Hermione casts spell over young film fans

Harry Potter’s wholesome sidekick Hermione Granger has been voted the best big screen role model in a poll of young film fans.

The smart student, played in the eight-film series by Emma Watson, picked up almost a fifth of the votes (19%) in the survey.

Next up was Charlie Bucket — the boy who wins a golden ticket to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in versions of the film in 1971 and 2005 — who picked up 16% of the vote, followed by another Roald Dahl creation, Matilda Wormwood, who was played in the 1996 film by Mara Wilson and was picked by 15% of the 1,000 schoolchildren who voted.

A third Dahl character, James from James and the Giant Peach, came 10th.

The survey, carried out by streaming and DVD rental service LOVEFiLM with children’s charity Filmclub, put Home Alone’s Kevin, played by Macaulay Culkin, in fourth place with 13%, followed by the hero of the Karate Kid remake Dre Parker, played by Hollywood star Will Smith’s son Jaden.

Filmclub’s Sam Wainstein said: “Films can have a powerful influence on the way children behave and interact with people around them.

“Characters that young people identify with tend to stay with them the longest and positive behaviours can be learnt by watching the way that fictional characters handle certain situations on-screen. We wanted to work with our philanthropic partner LOVEFiLM to compile a list which recognises and celebrates the positive influence these on-screen role models can have.

“We hope our list will also help parents and guardians when it comes to choosing films for their children to enjoy.”

The only non-child to make the list was Woody, the toy cowboy from the Toy Story series, who came sixth. The list was completed by Lucy from the Narnia series, Chihiro Ogino from Spirited Away and the young King Arthur in The Sword in the Stone.

Role models

1 Hermione Granger, Harry Potter series (19%)

2 Charlie, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (16%)

3 Matilda, Matilda (15%)

4 Kevin, Home Alone (13%)

5 Dre Parker, The Karate Kid (12%)

6 Woody, Toy Story (11%)

7 Lucy, The Chronicles of Narnia series (5%)

8 Chihiro Ogino, Spirited Away (4%)

9 Arthur, The Sword in the Stone (3%)

10 James, James and the Giant Peach (2%)