Here’s What We Learned From The Fantastic Beasts Featurette

There’s a new featurette for ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’.

We’ve already spent eight movies in the ‘Harry Potter’ universe… but when it comes to ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ we know practically nothing. After all, it’s a very different beast. Set 70 years and an entire world away, the 920’s American wizarding world is quite different…

And that’s never more obvious than in this new featurette.

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Starring Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is the first ‘Harry Potter’ spin-off. And while we still know very little about the movie, we have been treated to some tantalising details.

Here’s what we found out:

Newt calls himself a Magizoologist

That’s right – we all know that Newt Scamander is a magizoologist. But did you know it was a self-imposed title?

“He’s been traveling the world studying magical creatures,” said author J. K. Rowling. “He calls himself a magizoologist.”

And that self-imposed title may have caused him a spot of bother.

“My heroes are always people who feel themselves to be set apart, stigmatised or ‘othered’,” said author J. K. Rowling. “That’s at the heart of most of what I write, and it’s certainly at the heart of this movie.”

More comfortable with Creatures?

It looks as though Newt Scamander isn’t entirely comfortable with other people… and that certainly comes across in this trailer. After all, his interactions with others often come across as a bit awkward.

And there may be a good reason for that.

“Newt feels more at home with creatures than he does with human beings,” explains ‘Fantastic Beasts’ star, Eddie Redmayne. But quite why that is? That’s anybody’s guess.

Will his adventures make him more approachable? It certainly looks as though he’ll soften up towards his human pals. But I get the feeling his creatures will always come first.

A Glimpse of Newt’s Creatures

It looks as though we finally get a brief glimpse at some of these ‘Fantastic Beasts’… and while there’s presumably plenty more for us to see, they’re looking pretty unique already.

A small, green plant features prominently in the featurette, and it looks as though the little guy has quite an attitude.

“Come on,” says Newt. “Give me a smile.”

But his encouraging words are met with the plant blowing him a raspberry. Charming.

And then there’s the small matter of the creature attempting to claw its way out of his case. What on earth is that? And could it pose a danger to those around him? For now, we have to wait and see.

The Politics of the Wizarding World

It’s no secret that ‘Harry Potter’ has played with politics and ideology throughout the series… and it looks as though ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is no different.

The notion of half-bloods – people with mixed ancestry including both magic and muggle – is often raised in the wizarding world of ‘Harry Potter’… and in some cases, they’re looked down upon both other Pure-blood wizards.

And that seems even more so in 1920’s America.

“I know you have rather backwards laws about relations with non-magic people,” said Newt when asked about his knowledge of American wizards. “You’re not meant to befriend them. You can’t marry them, which seems wildly absurd to me.”

Surely, it’s a commentary on America’s racial history…

How does a No-Maj get mixed up with Newt?

One of the more intriguing aspects of ‘Fantastic Beasts’ is the appearance of Jacob Kowalski (played by Dan Fogler) – an American No-Maj (or Muggle) who gets drawn into the world of sorcery and ‘Fantastic Beasts’.

But how does he get involved?

The video finally reveals how it all goes down – Jacob accidentally opens Newt’s case.

“Hey, Mr English guy,” he says in a thick, New York accent. “I think your egg is hatching.”

Fair enough.

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ heads to cinemas on 18 November 2016.

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Picture Credit: Warner Bros.