Behind the Scenes: MAD Magazine’s Parody of Harry Potter 2

We continue our look through artist Tom Richmond’s work for MAD Magazine, focusing on his 18th job for the publication. This piece was a movie parody of the second “Harry Potter” film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, written by Desmond Devlin. The parody appeared in MAD #424, released in December 2002.

This particular assignment was significant for Richmond, especially given his family’s enthusiasm for the Harry Potter series. They were avid readers of the books, enjoying them together and even continuing to read them independently after bedtime stories. Landing the job to spoof the second Harry Potter movie, a major blockbuster, was thrilling. It marked his longest single piece for MAD at that time, spanning nine pages, a record he wouldn’t break for another fourteen years. This project also represented a shift for MAD: it was the first time Richmond was commissioned to create the artwork for a film parody before the movie was actually released in theaters. This was an experimental approach MAD was exploring at the time to get parodies out closer to the films’ release dates.

Adding a personal touch to the parody, Richmond included cameos of his children on the splash page. His daughter, identified as “The Effervescent Gabrielle,” appears right behind Harry’s wand. “The Dramatic Victoria,” “The Animated Elizabeth,” and “Number One Son Thomas” are depicted on the bottom right section of the page, near the character Neville Longbottom. These personal inclusions were a way to connect his family’s love for the books with his professional work on the parody. You can explore more about various harry potter characters in the series.

Richmond’s nieces and nephews also made cameo appearances throughout the parody as Hogwarts students. In one panel, depicted in the artwork, his nephews Tony and Cole Williams are shown in line, seeking autographs from Gilderoy Lockhart. These subtle nods to his family members populated the background of the parody’s scenes.

Working on the parody before the movie’s release presented unique challenges and required reliance on available promotional materials. Since it was a sequel, there was ample reference for established sets, principal characters like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and the overall look of the wizarding world. However, capturing the specifics of Harry Potter 2 before seeing the final cut meant depending on trailers, TV spots, and advanced promotional images. These resources provided glimpses of new elements introduced in Chamber of Secrets, such as Dobby the house-elf, the flying Ford Anglia, Fawkes the phoenix, and key set pieces like the girls’ bathroom leading to the Chamber of Secrets. Looking back after the film’s release, Richmond felt they did a commendable job of visually representing the movie’s elements despite working ahead of time.

The script for the parody, written by Desmond Devlin, was based on the source material – J.K. Rowling’s book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As a result, certain scenes present in the book, and consequently in the MAD parody, were either altered or entirely omitted from the final movie. A notable example highlighted by Richmond is the “Death Day” party scene involving Nearly Headless Nick. This sequence, depicted in the parody, was from the book but did not make it into the film adaptation. This demonstrates the reliance on the original text when the movie was not yet available.

More nieces and nephews made cameos in other panels. Hunter Voss was included in a scene depicting students using chamber pots. In the crowd watching the dueling club scene, Joey, Luke, Susan, and Mia Voss, along with Trevor and Jacob Richmond, were featured. Brittany Lauseng, a niece, appeared as a blonde student near Draco Malfoy in one panel. According to Richmond, these cameos earned him recognition among his family, though he humorously notes that Hunter Voss hasn’t spoken to him since that issue was published.

Richmond admits he generally did not prefer working on movie parodies before the film’s release, despite understanding the sales logic behind it. In earlier decades (60s-80s), movies had longer theatrical runs, trickling down to smaller markets over months. MAD’s parodies, released a few months after the premiere, were still timely. By the late 90s and early 2000s, blockbusters premiered on thousands of screens simultaneously and were often gone within 6-8 weeks. To stay relevant, MAD needed their spoofs out faster. While working from advanced materials helped achieve this, Richmond felt the parodies could suffer artistically without the ability to reference the finished film’s specific visual gags and nuances.

Doing a sequel like Harry Potter 2 was somewhat easier in this regard, as the visual world and primary characters were already established, much like working on a TV show parody where the sets and cast are consistent. However, the lack of the actual movie meant being unable to incorporate unique visual elements or jokes derived directly from the film’s execution. Furthermore, there was always the risk of major plot points or scenes being cut or changed significantly from the scripts or source materials used, leading to inconsistencies between the parody and the final film. This challenge underscores the difficulty of creating timely humor based on moving targets. Blockbuster film performance, like the avatar 2 box office, often drives the urgency for timely parodies.

The nine-page length of the Harry Potter 2 parody was noteworthy. At the time, it was believed to be the longest movie spoof published in MAD Magazine since the ten-page “Superduperman II” parody appeared in MAD #226 in October 1981. This length allowed for a more in-depth satirical look at the film’s plot and characters. For context on other lengthy series, you might compare this to the scale of the narrative in something like harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2, which concluded the film saga.

Richmond also mentions including a specific MAD inside joke suggested by writer Desmond Devlin: the famous Bill Gaines “Rubber Stamp Tree” placed on Dumbledore’s desk within one of the panels. This kind of “Easter egg” added an extra layer of humor and recognition for long-time readers of the magazine. It’s a nod to the publication’s history, similar to how ongoing series like fantastic beasts 2 build on established lore.

In conclusion, creating the MAD Magazine parody of Harry Potter 2 (“Harry Plodder and the Chamber of Sequels”) was a significant undertaking for artist Tom Richmond. It was a long piece, a personal project due to his family’s fandom, and represented MAD’s evolving strategy for timely movie parodies. Despite the challenges of working before the film’s release, the team successfully captured the essence of the story while infusing it with signature MAD humor and personal touches like family cameos, offering a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the creation of entertainment satire.