Hot on the heels of Warner Bros.' first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, we've got a frame-by-frame analysis of said trailer for your viewing and reading pleasure. (Or you can just stare at Dreamy Dumbledore a while more, we don't mind.) There's a lot going on between the frames here and we didn't want to miss a moment of it, but if you're afeared of possible spoilers--or even speculative ones--then feel free to skip on by, or just watch the trailer again.
For the fearless among you, join us as we take a look at the new and returning characters for Fantastic Beasts 2, the new and familiar locations on display, and just what those locales have to tell us about the film's possible plot points. And while Fantastic Beasts fans will surely be pleased with this first trailer, Warner Bros. really went out of their way to make sure everyone on Earth knows that this is also a Harry Potter story, something that's very evident in our breakdown. Let's get into it!
The film stars Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Johnny Depp, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, Dan Fogler, Zoe Kravitz, Ezra Miller, Callum Turner, and Claudia Kim. David Yates' sure-to-be fantastic sequel opens in theaters on November 16th.
By way of a primer on what we're about to talk about, here’s the official synopsis for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald:
At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Depp) was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander (Redmayne). But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore (Law) enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The Beasts Themselves
Now call me crazy, but a movie titled Fantastic Beasts should have a fair number of the cryptic critters around. Luckily, we get to glimpse a few of them in this first trailer. Some are returning favorites, some are new faces altogether. So in case you missed them in the trailer, take a closer look below!
First, we see Jacob surrounded by his Beast friends who presumably just popped out--or are about to pop back into--Newt's magically enhanced briefcase. (Honestly I'd like an entire film that just explores the world within that briefcase...)
And here's what appears to be Newt riding some sort of Sea(weed) Horse, perhaps inspired by kelpies.
Update: Yup! It's Kelpies!
Aw, it's Pickett! Now all we have to do is get Pickett the Bowtruckle and Groot the ... Groot together for a spin-off film.
This here is Credence, and he's taking out his Magic Pain on a cage of ... something? That's a great way to not get us on your side, Creedy.
Thestrals! Well, you'll have to take my word for it that the pictures below feature thestrals, because it may just appear as if it's a carriage pulled by invisible horses to you. What's interesting here--and not captured by the screen grab--is that the passengers of this carriage are being pursued by a pair or trio of folks on broomsticks. Could this be a heroic journey, or perhaps a great escape? Curious!
Newt and Dumbledore
One of the big draws of this film is the return of Dumbledore--though a much younger version, obviously--but fans also got a big surprise in this trailer, which opens on a trip back to the famed Hogwarts Castle.
Inside, in a very familiar room, Dumbledore is approached by a rather sizable group of stiff suits, likely from MACUSA, asking about his cooperation with Newt Scamander. Even as a Transfiguration teacher, Dumbledore is apparently no stranger to run-ins with other authority figures, so this shouldn't be too surprising. (Equally unsurprising is the wise wizard's penchant for putting unsuspecting and innocent victims into situations of mortal peril, which also appears to be happening in this film.)
(We think this fellow above is Derek Riddell's Torquil Travers, a curious character from a pure-blood family who may have ties to Death Eater relatives.)
As much as I love Newt and Dumbledore getting together, I kind of want to warn Newt, no? Albus later says that he can't move against Grindelwald--for political reasons or romantic reasons, we're not sure--but he wants Newt to do it. Sacrificial lambs are a prized possession of Dumbledore, are they not?
Here's a fun shot of the Deluminator in action. Since Dumbledore designed and used the Put-Outer device, we're assuming it's him in this picture. (It sure isn't Ronald Weasley.)
Newt's Team
It's not all about Dumbledore in this movie, as far as we can tell from the trailer, so without him as an ally in the trenches, Newt is going to need some help. Enter: Newt Squad! Jacob, Queenie, and Tina--now reinstated as an auror--return, though in just what capacity remains to be seen as far as their adventures are concerned. What we do know is that Newt will be headed to Paris!
Now the following image certainly appears to be our first look at Turner as Newt's brother Theseus, "a celebrated war hero and the Head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic" according to a previously released synopsis. It looks like the Scamander Brothers are teaming up to battle some sort of nefarious thing in a graveyard--and nothing good ever happens in graveyards in the Harry Potter-verse.
Locations
Locations see in the trailer reveal a bit about the film's plot, though you can never trust the edit of a trailer to give you the same order of events as the film itself. But in the image above, we're clearly in Paris, making this glass-domed location likely some sort of Parisian counterpart to Britain's Ministry of Magic or America's MACUSA.
As for the image below, well I'm not really sure, but the dancing on display is both quite beautiful and quite stuffy. Any thoughts as to what's going on here?
Here we see Kravitz's arrival as Leta Lestrange. While that infamous family name certainly means something to Harry Potter fans, her engagement to Scamander brother Theseus (after being a relationship with Newt himself) is likely to complicate matters in a more personal way.
This sure looks like the White Cliffs of Dover, which is kind of a necessary location for any British sweeping fantasy adventure; it's in the contract.
Here's an interesting pair of pictures. Someone, perhaps Newt or perhaps not, seems to be investigating a hideaway spot in the sewer system. Whoever was spending time here certainly took care to draw out what appears to be the Lestrange family tree and genealogy. That same someone appears to be in the center of an exploding apartment, either revisiting the events of the previous film or redecorating a new loft in a very aggressive manner.
Let's all go to the circus, shall we? More specifically Le Cirque Arcanus with its "Museum of Living History."
Now what, or who, exactly is attracting all of that attention within the cage? Could it be Kim's character, a Maledictus who carries a blood curse that transforms her into a beast? We don't get to see in this trailer, but we'll surely find out.
Seen below is William Nadylam's wizard character Yusuf Kama, of whom little is known at the moment.
Credence
The fate of Credence Barebone was left undecided at the end of the first film, but as the trailer shows, he's apparently traveled to Paris to work in the aforementioned circus. Or at least those are the dots we're connecting here; he could very well be on the run.
Below, however, Credence can be seen on a Parisian rooftop near the Eiffel Tower spending time with someone who appears to be Kim's Maledictus, but that remains unconfirmed at this time. Could star-crossed romance be in the air for these two accursed magic-wielders?
Grindelwald
As for a proper villain, Depp arrives as the dastardly Grindelwald. Though he was in custody at the end of the first film, it appears as if that was short-lived since Grindelwald appears above alongside Vinda Rosier (Poppy Corby-Tuech) is "one of Grindelwald’s most trusted followers, a loyal servant to his cause and often at his side", as EW reports. The gathering of his followers is bad news for our heroes.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
As if this trailer didn't have enough Harry Potter touchstones for you to grab ahold of, the final moments before the title screen should have come as a nice closer: We get a glimpse of the Deathly Hallows symbol in smoke (a symbol adopted by Grindelwald himself), along with a few lightning strikes, and a powerful rendition of the famed Harry Potter score, "Hedwig's Theme." Yeah, we're in.
For more on all things Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, be sure to read up on our recent posts here:
- ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Poster Teases the Deathly Hallows
- LEGO to Release New ‘Harry Potter’ Sets; Reveals Hogwarts Great Hall
- ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Sequel Will Flake on Dumbledore’s Homosexuality
- New ‘Fantastic Beasts 2′ Images Find Newt and Tina Back in Action
- All Five ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Movies Will Take Place in Different Cities
