143 Facts About The Harry Potter Films You May Not Know

"What happened down in the dungeon between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret. So, naturally, the whole school knows."

1. Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane were hand-picked for Snape and Hagrid by J.K. Rowling.

2. Warner Bros. originally was going to make Harry Potter as multiple CGI animated pictures.

3. Emma Watson was supposed to wear fake buck teeth to be more similar to how Hermione was described in the books. She couldn't talk clear enough so the idea was scratched.

4. In the script, the flashback scenes of Voldemort killing Harry's parents were written by J.K.

5. Robbie Coltrane was the first actor to be cast.

6. Due to not reading any of the books prior to his audition; when Tom Felton was asked what his favorite part of the story was, he just copied the kid before him, saying the Gringotts scene. The director saw through the and thought it was funny.

7. The Hogwarts motto "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus" means "never tickle a sleeping dragon".

8. The inscription around the Mirror of Erised reads "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" which reversed says "I show not your face but your heart's desire.

9. J.K. Rowling was offered the role of Lily Potter in the Mirror.

10. The movie is known as the Philosopher's Stone everywhere except the U.S. So all the scenes where the stone was mentioned was filmed twice, saying Philosopher's Stone then Sorcerer's Stone.

11. For the Great Hall feasts, Chris Columbus wanted real food. The crew would change out the meat every two days and the vegetables twice a day. The hot stage lights made for an unpleasant odor though. They ended up using molds of food for the rest of the films.

12. Rosie O'Donnell and Robin Williams both asked for roles without pay.

13. At one point during filming, Daniel Radcliffe changed Robbie Coltrane's cellphone to Turkish.

14. The film reveals the 12th use for dragon's blood is oven cleaner.

15. In the trophy case, you can see an award for special services. In the second book it is revealed that this trophy is for Tom Riddle.

16. Daniel Radcliffe found out he'd been cast as Harry Potter while taking a bath.

17. David Thewlis (Remus Lupin) was originally considered for Professor Quirrell.

18. Richard Harris took the role of Dumbledore after his granddaughter threatened to never speak to him again.

19. Griphook, though physically played by Verne Troyer, was voiced by Warwick Davis, who also plays Professor Flitwick.

20. The platform attendant at Kings Cross who says "You think you're funny, do you?" after Harry asks about platform 9 3/4 actually works there as a train manager.

21. By 2002, it was the second highest grossing film after Titanic.

22. This movie has opened on more screens in USA than any other (totaling at 3,762).

23. The floating candles were initially hung with a wire contraption. Eventually one of the wires snapped due to the heat and caused a candle to fall to the floor. This led to the decision of using CGI candles.

24. It's PG rating was due to scary scenes in the forbidden forest, six uses of the word 'bloody', one 'arse', one 'bugger', and two 'blasted's.

25. Harry does not cast a single spell during the entire movie.

26. The name used by crew members to disguise the shoot was "Incident on 57th Street" by Bruce Springsteen.

27. Based on the second shortest book, it is the longest of all 8 films.

28. Fourteen Ford Anglias were destroyed during the making of the scene in which Harry and Ron crash into the Whomping Willow.

29. Richard Harris (Dumbledore) died a few weeks before the film's release.

30. Nurses were called onto production after an outbreak of head lice among the young cast.

31. A lot of scenes were shot with hand-held cameras to get a more snake-like movement.

32. According to J.K. Rowling, Moaning Myrtle is of the Ravenclaw House.

33. Richard Harris believed the animatronic phoenix Fawkes was a real bird upon first seeing it.

34. During the scene where Harry and Draco chase for the snitch, bits of music from Star Wars: Attack of the Clones is used. John Williams worked on both scores.

35. To get a more realistic movement of the floating knitting needles at the Burrow, a crew member filmed his mother knitting for several hours.

36. Daniel Radcliffe has stated that the Chamber of Secrets is his favorite book.

37. Colin Creevey's camera is an Argus C3 Matchmatic. It was manufactured in the U.S. from 1939 to 1966.

38. It was Jason Isaac's idea for Lucius to have long hair and a walking stick that conceals his wand.

39. At the end of the film, the line "Let's just hope Mr. Potter will always be around to save the day" said by Lucius Malfoy, was improvised.

40. The Chamber of Secrets and the Order of the Phoenix were the only films not to be nominated for an Academy Award.

41. Alfonso Cuaron had Dan, Emma, and Rupert write essays about their characters. In parallels to their characters, Emma's wrote a 16-page essay, Daniel's was one page and, Rupert never turned one in.

42. Part of Alfonso's contract stated he would not be allowed to curse in front of the kids on set.

43. Ian McKellen decline the role of Dumbledore saying "I had enough trouble live up to one legend (as Gandalf). Two would be too much to hope for."

44. Emma Watson would play with Alfonso's hair, even going as far as putting it in pigtails.

45. You may have noticed in this film, the students wore normal clothes more versus the uniforms. This was a decision made by Alfonso to show their personalities more. Even when they did have on the classic Hogwarts robes, some students would have theirs neat while others would be messy and half-tucked in.

46. Cuaron had never read/seen any of the books/films before getting the offer to direct the third film.

47. Daniel Radcliffe was told by the director to "pretend you're seeing Cameron Diaz in a G-string" in order to act more awed for a scene.

48. Dudley Dursley has no actual lines in this film.

49. Alfonso chose to have Macbeth's "Double, Double, Toil and Trouble" sang by the choir near the beginning of the film. This tune ended up being reused throughout the film.

50. In the scene where students are sleeping in the Great Hall in sleeping bags, Cuaron and Alan Rickman played a prank on Radcliffe with a remote-controlled Whoopee Cushion. Dan tried his hardest to stay in character while the rest of the cast laughed.

51. The only movie to not have Voldemort appear.

52. The train used as the Hogwarts Express was vandalized, pausing filming.

53. The cast was told the candy in Honeydukes was coated in lacquer so they would not be tempted to eat it.

54. The symbols on Sirius's wanted poster translate as "more or less human".

55. Gary Oldman gave Daniel Radcliffe a bass guitar as a gift when they first met.

56. Sirius Black's tattoos are actual Russian prison gang symbols.

57. Gary Oldman says he took the role of Sirius Black cause he "needed the work".

58. Michael Gambon never once read any of the book during the course of playing Dumbledore.

59. Explained in the book but not the movies: Moony, Wormtail ,Padfoot, and Prongs are the nicknames for Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew Sirius Black, and James Potter. Lupin being a werewolf, the other three learned to become Amiagus. Black being a dog (Padfoot), Potter a stag (Prongs), and Pettigrew a rat (Wormtail).

60. On the Marauder's Map the name Newt Scamander can be seen. He is not a Hogwarts teacher but he did write "Fantastic Beast and Where to Find Them" in the Harry Potter universe.

61. Dawn French (the Fat Lady portrait) is the wife of Lenny Henry (the voice of the shrunken head on the Knight Bus).

62. It took six months to create the dementors. They first tried a puppet in the wind, then in water. Eventually, they settled on using CGI.

63. Emma Thompson accepted the role as Professor Trelawney to impressed her daughter.

64. Prisoner was the last Harry Potter film to be released on VHS.

65. First film of the series to not open with a Harry scene.

66. Alfonso Cuaron convinced Mike Newell to not split the book into two films.

67. While filming, Micahel Gambon wore his street clothes under the Dumbledore robes, along with a pack of cigarettes in his sock.

68. Stanislav Ianevski (Viktor Krum) spoke only 20 words in the film.

69. Daniel Radcliffe spent around 41 hours underwater during the shoot.

70. Dan got two ear infections while filming the lake scenes.

71. The tongue flick done by Crouch Jr./Moody wasn't in the book and was improvised by David Tennant. Brendan Gleeson then brought that trait into his character.

72. The film was shipped to theaters under the title "Happy Days".

73. When the champions enter the arena for the third task, the students from Beauxbatons are dancing the Macarena.

74. During one of the takes of Hermione walking down the staircase for the Yule Ball, Emma Watson actually tripped and fell down the stairs.

75. The director, Mike Newell, complimented Alan Rickman on the shade of his eyes, unaware he actually wore contacts for the role of Snape.

76. The names Thomas and Mary that appear on the Riddle tombstones were not actually mentioned in the books, but they still came from J.K. Rowling.

78. The tune of the school song you hear Hagrid and Hermione singing ("Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts, Teach us something please") was written by Mike Newell.

79. It took only two days for Ralph Fienne's to film his scene.

80. The band at the Yule Ball consists mostly of members from Pulp and Radiohead.

81. Robert Pattinson has said he'd much rather play Cedric Diggory again than his more well known role as Edward Cullen in Twilight.

82. To add to the make-up of Voldemort, Ralph decided to shave his head and even his arm pits.

83. They used straps to hide the wires of Moody's mechanical eye.

84. OoTP is the only Harry Potter film to not be written by Steve Kloves.

85. First of the films to not use any locations for the interior shots of Hogwarts. Instead, sets were used.

86. In the trailers for the film, Dumbledore says "Don't fight him, Harry. You can't win.". This line is nowhere in the film or deleted scenes.

87. The first HP film to be released in IMAX 3-D.

88. The radish earrings Luna wears were made by Evanna Lynch.

89. While reviewing the audition videos, producer David Barron saw Evanna Lynch's, stopped and said "She is Luna".

90. Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy) was originally cast as Bellatrix Lestrange. Because of her pregnancy though, she had to be recast.

91. J.K. Rowling provided 70 names of the Black family tree, including the relationships and whose pictures were to be burned away.

92. For the role of Professor Umbridge, Imelda Staunton's wardrobe would progressively get more padded and more saturated as the film goes along.

93. According to Daniel Radcliffe, Devon Murray (who plays Seamus) broke a "record setting" ten wands during filming.

94. In Umbridge's office, the walls are lined with kitten plates. One plate shows a kitten that has a kitten plate on the wall behind it.

95. During filming, Matthew Lewis (Neville Longbottom) had an incident which caused him to be deaf in one ear for a few days. He perforated his eardrum when it met Helena Bonham Carter's (Bellatrix Lestrange) wand.

96. The Department of Mysteries set was entirely computer-generated. It wouldn't been to expensive and to time consuming to build a set with (estimated) 15,000 crystal balls.

97. Daniel Radcliffe's scream when Sirius dies was silenced because it was too agonizing.

98. Apparently, Warner Brothers received death threats for postponing the release date of the film.

99. The first film to not show any Defense Against the Dark Arts classes in some way.

100. Robert Knox (Marcus Belby) was stabbed to death just days after filming.

101. Emma Watson actually recommended Jessie Cave to play Lavender Brown. Jessie didn't attend any auditions.

102. To many fans disliking, Harry was shown at a train station verses the Dursley's at the beginning of the film. However, this is a nod to the books where Harry has stated that he enjoys riding trains to "take his mind off things".

103. The song that Hagrid and Slughorn drunkenly sing is titled "Odo the Hero" and was written by J.K.

104. The set for the Three Broomsticks used in the film is an exact replica of the theme park's. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter had designed it before the film was made.

105. The original script included all of the memories about Voldemort's past that are in the novel.

106. Shipped to some theaters under the name 'Candlelit'.

107. When Draco visits the Room of Requirement for the last time, the harp that put Fluffy to sleep and the King from the chess game in the Sorcerer's Stone can be seen.

108. Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, who plays Tom Riddle at age 11, is Ralph Fiennes' nephew.

109. In the flashback scene of young Riddle at the orphanage, you can see a photo of the cave Harry and Dumbledore later go to find the locket. There are also seven rocks on the windowsill (the same number of Horcruxes Voldemort intended to create).

110. In the book, there is a battle scene between the Order and Death Eaters in the school. Writers decided to not put it in the film because they believed it would be to repetitive because of the battle of Hogwarts in the final movie.

111. The first of the films to have J.K. Rowling listed as producer.

112. Originally, Viktor Krum had scenes with Hermione during the wedding, but they got cut. However, he still makes an appearance.

113. Evanna Lynch came up with the Lovegood's dance moves at the wedding.

114. Bill Weasley is portrayed by Domhall Gleeson, who is the son of Brendan Gleeson (Mad-Eye Moody).

115. Linguist expert, Dr. Francis Nolan, actually created a Parseltongue language that is used in all the films.

116. The only film to not have McGonagall or Filch.

117. Over 90 takes for a single shot were filmed during the "seven Harry's" scene.

118. The wands had to be checked in and out leaving and coming to set. Over 500 wands were made.

119. Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Grindlewald, broke his ankle while jumping out the window after stealing the Elder Wand.

120. The dancing sequence between Harry and Hermione was not in the books. Producer, David Heyman has stated this as one of his favorite moments in the series.

121. The scenes with Dobby and Kreecher had to be filmed twice. One, where the voice actors were physically one set so the actors had something to play off. The other, without the voice actors, so the SFX team could CGI them in.

122. Hermione's torture scene was so intense to film that afterward, Helena Bonham Carter went to Emma to make sure they were still on good terms. Most of the scene was cut down to avoid and R rating.

123. Carving "mudblood" into Hermione's arm was actually Helena and Emma's idea. It came spur of the moment while filming.

124. Part 1 and 2 were filmed at the same time. The last scene to be filmed was the Ministry of Magic sequence when they are being pursued by Yaxley.

125. The scene of Voldemort at Dumbledore's grave right at the beginning of the film is the first time a scene has played before a studio's logo in over 75 years.

126. A scene was filmed where Draco throws Harry his wand when he reveals that he is actually alive in the courtyard. It was cut from the final edit.

127. The only film to show Hermione flying a broom.

128. Rupert and Emma have both said in interviews that they had "bum casts" made for seats mounted on the brooms in order to make them more comfortable.

129. 210,000 pieces were created for the Gringotts vault scene.

130. The time line from the Gringotts break-in to the Hogwarts battle is only one day.

131. Professor McGonagall and Snape's fight scene was filmed when Maggie Smith was 76 years old, making her the oldest actress to have a fight scene in a movie.

132. Julie Walters has stated that her favorite line in the series is "Not my daughter you bitch!".

133. The shortest HP film, only 2 hours and 10 minutes long.

134. The only film to be fully released in 3D

135. Snape's death takes place in the Shrieking Shack in the books. The art directors suggested using the boathouse for a more dramatic look. J.K. Rowling approved.

136. Not long after Alan Rickman was cast as Snape, J.K. Rowling revealed pieces of his back story to RIckman years before readers would find out.

137. Tom Felton's girlfriend at the time played his wife in the epilogue.

138. Rowling said killing off Lupin was one of the hardest decisions she made while writing.

139. The killers of Remus and Tonks were never revealed in the book nor movie. J.K. later stated that Bellatrix had killed Tonks and Dolohov had killed Remus.

140. It took six takes to get Ron and Hermione's kiss. Emma and Rupert have both said how awful the experience was cause they are like brother and sister.

141. In the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry's chocolate frog jumps out of the train window. In the epilogue, a chocolate frog can be seen climbing up a window where the Potter and Weasley kids are.

ALL FACTS ARE FROM IMDB.COM

142. The only Potter film not to have Harry deliver the last line. It is his son, Albus, that speaks it this time.

143. In celebration of wrapping the films, Rupert Grint supplied the cast with ice cream from the ice cream truck he had bought.