As for Michael Gambon, who was recast in the role of Dumbledore, I felt he was an improvement.
Richard Harris was a gifted actor but his Dumbledore had a cold, aloofness to him whereas Gambon was able to portray the warm, eccentricity of the character without diminishing the power and wisdom of Dumbledore. And the rest of the regular cast, such as Alan Rickman and Maggie Smith, were perfect although we expect no better from them now! One of the best aspects of this film is how it no longer pandered to kiddies like the previous two films did.
