MOST Harry Potter fans probably know of MovieFlame, a popular YouTube channel.
Beginning in 2017, the now-popular channel has delved deep into Harry Potter canon lore.
Specifically, expanding upon canon details not revealed in the books or analysing various aspects of Harry Potter as a whole.
Over the years, MovieFlame has grown from strength to strength. In fact, it has now surpassed 1 million subscribers.
One person is at the helm to experience this success. That person is named Morgan Ross.
Depending on the structure, MovieFlame viewers either see or hear Morgan in each video.
He acts sometimes as a narrator, but primarily as a guide to explore often obscure tangents of Harry Potter.
Over the years, Morgan has done plenty of deep dives, not just into Potter, but for other fandoms as well.
Now, the tables are turned. Here is our deep dive into MovieFlame and the man behind it all.
Where did it all start?
The oldest video currently on the channel was uploaded on 28 April 2013. This video covers a series review of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Despite this video being featured on the channel, MovieFlame in its current format did not yet exist. At the time of uploading, the channel was known as aandawesome.
In fact, the channel’s bio explains the change to MovieFlame came in 2017.
Who is Morgan Ross?
As mentioned, Morgan Ross is the one-man band behind the MovieFlame channel. He created MovieFlame and serves as writer, editor and PR.
Morgan lives in the United States. For the first book, he often defers to the UK title Philosopher’s Stone which was titled Sorcerer’s Stone in the US.
Morgan has a deep knowledge of Harry Potter and is well-versed across all its media including books, films, video games and stage productions.
READ MORE: Harry Potter TV Series: 5 hardest characters to recast
Aside from covering fandoms on his channel, Morgan is also a fan of these properties himself. It adds an extra dimension to his analysis as his own passion for the stories comes through.
He is unafraid of voicing his opinions and calls out flaws when necessary. Whether a plot detail in a novel or how one of the films adapted the source material.
Morgan has a collegiate background; being a graduate in Communication with a Mass Media Track and Film from La Salle University.
In one video, Morgan stated he appreciates Prisoner of Azkaban as a film more now. This is because he can analyse it from a filmmaking perspective, rather than solely looking at the story.
Channel Content
It comes as no surprise that several of Morgan’s most popular videos are related to Harry Potter.
After all, it’s his main focus area.
Scrolling down, it is not until 18th place that a non-Potter video appears in MovieFlame’s most viewed.
Throughout his channel’s history, Morgan has used recurring video themes to convey his points.
For instance, the “Life Of” videos, as the title suggests, convey various characters’ canon timeline of events from beginning to end.
Key characters such as Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and the Weasley twins each have a video.
In addition to central figures, supporting characters such as Kingsley Shacklebolt, Regulus Black and Barty Crouch, Jr all have dedicated videos.
Morgan has also made several ranking videos for MovieFlame. At the time of writing, some recent examples include Gryffindors’ bravery, most powerful characters and how much money each Wizarding World film made.
In several videos, Morgan also speculates on non-revealed information in canon – such as which houses certain characters would be in or what their Boggarts would be.
Lastly, other MovieFlame videos cover Morgan’s direct response to Potter-related news. For example, when the upcoming HBO series was announced, he made a video suggesting ideas fans might want to see.
READ MORE: JK Rowling and 6 other innovative YA authors of the 2000s
Another instance was when The Take, another YouTube channel, made a polarising video that suggested Harry Potter was actually a villain.
MovieFlame responded by dissecting the video and disagreeing, for the most part, with points that were made. In the end, after initially changing the title, The Take’s video has since been made private.
What do fans think?
Harry Potter fans are probably among the most passionate out there. So, it comes as no surprise that MovieFlame comments also show off their extensive knowledge of the series.
In a recent video, Morgan outlined the “Original 40”. These were the first characters JK Rowling created to be in Harry’s year at Hogwarts.
With the list including Harry himself, it turns out many characters had their name changed before publication. Major figures including Hermione, Neville and Malfoy almost had different names.
Some characters did not make it to publication, or were re-purposed. One student listed was named “Quirrell”, but that later became the name for a teacher.
Here’s what some MovieFlame fans had to say in the comment section…
One said: “I love the takes made by MovieFlame. It’s like I started a month ago but have almost binge watched the entire channel. I love the insights he presents. Biggggg fan!”
Another added: “Great video! Would absolutely love to see what changed other than their names. So, if the article mentioned it, I’d definitely watch that video.”
In conclusion
MovieFlame has informed and entertained Harry Potter fans for six years, with no signs of slowing down.
Whether a ranking, trivia or informative video, MovieFlame has adapted and evolved to become the successful channel it now is.
And to think, this all started when Morgan Ross uploaded an Avatar: The Last Airbender review one day…
Courageous Nerd 
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