Originally posted by: Doctor M
And the verdict is yes and no. While there is obviously more picture above and below in the pan and scan edition, there is also more left and right in the letterbox transfer.

This is usually the case with Super 35. The fullscreen has more on the top and bottom, but the sides are also cropped. Don't know too much about the format, but I guess the "full" picture would be somewhere between the 2.35:1 and 1.33:1 aspect ratios.

Interestingly, with the first Harry Potter movie, visual effects were created for the full image - not just for widescreen so there's still additional picture for the CGI heavy sequences as well. All this came to light after some HP fans made some comparisons and argued over which was better. There's one shot in particular which got some debate. It's when the first years are in the boat and the camera pans up to reveal the Hogwarts castle for the first time. In the fullscreen version, you can see the kids and the castle in the same shot, but in the widescreen, it's either one or the other as it pans up. I naturally go with the original theatrical aspect ratio, but the additional video info lessens the nausea of watching the movie in fullscreen.

On the other hand, the fullscreen version of the third film is supposedly the ugly pan & scan despite the fact the movie was apparently shot in Super 35.