The Harry Potter Films Didn’t Do Justice to the Books’ Strangest Storyline

When it comes to book-to-movie adaptations, the Harry Potter films did an admirable job. Yes, there are plenty of storylines and even entire characters missing from the films. However, the two versions of the story have the same major plot points and themes. Among the missing elements is a particularly strange side story in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Harry’s (Daniel Radcliffe) third year at Hogwarts offers one of the biggest surprise twists when the Boy Who Lived discovers that his godfather, Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), is not responsible for the murders he has been imprisoned for, and instead, the culprit, Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall), has been disguised as Ron’s (Rupert Grint) pet rat, Scabbers. This storyline explores the concept of animagi in greater depth and reveals more about Harry’s parents. Yet the part missing from the movie is Sirius’ unexpected ally: Hermione’s (Emma Watson) cat, Crookshanks.

While Harry and his friends believe Crookshanks to be another ordinary Hogwarts companion, the books reveal that the cat helps Sirius keep tabs on Harry. Showing a greater understanding than most cats, Crookshanks plays an active role in this storyline in the books, setting up the eventual reveal, and by minimizing his involvement, the third Harry Potter film loses a chance to explore the intelligence of non-humans in the magical world.

How Is Crookshanks’ Role Different in the ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’ Film?

Hermione gets Crookshanks as she begins her third year, and in both versions, Crookshanks quickly develops an antagonistic relationship with Scabbers, but in the film, it amounts to little. Crookshanks chases Scabbers so often that when the rat goes missing, Ron immediately blames Crookshanks. But the film uses Crookshanks as an excuse for Ron and Hermione to argue, while the book uses Crookshanks as foreshadowing. Crookshanks’ reaction to Scabbers suggests that something is not right, and while readers are used to Scabbers being around, the new focus on him makes the later reveal more natural. Having a cat chase a rat is not all that strange, and the film fails to show that Crookshanks knew there was something wrong with Scabbers, but the book highlights this odd element, expanding Crookshanks’ role in an unexpected way.

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Hermione is definitely an otter.

The strangest part of Crookshanks’s story is his friendship with Sirius—like Peter, Sirius spends time at Hogwarts disguised in his animagus form, but unlike Peter, Crookshanks trusts him. Despite the usual animosity between dogs and cats, Crookshanks becomes Sirius’ biggest ally. Crookshanks is more than a hint at the final twist because, without him, things would not have gone so well for Sirius. While Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Sirius’ childhood friend, is accused of aiding the criminal, he has lost faith in Sirius, but Crookshanks feels differently. It is this cat who serves as Sirius’ ally inside the castle, stealing the passwords from Neville (Matthew Lewis) to get Sirius into Gryffindor Tower and even placing himself in the way when Harry wants to hurt Sirius. The odd friendship between the wrongly accused convict and the unusually intelligent cat makes the story possible, but the film avoids explaining how Sirius made it into the castle, cutting Crookshanks’ participation in his story.

‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’ Film Lost a Lot by Excluding Crookshank’s Story

Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

The friendship between Sirius and Crookshanks may be an odd addition to the story, but cutting it is a loss for the film. For one thing, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is still early in the films, and the idea of a super-intelligent cat adds a bit of childlike whimsy to the story—one that would grow dark rather rapidly. While this may be part of the reason the films cut it, the storyline adds a bit more magic, which fits well with the earlier films.

Making a cat so intelligent may seem to cross a line in possibility (if that is even possible in a story about wizards), yet there is a clever explanation. Harry Potter establishes that Crookshanks is intelligent because he is half kneazle, a cat-like magical creature known for its ability to pick out untrustworthy people. Cutting Crookshanks’ plot not only deprives the franchise of a new type of creature, but it is a lost chance to explore the intelligence of magical creatures. Whether it be cutting the House Elf storyline or neglecting the complexities of centaur society, the Harry Potter films miss several opportunities to show that some magical creatures are as smart, if not smarter than wizards. Part of what Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) stands for is the inferiority of these species, so any chance to show how wrong he is should be significant. By removing Crookshanks’ intelligence, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban loses out on an odd but vital storyline that could have benefited the series.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is available on Max in the U.S.

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for their third year of study, where they delve into the mystery surrounding an escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who poses a dangerous threat to the young wizard.

Release Date

May 31, 2004

Director

Alfonso Cuarón

Cast

Gary Oldman
, David Thewlis
, Daniel Radcliffe
, Emma Watson
, Rupert Grint
, Robbie Coltrane
, Timothy Spall
, Maggie Smith
, Michael Gambon
, Richard Griffiths
, Fiona Shaw
, Alan Rickman

Runtime

144 Minutes

Watch on Max

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