Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) (with Jyotsna Kapur)

Whomping willows, Ford Anglias, and so much more are covered in episode 117 of the podcast, which (better late than never!) returns to Hogwarts for the second instalment of the Harry Potter film franchise and an adaptation of the 1998 novel originally released back in November 2002. Joining Chris and Alex for a closer look at Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) is Jyotsna Kapur, who is a Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Southern Illinois University. Jyotsna’s research and teaching interests include Marxist-feminist theory of media arts and culture, the politics of labour, class, race, and sexuality in neoliberalism, and global children's media culture, and she has published widely on the intersections between visual culture and childhood. Listen as they discuss Hollywood cinema’s overlap with children’s rights in Clinton-era America and the question of protection; Harry Potter’s representation of London and the urban regeneration of King’s Cross St. Pancras as a space of travel, transit, and magic; Dobby, flying cars and developments in digital VFX; branding and world-building in relation to Potter fandom and tourism; mudblood as both a racialised category of identity and something entirely emptied of racial consciousness; and how Harry Potter negotiates the relationship between childhood and fantasy to stimulate a broader commercial and audience desire in the franchise. **Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**