0:00:03 > 0:00:05For close to two decades now,
0:00:05 > 0:00:09JK Rowling's stories of Harry Potter and the rest of the wizarding world
0:00:09 > 0:00:11have dominated popular culture.
0:00:11 > 0:00:15Along the way, they've amassed arguably the largest
0:00:15 > 0:00:17and most passionate fanbase in the world...
0:00:17 > 0:00:20You are the most wonderful fans in the world!
0:00:20 > 0:00:25..given us some of the most recognisable stars on the planet
0:00:25 > 0:00:28and created an enormous demand for more of this.
0:00:30 > 0:00:34So, earlier this year we got a West End play and now,
0:00:34 > 0:00:36five years since The Deathly Hallows, Part Two...
0:00:36 > 0:00:39We're pretty sure it's going to be five movies.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42..kicking things off with the kind of, sort of prequel,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Don't panic. There is absolutely nothing to worry about.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50But what is it about these stories
0:00:50 > 0:00:52that has made them such a phenomenon?
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Gryffindor!
0:00:55 > 0:00:57We'll be speaking to star Eddie Redmayne,
0:00:57 > 0:00:59director David Yates, the crew,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03the fans, and some bloke called Daniel Radcliffe
0:01:03 > 0:01:05to answer the all-important question -
0:01:05 > 0:01:08what is the secret of the wizarding world?
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Before we get started, just in case you recently escaped
0:01:21 > 0:01:23from Azkaban after a 20-year stretch
0:01:23 > 0:01:25and aren't in the know,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28I've set my good friends, The Vamps, a challenge -
0:01:28 > 0:01:32recap all of the Harry Potter films in under a minute,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36just so you're totally up-to-date with everything that's going on.
0:01:36 > 0:01:37I'm cruel, I know.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39Voldemort kills Harry's parents.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42But Harry's a bit of a Batman and doesn't actually die.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43He gets adopted by his auntie and uncle.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46But then he gets a letter through that gives him
0:01:46 > 0:01:48the chance to go to Hogwarts.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Hagrid comes and boots the door down and picks him up and goes,
0:01:50 > 0:01:51"You're coming with me, mate."
0:01:51 > 0:01:54He loves it. He meets Hermione and he meets, erm...
0:01:57 > 0:01:58..Ron. Ronald.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01They kill a guy that's got a Voldemort head
0:02:01 > 0:02:02on the back of his head.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05- And... Is that...? - The second film...
0:02:05 > 0:02:06I didn't make it to the second film!
0:02:06 > 0:02:10..something happens with the wand, and some, erm...Quidditch.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12They go kill a big snake, take his tooth,
0:02:12 > 0:02:13stab something with it.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Third film, pretty much the same thing.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18He's got, like, a relative, Sirius Black.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Snape's kind of bad as well in this.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Dobby is a little elf - also dies at some point.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Then... Oh, Oh.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Voldemort is in it as well.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28They're trying to find a Horcrux.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I've skipped two movies.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32They get them all and there's a massive battle at the end.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Loads and loads of people die,
0:02:34 > 0:02:35but all in all, it's a good family movie.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37I'd thoroughly recommend watching it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39- HAGRID:- You're a wizard, Harry.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41That's it. Yeah.
0:02:41 > 0:02:42LAUGHTER
0:02:42 > 0:02:45And what about the story of Fantastic Beasts?
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Can the star himself, Eddie Redmayne, tell us?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50I can tell that story.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I'm going to stop you, and I hate to do this, because I've been sent...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56No. Shut up. Is this a Newt one?
0:02:56 > 0:02:58I've been sent your very own wand.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01This is quite a moment, because we went to Comic Con recently,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05and I handed out 3,000 of these wands, and I was given one,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and I had to make 3,000 people do a spell.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11But when I handed them all out, I handed them ALL out,
0:03:11 > 0:03:14so I got on stage to do this spell and realised I didn't have a wand.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16So I ran back into the audience and there was a girl there,
0:03:16 > 0:03:19and I said, "Look, please, can I just borrow this one?"
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and she was like, "Yeah, if you give it back!"
0:03:22 > 0:03:24And I was like, "OK."
0:03:24 > 0:03:25So I went and I did the spell
0:03:25 > 0:03:28and I could see her in the front row being like...
0:03:29 > 0:03:33So I've actually not... I don't have my own wand,
0:03:33 > 0:03:34so this is a big moment.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37- Allow me to give that to you. - Thank you.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43ROARING
0:03:44 > 0:03:47You've known for 24 hours that an unregistered wizard
0:03:47 > 0:03:50set magical beasts loose in New York?
0:03:50 > 0:03:52- Yes.- Where is this man?
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Teeny.- That's Mr Scamander.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03He's lost something I'm going to help him find.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Some of these characters and families that we've grown to love
0:04:06 > 0:04:09through the Harry Potter films, you hear their names
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and you begin to get a sense of their legacy.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14What makes Albus Dumbledore so fond of you?
0:04:14 > 0:04:17It's like sort of jumping back in the family tree, in some ways.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19You kind of realise how thoroughly
0:04:19 > 0:04:21JK Rowling has got her world in her head.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23It's not an adaptation of Fantastic Beasts,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27it's a new project, it's a new set of stories with a character
0:04:27 > 0:04:30called Newt Scamander, who exists in that book.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Newt Scamander is a British self-proclaimed magizoologist.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Newt gets off a boat in New York in 1926.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39- First trip to America?- Yes.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42They've got these rules that the Brits just don't have.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46He's a wizard who loves fantastic beasts and magical creatures.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48They are kind of illegal
0:04:48 > 0:04:50because they might give away that wizards exist.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52You're the guy with the case full of monsters, huh?
0:04:52 > 0:04:54News travels fast.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57He's basically spent a year in the field all across the globe,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00finding, studying magical creatures.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02ROARING
0:05:02 > 0:05:03And some of them live in his case.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05It was open?
0:05:05 > 0:05:06Just a smidge.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Mr Scamander, do you know anything
0:05:09 > 0:05:11about the wizarding community in America?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16- We don't let things loose. - We got a plan, right, guys?
0:05:16 > 0:05:17They need our help.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20I found it such an amazing mixture of action.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22There were sort of thriller elements...
0:05:22 > 0:05:23It wasn't Hogwarts,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26it wasn't what we'd done before, and it felt fresh.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31I think this is related to Grindelwald's attacks in Europe.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33There was great darkness in it,
0:05:33 > 0:05:35and wonderful emotions.
0:05:35 > 0:05:38I have seen a vision of immense power.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It had that sort of feeling of coming home.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44There were comedic elements, there was sort of romance,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47and I just hoped that we would be able to capture that spirit.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51I hope we have, and I hope you guys enjoy it.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54There was a time when we thought it was all over.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56No more films, no more books,
0:05:56 > 0:05:59no more anything, apart from maybe a couple of theme parks
0:05:59 > 0:06:00and a studio tour,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04but that's a big reason why fans are so excited right now.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07They cannot wait to find out more.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09So, what is it about the stories of the wizarding world
0:06:09 > 0:06:11that fascinate us all?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Let's meet a die-hard fan to find out.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17I'm Jenessa Baber, and I'm a very proud Hufflepuff.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19The first book came out in 1997 when I was only a year old,
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and the first films in 2001, so I was only like three or four.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26But my earliest memory of it is going to see Prisoner Of Azkaban
0:06:26 > 0:06:28with my uncle and his daughter.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And we'd literally missed the viewing by about ten minutes,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34so we had to wait three hours for the next viewing,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36and we were sat at Vue, and we were just waiting
0:06:36 > 0:06:37for the next one to come on.
0:06:37 > 0:06:38And we got lost on the way there,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41and it was just the most traumatic experience ever,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44but I think I was about five or six.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47The time in most people's lives when they discovered it
0:06:47 > 0:06:50meant that it has an incredibly important place
0:06:50 > 0:06:53in a lot of people's childhoods and, you know,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55they still feel very, sort of, protective over it.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Expecto Patronum!
0:06:59 > 0:07:02A full-bodied Patronus is the most difficult to produce,
0:07:02 > 0:07:04but shield forms can also be equally useful
0:07:04 > 0:07:06against a variety of opponents.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11'I've been told by several friends that it just takes them to a place'
0:07:11 > 0:07:14of warmth and comfort, and that is so lovely to me.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17That's the real-world effect a film can have on someone's life
0:07:17 > 0:07:18and I think that's great.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Think of the happiest thing you can.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26I'm trying.
0:07:26 > 0:07:27I know. It's good.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30This is really advanced stuff, guys.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31You're doing so well.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35I think they got it so right with the characters, you know,
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Daniel Radcliffe, Emma and Rupert, I believe.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42- The way they kind of, like, gel together.- Chemistry.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44And then we grew up with them.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48They're immediately accessible.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50They feel like someone we know,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53or they feel like an extension of ourselves,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56and she's done that again with the characters in Fantastic Beasts.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Hey, Mr Scamander.
0:08:02 > 0:08:03You prefer pie or strudel?
0:08:06 > 0:08:08I really don't have a preference.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14You prefer strudel, huh, honey.
0:08:17 > 0:08:18Strudel it is.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21JK Rowling often writes about outsiders and she herself says that,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and I think that that's what connects everyone
0:08:24 > 0:08:27to both the Potter films and hopefully to Fantastic Beasts
0:08:27 > 0:08:29is that no-one's an insider.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Like, even those people in life who sort of put on this front
0:08:31 > 0:08:34of being cool, or, I don't know, somehow an insider,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37they secretly are probably crushing inside.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Well, sit down, Mr Scamander.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44We're not going to poison you.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45And so I think that's kind of the appeal,
0:08:45 > 0:08:47is none of us necessarily feel like we really fit in.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50I also get a kick out of the fact that this is our world,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53but underneath it all, I might be a wizard.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54And probably are.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57- Well, this has got awkward. - I'll see how your wand work is.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02Having that close reality to our world and another world is something
0:09:02 > 0:09:05really clever, and because it's so relatable,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08you are almost there,
0:09:08 > 0:09:10and it's just that little bit of reality holding you back.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14But you can always dream, can't you?
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Excuse me, sir. Can you tell me where I might find
0:09:16 > 0:09:19- platform nine and three quarters? - Nine and three quarters?
0:09:19 > 0:09:20Think you're being funny, do you?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23Suddenly, you'd go to Kings Cross
0:09:23 > 0:09:25and that wall would just be so exciting!
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And I hope that in Fantastic Beasts, the Woolworth Building in New York,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56these places that you're really familiar with...
0:09:56 > 0:10:00Lots of our cast were from New York, and they were just so excited by
0:10:00 > 0:10:03the detail of that, and it makes you feel that magic
0:10:03 > 0:10:04literally lives around you.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06We've all been to school,
0:10:06 > 0:10:11we've all had teachers who we don't like and teachers that we adore.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14It's a universal experience, and then you add magic on top.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Everyone wants to be a wizard and everyone wants to, like, you know,
0:10:18 > 0:10:19flick the wand.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22You'd be able to tidy your room quicker,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24you'd be able to transport yourself to a different place
0:10:24 > 0:10:26in, like, the split of a second.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29All these abilities that you know
0:10:29 > 0:10:31you'd never be able to do in reality.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34But everyone wants to be special,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38everyone wants to feel like they've got the power to do something,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and being a witch or wizard completely gives you that power,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45and I think that's why everyone wants to be a witch or wizard.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47And to meet Dumbledore!
0:10:47 > 0:10:50Of course, stories involving magic aren't a new thing -
0:10:50 > 0:10:54just ask a distinctly younger-looking Stephen Fry.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I think what I liked from the first about Harry Potter
0:10:57 > 0:10:59was what's woven into them is a true history
0:10:59 > 0:11:01of the English folkloric tradition of magic.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03She hasn't made up a magic world
0:11:03 > 0:11:06which is simply a great wish list of Disney-esque fantasy of,
0:11:06 > 0:11:08well, if you have a dream it's going to come true,
0:11:08 > 0:11:11because Harry Potter doesn't present a world like that.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15It's connected, and it comes out of the whole fabric of English history
0:11:15 > 0:11:17and folkloric mythology.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20That's why it works, because things don't work
0:11:20 > 0:11:22if they are the result of a feeble-minded fantasy.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26A lot of sort of motifs that we associate with witchcraft
0:11:26 > 0:11:29have been picked up by JK Rowling.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33They have the black robes and the hats and the broomsticks,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36the cauldrons, but these have all been updated as school kit,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38things Harry needs to go to school.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41We look at Arthurian literature and there are lots of connections
0:11:41 > 0:11:44between Harry Potter's story and the story of King Arthur.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Both are separated from their parents,
0:11:46 > 0:11:49both are watched over by a powerful wizard -
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Merlin in the case of King Arthur, Dumbledore in Harry Potter.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Although they're drawing upon these much older mythic themes
0:11:57 > 0:12:00of good versus evil, death and resurrection,
0:12:00 > 0:12:03they also tie into themes that are very relevant to us now.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06There's a key theme in what the story is fundamentally about,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08which is to embrace and accept the things
0:12:08 > 0:12:10we don't necessarily understand
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and to develop our curiosity about those things,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17and to be open to the wonders of the world and to be open to things
0:12:17 > 0:12:21that are different to our immediate experience,
0:12:21 > 0:12:25because otherwise, you know, the world becomes a darker place.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27I think a lot of it is all about life lessons.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Harry's story is he's the orphaned child and he has to go on and defeat
0:12:32 > 0:12:35all these awful things, but it brings you back to
0:12:35 > 0:12:37there is war, people die.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39Harry Potter...
0:12:43 > 0:12:45..the boy who lived.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47She isn't afraid of dealing with death.
0:12:47 > 0:12:53She isn't afraid of dealing with the darker side of human nature
0:12:53 > 0:12:55and she goes there very easily, I think.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56She kind of enjoys it!
0:13:01 > 0:13:05This dark edge that occasionally comes into the stories
0:13:05 > 0:13:09I think is essential, because she recognises that the world
0:13:09 > 0:13:13is not an easy place, and I think, even for younger readers
0:13:13 > 0:13:17and younger viewers, it's important to acknowledge that there's a side
0:13:17 > 0:13:20to life that needs to be acknowledged
0:13:20 > 0:13:22and dealt with sometimes.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25What you've fallen in love with is the story,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28the characters, the themes we can all relate to.
0:13:28 > 0:13:33How you fall in love is by getting lost in the detail,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and there is a lot of detail to get lost in.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40There is no stone unturned with JK Rowling.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44She can literally answer absolutely every question,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47and you can be waiting for that for the rest of your life,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51but you still will not know the full story of Harry Potter,
0:13:51 > 0:13:52and that is really exciting.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I asked a question about Madam Picquery,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58who runs the Ministry of Magic. You know, where is she from?
0:13:58 > 0:14:01And literally 48 hours later,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Jo came back with a ten-page breakdown
0:14:04 > 0:14:06of the history of magic in America,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08and she said, "I just started and I couldn't stop."
0:14:08 > 0:14:12She creates such a fully-fledged world that that's the one
0:14:12 > 0:14:14we all want to dive into, and I feel like since they started making
0:14:14 > 0:14:18the Potter films, and it's lots of the same crew into Fantastic Beasts,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22they sort of respect that and so they go that extra step further with
0:14:22 > 0:14:25getting the absolute intricacy of the details right.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28In charge of all those details for Fantastic Beasts is Oscar-winning
0:14:28 > 0:14:32production designer and Potter movie veteran Stuart Craig.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34In the books, in the screenplay,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37there's a huge amount of description,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41so we set about it just delivering what was expected of us.
0:14:41 > 0:14:45I was somewhat surprised at the level of interest
0:14:45 > 0:14:48in the so-called detail, or that people perceived it
0:14:48 > 0:14:50as different to a lot of other films.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I get it now.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54I remember coming onto set on one of the first days
0:14:54 > 0:14:58and seeing newspaper cuttings like that were in a newspaper stand
0:14:58 > 0:15:00at the back of a massive set miles away -
0:15:00 > 0:15:03there was no chance they were going to be in shot - and you sort of...
0:15:03 > 0:15:06I was wandering past there on a coffee break moment, and I sort of
0:15:06 > 0:15:09looked at what was written in the newspaper, and it was like
0:15:09 > 0:15:12the entire history of, sort of, what was going on
0:15:12 > 0:15:13in the wizarding world that day.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17I was like, "God, if you..." It was totally enthralling.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20If you believe in the surroundings, in the situations,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23in the newspaper you're holding the contents of,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25if you really believe in that,
0:15:25 > 0:15:27it gives credibility to the whole thing
0:15:27 > 0:15:30and to the extraordinary bits of cinematic magic.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34That's it, really, it's the pursuit of credibility, I think.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37What's amazing about these films is there are so many
0:15:37 > 0:15:39extraordinary people behind the scenes
0:15:39 > 0:15:41whose job it is to create wands.
0:15:41 > 0:15:43The interesting thing about wands is that it's a prop
0:15:43 > 0:15:45that's absolutely specific to a character.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Often it can be an expression of their taste
0:15:48 > 0:15:49and their fields and their ideals.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53When I first got cast, they came with all these designs
0:15:53 > 0:15:56and possible ideas, and we talked it through.
0:15:56 > 0:15:57I got super method on my wand.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01And when we make the originals, we make them in the proper materials
0:16:01 > 0:16:02as much as we can - wooden shafts etc -
0:16:02 > 0:16:05to give it as much authenticity as possible.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08And so you'll see there are no, sort of, animal products,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10this is like a sort of shell, so a bit of mother of pearl and...
0:16:10 > 0:16:13But it's a bit battered because he's sort of gone, you know,
0:16:13 > 0:16:15he's been out in the field with it.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20For me, the most important thing is the actor makes the final choice,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22so is able to sit there and go,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23"This one feels right to me."
0:16:23 > 0:16:25So happy to have this back.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27- I can tell. - Just made me really happy.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Sorry, because... Yeah. Go on.
0:16:29 > 0:16:30- Question?- Yeah. Repeat.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33I feel like everything you say has more impact.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35- If I do that?- When you do that.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38Do you know what? I started, I was doing all this...
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Oh, my God, I just did it. Was that caught on camera?
0:16:40 > 0:16:42I was like, "I think I'm going to make Newt really cool,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44"and he has this fiddle," because I always watch people
0:16:44 > 0:16:46do that with their pens, but I could never do it,
0:16:46 > 0:16:49so I spent months trying it and then I could never do it on camera,
0:16:49 > 0:16:52so I decided to ditch that, but I just did it on camera.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Did you catch it? That's so exciting!
0:16:54 > 0:16:57My tenth birthday I got my first wand from my mum,
0:16:57 > 0:16:58which was Hermione Granger's wand.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01It's just really cool.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Well, probably not to some people,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05but to me it's really cool because it's like
0:17:05 > 0:17:08bringing a piece of the film home with you.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12And, yeah, I do play with my wands every now and then.
0:17:12 > 0:17:13As well as a few more wands,
0:17:13 > 0:17:17Fantastic Beasts introduces us to a new must-have bit of merch
0:17:17 > 0:17:19with a key role to play in the film -
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Newt's case.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24It's a bit like Doctor Who's Tardis. Doctor Who's Tardis looks very small
0:17:24 > 0:17:26but you open the door, you go in, and it's enormous.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28Well, that's Newt's case.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30It's basically the size of a football pitch,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33which is kind of the space that Newt could create.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And it's all put together with sort of British glue
0:17:36 > 0:17:38and, sort of, elastic tape.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40I ain't got the brains to make this up.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43But still kind of extraordinary and bonkers.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45You open it, you end up in a shed, because, you know,
0:17:45 > 0:17:47being a British bloke, you've got to have a shed,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49and that's where he keeps all his books and all his
0:17:49 > 0:17:51sort of, like, medicines for all the animals.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55And then you open the door to the shed and that takes you into
0:17:55 > 0:17:58this next level of the case, which is this set of enclosures, really,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00and that's where he keeps all the beasts.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03The creatures have always been my favourite thing about Harry Potter.
0:18:03 > 0:18:06And people have got cats and dogs in the real world,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09but over there you'll have a pet Niffler or...
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Yeah, I'm so looking forward to seeing how they tackle that
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and what they look like. Yeah, it's exciting.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17There's always been a visual effects department,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21but as the years have gone on, techniques have improved and...
0:18:21 > 0:18:25That's where the heart of this movie is, in the digital technology,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27extending what was previously possible.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30We were on it for about 21 months or so,
0:18:30 > 0:18:32so it was quite a few months of play
0:18:32 > 0:18:34and "Wouldn't it be cool if...?"
0:18:34 > 0:18:37And so, yeah, something like the Niffler, we had several designs.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39I think it was kind of based on a honey badger.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42- You do not mess.- You do not mess with the honey badger.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44The honey badger, for those who don't know,
0:18:44 > 0:18:45and do look it up on YouTube,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48is this kind of badgery thing that eats anything.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50Ew, eating snakes.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Ew, what's that, a mouse?
0:18:52 > 0:18:53Oh, that's nasty.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55I mean, we did over 200, 300...
0:18:55 > 0:18:58- Yeah. - ..sketches of different creatures.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00Come on, give me a smile.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Some of the things like the Bowtruckle, Pickett -
0:19:03 > 0:19:07of him alone, we had over 200 different versions
0:19:07 > 0:19:08of a design for him.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Newt has several Bowtruckles but he has a particular favourite
0:19:11 > 0:19:14in Pickett, and he sort of keeps him in his top pocket.
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Wait a minute.
0:19:15 > 0:19:18'So, evidently has a favourite and it's not the greatest of parenting.'
0:19:18 > 0:19:21That's a Bow... That's a Bowtruckle, right?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- No.- Ah, come on, they pick locks, am I right?
0:19:26 > 0:19:28You're not having him.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30We develop puppets for all the hero characters,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34which range from sort of small Pickett-sized
0:19:34 > 0:19:38little animatronic things that could be operated by hand
0:19:38 > 0:19:40to a 17-foot-tall Erumpent.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42Put this on.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Put... Why would I have to wear something like this?
0:19:45 > 0:19:49Because your skull is susceptible to breakage under immense force.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52We projected the creatures onto the wall and then Eddie stood there,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56and we decided how big the Erumpent was by moving the projector
0:19:56 > 0:19:59back and forth, and he could stand there with it
0:19:59 > 0:20:01and David could see the creature next to him,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04and it would at least give you a sense of scale.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07He's hurt. Oh, wake up, Mr No-Maj.
0:20:07 > 0:20:09SNARLING Argh!
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Mercy Lewis, what is that?
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Nothing to worry about.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17That is...a Murtlap.
0:20:19 > 0:20:20What else have you got in there?
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Its success has instilled confidence, really,
0:20:23 > 0:20:27in everybody in the studio, in the producers, in the director.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Normally, as we did on Harry Potter 1, Harry Potter 2,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34we had to, out of necessity, find real locations.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37And as the series went on and with Fantastic Beasts,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40we have designed and built here at Leavesden
0:20:40 > 0:20:42more and more of the world.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45But as people watch it, I'd like them to realise
0:20:45 > 0:20:50that not a single scene with actors was shot in New York at all,
0:20:50 > 0:20:54and the success of the franchise has afforded us that luxury.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Story, detail, sure,
0:20:56 > 0:21:01but for me, what really sets the wizarding world apart is the fans.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Everyone I've met is passionate,
0:21:04 > 0:21:07fiercely loyal and very knowledgeable indeed.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08And when they get together,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12you can really feel their amazing sense of community.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15I went down to the international fan event
0:21:15 > 0:21:17for Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
0:21:17 > 0:21:18in London's Leicester Square.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22What better place to find fantastic fans than here?
0:21:22 > 0:21:23You're going to a fan event.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26- This is true.- Are you nervous?
0:21:26 > 0:21:27I am a bit nervous, yeah.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Are you worried that there might be quite a few people dressed as Newt?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Have you seen Eddie Redmayne? He's just over there.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38- Oh, yeah.- Oh!
0:21:38 > 0:21:41I love that! I love it, it's really weird.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44And did you just so happen to have a blue jacket and a bow tie?
0:21:44 > 0:21:47I actually went shopping for this entire outfit yesterday.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49The people that we've met are so supportive
0:21:49 > 0:21:51of Fantastic Beasts, really,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and getting to see more into JK Rowling's imagination.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56I think I'm just mostly excited about being back
0:21:56 > 0:21:59in the wizarding world and being just amazed at JK Rowling's work.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02They are a passionate crowd and that's...
0:22:02 > 0:22:05that's always a wonderful thing, being passionate.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07We are really proud to be here and to be part of
0:22:07 > 0:22:10something new in the Harry Potter universe.
0:22:10 > 0:22:11No, it's definitely special,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14it's just great to see everyone else enjoying themselves.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15Let's get a big cheer, everyone.
0:22:15 > 0:22:18CHEERING
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Hi!
0:22:20 > 0:22:22Hello, hello to everybody.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28We are thrilled to be here at the AMC Kips Bay IMAX theatre
0:22:28 > 0:22:29in New York City!
0:22:31 > 0:22:34It's definitely a family and it's so accepting.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37You can be whoever you want and it's...
0:22:37 > 0:22:38You're welcomed into that family.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40So we've got friends all over the world,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43we've got different team members in different countries,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and its just amazing to be part of, really.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49What sets them apart is their curiosity
0:22:49 > 0:22:53and that JK Rowling's books and the films then...
0:22:53 > 0:22:56You know, a lot of fandoms are kind of exclusive and they're like,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59"We can only be a fan of this thing," where I think Harry Potter
0:22:59 > 0:23:02actually has introduced people to a lot of other things,
0:23:02 > 0:23:04a lot of other literature and a lot of other films,
0:23:04 > 0:23:08and the people I meet are all, like, incredibly kind and sweet,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and I think it gives people a hunger to find more things
0:23:11 > 0:23:14that they like as much as Harry Potter and other forms of art
0:23:14 > 0:23:16that they are as hungry for.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20The Harry Potter generation is also the internet generation.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23We've got all the books here and I thought I would show you
0:23:23 > 0:23:25just to prove that I do have...
0:23:25 > 0:23:27As the internet grew,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31so did people's ability to instantly communicate with everyone else.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And before we had social media, before we had Twitter and Facebook,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37we had these Harry Potter fan sites and forums
0:23:37 > 0:23:39that would talk about Harry Potter in one place.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43It's about people connecting, and again, people that feel themselves
0:23:43 > 0:23:48to be outsiders finding other kindred spirits and souls.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Hmm.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Difficult, very difficult.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Plenty of courage, I see.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Not a bad mind, either.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59There's talent, oh, yes,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02and a thirst to prove yourself.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06But where to put you?
0:24:06 > 0:24:07(Not Slytherin.)
0:24:07 > 0:24:11Harry Potter gives you an ability to be put in a house,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14which makes you find other friends, which makes you find other friends,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17and it's just this one big collective group of people
0:24:17 > 0:24:20who love the same thing, but you identify yourself as something.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Well, if you're sure...
0:24:23 > 0:24:26- (Anything but Slytherin.) - ..better be...
0:24:26 > 0:24:27Gryffindor!
0:24:30 > 0:24:32So, for the sorting on Pottermore,
0:24:32 > 0:24:34the questions are devised by JK Rowling.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36There are questions that are designed to really test you,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39and it will pull out different parts of your personality
0:24:39 > 0:24:42without you sort of realising. It's quite hard to sort of guess
0:24:42 > 0:24:45what house you're going to end up in.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47I think a lot of fans are quite surprised when they go on
0:24:47 > 0:24:49and they might be a bit offended, like,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51"Oh, I never saw myself as a Slytherin!"
0:24:51 > 0:24:54This is going to sound awful, but I did the Pottermore test
0:24:54 > 0:24:58and I was actually placed in Slytherin, which I would never,
0:24:58 > 0:24:59ever have put myself in.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02And not that I totally disassociate myself with it, but I just...
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I don't feel like a Slytherin at heart,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06I've always considered myself a Hufflepuff,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10so I overruled JK Rowling's opinion on my house!
0:25:10 > 0:25:12I wrote to her and she wrote back to me.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14It even came back with a Harry Potter stamp,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16which was really amazing.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18She has seen the dress on Twitter.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22I wanted to paint the chapter The Marauder's Map onto it
0:25:22 > 0:25:24in the style of the Marauder's Map.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27She liked my post about it, at which I was like,
0:25:27 > 0:25:28"Did this just happen?"
0:25:28 > 0:25:31A lot of fans have some kind of connection with her.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33I think that's one of the things that you love about the fandom,
0:25:33 > 0:25:36is that you can connect with a lot of people involved.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39The fact that Jo Rowling is still so heavily involved
0:25:39 > 0:25:41nearly a quarter of a century since she first
0:25:41 > 0:25:42came up with the whole idea -
0:25:42 > 0:25:46is that the secret ingredient that sets the wizarding world apart?
0:25:46 > 0:25:48I mean, I think so.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I think it would be very hard for anything to happen
0:25:51 > 0:25:54in the Harry Potter world without her, you know,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57involvement, really, and it feel like the same world.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01The more time you spend with Jo, the more you hear about not just
0:26:01 > 0:26:04Fantastic Beasts but the world around it,
0:26:04 > 0:26:09the more detailed and intricate and compelling and exciting it becomes.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12My breath is frequently taken away.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Like, I can't believe she has the capacity for such imagination.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20The most important aspect of it for me is that she delivers
0:26:20 > 0:26:24these positive values, the values that's held together, you know,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28certainly in my lifetime, of civility and decency
0:26:28 > 0:26:34and respect and curiosity for others and sort of respect for truth,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and that is probably a testament
0:26:36 > 0:26:39greater than any other to her work, I think.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43Jo really cares about the people that she writes for, about the...
0:26:43 > 0:26:45She cares about the people she writes
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and about the people she writes for, and it's lovely that she has chosen
0:26:48 > 0:26:50to expand the world in so many different ways
0:26:50 > 0:26:53because there is still such a hunger for that.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57But, yeah, I mean, she's just an immensely...
0:26:57 > 0:27:01just intelligent, funny,
0:27:01 > 0:27:03kind human being,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05and I think that obviously comes across in her writing.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07When you spend time reading a book,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10you don't just spend time with the characters
0:27:10 > 0:27:12but you spend time with the author, and she is a lovely person
0:27:12 > 0:27:14to feel like you're hanging out with, I think.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17There's no other set of stories, be it Star Wars
0:27:17 > 0:27:20or Star Trek or Lord Of The Rings,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23where still just one person has all of the answers.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26And it's her passion and knowledge
0:27:26 > 0:27:28and sheer humongous imagination
0:27:28 > 0:27:31that has set the wizarding world apart
0:27:31 > 0:27:34and made it so special for so many people.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36I want to be a wizard.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41That, for me, is why Jo herself is the secret of the wizarding world.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44- Do I actually get to keep it? - You actually...- That's amazing!
0:27:44 > 0:27:46That is for you. And...
0:27:46 > 0:27:48And it gets its own little, own little sleeve!
0:27:48 > 0:27:50It gets its own ornamental sleeve. That's for you.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Thank you so much. I'm really very excited about that, thank you.
0:27:53 > 0:27:55- It's my pleasure.- Nice to see you.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57I can't believe I was the guy that got to do that!
0:27:57 > 0:27:59You gave Newt his wand!
0:27:59 > 0:28:01- Have you got, like, a wand pocket? - Yeah, no, I wish!