Saturday, October 1, 2016

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" - New Trailer


We will admit we are waiting for the fairy tale connection to become more apparent with this movie, although we're certain it is there, even if only by way of folklore.


Perhaps it's because we haven't been keeping close tabs on the development but the trailer, as awesome as it looks for a fantasy movie, doesn't have that same Harry Potter vibe. It seems more related to Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, with the time period adding to that impression. The main issue, as far as we can deduce, is that the aspect of a child in the real world discovering and coming to terms with the magical one, isn't there. Neither is that personal journey of a child searching for where they belong.

That doesn't mean the trailer isn't, well "fantastic":
Our observation isn't meant to be a criticism of the film, the story or anything similar but we guarantee it won't have the same impact on elementary and middle school children that the books and the first few movies did. Having to deal with real things, complicated by the event of wondrous things (both good and bad) made Harry and his friends relatable characters who had to learn that just because something was fantastic, didn't mean you got a free pass. You still had responsibilities and were accountable for your actions and decisions. Fantastic Beasts moves away from that fairy tale-like feel, depositing itself directly into fantasy. From this trailer the most fairy tale like thing seems to be that magical bag, aka "the case of beasts". (We were discussing magical bags and sacks recently, with regard to Kelly Link's The Faery Handbag, if you'll recall.)

Since it's been quite some time since posting on this movie, we thought we'd include a nicely laid out article from Entertainment Weekly. We adore the illustrated border and illuminated lettering. (Click on each page to view full size - they're quite large.)
Fantastic Beasts will be released on November 18, 2016, something we hope will invite lots of magical merchandise to be made available for the Yule/Christmas season and little Harry Potter fans we're fond of.

1 comment:

  1. I'm going to be honest, I think this looks more interesting than the regular Harry Potter series. Maybe it's the time period. Maybe it's because it's not set among school kids (there's only so much I can dig about that as an adult). Or maybe it's the fact that it's set right in New York City among the Muggle world. There's something about that part that makes the stakes seem a little more real and interesting (maybe because, last I checked, I AM a Muggle).

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