Alfonso Cuaron and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron is responsible for taking Harry Potter out of Chris Columbus's child-friendly atmosphere and engraving it into the dark and frightening realm that is home to the world of witchcraft and wizardry.  Plain and simply put, without Cuaron, the Harry Potter franchise would not have survived and would have been a disappointment to loyal fans.  Columbus is important for casting the heroes and finding the innards of Hogwarts, but it is Cuaron that provided the guts and soul to Columbus's bones.  Muchas gracias Alfonso.
-M.