when the director is overqualified for the job

#homealone #harrypotter #videoessay

What do the first two Harry Potter movies and the first two Home Alone movies have in common? Quite a lot, actually. Director Chris Columbus made two of the greatest Christmas comedies in the early 90s with Home Alone. But when it came time to direct Harry Potter, it laid a surprisingly firm foundation, from similar protagonists, plot beats, style and tone. Today I'll show off some of those comparisons.

Written & edited by Danny Boyd

Watch the Cinemassacre x Home Alone crossover I referenced here:

Interview links:
‘Home Alone’ Director Chris Columbus Reflects On Film 30 Years Later | TODAY All Day

Chris Columbus Interview: Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone's 20th Anniversary

Chris Columbus on Home Alone, Harry Potter, Gremlins & Christmas Chronicles 2 - Collider Connected

Chris Columbus Talks 20 Years of HARRY POTTER and Why the Series Should Never Be Remade | INTERVIEW

[Advent]

Home Alone and especially the first Harry Potter movie have this "book by the fireplace" coziness to them that really sticks to me.

[cameronmcgee]

This explains why Harry Potter feels like a Christmas movie

[alexalexis]

John Williams is the closest thing we have to a living wizard, and it doesn’t hurt that he uses a wand for part of his work either.

[ronaldeliascorderocalles]

One thing that was really downgraded in HP films is color. The first two have this beautiful colors in every scenario, but by the 8th film there is only green, black, and inbetween. I know its because of the darker atmosphere, but its something I really missed

Edit: Wow, I was just saying that I missed color. I wasnt expecting a Spanish Inquisition

[tochefaruz]

Wish I could live in an alternate reality where Chris directed all 8 movies. He just grasped everything that makes Harry Potter so lovable and made it so incredibly tangible. Yates, on the other hand, by directing the last movies with a lack of color and fun (which the books never stopped having even though things took a dark turn by the way) squeezed all that makes Harry Potter so memorable. They're not terrible movies obviously but wow was the vision so different.

[Veilou]

And when you consider that Daniel Radcliffe and Macaulay Culkin both seem to have real down-to-earth personalities as well, it really ties in with how real the characters of those films feel

[Heidi]

Watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with my 9 year old two weeks ago, and then Home Alone last week and he said during the opening credits: "Hey, this is the Harry Potter music!"

This video is well timed!!

[lysblack]

I truly believe Columbus was the best director of the HP movies, he truly understood the books and characters, it's a shame he didn't work on more of them.

[Gelton]

Absolutely love your work. I'm no cinema snob, but you invigorate a real appreciation for films that I otherwise look past for being just "okay." Chris Columbus isn't my favorite director, but damn if you didn't give me a new level of respect for this guy. It's easy to imagine how badly a movie full of unknown child actors could go in the wrong hands.

[eduardorickrot]

I find it fantastic how all three main kids became accomplished actors. Not just celebrities, but amazing actors doing all kinds of challenging work, and in the case of Daniel Radcliff, using his influence to help smaller and weird projects.
Chris Columbus really chose the right kids.

[Willp]

Richard Harris really embodied the warmness of Dumbledore, something which I feel Michael Gambon was never able to do.

[Snapdragon]

There is a story about the casting for Harry Potter that makes me smile. Apparently he had the three write a report about their respective characters so make sure they understood them. It was supposed to be this quick couple pages. Emma Watson wrote way above the page limits and went into high detail, Daniel Radcliffe wrote a half decent paper, and Rupert Grint didn’t even turn it in. And if that does not show an understanding for the characters I don’t know what does,

[Scrahdabley]

Just recently watched All the Harry Potters again and first ones definitely have a unique feeling to them and feel good to rewatch. While the later ones start feeling like just high budget action movies.

[SkyscannerGuyJr.]

The first two HP have that charm in them. A genuine magical feeling

[ttaylor]

The first 2 HP movies are among my all time favourites, and I am really happy that Chris Columbus finally gets some recognition for his masterful direction. He captured both the wonder and the terror of these stories.

I love how some poeple will say how "mature and dark" the series became later on, and yet some of the imagery and scene direction in the first two movies is still genuenly some of the most terrifying I've ever seen in any movie.

[ArcoFahrenheit]

wait, wait, wait, wait.... the guy that done Home Alone, done Harry Potter too?! How have I never connected these dots before. What a Legend to so many childhoods.

[EatinPaste]

Every now and then I think about how wild in comparison (to what we got) it would have been for Chris to have done all the Harry Potter movies. There's this certain charm and magic that almost seems to some what fade (imo) as the movies go on, except for the third film, but I do think that suits and helps those movies though.

[raul-ydob]

I don’t know what but your videos have an amazing feel to them that i cant really explain, what I can say is that they are amazing

[CinemaStix]

For copyright reasons, I wasn’t able to delve as deep as I wanted into the music of these films. But the next time you watch HA 1/2, keep it in the back of your mind and I think you’ll be able to experience the similarities in Williams’ themes pretty well. And in general just the impact of his work on the tone of the movies.

[adityasivaram]

I think what truly makes the Harry Potter films special is that they all matured and changed in tone as the series progressed. Columbus is a man who thrives on the sense of wonder. He takes magic and juices up the fun and awesomeness in it, and makes it absolutely amazing and simply leaves you in awe of what it’s capable of. For a movie that’s introducing the world and the characters and mechanics in it, that’s a genius tactic. The first two films are all about the magic. One shows off the inherent beauty. The other shows of the omnipresent darkness. As the series continued, it grew and matured with it’s characters. Gone were the innocent faces of young 11 and 12 year olds seeing magic flourish, and enter the dark and gloomy teenage years, where you’re forced into adulthood and responsibilities and growing up. That childhood wonder and innocence is something Chris Columbus is so adept at capturing. I’m glad they chose him to make the first two films.