation Charm, which causes its club to fall on its own head. When the professors arrive, Hermione takes the blame, saying she tried to tackle the troll on her own. Professor McGonagall deducts points from Hermione but rewards Harry and Ron for bravery. This event cements their friendship.
Harry receives a Nimbus 2000 broomstick from Professor McGonagall and helps Gryffindor win a Quidditch match against Slytherin, despite someone (Hermione suspects Snape) trying to jinx his broomstick.
At Christmas, Harry receives an Invisibility Cloak, which once belonged to his father.
Later, Harry discovers the Mirror of Erised, where he sees his parents' reflections and feels drawn to it. Dumbledore eventually advises him to stop seeking the mirror, warning that it can drive people mad by showing them their deepest desires instead of reality.
Earlier in the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione found a three-headed dog named Fluffy guarding a trapdoor in a forbidden corridor. They later learn it protects the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which can turn any metal into gold and create the Elixir of Life. The trio suspects Professor Snape of trying to steal the stone for Voldemort. Their fears deepen when Harry encounters an evil figure in the Forbidden Forest who has killed a unicorn and learns Voldemort is involved.
To prevent the theft, the trio decides to secure the stone themselves. They bypass Fluffy and navigate magical obstacles: Devil's Snare, flying keys, and enchanted chess. Each uses their unique skills—Hermione with spells and knowledge of Herbology, Harry with flying, and Ron with chess strategy. However, Ron is injured during the chess game, and Hermione stays behind to care for him while Harry proceeds alone.
In the final chamber, Harry discovers it is not Snape but Professor Quirrell trying to steal the stone. Quirrell serves Voldemort, who is living as a parasite on the back of Quirrell’s head. Quirrell forces Harry to look into the Mirror of Erised, which reveals the stone in Harry's pocket. Voldemort tries to convince Harry to surrender the stone, promising to revive his parents, but Harry refuses. A battle ensues, and Harry defeats Quirrell, whose body disintegrates upon contact with Harry due to the protective love magic left by Harry’s mother. Voldemort’s spirit escapes, leaving Harry unconscious.
Recovering in the hospital wing, Harry learns from Dumbledore that his mother’s love shielded him from Voldemort. Dumbledore also explains that the Philosopher’s Stone was destroyed to prevent future misuse, though Voldemort may still find other means to return.
At the year-end feast, Gryffindor initially trails in the House Cup standings but wins after Dumbledore awards additional points for recent bravery: 50 points each to Hermione and Ron, 60 to Harry, and 10 to Neville Longbottom for standing up to his friends. Gryffindor secures the House Cup, to the delight of all but the Slytherins.
After the school year ends, Harry departs for the summer, having made friends, learned much, and gained self-confidence.