Prepare to go potty over Potter

by ISOBEL FOX, femail.co.uk

JK Rowling fans are guaranteed to go potty over Potter this autumn when the second movie about the boy wizard is released on November 15.

Spectacular special effects, stunning scenery and a rich array of characters will leave audiences spellbound as Harry Potter And The Chamber of Secrets weaves its magic in cinemas.

Click on the link in the blue box below to get a sneak preview of the first pictures released from the movie.

Millions have been waiting for the sequel to Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, which broke box office records when it was released last November, grossing more than £300 million.

Filming on the sequel began just three days after the Philosopher's Stone opened in order to make sure the young actors didn't age beyond their characters' years.

But despite such constraints on filming, Potter fans should be assured that all the usual ingredients are present in the new film - plus a little something extra!

Schoolboy Daniel Radcliffe will again play Harry - now in his second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft And Wizardry - alongside Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagal, and Alan Rickman as Professor Snape. Robbie Coltrane also reprises his role as Hagrid the giant.

New arrivals come in the form of the vain, golden-haired Professor Gilderoy Lockhart - teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts - played by British actor Kenneth Branagh.

As the film unfolds, Harry's friend Hermoine Granger, played by Emma Watson, develops a crush on Professor Lockhart, who has written books about his deadly battles with beastly creatures. But as the action continues, we soon realise that despite all Lockhart's boasting he is merely a coward and a charlatan.

Also making his first appearance in the series is the Dobby the House Elf, a diminutive goblin-type creature who appears without warning in Harry's bedroom. Dobby warns Harry not to go back to Hogwarts because of the dangers lurking there, though it goes without saying that Harry ignores his advice.

John Cleese's character Nearly Headless Nick makes another appearance in this movie and is joined by a new spirit called Moaning Myrtle, who haunts the girls' bathroom.

Another of Harry's enemies is also set to make an appearance - Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco - played by British actor Jason Isaacs.

The story is a darker tale of good versus evil than in the first film and begins with Harry and his friend Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) missing the Hogwarts Express.

After making the journey in a magical car, the pair are confronted with mysterious goings-on at Hogwarts where pupils are being mysteriously 'petrified'. They then set out to solve the riddle of what's happening - and get a lot more than they bargained for!

The film is the second of three Warner Brothers movies based on JK Rowling's books. Rowling herself is to publish the fifth book in the series some time next year.

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