Anna Daniels
Daniel Radcliffe will always be thankful for his time spent leading the Harry Potter franchise, but the actor is undoubtedly happy to have moved on from the wizarding world. The multi-billion dollar franchise has afforded him a lot of freedom to take on whatever roles he wants, whether it’s a peculiar indie like Swiss Army Man or a wild action thriller Guns Akimbo. But in these uncertain times, Daniel Radcliffe realizes everyone needs a little inspiration, which is why he’s taken the time to get involved with the Harry Potter at Home initiative with a new reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Back in April, Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling launched the Harry Potter at Home initiative to help teachers and parents use the wizarding franchise in lessons while kids are being schooled at home to avoid the spread of coronavirus. Today, those efforts expand with the launch of a new reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to the rest of the world) featuring some very special guests, including Daniel Radcliffe reading the first chapter of the book.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm1xuYUY0dY?feature=oembed&w=740&h=416]
Above is just a teaser of the new project from Harry Potter at Home, but the entire first reading by Daniel Radcliffe is already available over at the official website for the educational initiative. It’s nothing glamorous since these readings are being recorded at home with limited resources, but having Daniel Radcliffe be the first to read from the book for our listening and viewing pleasure is a real treat.
Also participating in the reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni, and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them star Eddie Redmayne, as well as some unnamed talents from the wizarding world of Harry Potter who will be making surprise appearances. We’re not sure if this is something that will be done for every Harry Potter book eventually, but since there are 17 chapters in the first title, we’ve got a long time before that needs to be sorted out.
In the full video of the first chapter reading, you’ll notice that in addition to a head-on shot of Daniel Radcliffe reading the book, the video version is interspersed with original artwork of scenes and characters created by fans. If you’re interested in potentially seeing your own artwork featured in these videos for future chapters, starting with Chapter Two. You can get details on the rules and guidelines for sending in artwork right here.
However, if you’re just hoping to listen to the book in your spare time, you’ll be able to do that through Spotify or Spotify Kids. Afterwards, there are some activities you can have your kids do as a way to check their understanding of the reading and continue their education in a fun way at home. Just hit up the Harry Potter at Home hub for more.
Harry Potter At Home is the Wizarding World’s way of bringing Hogwarts closer to you, as we all continue to stay at home and keep safe. For parents looking for new magical ways to entertain their children during this time, we launched the Harry Potter At Home hub full of quizzes, puzzles, fun videos and features, along with contributions from our friends, UK and US Harry Potter publishers, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, alongside assistance from Warner Bros., Audible and our many library partners. To learn more about everything Harry Potter At Home has to offer, our handy round-up should help!
Cool Posts From Around the Web: Written by: Slash
