One of the most iconic action-heavy set pieces in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone occurs during Halloween. A troll is released into Hogwarts, placing Hermione Granger, who was hiding, in the girls' bathroom, crying. Harry Potter and Ron Weasley go to her rescue and defeat the troll by casting "Wingardium Leviosa" on its wooden club and clashing it on its head. This scene is set to come to life on TV screens when the reboot premieres on HBO Max Christmas Day.
HBO's latest trailer for Harry Potter Season 1 unveiled the first up-close look at the redesigned mountain troll, which many are already criticizing as a downgrade. The rebooted design has been slammed for lacking the cartoonish magic of the movies and for deviating further from J.K. Rowling's descriptions in the 1997 novel.
The glimpse at the troll's full body lasted a few frames and was mostly obscured in darkness, allowing for only a low-res look. Still, there's no denying that the troll looks hulkingly massive and more terrifying than ever.
The troll's gaping nostrils are bound to come in handy for Harry and Ron's rescue mission when they thrust a wand up its nose, desperate for a way to defeat it.
While Harry Potter's big-screen troll was more comical, cartoon-esque, and family-friendly, HBO's reinvented take on the giant foe looks plucked out of the horror realm or a mythological tale like The Odyssey.
The change may have been made to align with Harry Potter's more mature age rating for the HBO reboot, as the jump from PG to TV-14 will better allow moments like this to convey their horrific nature.
The description of the mountain troll from J.K. Rowling's original novel described it as "twelve-feet tall" with "dull, granite grey" skin and a "great lumpy body like a boulder with its small head perched on top like a coconut." The HBO series may not match the Harry Potter movies or the book illustrations, but it certainly still aligns with those descriptions.
Rowling also mentions that the troll "waggled its long ears" and that "its mean little eyes saw Harry." By contrast, this troll seems to be earless and eyeless, making the HBO reinvention something of a downgrade from the movies, at least in terms of book accuracy, which seems to be one of the series' priorities.
In a way, the changes may be in Harry Potter's best interests, as Professor McGonagall said herself, "Not many first-years could have taken on a full-grown mountain troll." If this troll lacked some basic senses, that might explain how the Golden Trio managed to defeat it with no prior training.
Those familiar with the original novel for Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will be aware that the girls' bathroom on Halloween isn't the only place that the Golden Trio encounters a troll, as a second appears much later on.
After advancing past the giant chess game in pursuit of the stone, Harry and Hermione come across "a troll even larger than the one they had tackled;" however, it is already "out cold with a bloody lump on its head." The magical creature was seemingly placed and defeated by Professor Quirrell as his unique contribution to protecting the Philosopher's Stone.
HBO’s Troll Redesign Is a Sign of Things To Come for Harry Potter
Harry Potter's mountain troll is just one of many characters, costumes, props, creatures, and locations that will be redesigned for the HBO series, and it's time for fans to accept that this version will be different. Yes, HBO is sticking closer to the source material narratively, but, as with any adaptation, the streamer is putting its own spin on the story and will find ways to deviate from the books and movies.
Ultimately, the Harry Potter movies portrayed the mountain troll almost perfectly, even in the early 2000s when CGI technology was far more restrictive. As such, it makes sense to put a new spin on the creature, utilizing the series' older age rating to create a troll that would send many younger viewers hiding behind the couch.
The change is bound to have fans wondering how HBO will reinvent Harry Potter's other magical creatures and monsters, such as Aragog, the Dementors, Hippogriffs, Dragons, Thestrals, House-elves, and, of course, the Basilisk.
