It’s been five years since Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (2011) was released, and the creative team at Warner Bros. have been working hard on 16 stunning new DVD and Blu-ray covers – reimagining the films all over again.

On top of that, Pottermore can exclusively reveal the two box set covers as an extra visual treat.

Split into two types of artwork, called ‘Moments’ and ‘Iconic’, fans old and new will be able to see the films wrapped up like never before. Either in their more traditional forms, with the cast adorning the covers, or a new minimalistic style, with each DVD and Blu-ray portraying a key scene from the films that resonated with the creative team who put the art together.

Angie Lai, executive director for the film marketing team at Warner Bros. and Cathy Johnson, the creative director, guided us through the artistic process behind the new look covers.

Moments

First up, we have the ‘Moment’ artwork made for the DVDs, which pulls together the main cast and a specially chosen vignette from each movie. In celebration of the upcoming Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, Angie told us that the team were keen to give magical creatures centre stage. We’re sure you will concur that Dobby deserves to be centre stage on the cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

‘You’ll see that there’s detail, and storyline elements from each film,’ Angie explained. ‘A fresh way to look at it is we’ve included a vignette from each film, which highlights a beast or a creature. It’s intended for new fans, but these elements are really what pulled at the heartstrings of lots of old fans as well.’

Iconic

In contrast, the ‘Iconic’ artwork will grace the new Blu-ray covers, and offers a much more abstract approach. Upon each cover, eagle-eyed fans will recognise this sequence of images as hugely seminal visual moments from each story, such as glossy stills of Slytherin’s locket, a smoking Goblet of Fire, and, of course, the Sorting Hat.

‘We love these pieces of art, they are different from anything we’ve ever done before,’ Angie said. ‘It’s looking at it for the fans who know what these objects are. If you look closer, at the Sorting Hat, for example, you can see Harry’s glasses. Or if you look at Half-Blood Prince, you have Tom Riddle’s memory vial in the middle, as a little hidden gem.’

Whereas the Moment artwork may be for the new generation Harry Potter fan, the Iconic artwork is for the old-timers, says Angie.

‘There’s a little script on the prophecy ball that only a true fan will know what it actually is,’ she enthused.

And when we asked which image was a particular favourite, the answer was unanimous: The Sorting Hat, of course!

‘The Sorting Hat just brings me right back into the franchise when you first meet [Harry, Ron and Hermione].’ Cathy said. ‘It just brought back all those first emotions for me. As a huge Potter fan, the iconic pieces are just so exciting. And to be able to make this happen…I love it!’