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: In the Quidditch scene, when Madame Hooch steps onto the field she says, "Now I want a nice, clean game," and while she's looking up, her Hogwarts patch is on the left side of her robes. At the end of the Quidditch game when she says, "Gryffindor wins," her patch is on the right side of her robes. Interestingly, the shot of Madame Hooch is a flipped shot, yet it was pasted onto the scenic background, which is not flipped, but properly positioned. (01:23:00)
Continuity mistake: As the students board the Hogwarts Express to go home, the cuts on Harry's face, particularly near his eye, differ in severity during this scene depending on the camera angle in a given shot. (02:21:55)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione come with Filch to Hagrid to go into the dark forest, watch the lamp Hagrid sets down. Filch says something like "A sorry lot this, Hagrid". Then the shot cuts to Hagrid (look at the lamp) then to Filch again who says "Oh good god man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?" then to Hagrid again. The lamp changes position between these shots. (01:43:00)
Continuity mistake: In the scene where Harry figures out that Hagrid got his dragon egg from "Snape"(Quirrell), at the begining of the scene, Harry's cloak is buttoned and still is when he, Hermione, and Ron are running to Hagrid's hut. When he reaches Hagrid's hut, it is unbuttoned even though he never unbuttoned it himself. (01:46:50)
Continuity mistake: During Madame Hooch's flying lesson, in a close-up Ron says, "Up! Up!" to his broomstick. In the next wide shot of all the students, Ron stands next to Harry, who holds his broomstick, and just before it cuts to the next shot, Ron visibly grips his broomstick as it floats up to his hand, as well Seamus, who grabs hold of his too. Yet, in the next shot Seamus still says, "Up! Up!" and in Ron's next close-up, he still says, "Up!" to his broomstick still lying on the ground, which promptly smacks him in the head. (00:55:30)
Continuity mistake: Just after Flint leaps over the Weasley twin, in the next shot Flint tosses the ball forward - toward the hoop - with the school to his left (viewer's right) and Ravenclaw, Slytherine, Gryffindor and two staff (black/grey) towers behind him, to his right. However, in the next shot as the ball flies through the hoop (close-up), it is actually the hoop at the other side of the pitch - we see (in order) the Slytherine, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor towers to the left of the screen. (01:19:30)
Continuity mistake: The angle/shape of Harry's scar changes dramatically in quite a few shots throughout the film. Two examples being, the morning of Dudley's birthday, when Harry opens his eyes in the close-up, while lying in the cupboard; and later, when his hair is blown back in the close-up, as Voldemort's 'spirit' starts to rush through him, while he holds the Stone. (00:04:05 - 02:13:25)
Continuity mistake: When Harry Ron and Hermione run to see McGonagall, there is an hourglass, a large book and a candle all sitting directly on top of her desk. Their positions change, especially in the shot facing McGonagall, when she says, "I'm afraid Professor Dumbledore is not here...," not only is there is another small book next to the candle, the hourglass now sits on the large book. The long iron inkwell in the middle of the desk has also been turned around. (01:51:45)
Continuity mistake: When Hedwig comes flying in delivering the broom, she drops it at an angle, but when Harry catches it it's completely horizontal. (01:11:50)
Continuity mistake: When Hermione shows Ron and Harry the Gryffindor Quidditch trophy, in the close-up of James Potter's name, Harry's reflection is visible on the badge. In the reflection, the points of his white shirt collar and a good portion of his tie are seen, whereas, in the shots facing Harry the collar points are tucked into his sweater and only the tie's knot is seen. (01:00:35)
Continuity mistake: When Wood takes Harry out to see the Quidditch balls, he sets down the bat right against the box holding the balls. When Wood goes to open the box, you see the grass where the bat should be. And then he picks up the bat, which is not where it was originally placed. (01:01:30)
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: 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: In the overhead wide shot, before Madame Hooch says, "Good afternoon, class," as she approaches, each student stands directly behind the bristles of their broomsticks, yet in the next shot as the camera pans their feet, they stand between the bristles of their broom and the neighboring broom. (00:55:00)
Continuity mistake: When Malfoy throws the Remembrall, he throws it back toward the crowd of students from which he came, yet Harry has to fly back across the courtyard toward the students after catching the Remembrall. (00:56:20)
Continuity mistake: At Hagrid's hut, when he places the dragon egg on the table, the book lies right next to the cup and saucer. Yet in the shots looking up from the edge of the table, directly in front of Hagrid and the egg/Norbert, the book and cup/saucer are far apart for these particular shots. (01:39:50)
Continuity mistake: When Hagrid is in Gringotts, in the shot facing Hagrid when he says, "Professor Dumbledore gave me this," his index and middle finger are on the side of the writing as he hands the letter to the Goblin Bank Teller, yet in the next two shots, Hagrid's thumb is on the side of the writing in front, as he hands the letter over. (00:22:45)
Continuity mistake: When trying to catch Neville's Remembrall, Harry flies straight for McGonagall's window. The window visible in the wide shot has a horizontal beam that crosses the center vertical beam, yet the window visible in the close-up just has the vertical beam. The number of stones at the sides differ as well. (00:58:30)
Continuity mistake: When Hermione is confronted with the troll in the lavatory she backs up and runs into the cubicle. In the overhead shot as she locks herself in, the pattern on the floor that is visible in front of the next cubicle is different than the previous and following shots. (01:10:10)
