Twenty years ago, J.K. Rowling‘s first Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was released in the United Kingdom before making its way to the United States the next year. That book captured the collective imaginations of readers around the world, and the series continues to pick up new fans to this day. But now there’s a brand new way to enjoy Harry Potter’s first adventure, if you own an Amazon Kindle.
Via Entertainment Weekly, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has been released an animated ebook on the Amazon Kindle. It should be noted that this is not a fully animated rendition of the story, but wouldn’t that be awesome? Instead, Amazon’s Kindle in Motion technology has been used to add limited animation to Jim Kay’s artwork from the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone illustrated edition.
The experience of reading this story with the animated additions has been likened to the way that the characters read the magical newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Some of the animated sequences include Harry and Hagrid traveling in a boat, the train scene at the famous Platform 9 and 3/4, as well as the moving portrait of Hogwarts Headmaster Albus Dumbledore.
Judging from the early glimpses of the Kindle edition, the new animation does add a lot of charm to the story. We may never get to see Harry Potter’s saga make the full leap into animation, but this is the next best thing.
What do you think about the new Kindle edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone? Cast your spells in the comment section below!
Images: Amazon Kindle/Jim Kay/Pottermore
