“Harry Potter And the Prisoner of Azkaban” returns to UK cinemas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film’s release!

If you were lucky enough to see Prisoner of Azkaban when it premiered in 2004, you probably remember the scene where Harry rides Buckbeak out over the lake. You see Harry’s expression change from fear to exhilaration as he begins to enjoy and appreciate the ride. Buckbeak dipping a claw into the lake as they soar over its surface is a nice touch.

You can watch that scene anytime on DVD on your telly or on your computer screen, along with the rest of the movie, with inflated Aunt Marge ascending over Privet Drive and the purple Knight Bus arriving with a bang in Little Whinging, not to mention Lupin’s famous lesson using the Bogart in the wardrobe, and the Dementors nearly sucking out Sirius’s soul before Harry’s Patronus gallops over the lake and scatters them.

But the small screen does not have the same effect as seeing these dramatic moments play out on the big screen of a darkened cinema, with surround sound and a large popcorn, which is why UK fans will be delighted to hear that as of today, 31 May, Prisoner of Azkaban is back in cinemas for a limited time, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of its release.