Harry Potter in film and books has completely taken over the entertainment industry. J.K. Rowling invented Harry Potter on a cocktail napkin while sitting on a train and you can bet she never expected it to go quite this far. One of the reasons why Harry Potter has been so effective and became a roaring success virtually overnight is probably due to it's appeal to both children and adults alike.

The Harry Potter movies are equally as successful as the books. The child actors in the films (now not so young anymore) were key to the great success of the movies. We became attached to these children, watched them age and mature on film. They represent the story of Harry Potter, which we have all come to know and love. So far there have been five Harry Potter films, each one better than the last. They star Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and the lovable Emma Watson as Hermoine Granger. In total, there will be eight Harry Potter films, the last two will be seven part one and seven part two. This summer, the sixth Harry Potter film will come out and has already premiered in cities across the world.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, probably the most looked forward to movie since last year's Harry Potter, will be released July 15th, 2009. In the last Harry Potter it was confirmed that Voldemort was back and as dark as ever. In this film the safety of Hogwarts is threatened by the dark Lord Voldemort. Dumbledore is set on getting Harry ready to fight Voldemort in a battle he sees coming, but Harry is more intent on protecting the students at Hogwarts, as well as the faculty, which he and his friends have grown to love. Dumbledore recruits an old friend and a new character to the Harry Potter series, Professor Horace Slughorn, to help fight the dark lord. At the same time, as Harry and the other students at Hogwarts are growing, so are their hormones. The movie really delves into the lives of these teenagers who, like all teenagers, are eager to experience love and life.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is said to be the best movie of the series so far. The films seem to get better and better, as the stars get older and more mature and the we get deeper and deeper into the story. It's truly amazing to watch the first Harry Potter film and see how Danielle Radcliffe and Emma Watson have grown up. They were simply adorable straight from the beginning, and they have become so much more over the years. I really love how this series has become such a cultural phenomenon. Next to all the terrible things that plague us these days, it's wonderful that a fantasy movie has held such a place in our hearts for so long.

J.K. Rowling truly got it right with the Harry Potter series. I think we're all looking forward to the new film, and the one after that (and the one after that!). No doubt it will be sold out quickly on opening night and make the serious wad of cash it always does. I think it appeals to both children and adults because it plays on mature themes that children can understand and learn from. One of the greates things about the Harry Potter books was that it brought the joy back to reading, for both kids and grown ups! Books seemed to have been a thing of the past, but how many people do you know who have the entire Harry Potter series lined up, in order, on their bookshelves. And believe you me, these books aren't for show. The book has also been translated into numerous languages, and is popular all over the world. Sure, there's the occasional religious group or dictatorship that bans the book or blames it for all of the problems in the world, but that hasn't stopped anyone from enjoying Harry Potter and I doubt it ever will.