Web Wizardry Delivers Potter Preview
Harry Potter, the world's most popular teen wizard, is using some Internet magic to allow fans a sneak preview of the eagerly-awaited film of his first book.
A three-minute trailer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is now available online.
"It will be an exciting look into the world of Hogwarts. We are expecting a phenomenal demand," a spokeswoman for distributors Warner Brothers said.
Those who praised the bespectacled Harry for helping children rediscover books and bringing welcome relief in the cyber era of Playstation and Pokemon may bemoan the electronic preview on World Book Day.
But the Internet trailer is testament to the diminutive wizard's global appeal.
And the fact that the film will be released on the same day - Nov. 16 - in the United States and Britain offers further proof of the schoolboy's international charm.
Daniel Radcliffe was the lucky 11-year-old picked from hundreds of hopefuls to play Harry.
He most recently portrayed young David Copperfield in a BBC version of the Charles Dickens classic, and will also appear in the upcoming film The Tailor of Panama.
Dame Maggie Smith will play his transfiguration teacher Professor McGonagall and heavyweight Scottish actor Robbie Coltrane will take the part of Hagrid, the school's groundskeeper who befriends the young wizard.
Author J.K. Rowling has published four of the seven volumes planned in the Potter series. More than 60 million copies have been sold in 200 countries.
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