Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Welcome to the First Harry Potter Ultimate Edition!
Spellbinding 4-Disc Set Includes New Feature-Length Documentary: Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 1: The Magic Begins
For the First Time Ever … Uncover the intimate details of the search to cast Harry Potter and his friends • See Daniel, Rupert and Emma’s never-before-seen audition tapes • Be there with stars and filmmakers walking onto the set of the exciting first day of shooting • Learn about Chris Columbus’ critical, step-by-step decisions behind the creation of Harry Potter’s world on screen • Look back on an amazing decade’s worth of movies with Daniel, Rupert and Emma in new and vintage interviews never seen before. Plus: Exclusive Introduction by Daniel Radcliffe
Collectibles include: 48-Page Photo Book with never-before-seen images from Years 1-7 and 2 Ultimate Edition Character Cards (Card No. 1: Harry Potter, Card No. 2: Minerva McGonogall)
Rating: 
(out of 31 reviews)
List Price: $ 39.92
Price: $ 24.99
Tags: harry potter 1-6 ultimate edition, Ultimate Edition, boxman.com
Review by Charles Clark for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Rating:
To start off this isn’t a review of the movie itself, by now you should have already formed an opinion of the movie for yourself or from other reviews of just the film. This is a review for the Ultimate Edition.
Two words: Absolutely Amazing!
This isn’t just some scam from Warner Bros to get a few more dollars squeezed out of the Harry Potter movies, this is brand new and refreshing. Warner Bros packaged this set to be (or what appears to be) the last Harry Potter set to be had. Everything that you could want in a collectors set it included here.
The booklet included is surprisingly well done. The book keeps with the theme of the special feature exclusive to the ultimate edition. For example, in the Chamber of Secrets edition the booklet is all about the characters and their development, both at the beginning of the series and how they have evolved through the years. Included are stills from the movie, pictures of the theme (ie. characters, buildings, sets), and my favorite… concept art.
As for the character cards that are included they aren’t anything super special but at the same time they aren’t cheaply done. The cards are solid and printed well. I could see where some people will find them very satisfying and a highlight of the edition.
The thing that I was most impressed with, however, was the presentation. Finally someone released a special edition of a film and made it presentable and convenient. The boxes are made to look like books that fold open and are neatly packed on the inside. Also on the inside of the book there are images from the film, making it look very much like a collector’s item. Warner Bros has really set themselves up nicely for the release of the next six of these.
Overall I was extremely pleased with this edition of the movie and cannot wait for the rest to be released.
Review by Anders Blom for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Rating:
These box sets are extremely nice; at almost 7-3/4 inches (194mm) tall, 5-3/4 inches (145mm) deep and just over 2 inches (52mm) wide, make sure you have enough room on your shelf to display these (remember, there’s going to be eight of these sets). The box itself has to be the best design of a blu-ray package I have seen yet, it is constructed of very heavy laminated cardstock with a magnetic catch to hold it shut and has a thin cardstock sleeve to protect it. The two blu-rays and one dvd are stored in a folding plastic and cardstock case that is kept inside the box.
The film itself is beautifully remastered so the stunning scenery and somewhat impressive special effects truly come to life. If you are a true Harry Potter fan, then this Ultimate Edition is a must own especially on blu-ray.
The contents include:
A blu-ray disc with the theatrical version and the extended version with 7 deleted scenes of over 6 and a half minutes worth of film and the “In-movie experience” (picture in picture commentary with behind the scenes footage for the theatrical version only).
Languages: Spoken – English and Spanish; Subtitled – English (for the hearing impaired) and Spanish.
A second blu-ray disc with special features such as:
Behind the Story –
-Introduction with Daniel Radcliffe (2 minutes)
-Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 1: The Magic Begins – a behind the scenes documentary about the endeavor of casting and creating the world for filming. (1 hour, 2 minutes)
-A Glimpse into the World of Harry potter – an international TV Special from 2001
Additional Footage –
-Deleted scenes that are included in the extended version: Dudley’s new School Uniform, Petunia Cracks Eggs with Letters Inside, Tube Ride, Kids Leave Girls Bathroom, Harry sits by Fire in Great Hall, Harry Finds Nicolas Flamel Card, Snape Classroom (extended)
Trailers and TV Spots -
-3 Theatrical Trailers
-15 TV Spots
A dvd disc of various special features from the first special edition release on dvd (I think, since I never owned this dvd):
-A guided tour of Hogwarts in 3D (like internet home tours with narration)
-An interactive scavenger like setup for exploring the world of Harry Potter
-Interviews with the Producers, Director, Screenwriter, Production Designer about cast, scenery, screenplay and special effects of the first film. (16 minutes)
-Dvd-rom features, packed full of cool stuff
An envelope with two collectible cards of a series (Harry Potter, Minerva McGonagall)
A disc for the digital copy
And a photo book of stills and concept art from the entire storyline focusing on locations and sets.
Review by Steve Schwabe for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Rating:
Warner Home Video has announced Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on Blu-ray, set for release on December 8, will be joined by new “ultimate editions” of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The six remaining Potter films, taking into account two films for The Deathly Hallows, will also receive ultimate edition treatments.
Tbe new versions of Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets will see an upgrade to 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio as well as 7 and thirteen minutes added to a new director’s cut, respectively. The theatrical cut will be housed on disc one, the new cut on disc two, and discs three and four will be dedicated to supplemental materials. Packed in with each set will be a 48-page character book and 2 cards from a new series of character cards.
Bonus features for these new ultimate editions are anchored with a new multi-part documentary split between each set. Warner’s original listing of features was a bit jumbled so I tried to break them out as logical as possible below.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Theatrical and extended version with 7 extra minutes on discs 1 and 2
Tour the Gryffindor Common Room, Harry’s Room and the Great Hall – Welcome to the self-guided tour of Hogwarts, home of witches and wizards in training, and take in the sights
Classrooms: Defense Against the Dark Arts; Spells and Charms; Potions; Transfiguration
Deleted Scenes
Library: Gallery of Art & Architecture
Hogwarts Yearbook
Guide to Ghosts – Discover the many marvelous and mysterious ghosts of Hogwarts
Quaffle and Bludger – Get a lesson from Oliver Wood on how to play Quidditch
Tour Hagrid’s Hut – Welcome to the self-guided tour of Hagrid’s Hut, home of Rubeus Hagrid, the keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts, and his faithful companion, Fang.
Interview – Capturing the Stone: A Conversation with the Filmmakers – Director Chris Columbus, Producer David Heyman, Screenwriter Steve Kloves and Production Designer Stuart Craig talk about casting and bringing the novel to life.
NEW: Introduction by Daniel Radcliffe – An introduction to the many special features for the Harry Potter films
NEW: Creating the World of Harry Potter, Part 1: The Magic Begins – Discover the story of how one vision for the Harry Potter films came together out of limitless possibilities to create the visual world we have come to know and love.
A Glimpse Into the World of Harry Potter 2001 International TV Special
Deleted Scenes
Trailers and TV Spots
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Theatrical and extended version with 13 minutes not shown in theaters.
Creating the World of Harry Potter Part 2: Characters
A Whole New Realm of Discovery… Discover the intriguing inside stories of why so many of Britain’s most celebrated stars took roles in the series
See the newly unveiled screen test between Daniel Radcliffe and Evanna Lynch (selected to play Luna out of 15,000 hopefuls!)
Go on the set to see firsthand how each of the directors brought unique strengths to the series
Witness the amazing transformations as Daniel, Rupert and Emma grow with their characters over a decade of unprecedented filmmaking.
Never-Before-Seen Screen Tests of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Revealed – 2002 HBO First Look special
Trailers and TV Spots
Deleted Scenes
Lockhart’s Classroom
Photo Gallery: Certificates – Have a look at Gilderoy Lockhart’s many achievements
Required Reading – Find out what text books you’ll need for Lockhart’s Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
Behind Hogwarts
A Conversation with J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves – The author and screenwriter detail how the books are brought to life, and the changes that happen in the process
Build a Scene – Building a scene as magnificent as Professor Dumbledore’s office takes more than wood, plaster, nails and paint. It takes imagination.
Tour Dumbledore’s Office – Welcome to the self-guided tour of Professor Dumbledore’s office, one of the most fascinating rooms at Hogwarts.
Interviews with Students, Professors and More
Gallery of Production Sketches
Spellcaster Knowledge Challenge [Game]
EA Game Preview
Review by Stephen Bertorello for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Rating:
The BluRay transfer does nothing for the film. John Seale’s sometimes flat, muddy cinematography and the rushed FX shots become even more jarringly apparent. The reincorporation of the deleted scenes is a nice feature, however.
The “Creating the World of Harry Potter” documentary on the second disc is a very welcome addition. I appreciate when the film makers and studios make a more straight-forward feature like this, especially for a family-friendly or children’s movie. Too often they’re burdened with boring, kid-friendly infomercials that recycle the same behind-the-scenes footage. Much like…
…the third disc, which is disappointingly just a reprint of the bonus disc from the original 2-disc DVD release from 2002. While that disc was lauded at the time of its original release, the graphics are embarrassingly outdated now (WB couldn’t spare a few thousand bucks for a menu refresh?)
Review by R. McAdams for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Ultimate Edition)
Rating:
We just got our blu-ray player, after holding out for so long. So, naturally, I am on a blu-ray buying spree. So far, of all of the blu-ray discs I have watched in high definition on our 1080p HD TV, these new “Ultimate Editions” of the Harry Potter films, have impressed me the most.
I am *NOT* an audio/video expert. However, I can say that the films look crisp and sharp, to me. We are playing the discs on a Playstation 3 using an HDMI connection to our Sony Bravia Z-Series 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV. The sound is quite nice as well. We don’t have a full digital audio setup, but we do have a limited 2.1 sound system attached to our setup, and the sound seems to be better on the blu-ray discs, than the DVDs. But that may just be a placebo affect.
I was worried that because the films we made quite a while before blu-ray came out, or before it was super-common to film all digitally, and in high definition, that what we would end up with would be an upscaled version of the DVD footage, showing heavy grain and looking blurry. I can say that it doesn’t look like that at all. It looks fantastic. Like the actors are right there in the room with you. Additionally, the blu-ray disc contains both the theatrical release, and the new extended version with cut scenes put back in. A *LOT* of scenes make more sense with those scenes back in. It helps if you have read the books, but if you haven’t, then those extra scenes make the movies make more sense.
As for the extras, the booklet is nice, and has some interesting photos (and very little in the way of words or explanations to explain them). The case is fantastic, and high quality (the interior case which is the big box right inside the slipcover is the same kind of pseudo-leather the LOTR extended versions use, AND it has a nifty magnetic clasp to hold itself shut!). The over-sized trading cards are ridiculous and clearly a gimmick (but they are well made). The DVD copy has all of the old special features from previous releases. However, if you are a super-fan of the books and movies, it will be the blu-ray special features disc that you buy this set for. Specifically, for the hour long documentary included in each ultimate edition containing all of the behind-the-scenes stuff I have been wanting to see for such a long time now! They also do in depth interviews, and show stuff we have never seen before, like the actors screen tests, and their green-screening techniques.
I loved the set, I loved the price, I loved the quality of the films in HD, and I loved the extras. 5 stars, all the way!