Continuity mistake: In the Dursley's kitchen, as Harry walks by, on the table is Vernon's cereal bowl between the coffee pot on his right and OJ on his left, plus the tea pot is in the center of the table. In the close-up as Vernon says, "Yours? Who'd be writing to you?" the cereal bowl is missing and the tea pot is near his OJ. In the next close-up of the letter, the cereal bowl is back and the OJ is now on Vernon's right, near the coffee cup. (00:09:05)
Continuity mistake: When Uncle Vernon is nailing a small piece of board to the mail slot, he nails it angled slightly to the right. When Harry's letters start pouring in and the small piece of board is ripped from the door, it is angled slightly to the left. The actual wood boards differ as well. (00:09:55 - 00:12:00)
Continuity mistake: At his home, when Vernon says, "Fine day, Sunday. In my opinion best day of the week. Why is that Dudley?" in the close-up his arms are crossed right over left. In the next wide shot, as Harry answers, Vernon's arms are crossed left over right. Yet in the next close-up, his arms are crossed right over left again. (00:10:40)
Continuity mistake: When all of the letters are arriving from Hogwarts at the Dursleys' house, it is obvious that the ones flying around the room are just single pieces of paper and not thick envelopes containing letters. (00:11:25)
Continuity mistake: When the letters start flying through the letterbox they are coming in with the address facing down and the red seal facing up. When Vernon says they are going away, the letters are now addressed side up and red seal down. (00:12:15)
Continuity mistake: When Dudley sits up when Hagrid knocks on the door, he is sat up. Camera cuts and he is sitting up again. (00:12:20)
Continuity mistake: At the hut on the rock, after the camera pans sleeping Vernon and Petunia, there's an overhead shot of Harry and Dudley downstairs. In this shot the hanging light, its switch and cable are visible over the stairs. Note, the cable switch hangs down low, parallel to the droplight. However, when Vernon and Petunia are at the stairs, and she turns on the light, the cable and switch are now perpendicular to the droplight, raised higher up parallel to the wood above. Seen in following shots as well. (00:12:25)
Continuity mistake: At the hut on the rock, after Harry draws the candles in the dirt, he glances behind him at Dudley's watch. In the next close-up of the watch, as it turns 12:00, the watch is actually on Dudley's wrist (notice his fingers) the opposite way from the previous shot. Note the distinctive design around the watch face. (00:12:35)
Continuity mistake: While Harry lies on the floor at the hut on the rock, with his finger he draws birthday candles atop the birthday cake. When Dudley's watch hits 12:00, in the next shot of Harry, the candles visible on the floor do not resemble the ones in the previous and following shots. (00:12:35)
Continuity mistake: When we first see Harry drawing a cake in the dirt, his hand is in the shadow created by the sofa when lightning strikes. When we see a closeup of the drawing, his hand is in the light. (00:12:50)
Continuity mistake: At the hut on the rock, Harry lies on a grey blanket spread on the ground between the fireplace and the couch. When Hagrid bangs on the door, Harry quickly jumps up and hides, leaving the blanket behind. Though the blanket is visible on the ground, in some shots, it is however, gone in the three wide shots with the Hagrid body double, as he zaps a tail on Dudley, then as all the Dursleys run upstairs, as well as the shot after Hagrid says, "We're a bit behind schedule, best be off." (00:12:55)
Continuity mistake: When Hagrid knocks down the door of the hut on the rock, in the close-up of the bottom door bolt and the piece of moulding, the bolt is clear of the latch on the moulding as they both fall. Yet, in the wide shot the bottom bolt is still within the latch on the moulding, as they both fall. (00:13:05)
Continuity mistake: After Harry thanks Hagrid for his birthday cake, Hagrid sits on the couch. In the next two shots facing Hagrid as he pulls out his 'umbrella', Hagrid's fry pan suddenly lies on the couch, which is visible to his right. The way he pulls out the 'umbrella' and the position of the fry pan differ within the two shots. Moreover, the fry pan is gone after these two shots. (00:14:25)
Continuity mistake: When Harry receives his letter from Hogwarts, he opens it and it looks like one letter standard size. When the shot changes, it looks like a card (but we saw Harry unfold it). And when they are in London, right before they enter The Leaky Cauldron, it's standard size again but now there is more then one letter. Notice the folded left hand corner. (00:15:50 - 00:18:35)
Continuity mistake: When Dudley pops up after Hagrid gives him a pig's tail, his face and hands are clean, even though he was just eating Harry's birthday cake with his hands. (00:16:40)
Continuity mistake: In the sea hut scene, when Dudley steals the cake, there's a shot of him eating it and his pyjama shirt is pulled up, then it cuts to Hagrid, and he says 'He'll be under the finest headmaster...' and it cuts back to Dudley, but his pyjama shirt is back down over his pyjama pants. (00:17:10)
Continuity mistake: When Hagrid goes to leave, the door has a gap visible at the top where you can see the rain. When Hagrid grabs hold of the top of the door the gap has vanished. (00:17:20)
Continuity mistake: As Hagrid aims his 'umbrella' at Dudley while he eats Harry's birthday cake, in the side shot one end of the blue string (that was tied around the cake box) hangs down the side of the table, but when Vernon rushes Petunia and Dudley off, in this shot that end of the string lies on top of the table. Yet, when Hagrid says, "We're a bit behind schedule. Best be off," the string hangs off the side again. (00:17:30)
Continuity mistake: When Harry and Hagrid arrive in London and are speaking about what Harry needs to buy, the shot of them walking towards the camera has a block of three shops on their right. I cannot make out what the first one they pass is. The second is a cafe, and has the street no. 35 above it. The one nearest to the camera is a fruiterer/greengrocer ? numbered 33. Hagrid and Harry pass the first shop, and are outside the café. The shot cuts to Hagrid and he passes buildings with the numbers 45 and 44 on them (strange if the odd numbers are on the other side of the street). His head is just about to pass the no. 44 (maybe two steps more and he would pass it). We then cut back to Harry, who is walking past a wine shop ? not one of the three shops above. When we cut back to the shot of Hagrid, (after he has taken a few steps from the previous shot of him) his head is just about to pass the 44. (00:17:44)
Continuity mistake: When Hagrid and Harry step out the back door of the Leaky Cauldron, in the overhead shot there are many glass bottles on the floor, between the barrels. However, after Hagrid says, "Welcome Harry, to Diagon Alley," as they walk out the barrels are visible behind Hagrid and there are no glass bottles between the barrels. The stone ground differs in both shots too. (00:20:05)
