The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them trailer is out and with it comes a slew of easter eggs connecting the film’s continuity to the immense canon of the Harry Potter novels.
There’s sense of overwhelming magical culture clash between the British and American Wizarding worlds. Just as we were disconcerted a few months ago when J.K. Rowling revealed that American witches and wizards call non-magical people “No-Maj” instead of “Muggle,” so is Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander when someone uses the term. American terminology aside, the trailer was brimming with Potter easter eggs (not the kind that sing underwater). Potter fans don’t need to own a pair of Extendable Ears to hear the intriguing reference to one Gellert Grindelwald, otherwise known as the Dark wizard who preceded Voldemort and captured Albus Dumbledore’s conflicted heart. Aside from Grindelwald, here are the other Potterverse nods you might have missed in the trailer.
Goblet of Fire nods galore
Midway through the trailer, we see Newt Scamander emerge from a trunk he seems far too large to fit inside. Remember when this last happened? It happened with Mad-Eye Moody in Goblet of Fire, imprisoned in his own trunk for months while Barty Crouch Jr. impersonated him with the aid of Polyjuice Potion. It was a complicated plan, but it worked. Now, technically since Fantastic Beasts is set in 1926 and Goblet of Fire is set in 1994, Crouch possibly got the idea from Newt rather than the other way around, but it’s an intriguing echo.
Ezra Miller’s Credence is indeed the American Snape
Previously, while some were speculating that Ezra Miller’s mysterious character could be a Voldemort precursor, we theorized he was more like Severus Snape. The reasoning for the Voldemort theory was that he seems evil and is alienated from his family (he is adopted and his mother is the unhinged leader of the Second Salemers, an anti-wizard discrimination group). The reason for the Snape theory is that Miller’s characters seems more complicated than that, and Snape also had mommy issues. Granted, this was all speculation, as it was never confirmed he was a wizard. But guess what? The new trailer confirmed it. Notice that Colin Farrell’s Auror character Percival Graves says “we,” indicating that he is indeed a wizard.
Nods to the International Statute of Secrecy
The International Statute of Secrecy is a law from the Potter books that — once again — is discussed in Goblet of Fire. When Harry attends the Quidditch World Cup, he finds out that the stadium is Unplottable to Muggles — Hogwarts is as well — as part of the wizarding world’s ongoing efforts to keep itself a secret from Muggles. Here’s Mr. Weasley talking about the security measures placed upon the stadium in Goblet of Fire.
“Seats a hundred thousand,” said Mr. Weasley, spotting the awestruck look on Harry’s face. “Ministry task force of five hundred have been working on it all year. Muggle Repelling Charms on every inch of it. Every time Muggles have got anywhere near here all year, they’ve suddenly remembered urgent appointments and had to dash away again…bless them,” he added fondly.
In the Fantastic Beasts trailer, it looks like Newt Scamander is violating the Statute of Secrecy, because Porpentina Goldstein (played by Katherine Waterston) seems very concerned about whether Scamander has wiped a No-Maj (or Muggle)’s memory and she says, “Mr. Scamander, do you know anything about the Wizarding community in America? We don’t like things loose.”
As Director David Yates has previously compared Beasts to Goblet of Fire, all the nods to it are unsurprising, but it looks like Beasts will balance these nods nicely with building its own unique tale. Can it be November yet? Anyone have a Time-Turner?
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them hits theaters on November 18.
