Harry Potter Movie Trailers en Español

My quest to find entertaining ways for my students to learn and practise their Spanish led me a while ago to the Harry Potter movies. Fortunately, they are all dubbed into Spanish, and have optional English and Spanish subtitles, which make them a great learning tool, even for beginners.

I have taught Spanish, my mother tongue, for many years, and I've learned several foreign languages successfully. I believe that the most fruitful way to learn a language is by using material you enjoy, rather than the no-pain-no-gain approach to learning that most language courses and teachers try to impose on us.

Here are some of the advantages and benefits of learning Spanish with material you can look forward to:

• You won't get bored. Since boredom is the number one reason why most people give up language learning, this learning method increases quite dramatically your odds of mastering Spanish.
• You can learn with your family and friends.
• You don't need to have a lot of free time. You can have ten or twenty minute sessions here and there, and you'll definitely notice the difference after a while.

• Your listening skills will develop fast.

• You can also develop your reading skills by using the Spanish subtitles.

• You can easily review the Spanish you've learned. All you have to do is go back to previous scenes, or watch the entire movie again.

• Your motivation to learn will grow. As you understand more and more Spanish, you will want to watch other movies in Spanish or use other learning methods.

• It will help you develop your self-confidence when communicating in Spanish by improving your general understanding of the Spanish language.

So far, five of the seven Harry Potter books have been made into movies. The sixth one will be premiered in November 2008. Here are their titles in English and Spanish:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Harry Potter y la cámara secreta
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Harry Potter y el prisionero de Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - Harry Potter y el cáliz de fuego
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Harry Potter y la Orden del Fénix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - Harry Potter y el misterio del príncipe

Below you can see the Spanish trailers of all the Harry Potter movies, together with some details about the productions. At the bottom of this page you can find a section on trivia where you'll find many more curious and interesting facts about the music, cast, budget, running time, directors, etc.

Here's the Spanish trailer of the first Harry Potter movie. It was directed by Chris Columbus and the main three actors are Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson, which we will see throughout the series. Other actors are: Richard Harris, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith and Ian Hart.

The book came out in 1997 and the movie was premiered in 2001, with the story set in 1991. It is still the most successful Harry Potter movie, having made nearly $1 billion. It lasts 146 minutes.

The second movie about the young wizard was premiered in 2002, four years after the book was published. Like Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, it was directed by Chris Columbus.

It's based on the novel by J. K. Rowling and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Kenneth Branagh, Jason Isaacs, Christian Coulson and Robbie Coltrane. It lasts 154 minutes.

The third installment in the Harry Potter series was premiered in 2004. The book of the same title came out in 1999. The movie was directed by Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también, Children of Men, A Little Princess).

The cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, Timothy Spall and Emma Thompson. As in the previous two movies, the music was composed by John Williams. It lasts 136 minutes.

The fourth Harry Potter movie came out in 2005, five years after the book was published. Directed by Mike Newell, it features Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Brendan Gleeson, Robert Pattinson, and Miranda Richardson.

The music was composed by Patrick Doyle, with themes by John Williams. It lasts 151 minutes. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is one of the fastest selling dvds ever.

The fifth Harry Potter movie came out in 2007. The book, the longest of the seven volumes, was published in 2003. The movie was directed by a new name, David Yates.

The cast includes Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton and Helena Bonham Carter.This time the music was composed by Nicholas Hooper, with themes by John Williams. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix lasts 134 minutes.

The sixth Harry Potter movie is scheduled to be released in November 21, 2008. It's directed by David Yates, who also directed Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth movie.

The cast features Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Jim Broadbent, Alan Rickman, Tom Felton and Helen McCrory. The music has been composed by Nicholas Hooper, once again with themes by John Williams.

Here are some interesting and curious facts about these movies:

• The first five Harry Potter movies cost $655 million to produce.
• They have made around $4.5 billion so far.
• Their running time is 719 minutes.
• So far, there have been four directors: Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and David Yates.
• All five movies have been produced by David Heyman.
• The scripts have been adapted by Steve Kloves and Michael Goldenberg.
• The music has been composed by three famous modern composers: John Williams, Patrick Doyle and Nicholas Hooper.
• John Williams has also composed the music of movies like: Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Empire of the Sun, Saving Private Ryan, Minority Report, Superman II, and dozens more.
• All the Harry Potter books were written by British author J K Rowling.
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone opened on 3,762 US screens.
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is said to be Daniel Radcliffe's favorite book.
• Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, The Devil's Backbone, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth) was asked to direct Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but he declined the offer.
• In the dancing scenes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Daniel Radcliffe is only shown from the waist up. This was done to hide his less than perfect dancing skills.
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix made more on its first day than any other Harry Potter movie

At Harry Potter books, movies and more you can find many more details about the cast, awards, music, other translations, the author, etc.

If you're looking for help on how to learn Spanish, at Spanish Bookworld you can find a whole section on language learning tips with articles like How to Learn Spanish, Fun Way of Learning, How to Learn Fast, Learning with an iPod, Speak Better Spanish, Can I Learn at my Age, How to Learn New Words, and more.