The movie of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a breath of fresh air for JK Rowling’s cinematic universe. The first to be scripted by the author herself, the movie attempts an unlikely movie-making feat: to adapt a school textbook (the guide to magical creatures of the wizarding world, as studied by Harry Potter and his chums throughout the series of novels) to the silver screen. So it is perhaps a relief that Rowling and film director David Yates chose to create a story around the textbook’s fictitious author, rather than creating an educational movie about enchanted critters! (Although wouldn’t that also have been interesting?)
The movie sees the textbook’s author, Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander, as a 1920s ‘magizoologist’ who manages to lose a suitcase full of magical creatures in the opening scenes. The adventure that follows illuminates some rather practical lessons about the creatures described in Scamander’s textbook.
These include such wonders as the Niffler, a kind of cross between a mole and a magpie — it looks like the former, and is attracted to shiny things like the latter. That’s one reason these mostly harmless little creatures are often exploited by goblins in the search for treasure.
We also get more than a glimpse of the mighty Thunderbird, a multi-winged beast of the sky who — without giving too much away — has an important role to play. More generally, the uninitiated are invited to ponder the bird’s ability to conjure up storms at will. Yikes!
Whether you’re just learning about these fantastic beasts, or you’re familiar with them from the Harry Potter lore of the past two decades, you’ll love this set of posters created by Neomam Studios and Sykes Cottages. Commemorating seven of the most fantastic of the beasts, you’ll want to save them to your desktop and also print out hi-res versions for your walls. They’re both educational and stylish!
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