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Wizard’s Council: On The New Fantastic Beasts Trailer

By W&W Staff

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Our Wizard’s Council convenes to consider the question of the hour:  What did you think of the new Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them trailer?

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Welcome to the Wizard’s Council. Back in olden days, before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692, the Wizarding world was governed by the Wizard’s Council. This was the longest serving ruling body over the Wizarding World in history, and though it was disbanded in 1707 with the founding of the Ministry of Magic, it was still considered one of the wisest and august bodies to ever rule the UK and Irish Wizarding Worlds. (Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Ministry, which seems to only be as good as its current Minister.) Here at Wizards and Whatnot, we come together once again as this august body to think deeply on the issues of our time.

Philosophical Question of the Hour: What did you think of the new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer? The new beasts? And what did you think of Newt Scamander’s history reveal?

DAN: Two things about the new trailer stand out for me. First: the humor. The initial Fantastic Beasts trailer was heavy on moodiness, and while there’s plenty of that here, I enjoyed the moment at the beginning when Scamander fooled the customs officer, and the one at the end where he steps into his suitcase and beckoned the other guy to follow. Harry Potter was anchored by a serious story, but its whimsy is a big part of the reason it endures. It’s good to see that Fantastic Beasts will embrace that.

Second: the knowledge that Scamander was expelled from Hogwarts “for endangering human life with a beast.” That actually sounds kinda similar to what happened to Hagrid, and it sets up some interesting questions for the movies to answer in due time. Also, now that Dumbledore has been name-checked, I have to wonder: will a young Albus Dumbledore show up in these movies? And if he does, will it be worth it?

Oh, and it’s strange to see Colin Farrell in action. When I heard that Eddie Redmayne was playing the lead, I immediately knew it was perfect casting. But when I heard that Farrell was playing a wizard, I got confused. I’m sure I’ll get used to it.

MARNIFER: Until this teaser trailer, I wasn’t all that excited for Fantastic Beasts. I’m still not fully sold on the lackluster-seeming Newt Scamander as a main character, and slightly dubious about which Eddie Redmayne performance we’ll be getting – the in-your-face-and-screaming dude from Jupiter Ascending, or the subtle nuance guy from The Theory of Everything. This teaser seems to suggest we’ll get the softer side of Redmayne.

Back to the positive: This trailer is well-edited, engaging, and makes the film instantly visually compelling. And the music! Those beautiful opening notes played on celesta, a brand new musical theme for a new age which hints at the central melody from the first film series.

The trailer proved that any period seen through the Potterverse will be a magical one, and 1920s America was racing for modernity via technology, a combination which could be seen as decidedly non-magical, so the juxtaposition will be fun. The Art Deco of the period is on display in the trailer and quite visually striking. I noticed an abundance of gold in the set design, particularly in the wizarding world but also present in mundane Muggle-land.

When I first saw the screenshot of the Niffler I thought the red and gold purse was its mouth! Thanks to the GIF on the Pottermore page I realized the little Niffler is a rodent-like cutie which has wrapped itself around the purse. That Swooping Evil looks beautiful and terrifying. I can’t wait to meet it.

KELLY: When the new Fantastic Beasts trailer begun and I heard the familiar Harry Potter theme instrumental playing, I got chills. I knew I was excited for the movie, but this trailer really got me hyped.

One of the things I’m most excited for is to see where Newt goes when he enters his briefcase. I had not thought about this before and actually seeing what environments are inside – I only questioned what creatures would come out.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the clips we saw of the other main characters, especially Tina and Queenie. Tina looked a bit boring and dull in many of the promo shots, but in the trailer, she looks mysterious and intriguing. Queenie looks like she’s up to no good – but in the best way! I have very high hopes for what is behind those moving bricks. I’m hoping for another Diagon Alley-type place full of wizarding shops and speakeasies. I am also very, very interested in Colin Farrell’s character, Graves as well as Jacob, the no-maj who Newt summons into his briefcase.

I agree with Dan in that I was very happy to see the trailer had a similar Potter feel to it including humour. I also liked how the trailer set up another mystery aside from the one we already knew about (creatures escaping from Newt’s briefcase) – Newt being expelled from Hogwarts and the mention of a certain Albus Dumbledore. I very much hope we get to see a young Dumbledore in action in the sequels at least.

After the trailer closed with the same enchanting music, I was jumping with excitement (literally… I’m that big of a nerd). I cannot wait for the film to see if it lives up to our expectations and can match the magic of Harry Potter. Needless to say, my expectations are high, but the trailer has also made me very optimistic.

TARA: I’m with Kelly. The music caught me from the very first. I hadn’t really thought much about this movie before seeing this trailer; I was in the “cool, a new HP universe movie” zone…but I was really just waiting to see more, and that’s what the new trailer gave us.

I’m still not quite sure how I feel about Newt Scamandar (a Hufflepuff!) being expelled from Hogwarts, and it seemed a bit hamfisted that Dumbledore was the teacher arguing for Newt to stay. That said, I can’t argue with the fact that the idea of hearing/seeing more of a young Albus Dumbledore (pardon the rhyme) is exciting. To say the least.

As for the creatures, I’m definitely excited to learn more about them. Most of the ones we saw looked awesome; not too overdone. But there were a couple that left me hoping that they aren’t going to go a little too far, especially with the CGI but also with the cuteness (or cuteness-hiding-evil) factor.

Still, a main character who was a Hufflepuff! That alone is worth it for me.

KATIE: After being teased with his less-than-model behavior, I’m most excited to learn more about Newt Scamander the man. I think it’s great that Newt upsets House expectations by being a Hufflepuff but not entirely morally sound, which is evidenced by the fact that he would put people’s safety at risk for the sake of his experiments. You can’t tell all you need to know about a person by their House assignment alone, and in fact doing so is what lays the groundwork for stereotypes to form and flourish. There’s more to a person than the colors on their scarf, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far Newt will go in his quest for knowledge.

I have to wonder, though, why Newt didn’t get his wand confiscated and snapped like Hagrid did, and as is customary for anyone expelled from Hogwarts. Either it’s because Hagrid’s creature allegedly went all the way and killed a student, or there’s some major anti-giant sentiment at play. (Likely the latter, as even when Hagrid’s name was cleared, he was never offered the chance to complete his education). Perhaps the rule wasn’t at play until some time after Newt’s expulsion, or maybe he got his hands on a new wand later. Hopefully we’ll find out, or that’s going to nag at me something fierce.

I think the reason we haven’t got a real feel for Newt in the trailers thus far is so the character will be shrouded in this mystery. Keeping us guessing at what sort of man he is adds to the intrigue of the film. Is Newt running all over New York to save the city from the creatures that escape his case? Is he trying to save the creatures from what wizards and No-Majs alike would do to them? Or is he simply trying to keep up with those creatures so as to record their activity, to advance his research? Knowing what magical beasts have been let loose on the city might help us to answer these questions, but right now I’m willing to bet that Newt’s first priority is the well-being of his luggage.

Colin Farrell asks, “I wonder, what makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you?” but, let’s face it—Dumbledore loves to stir the pot and cook up trouble, and it’s likely that whatever Newt’s experiment was, it was somehow important enough that Dumbledore thought it worth pursuing. This sets the stage for Dumbledore to play a role in the trilogy, and I expect to see him pop up at some point therein.

RYAN: With the new Fantastic Beasts trailer, like Kelly, I got goose bumps when the Harry Potter theme music kicked up. The first trailer for the movie got my attention. But the second one felt like I was watching the trailer for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s (Philosopher’s) Stone for the first time. It has all the key elements that the Harry Potter films had: humor, a main character you want to know more about and a deep magical world.

I think Newt’s suitcase is going to bring a lot of comic relief to the film. It seems like a very complex item as we saw in the trailer. Being able to hold magical beasts, a “Muggle Worthy” mode, and Newt being able to completely disappear into it. It will probably be the focal point of the Harry Potter style humor we all know and love. For example, Seamus always causing explosions in his first year or Snape’s reaction to Harry and Ron’s discussion about finding dates for the Yule Ball during study hall in Goblet of Fire. This is the humor I hope to grace the screen once again.

A European wizard in New York after being expelled from Hogwarts for endangering a human life with a beast…. you got my attention! I must say, I get a lot of Hagrid-like vibes from Newt just from that alone. Only we know Hagrid was falsely accused by No-Nose, it might be a different story for Newt. But like with Hagrid, Dumbledore also must trust Newt. I am really biting at the bit to find all about the man named Newt Scamander.

Unlike its European counterpart, the wizarding community in North American lives in secrecy. This will make a very interesting story to tell in the film, to show how the wizards live their daily lives with The No-Maj and MACUSA breathing down their necks. I’m very excited to see what awaits in a 1920 North America wizarding community.

At the end of the teaser, my head was spinning with questions and a smile painted on my face. The Potter fandom are finally getting to return to J.K. Rowling’s magical world. The film very much feels attached to the other eight films, even though it’s not in the same time period.

Next: A Full Breakdown of the First Fantastic Beasts Trailer

Our Wizard’s Council meets every other week, unless there is an emergency session. Check out our other entries here.

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