History Trivia / HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone

* MarketBasedTitle: Both the film and the book were renamed to ''The Sorcerer's Stone'' for the North American release. Scholastic, the American publisher, didn't think the book wouldn't do well under the original title.

* MarketBasedTitle: Both the film and the book were renamed to ''The Sorcerer's Stone'' for the North American release. Scholastic, who published the book in America, didn't think the book wouldn't do well under the original title.

* OrphanedReference: At the start of the novel, [=McGonagall=] in her Animagus form is noted to have been observing Vernon Dursley prior to her meeting with Dumbledore and Hagrid. While the scene is omitted from the film, it's still referenced when [=McGonagall=] voices her objections in leaving Harry in the Dursley's care when she says she had "watched them all day".

* OldShame: Creator/DanielRadcliffe, Creator/RupertGrint and Creator/EmmaWatson all have said they have a hard time watching themselves in this film (along with the second) as they feel their performances were not up to par with their work in the later films. Watson is particularly embarrassed over the fact that she can be seen mouthing the other actors' lines in a few shots.

** Creator/ChrisColumbus expressed regret over the visual effects in this film, saying they weren't very good. When it came time to make ''Chamber of Secrets'', he made sure to film all of the scenes requiring effects first so the effects team would have more time to work on them.

--> "I really am not cut out to be an actress, even one who just has to stand there and wave. I would have messed it up somehow."

* OrphanedReference: At the start of the novel, [=McGonagall=] in her Animagus form had been observing Vernon Dursley prior to her meeting with Dumbledore and Hagrid. While this scene was omitted from the film, it was referenced when [=McGonagall=] voiced her objections in leaving Harry in the Dursley's care when she said she had "watched them all day".

* SoMyKidsCanWatch: Creator/RichardHarris was unsure about taking the part of Dumbledore, fearing his health would mean he wouldn't be around for seven films. His granddaughter threatened to never speak to him again if he turned it down, so he signed on anyway. Sadly, he did indeed pass away after the second film.

* AbilityOverAppearance: JK Rowling has said that she felt Emma Watson was perfect for Hermione after speaking to her on the phone - where in true Hermione fashion she spoke for sixty seconds without taking a breath. She's joked that if she had met Emma before and seen [[AdaptationalAttractiveness how pretty she was]], she may not have been cast.

* ActorAllusion: In the film, Dudley Dursley is played by ''Harry'' Melling. There is a brief moment in the film which was not in the book, in which Hagrid mistakes Dudley for Harry, to which Dudley responds that he's "not Harry."
* AwesomeDearBoy: Harry Melling absolutely loved playing Dudley, saying how much fun it was to play a shameless spoiled brat.

** Creator/RikMayall filmed several scenes as Peeves but they were all cut and he wasn't brought back for any other movies.

* DescendedCreator: Defied. JK Rowling was offered the role of Lily Potter, but she turned it down, and Geraldine Somerville played it.

* FakeBrit: Defied by Creator/JKRowling - who insisted all cast members be British. Only three Americans are in the film - Zoe Wanamaker (Madame Hooch), who has a British accent anyway; and Eleanor Columbus (Susan Bones, the first girl to get sorted) who has no lines. Verne Troyer, who plays Griphook, is American but dubbed by Warwick Davis.
* FakeShemp: According to Alan Rickman, "very small adult actors" would wear wigs and double for the trio during the hours they weren't allowed to film.
* HypotheticalCasting: Robbie Coltrane was JK Rowling's personal choice for the role of Hagrid.

** JK Rowling has also denied the story that she turned down Steven Spielberg's offer to direct the film, because he wanted it to be animated and have Haley Joel Osment voice Harry. It was actually Alan Horn, president of Warner Bros that vetoed this - and that was just the idea of making the films animated and combining several books into one. Spielberg still did five months of pre-production before stepping down because he didn't feel connected to the material.
** No one wanted Haley Joel Osment as the voice of Harry either, or at least no one was pushing for him in the role. He had just expressed interest in playing Harry.

* In a bit of more general trivia, because the Philosopher's Stone was renamed the Sorcerer's Stone in the American release of the source novel, every scene where the stone is referred to by name had to have a second version shot where characters call it by its Americanized name for the film's US release.

* TheOtherMarty: Well, more like the "Other Locomotive", but British Railways 34207 ''Taw Valley'', a ''West Country'' class locomotive, was replaced as the ''Hogwarts Express' by the Great Western Railways 5972 ''Olton Hall'', when Chris Columbus felt the former engine looked too modern.

* FranchiseOriginalSin: The film's changing Ron keeping a cool head in the Devil's Snare to ''Hermione'' keeping a cool head while Ron panics uselessly isn't so bad on its own -- Ron gets his chance to shine in the chess match later -- but it marked a disturbing trend in later films where Ron's moments of courage and intelligence were changed to Hermione or Harry's moments of courage and intelligence, while Ron ended up more the comic relief.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** An early draft had Rita Skeeter as one of the people that Harry meets when he comes into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time. At this point she was named 'Bridget' instead. She was cut because it was taking too long for Harry to get to Diagon Alley, and she didn't appear until the fourth book. Creator/JKRowling later said that by the time Rita properly appeared, she was influenced heavily by the journalists she had encountered since her fame.
** Producers intended to match the characters' appearances with their descriptions in the book - giving Creator/DanielRadcliffe green contacts and having Creator/EmmaWatson wear buck teeth. Dan's eyes couldn't take the contacts and Emma couldn't talk properly with the teeth in, so those ideas were abandoned.
** Creator/DavidThewlis - who would eventually join the franchise as Remus Lupin - was in consideration to play Professor Quirrell before Ian Hart was cast.
** Creator/RobinWilliams, Rosie O'Donnell and Creator/DrewBarrymore all expressed interest in starring in the movie - being big fans of the series.
** Terry Gilliam was in serious talks to direct, but left after some CreativeDifferences with Warner Bros. He would go on to bash Columbus's directing work as boring.
** Alan Parker, Creator/JonathanDemme, Creator/RobReiner, Creator/PeterWeir and Creator/MikeNewell (who later ended up directing ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'') were also in the running to direct before Columbus was hired.
** Canterbury Cathedral was the first choice to be used as a set for Hogwarts. They refused, worried that the witchcraft theme of the series would upset Christians who worshiped there.
** Long before the film's release, Creator/{{Nintendo}} of all people were interested in developing a video game adaptation of the original book, initially aiming to provide a very British-oriented take in line with J.K. Rowling's wishes. However, the plans for the game fell through, in part due to ExecutiveMeddling from Nintendo of Japan, who pushed for a more Japanese-friendly approach that took considerable liberties with the source material. Ultimately, Creator/ElectronicArts would be the ones to adapt the book into video game form, with the initial home console release being on Nintendo's direct rival at the time, the UsefulNotes/PlayStation (an UpdatedRerelease would, however, come out on the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube two years later).

** Creator/RichardHarris only took the role for his granddaughter and made it no secret he thought the whole thing was "made up crap."

* FakeBrit: Defied by Creator/JKRowling - who insisted all cast members be British. Only three Americans are in the film - Zoe Wanamaker, who has a British accent anyway; and Eleanor Columbus who has no lines. Verne Troyer, who plays Griphook, is American but dubbed by Warwick Davis.

* {{Jossed}}: Due to the books' covers showing Harry with a scar in the middle of his forehead, most fans assumed this is where his scar was meant to be. However Creator/JKRowling insisted on having it on the side of his forehead, the books never specifying where exactly the scar was.

** Creator/RikMayall filmed several scenes as Peeves but they were all cut and he wasn't brought back for any other movies.

** Creator/RichardHarris only took the role for his granddaughter and made no secret he thought the whole thing was "made up crap."

* RealLifeRelative: Susan Bones is played by the director's daughter Eleanor Columbus.

* BeamMeUpScotty: "Yer a wizard Harry" is only in the film. In the book, Hagrid says "Harry, yer a wizard."

** Producers intended to match the characters' appearances with their descriptions in the book - giving Creator/DanielRadcliffe green contacts and having Creator/EmmaWatson wear buck teeth. Dan's eyes couldn't take the contacts and Emma couldn't talk properly with the teeth in, so that idea was abandoned.

-->The film, with respect...no, with no respect at all...the film was shit.

* RealLife/MeanCharacterNiceActor: Creator/DanielRadcliffe said that Creator/RichardGriffiths, who played his character's cruel uncle, helped him feel welcome on set during the production. The two became close and worked together in "Equus" on Broadway and London.

** EccentricMentor

** The film was in development hell for a while - with Creator/StevenSpielberg intending to direct it as an animated feature, with Haley Joel Osment voicing Harry. JK Rowling vetoed, having always wanted to keep the series as British as possible.