J.K. Rowling’s magical world of wizards and the creatures that inhabit it has become quite the talk of the town as of late. With the release of the stage play and script book for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as well as an ongoing promotional campaign for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, fans of Rowling’s unique vision are once again being treated to new delightful worlds.
While not every Harry Potter fan has been pleased with the story of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the arrival of the Fantastic Beasts prequel might just prove to be a little more in line with what fans remember the world of Harry Potter to be. There will certainly be an abundance of new creatures to learn about and analyze, making it possible for Fantastic Beasts to build its own mythology without straying too far from what made fans love the Potterverse to begin with.
Warner Brothers has now decided to introduce some of these new characters (via EW), in order to give Potterheads more insight into exactly what sort of Fantastic Beasts will be making an appearance in the upcoming film. The new creatures are listed below along with their photos, so if you’ve come looking for Fantastic Beasts, you can rest assured that this is indeed the place to find them.
THE NIFFLER
This little creature apparently has an insatiable urge to obtain anything and everything that glitters or sparkles. Any such items that it manages to gain possession of will be carefully stored away in the pouch on the creature’s belly. While the Niffler might closely resemble a platypus or a mole (or both)Fantastic Beasts visual effects supervisor Christian Manz explained that it was actually inspired by the honey badger. Said Manz: “One of the big inspirations was the honey badger. We saw some great footage of a honey badger raiding somebody’s house with a completely insatiable desire to find food and nothing would get in its way.”
BOWTRUCKLE
The Fantastic Beasts design team actually had their hands full with the Bowtruckle, having undergone 200 attempts to draw just the right creature. Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has at least four of the rooty looking fellows, which are reportedly very difficult to spot in a natural environment. “The Bowtruckle eats only insects, and is a sweet and intensely shy creature, but extremely loyal, and it can be very handy to have around when there are locks to pick.”
THUNDERBIRD
The Thunderbird’s native land is Arizona and it is precisely this destination that Scamander has in mind for one of the birds (which he named Frank) after rescuing it from traffickers in Egypt. The creature is also the symbol of one of the houses at the American wizarding school, IIvermorny.“The Thunderbird is a large, regal avian creature native to the arid climate of Arizona. Its head is similar to that of an eagle or, in the wizarding world, a Hippogriff. Its multiple powerful wings shimmer with cloud-and sun-like patterns and their flapping can create storms. Thunderbirds can also sense danger.”
SWOOPING EVIL
Looks like a cross between a reptile and an extremely large butterfly, when at rest, the Swooping Evil lives in a green spiny cocoon. But when it spreads its colorful, spiked wings, it is strangely beautiful. It can be dangerous, as it is capable of sucking out brains, but, conversely, if properly diluted, its venom can be quite useful to erase bad memories.”
DEMIGUISE
This bizarre looking fellow is: “a primate-like creature that resembles a silver-haired orangutan with large, doleful black eyes. It has the remarkable ability to become invisible at will, and has precognitive sight, so the only way to catch it is to do something completely unpredictable. The Demiguise is fundamentally a peaceful beast, but it will give a rather nasty nip when provoked or feels threatened. Unfortunately for the Demiguise, its long, silky, silvery hair can be spun into Invisibility Cloaks, making its pelt highly valuable.”
OCCAMY
“The Occamy is a plumed, two-legged, winged creature with a serpentine body, making it look like a cross between a dragon and a bird. It is hatched from eggs, the shells of which are made of the purest silver and worth a fortune. The Occamy is native to the Far East and India, and the size of its habitat matters a great deal, as the Occamy is choranaptyxic — meaning it will grow or shrink to fit available space.”
Fans can rest assured that each and every one of these magical creatures will unleash its very own special charms and consequences on the world that Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will explore. At present time, the possibilities for these creatures seem limitless. It is indeed an exciting time for Harry Potter fans, especially as J.K. Rowling’s latest creations are preparing to come to life once again – perhaps even larger and more fantastic than ever before
