I Want a Hippo(griff) for Christmas...

This past December, I became quite taken with the novelty song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas and quickly adopted it as my own anthem. But after re-watching Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I'd like to amend my statement slightly to read "I want a Hippogriff for Christmas!" Actually, why wait till Christmas? I've got a birthday in four days; Hagrid is more than welcome to present me with one on that occasion, in gratitude for my ardent support over the years. Wallowing about in the mud and grinning toothily is all very charming, but I think I'd prefer the exhilaration of a mid-day flight over Erie County. I promise I wouldn't pull out any feathers...

The storyline involving Buckbeak the Hippogriff may be secondary to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - otherwise it would be something like Harry Potter and the Trial of Buckbeak - but it certainly captures my imagination. The scene of Harry clinging to the fiercely proud creature's neck as he soars over all that glorious scenery until he can no longer contain himself and indulges in a blatant "I'm king of the world!" moment... breath-taking. John Williams' score perfectly captures the joy of flight, while the cinematography aptly demonstrates what a beauteous location Hogwarts is in.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Prisoner of Azkaban is one of my favorites of the Harry Potter books because it reveals so much about Harry's (Daniel Radcliffe) past in such surprising ways and because of Hagrid's (Robbie Coltrane) new role as Care of Magical Creatures professor. Before we get into any of that, we must get past a couple of unnerving but amusing incidents. First, there's Harry's temper-induced inflation of his uncle Vernon's (Richard Griffiths) dreadful sister Marge (Pam Ferris), who coddles Dudley (Harry Melling) and her mean-spirited little dog but spews venom at Harry and viciously insults his parents. Then, following his decision to leave the Dursleys no matter what the cost, he hops aboard the Knight Bus at an invitation from gangly conductor Stan Shunpike (Lee Ingleby) for one of the most dizzying sequences in the movie, with the bus zooming along, contracting when needed, coming to sudden stops for little old ladies crossing the street, all with the smart-alecky commentary of a Jamaican-sounding shrunken head (Lenny Henry) dangling near the windshield.

It is on this whirlwind journey that Harry first hears the name Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), which will come to haunt him throughout the year as he learns that this very dangerous wizard has escaped from Azkaban, where he was locked up for murder, specifically for the purpose of doing away with Harry, who stands in the way of Voldemort returning to power. Later, Harry is horrified to overhear that Sirius was a close friend of his parents and that his betrayal was responsible for their death. Most of the adults in Harry's life know he is in grave danger, but few divulge that information to Harry. Rather, they hope that the soul-sucking, wraith-like Dementors will be enough to keep Sirius far away from Hogwarts. But they didn't stop him before...

The Dementors, loathsome entities that feed on happiness and joy, leaving nothing but emptiness and despair, cast a shadow over the whole campus, and no one feels their effects more acutely than Harry. Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher - undoubtedly the most ethical and competent of the six we've seen so far - tells Harry that this is because he has much more darkness in his past than most of his classmates could imagine, and he sets about to teach Harry how to guard himself against their attacks by conjuring a Patronus, a shield formed out of his most powerfully exquisite memories.

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) have two new classes to reckon with. Care of Magical Creatures is a mixed bag. Hagrid is the professor, so they feel right at home there, but their textbook is carnivorous and they're all a bit nervous when they contemplate what dangerous beasts Hagrid may acquaint them with. After an initially magnificent lesson with the Hippogriff goes horribly awry thanks to Malfoy's (Tom Felton) arrogant, disobedient antics, Buckbeak receives a death sentence. In the book, this part of the story is much more involved, as Hermione, already exhausted from a barely manageable course load, runs herself ragged trying to put together a compelling defense for Buckbeak while Hagrid resigns himself to only working with the most benign of beasts in his class for the remainder of the year. Still, the thrilling climax to this side-plot is preserved most satisfactorily.

The second class, Divination, is mostly played for laughs, with zany, over-the-top quack Sybil Trelawney (Emma Thompson) prognosticating doom and gloom and sympathetically informing Hermione that she does not have the gift. Thompson really makes the most of this role, milking it for every bit of comedic potential it's worth, so that while she rarely has anything important to do, she makes a big impression. Not as big, though, as low-key Thewlis, whose Lupin is a much-appreciated mentor for Harry from the time he distributes chocolate as a salve for Harry's first encounter with the Dementors.

Also new in this installment is Hogsmeade, the wizarding village where third-years are able to go for occasional field trips. Everyone except Harry, that is, since his uncle wasn't about to sign the required permission form (a formality similar to Muggle educational institutions that I find amusing) after the incident with dear old Aunt Marge. But Harry's a resourceful lad, so it's no great surprise that he finds his own way there, thanks to his ever-handy invisibility cloak and an unexpected gift from Fred and George Weasley (James and Oliver Phelps) that proves especially useful later on. It's a treat to see Hogsmeade, especially Honeydukes, though I must say I was disappointed at the lack of butterbeer...

The last quarter or so of this movie contains some of the most startling revelations of the series. The execution of Harry and Hermione's pivotal task is expertly done; the circumstances remain rather dubious, as must always be the case when one messes about with the space-time continuum, but it's handled skillfully enough that suspension of disbelief remains possible.

This third film is markedly different from the rest, with a new director (Alfonso Cuaron), whose contributions seems to include a desire to boost the success of the Hogwarts Tourism Bureau. Granted, we're treated to several dreary shots of a rain-drenched castle, but when the weather lets up, it's hard to imagine a school with more beautiful grounds than Hogwarts. The inside of the castle is great as well, with the paintings raising more of a ruckus than usual, especially as they cantankerously complain that certain wizards' illuminated wands are impeding their beauty sleep. I also found the choir of toad-toting students to be an inspired addition.

Harry and his friends are growing up, as are Radcliffe, Grint and Watson. Hermione really comes into her own here, especially toward the end of the film, while Ron remains relegated mostly to making inane off-hand remarks, most noticeably numerous inquiries as to where Hermione came from, since she seems to pop up mysteriously in many of their classes throughout the year. Because of the Buckbeak angle, Hagrid gets decent screen time, and we get a couple of key sequences involving Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy). We have to adjust to a new Dumbledore, and while I don't like Michael Gambon nearly as much in the role as Richard Harris, I think his performance here is highly preferable to the one he gave in Goblet of Fire. Maybe he saw this as a transition period before he turned Dumbledore into a stern and snarling taskmaster; I wish he would've stuck closer to his work in this film, in which he managed to maintain at least some of the old gentleness and humor.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a fantastical spectacle, its eye-catching visuals thoroughly impressive except, perhaps, when the werewolf comes into the picture; maybe it's just me, but I found him to be one strange-looking creature. But Buckbeak made up for any disappointment with canine characters, and the adaptation of the plot was handled adroitly, so I tip my hat to Cuaron and company. Now, Hagrid... About that Hippogriff...