There is a difference between LOTR (and chronicles of Narnia) and HP, Shrek. LOTR and Narnia were both written by christians (Tolkien actually helped convert Lewis) and Narnia is christian allegory. This, I have maintained for some time, is the real difference.
Okay, I'll admit that I didn't know that Tolkien and Lewis were reverential christians BUT I do think that Tolkiens work was inspired more by his in-depth knowledge of Norse and Germanic folklore more than his religious beliefs. The characters are trolls, dwarves, goblins and elves and the language is runic - nothing to even suggest Christian or any other major relgion. Okay, there is the symbolism of good versus evil and you could say that the fellowship was a sort of crusade but these are pretty borderline comparisons.
Chronicles of Narnia is christian allegory? I was a young devout Catholic when I read the series a good twenty years ago and I never made that connection. Where do the lion, the witch and the wardrobe fit into that comment?
OTOH, I read an article somewhere the other day where a conservative religious type was going into some detail about his perceptions of the differences. In Narnia and LOTR magic are treated reverentially, and with some caution. HP and Shrek promote occultism by not engendering a reverence for magic. It sounds like cavilling to me, and many of these guys are trying to get HP out of the classroom and school (and public) libraries. In that situation, I wouldn't hesitate to debate the subject, but as I said, I thought it would be unpleasant to do it at a birthday party for my girls.
Point taken about Tolkien and Lewis's treatment of magic but they both took their writing seriously and thus wrote from a more realistic point of view. Shrek and Harry Potter (I have neither read the books nor seen the movie so I am no authority) are whimsical stories for children and adults alike referencing earlier influences from which their authors most probably drew.
I can't speak for HP but Shrek never made me think of going out and ritually slaughtering a goat in front of a pentacle or sacrificing a virgin. Nothing occultish about it, I thought. But, to quote Shrek, 'an ogre will boil your eyeballs for jelly. Actually, it's quite nice on toast'.
It's only a bit of fun.
