10 Times Changing The Tone Saved Movie Franchises

Well, Harry had to grow up at some point. It felt more natural at the time, but the shift in maturity from Harry's second to his third year at Hogwarts was sharper than you might remember. The first two Potter films had a fun, family atmosphere that gave them a timeless quality, partly due to their success in building such a vibrant (and dare I say it), magical world.

The only example on this list where a change in tone was imposed upon them, the books felt the need to tell darker stories as the characters grew up. So the films followed their lead, bringing in director Alfonso Cuarón to herald in the more mature themes, who met that challenge and then some.

Though they were assisted by those story elements - like having no conventional antagonist and isolating Harry with nobody to help - Cuarón implemented big cinematic changes. Keeping characters mostly consistent, he managed to incorporate horror elements, featuring incredible imagery that juxtaposes the protagonists' childhood innocence with the danger of the world they inhabit. That, in addition to shifts in the score and even colour grade, helped set a blueprint that was followed till the end of Harry's story.