Fall is one of the best seasons in the U.S., and rightfully so because it contains a lot of great things. There are great holidays, great football and basketball games, and great opportunities to watch the Harry Potter movies. The mystery of why Harry Potter makes the perfect fall movie may be a hidden mystery to some. I was very much the same way and wondered why I waited to revisit the movies until the leaves started to change color in my neck of the woods, and then I did a bit of internal soul-searching and got to the bottom of things.
When drilling down on things, it’s not hard to see why Harry Potter movies make for the perfect fall film-viewing experience. It sounds kind of grim that the tale of an orphan boy doing his best to avoid a powerful man who wants to kill him is such a delightful treat towards the end of the year, but after reviewing the reasoning, I’m sure you’ll agree.
School Is In Session For Students And Wizards In The Fall
School is an unavoidable part of life for many children, and apparently, the same is true of witches and wizards. Of course, I think most children who watch Harry Potter movies would argue the wizards have it far easier, especially after seeing all the fun classes students get to take. Potions seemed like a real drag to me as a kid, but beyond that, Hogwarts seemed like a great time for me compared to my school.
As an adult, I’m flabbergasted that even wizards sent their kids back to Hogwarts after the events of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. If I actually had to go to Hogwarts and went at the same time as Harry Potter, I’d be freaking out about whatever terrible thing was going to happen during my next school year and wish I was born a squib. Of course, as an adult fully recognize it as fiction, and it makes me think back to my own school days where I thought I had a chance at being some surprise prodigy at a sport I’d never heard of.
All The Food Looks Delicious, Which Vibes With Fall Food
You ever watch Harry Potter and get super hungry? I’m not sure how you can’t with all the amazing food in the Harry Potter movies. The feast in the Great Hall looks like the best Thanksgiving dinner ever in the history of the holiday. It sure looks better than any spread I’ve seen at a Thanksgiving I attended, with all due respect to every family that’s hosted me. How can anyone compare with magically replenishing food?
I have to say, though, part of the reason I’m so into those scenes (as well as the candy scene on the train) is because fall is a time where comfort food and desserts are seemingly everywhere. It’s hard to turn down a warm meal and a little something sweet when it’s getting cold outside, and a little of both are great to eat while watching these films.
Fall Is A Time Where “Magic” Is At Its Peak
Fall, in general, can be a magical time for Americans, thanks in no small part to the major magical holidays we celebrate towards the end of the year. At Halloween, we tell spooky stories and talk about witches and supernatural events. Harry Potter isn’t too hard to incorporate in the Halloween fun, especially since so much of it makes for great Halloween decor or costumes. I always hoped stores would release versions of the living portraits in my lifetime if only so I could put them out at Halloween to harass people.
Fall is towards the end of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and while I know Christmas isn’t a part of all that, we certainly start hearing about the holiday a lot during the fall season. Like Halloween, a lot of Christmas lore is reliant on magic and perhaps the most magical person of them all, Santa Claus. This may be why there are some fans who consider the Harry Potter movies more of a winter watch, by the way, but that’s just my theory.
There’s A Lot To Watch, And A Lot Of Time Spent Indoors
Even if you don’t dive into the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise and other upcoming Harry Potter movies, there are eight great Harry Potter movies to go through at a time where it’s great to snuggle up indoors. This might be why networks occasionally threw the films into their holiday programming, as there’s nothing like the 2 hr and 41-minute runtime of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to really eat up a chunk of programming on the weekend.
Another thing I love about watching Harry Potter movies is the pressure they alleviate during a long session on the couch. Too many arguments occur while picking something to watch on streaming, so throwing on one of these movies ensures the next discussion about what to watch won’t happen for a while.
Harry Potter Prepares Us For The Holidays
As I touched on previously, fall is the beginning of some of our most celebrated holidays. Getting in the holiday spirit is a real thing folks have to prepare for, especially the whole spending more time with extended family part. Sometimes one can kill the time with awkward icebreakers with that cousin they see once a year, or throw on a Harry Potter movie and just watch in silence!
At the same time, I think Harry Potter movies show the importance of family, and why we gather together around the end of the year so often. Harry didn’t have the luxury of a loving family until he met his friends at Hogwarts, and he leaned on them to essentially survive his wizarding school experience. Some of us may be lucky to have family or friends close enough to us to be the Hermione and Ron to our Harry, so why not celebrate them over the holidays?
If you’re like me, and now ready and rearing to binge Harry Potter movies during the fall season, it’s available to stream right now on Peacock and on HBO Max. Grab some chocolate frogs, and some Butterbeer if that’s possible, and enjoy running through this franchise again or for the first time.
