Fantastic Beasts Dvd

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a 2016 fantasy film directed by David Yates. A joint British and American production, it is a spin-off of and prequel to the Harry Potter film series. It was produced and written by J. K. Rowling in her screenwriting debut, inspired by her 2001 “guide book” of the same name. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, and Colin Farrell. It is the first installment in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and ninth overall in the Wizarding World franchise that began with the Harry Potter films.

Plot

In 1926, British wizard and “magizoologist” Newton “Newt” Scamander arrives in New York City. He encounters Mary Lou Barebone, the non-magical (“No-Maj” or “Muggle”) head of the New Salem Philanthropic Society, who preaches that witches and wizards are real and dangerous. Attempting to recapture a Niffler that escaped from his suitcase of magical creatures, Newt meets No-Maj Jacob Kowalski, an aspiring baker, and they unwittingly swap suitcases. Porpentina “Tina” Goldstein, a demoted Auror of the Magical Congress of the United States (MACUSA), arrests Newt for breaking magical law. Since the suitcase in his possession only contains Jacob’s baked goods, Newt is released, much to Tina’s embarrassment. At home, Jacob opens Newt’s suitcase, inadvertently freeing several creatures into the city.

After Tina and Newt find Jacob and the suitcase, Tina takes them to her apartment and introduces them to Queenie, her Legilimens sister. Jacob and Queenie are mutually attracted, though American wizards are forbidden to have any contact with No-Majs. Newt takes Jacob inside his suitcase, magically expanded to house various creatures including an Obscurus, a parasite that develops inside magically gifted children when their abilities are suppressed; Newt extracted it from a young girl who died, as those afflicted rarely live past the age of ten.

After they recapture two of the three escaped beasts, Tina returns the suitcase to MACUSA, but they are arrested, as officials believe one of Newt’s creatures is responsible for killing Senator Henry Shaw Jr., who was actually attacked by an Obscurus. The Director of Magical Security, Percival Graves, accuses Newt of conspiring with the infamous dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, and decides to destroy Newt’s suitcase and obliviate Jacob’s recent memories. Newt and Tina are sentenced to death, but escape aided by Queenie and Jacob, who retrieve Newt’s suitcase. A tip from Tina’s goblin informant Gnarlack leads the four to recapture the last of the escaped creatures.

Graves approaches Credence, Mary Lou’s adopted son, and offers to free him from his abusive mother in exchange for finding the Obscurus causing destruction throughout the city. Credence finds a wand under his adopted sister Modesty’s bed, which Mary Lou assumes is his; when Credence is about to be punished, his Obscurus kills Mary Lou and her eldest daughter Chastity. Graves, assuming Modesty is the Obscurus’ host, dismisses Credence as a Squib and refuses to teach him magic as he had promised. Credence reveals he is the real host, having survived due to the intensity of his magic, and attacks the city in broad daylight.

Newt finds Credence hiding in a subway tunnel, but is attacked by Graves. Tina, who lost her job trying to protect Credence from Mary Lou, attempts to calm him, while Graves tries to convince Credence to listen to him. As Credence returns to human form, MACUSA President Seraphina Picquery and the Aurors counterattack, disintegrating the Obscurus. However, a single wisp of his Obscurus form fled the scene, unseen to anyone but Newt. Graves admits his plan to unleash the Obscurus and frame Newt for the incident, exposing the magical community to the No-Majs; he declares that MACUSA protects the No-Majs more than themselves. Picquery orders the Aurors to apprehend Graves, but he defeats them all, until Newt captures him with the help of one of his beasts, and reveals Graves is Grindelwald in disguise.

MACUSA fears their secret world has been exposed, but Newt releases his Thunderbird to disperse a potion as rainfall over the city, obliviating all New Yorkers’ recent memories while MACUSA wizards repair the destruction and erase the recent events from the news. Queenie kisses Jacob goodbye as the rain erases his memories, and Newt returns to England. Jacob opens a bakery with pastries resembling Newt’s beasts, and when Queenie enters, he smiles at her, indicating that his memories may return.

Cast

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them panel at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International (left to right): director Yates; actors Redmayne, Waterston, Sudol, Fogler, Farrell, Miller.
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, an introverted British wizard, magizoologist and an employee of the Ministry of Magic. Scamander is the future author of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry standard textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Redmayne was cast in June 2015. Matt Smith and Nicholas Hoult were also considered for the role.
Katherine Waterston as Porpentina Esther Goldstein a grounded, down-to-earth witch and former Auror employed by MACUSA. She longs to fight for what is right, but was demoted to a position well below her skill level.
Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski, a genial No-Maj cannery worker and aspiring baker who is accidentally exposed to the New York City magical community upon meeting Newt.
Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein, Tina’s younger sister and roommate. Described as a free-spirited big-hearted bombshell she is a naturally born and skilled Legilimens. The picture is Sudol’s feature film debut. Michelle Rodriguez, Carolyn Murphy, Heather Matarazzo and Lindsey Stirling were also under consideration for the role of Queenie.
Samantha Morton as Mary Lou Barebone, a narrow-minded No-Maj and the sinister leader of the New Salem Philanthropic Society or “The Second-Salemers,” a group whose goals include exposing and killing wizards and witches.
Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone, Mary Lou’s troubled adopted son.
Jon Voight as Henry Shaw Sr., a newspaper owner and the father of U.S. Senator Henry Shaw Jr. and Langdon Shaw.
Carmen Ejogo as Seraphina Picquery, the President of MACUSA, the Magical Congress of the United States of America. As such, she is the American equivalent of a Minister for Magic in the United Kingdom.
Colin Farrell as Percival Graves, a high-ranking Auror and Director of Magical Security for MACUSA, responsible for the protection of wizards.
Ron Perlman as the voice of Gnarlack, a goblin gangster who owns a magical speakeasy nightclub called “The Blind Pig”.
Faith Wood-Blagrove as Modesty Barebone, a haunted young girl who is the youngest of Mary Lou’s adopted children. Wood-Blagrove was chosen for the role following thousands of auditions in an open casting call.
Ronan Raftery as Langdon Shaw, the youngest of Henry Shaw Sr.’s sons, who begins to believe in magic.
Josh Cowdery as Henry Shaw Jr., the eldest of Henry Shaw Sr.’s sons; an arrogant and cruel U.S. Senator.
Kevin Guthrie as Mr. Abernathy, Tina and Queenie’s MACUSA supervisor.
Jenn Murray as Chastity Barebone, the middle of Mary Lou’s adopted children.
Gemma Chan as Madam Ya Zhou, a witch who is a member of MACUSA.
Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald, an infamous, powerful dark wizard who believes in the superiority of wizards and seeks to lead a new Wizarding Order.
Zoë Kravitz as Leta Lestrange, Newt’s former love, who betrayed his trust.