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As Harry Potters (DANIEL RADCLIFFE) 11th birthday draws near, he anticipates little in the way of excitement or presents from the Dursleys, Harrys unpleasant relatives who took him in following his parents deaths and forced him to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs.
But this year, Harrys birthday will be different.
A mysterious letter addressed to Harry arrives, written in peculiar green ink and accompanied by an owl. Harry is surprised and excited by the curious dispatch, but his horrified Uncle Vernon (RICHARD GRIFFITHS) destroys the letter before Harry has a chance to read it.
The next day, another letter and owl arrive, only to be squelched by the Dursleys. As each day follows the next, letters and owls continue turning up on Harrys doorstep until the Dursleys, fearing they can no longer suppress the contents of the peculiar correspondence, flee with Harry in tow to a remote hut where theyre confident they cannot be found.
Their plan appears to be working when suddenly a LOUD CRASH carries the hut door off its hinges, revealing the awesome bulk of an enormous giant called Hagrid (ROBBIE COLTRANE). Furious with the Dursleys for destroying the letters and trying to conceal their nephews real identity, Hagrid reveals the secret that will change Harrys life: he, Harry Potter, is a wizard!
Much to Harrys disbelief, it transpires that the puzzlingly persistent letters are invitations for him, on the occasion of his 11th birthday, to leave the regular world and join his similarly-talented peers at the legendary Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Hagrid goes on to explain that Harrys parents did not die in a car crash as his insecure relatives have repeatedly told him they were in fact murdered by an evil wizard who in turn etched the distinctive lightning scar on Harrys forehead!
Harry is completely overwhelmed by the revelations about his parents and the invitation to Hogwarts. However, faced with another night in the cupboard under the stairs and a life of hand-me-downs, he doesnt hesitate in accompanying Hagrid to Londons Kings Cross Station, where he discovers the secret Platform 9 3/4 and catches the Hogwarts Express.
Aboard the train packed with wide-eyed first year students, Harry befriends fellow wizards-in-training Hermione Granger (EMMA WATSON) and Ron Weasley (RUPERT GRINT). Together with his new friends, Harry embarks on the adventure of a lifetime at Hogwarts, a wondrous place beyond Harrys wildest imagination where he discovers his extraordinary talents and finds the home and the family he never had.
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