Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
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UK theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | David Yates |
| Screenplay by | Steve Kloves |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Nicholas Hooper |
| Cinematography | Bruno Delbonnel |
| Editing by | Mark Day |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 7 July 2009 (London) 15 July 2009 (United Kingdom and United States) |
| Running time | 153 minutes |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $250 million |
| Money made | $934.3 million |
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an exciting fantasy film from 2009. It was directed by David Yates and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. This movie is based on the popular 2005 book of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the sixth film in the amazing Harry Potter film series. Steve Kloves wrote the movie's script, and David Heyman and David Barron produced it.
The story follows Harry Potter during his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He finds a mysterious textbook, experiences first love, and tries to get a special memory. This memory is very important because it holds a secret to defeating Lord Voldemort. The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, with Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Emma Watson as Hermione Granger. They play Harry's best friends.
This movie is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It is followed by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. Filming started on September 24, 2007. The movie came out in cinemas around the world on July 15, 2009. This was almost exactly four years after the book was released. With a budget of about $250 million, it was one of the most expensive films ever made. It was also the most expensive movie in the Harry Potter series. The film was shown in regular cinemas and IMAX 3D.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince first showed in London on July 7, 2009. It was then released worldwide on July 15. The movie was a huge success at the box office. It broke the record for the biggest amount of money made in one day worldwide. In just five days, the film earned $394 million. This broke the record for the highest five-day worldwide earnings. The movie made a total of $934 million. This made it the eighth-highest-grossing film of all time back then. It was also the second-highest-grossing film of 2009, right after Avatar. It is the fifth-highest-earning film in the Harry Potter series.
The movie received many good reviews. People praised David Yates's directing and the actors' performances. They also liked Bruno Delbonnel's camera work and Nicholas Hooper's music. The story was called "emotionally satisfying." The film was nominated for awards. It was considered for Best Cinematography at the 82nd Academy Awards. It was also nominated for Best Special Visual Effects and Best Production Design at the 63rd British Academy Film Awards.
Contents
Plot: Harry's Sixth Year at Hogwarts
Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, are becoming more powerful. They cause trouble in both the wizarding and Muggle (non-magic) worlds. They take Garrick Ollivander and destroy the Millennium Bridge in London. When Lucius Malfoy is sent to a wizard prison, Voldemort chooses Draco for a secret mission at Hogwarts. Draco's mother Narcissa and aunt Bellatrix Lestrange go to Severus Snape. Snape says he is secretly helping the Order of the Phoenix. Snape makes a special promise to Narcissa. He promises to protect Draco and finish his task if Draco cannot.
Harry Potter goes with Albus Dumbledore to convince an old Potions teacher, Horace Slughorn, to come back to Hogwarts. At the Burrow, Harry meets his best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They visit Fred and George Weasley's new joke shop. There, they see Draco go into a dark alley with some Death Eaters. Harry thinks Voldemort has made Draco a Death Eater, but Ron and Hermione are not sure. On the Hogwarts Express, Harry hides using his Invisibility Cloak. He tries to spy on Draco in the Slytherin carriage. But Draco sees him and freezes him with a spell. Luckily, Luna Lovegood saves Harry.
Harry finds that his borrowed Potions textbook has helpful notes and spells. These were left by someone called the "Half-Blood Prince." Harry uses the book to do very well in class. He even impresses Slughorn and wins a bottle of Liquid Luck potion. Ron becomes the Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He also starts dating Lavender Brown, which makes Hermione sad. Harry comforts Hermione and admits he likes Ron's younger sister, Ginny. Harry spends the Christmas holidays with the Weasleys. His worries about Draco are dismissed by the Order of the Phoenix. But Arthur Weasley tells him that the Malfoys might be interested in a Magical Objects in Harry Potter#Vanishing Cabinet. Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback attack the Burrow. Harry saves Ginny before the Order arrives and fights off the Death Eaters.
At Hogwarts, Dumbledore asks Harry to get a special memory from Slughorn. This memory is about Voldemort. Ron accidentally drinks a love potion meant for Harry. Harry helps him get better with Slughorn's help. The three friends celebrate with some mead (a drink) that Slughorn planned to give Dumbledore. But Ron is poisoned by the mead. Harry quickly saves his life. While recovering, Ron says Hermione's name. This causes Lavender to break up with him. Harry confronts Draco about the poisoned mead and a cursed necklace. The necklace almost killed another student. Harry and Draco have a duel. Harry uses a curse from the Half-Blood Prince's book and badly hurts Draco. Snape arrives and saves Draco. Harry worries the book has dangerous Dark Magic. So, Ginny and Harry hide it in the Room of Requirement. They then share their first kiss.
Harry uses his Liquid Luck potion to convince Slughorn to give up the memory Dumbledore needs. Harry and Dumbledore watch the memory together. Harry learns that Voldemort wanted to know about Horcruxes. These are magical objects that hold parts of a wizard's soul. They make a wizard immortal. Dumbledore believes Voldemort split his soul into six Horcruxes. Two of them have already been destroyed: Tom Riddle's diary and Marvolo Gaunt's ring. They travel to a cave. Harry helps Dumbledore drink a potion that hides another Horcrux, Slytherin's locket.
A weakened Dumbledore protects them from zombie-like creatures called Inferi. They then magically transport back to Hogwarts. Bellatrix, Greyback, and other Death Eaters enter Hogwarts. They used the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement, which Draco connected to one in Knockturn Alley. Harry hides. Draco appears and takes Dumbledore's wand. Draco reveals that Voldemort chose him to kill Dumbledore. But Draco hesitates. Snape arrives and casts the killing curse on Dumbledore. As the Death Eaters escape, Snape reveals he is the Half-Blood Prince.
Hogwarts students and staff are very sad about Dumbledore's death. Harry tells Ron and Hermione that the locket they found was a fake. It had a message from someone named "R.A.B." This person stole the real Horcrux to destroy it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decide not to return for their final year at Hogwarts. Instead, they will search for the remaining Horcruxes.
Main Characters in the Film
- Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter: A 16-year-old British wizard starting his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley: One of Harry's two best friends.
- Emma Watson as Hermione Granger: One of Harry's two best friends.
- Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange: A main Death Eater who works for Voldemort. She is also Draco Malfoy's aunt.
- Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn: The new Potions master at Hogwarts. He held this job before.
- Robbie Coltrane as Rubeus Hagrid: The Hogwarts gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures teacher.
- Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick: The Charms master and head of Ravenclaw house.
- Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy: Harry's rival. He is chosen by Voldemort for a secret mission.
- Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore: The wise headmaster of Hogwarts.
- Alan Rickman as Severus Snape: The former Potions master. He is now the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and head of Slytherin.
- Maggie Smith as Minerva McGonagall: The Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher. She is also the deputy headmistress and head of Gryffindor.
- Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew: A Death Eater who betrayed Harry's parents. He appears as a servant at Snape's house.
- David Thewlis as Remus Lupin: A member of the Order of the Phoenix. He was Harry's former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
- Julie Walters as Molly Weasley: The mother of the Weasley family. She is like a mother to Harry.
Changes from the Book
The film Half-Blood Prince made some changes from the original book. The book starts with a scene involving the Muggle Prime Minister. The filmmakers decided to show events that were only talked about in the book. For example, they showed the Millennium Bridge collapsing. This helped the audience see what the Death Eaters were doing.
Some characters were also cut from the movie, like the Dursleys. The filmmakers wanted to focus more on young Voldemort. An action scene was added at the Burrow to make the movie more exciting. The director felt the movie needed more "danger" to balance the funny parts. A small battle scene at Hogwarts from the end of the book was also removed. This was to avoid repeating a similar big battle that would happen in the Deathly Hallows films. Dumbledore's funeral was also not included in the movie.
Images for kids
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The Cliffs of Moher were used as the exterior of the Horcrux Cave.
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Alan F. Horn, the Warner Bros. president and Jason Alexander, May 2010.
See also
In Spanish: Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe (película) para niños
