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Wizard’s Council: What did you think of the new Fantastic Beasts trailer?

By Ani Bundel

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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 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 considering 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 it’s 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 trailer? With Cursed Child coming out this weekend, how high are Pottermania levels running in the streets right now?

DAN: Newt Scamander: “[My creatures] are currently in alien terrain, surrounded by millions of the most vicious creatures on the planet…humans.” Oh, I get it. Man is the real beast.

That’s probably simplifying things, but I wonder if that’s the big theme Rowling will be driving at with the Fantastic Beasts series. The Harry Potter series was set in a secondary school, and like all stories set in a secondary school, it was about growing up. Fantastic Beasts is about adults, and that gives Rowling different colors to paint with.

I’m talking as though this is mainly Rowling’s project, but a screenwriter traditionally has far less control over a movie than an author does over a book. Then again, when the screenwriter is J.K. Rowling, things might be different. Her imagination, in any case, appears to be firing on all cylinders. The beasts themselves look great, and even though we only saw flashes of them, they seem full of creative twists. The way the thunderbird emerges out of a puddle (if that’s what it’s doing) is a good example–writing for the screen is different than writing for the page, but I hope that Rowling managed to maintain the level of detail here that she did in her novels.

Sometimes, movie trailers have a sort of sameness to them–they’re sweeping here, quiet here, with a funny moment here, etc–so it speaks well of the Fantastic Beasts trailer that it’s distinctive. The beasts, as mentioned, are inventively designed, the 1920s setting is fun, and there looks to be plenty of that trademark Rowling whimsy in there, with Dan Fogler’s Jacob Kowalski as the hapless comedy character de jour.

All in all, a capital trailer. Corking good, really.

AYESHA: While watching the new trailer, it finally hit me that we’re getting a new addition to the Harry Potter world. After the shock of the initial announcement, it’s been odd summoning enthusiasm for a story we’ve yet to see. But this trailer has managed to bring up all those post-Potter feelings again, from the flashes of magic to Newt’s beasts.

The colouring in this trailer is fantastic, pun intended. The further we got in the last film series, the harder it was to catch all the great details in the trailers because of how darkly the scenes were coloured in post-production. The brightness brings back memories of the early films, and the opening notes to Hedwig’s theme drives it home.

Now that we have a better look at the Magical Congress, it’s clear to see how they’re differentiating wizarding North America from the world of No-Majs. The faces in the crowd come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and their costumes further that point. That’s not something you’d generally see so openly in 1920s New York. It’s clear that wizarding U.S. is not as isolated as their European counterparts. Does the diversity of the crowd suggest that Newt’s mistake has called for an international council?

The beasts all look amazing. The demiguise looks adorable and the thunderbird has the same majesty as the hippogriff. I’m interested in what creatures they’re keeping hidden until the film’s release. I’m also curious to see how all these gorgeous creatures will make their mark in the script the same way they do on screen.

I think Dan Fogler sums my sentiments quite well with his parting line in the trailer: “I want to be a wizard.”

KELLY: Echoing what Ayesha just said, Dan Fogler could not have said it any better. My exact thought throughout the entire trailer (which I have watched multiple times already) was that I want to be a wizard (or a witch I guess I should say). Everything from the music to the background narration is perfect in my opinion. The quick flashes of magic and various scenes here and there really got me pumped, especially the sneak peeks at the new creatures. The Thunderbird (my Ilvermorny house) is gorgeous and I love the possibility that they can use water as a portal to travel; however, I may be even slightly more intrigued to meet the Demiguise and see its special “invisibility cloak” fur in action. I’m also over the moon that this is taking place in 1920s New York since that is where my grandparents and great grandparents lived at the time. I’m going to imagine that they visited the same magical speakeasies as Queenie and Tina.

Between reading about the history of Ilvermorny, taking the new sorting house quiz, watching this new Fantastic Beasts trailer, and pre-ordering my copy of the Cursed Child, my personal Pottermania levels are currently running very, very high. This new era of wizarding world stories is exactly what I needed to fill the void Game of Thrones left at the end of season 6. Hurry up November 18!

KATIE: I’ve been more excited for Fantastic Beasts than Cursed Child since both were announced, and so far the movie has really given me more to look forward to than the play. The new trailer was another step in the right direction.

There’s a great tone of trepidation and uncertainty that will surely play into the panic the city will be thrust into for most of the film—a sense of urgency and mystery and unrest, all of which combined are going to make for an entertaining ride through this addition to the Potterverse. I’ll admit, I find the whole “Humans are the most dangerous beings of all!” bit rather hokey and overused as a plot device, but it does aid to the overall theme of all things Harry Potter that we tend to react unfavorably in the face of the uncertain or unknowable, and it certainly seems that this will drive the Fantastic Beasts plot.

As for the beasts themselves, I’m really interested to see how the Thunderbird will play into the story. It seems that, as a creature native to America, it may not be one that escaped from Newt’s case, but rather one he meets for the first time in New York. It seems to be a benevolent being, so I’m intrigued as to how it may develop a relationship with Newt and help him face the Swooping Evil and other challenges. The Demiguise, meanwhile, I find as terrifying as many find him cute and interesting—interesting, sure, I can get on board with interesting, but he looks like a little old man who I would most decidedly not want to meet down a dark New York alley because he might steal my soul. (I know, I know—that’s the dementors’ game, but the Demiguise still freaks me out.)

MARNIFER: Even though the trailer has a dark edge with its war foreshadowing (“The deadliest game of all —Man!”), the tone I was left with was one of whimsy. I was charmed and giddy after seeing this! I think we all identify with starry-eyed Jacob’s wizard yearnings, and I’m excited the trailer inspired that same sense of wonder in me. Earlier this week I shared my thoughts on the trailer’s four new beasts. For me, the Swooping Evil is still the most intriguing and beautiful beast revealed so far. I want to learn all about these creatures and their abilities. In some ways I am less interested in the plot and more hoping for an encyclopedia come to life.

And the costuming! Rowling’s Wizarding World was already one of grand style; pairing it with the Roaring Twenties and the glorious Gatsby fashion amps up the fabulosity of all magical folk. The period’s attire is giving witches and wizards permission to stand out without drawing the wrong kind of attention.

I did see something sartorially noteworthy that I hadn’t noticed before this trailer: Graves, Newt, and Jacob don’t wear hats. The first shot we see after the darkness breaks is Graves’ hatless head. Now as for Newt, young English men in the ‘20s didn’t always wear hats. (Or so my quick research suggests.) But Graves and Jacob are American, and American men definitely wore hats — well into the 1950s at least. It’s clearly a deliberate choice. And actually, save for one shot, neither Queenie nor Porpentina are wearing hats/scarves either. That may be because we’re mainly seeing them in informal settings. What is this suggesting about the characters, or is it simply an overall stylistic choice?

RYAN: This is definitely the Harry Potter fandom’s year. Rowling has drawn us back into the Potterverse with new and exciting things. Ilvermorny, Fantastic Beasts and Cursed Child are the things that have every fan’s attention. I’m in the same boat with Kelly, I’m currently having a Potter overload, and the new Fantastic Beasts trailer was the thing that pushed me over the edge.

We’re being introduced to something completely new. I had the same awe watching Sorcerer’s Stone come to life onscreen. The creatures, setting, characters, events; they all captivate us. What is that unknown creature, at the beginning of the trailer, that ripped through the street like it was nothing? Fantastic Beasts is also rich with color, just like the first two Potter films were. And as Ayesha said, the opening notes of Hedwig’s Theme and the brightness of the earlier films, really drives it home.

After that trailer, I think we all want to be wizards. Even more so now than after we saw Sorcerer’s Stone for the very first time.

Next: The Fantastic Beasts Trailer: Full Screencap Breakdown

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

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