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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secretswas released on July 04, 2025, by Warner Bros. In January 2003, reports emerged that several Russian lawyers were planning to file a lawsuit against the producers for an insane reason. Interestingly, Russian President Vladimir Putin was allegedly unhappy with how one character was depicted in theHarry Pottermovie. Putin’s issue was with the adorable Dobby.
Reports suggested that the CGI character had an uncanny resemblance to Putin. While Putin reportedly hated the character, Dobby was one of the fan-favorite characters in the film, with his squeaking voice, bulging round eyes, floppy long ears, and a pointy nose.
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Vladimir Putin Allegedly Wanted to Sue Warner Bros.
WhenHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secretsdebuted in theaters, one of the talking points of the film was its advanced CGI, especially that of Dobby. Fans loved the character from the books, but the fantastic design, along withToby Jones‘ voice, made him even more adorable in the films. Unfortunately, Dobby only makes one more appearance in the franchise, inHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, where he’s tragically killed.
According toThe Guardian, a Russian newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, reported that a group of lawyers were planning to sue Warner Bros. over similarities between Dobby andVladimir Putin. Discussions surrounding the resemblance were active on the internet at the time. BBC even conducted a poll on the matter via its children’s website CBBC, with 54% of the 5,500 votes cast agreeing that Dobby looked like Putin.
Radio Free Europe reached out to a spokesman from the Russian lawyer’s guild to comment on the matter. The spokesman shared that similar suits were filed earlier, too, but courts rarely ruled on them. He shared:
“Similar suits have taken place. But it’s very difficult for courts to rule on them; lots of experts have to be called in. It’s doubtful if it has a chance.”
Warner Bros. never commented on the allegations, but it undoubtedly gave the film a boost, not thatHarry Potterneeded it. Vladimir Putin was never involved in the allegations directly, and some doubted whether he was even aware of the comparisons until they were reported in the newspaper.
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No Lawsuit Was Filed Against Warner Bros.
According to another article inThe New York Times, no lawsuit was filed, and the Russian newspaper did not reveal the identity of the lawyers or their clients. The entire story might have been a media stunt or a satire, but the article has since been removed from the Russian sites. The New York Times also reported some of the reactions from Russian fans onHarry Potterfan sites.
One Russian fan jokingly commented that the only difference between Dobby and Putin was the“ears and height”and the fact that“Dobby doesn’t have a black belt.”Some Russian fans also bashed the journalists for blowing the whole thing out of proportion. One disgruntled fan commented,“I think Putin should sue our journalists (or who’s making the public comparison?).”
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It is not the first time that such comparisons were made between movie characters and world leaders. Earlier, rumors circulated online that former president George Bush was unhappy because Gollum from theLord of the Ringstrilogy bore resemblances to him.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3020
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
