Whether your particular fandom of choice is Marvel or Star Wars or Batman, there is probably something in the world of pop culture that gets you just that much more excited than anything else. For many, that thing has become J.K. Rowling and anything associated with Harry Potter. Many of the biggest Harry Potter fans were in one place last weekend, and as a special treat, they got to see a little more of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them than the rest of us have. As expected, they pretty much lost their bloody minds. Check it out.
Universal Studios in Orlando held their annual Harry Potter Celebration over the weekend, and among the festivities was a special look at the new movie that is coming in November and is set in an earlier era of the same wizarding world. While the video mostly consists of fans going gaga, what’s really fascinating are the shots of the people completely mesmerized. They’re seeing something new from the Harry Potter franchise and they just stand there looking completely at peace. It's like reality has ceased to exist for these fans and only the movie is real.
While it’s not clear exactly what the fans are watching, we have a guess that it’s probably this video that we covered a few days ago. It’s a behind the scenes look, just as what was shown at the event apparently was, and it was put out around the same time. What few shots of footage we get are some of the bits we’ve already seen in the existing trailer. The rest of us muggles will have to wait until November, or at least the next trailer, before getting to see any more of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
The rest of the Harry Potter Celebration included a comic-con like expo that featured appearances by guests like Rupert Grint and Bonnie Wright, who are also seen in the clip discussing their love for the franchise. Overall you get the distinct impression that all of the actors who spent a decade of their lives making these movies are really glad that the franchise is moving on without them. They seem really excited by the fact that they don’t know anything about the film because they didn’t have to make it, and can experience it as fans for the first time.
There were also more somber moments at the Celebration, including a fan salute to the recently departed Alan Rickman, who played Severus Snape in the films.
Often the biggest fans are the most difficult to please when it comes to new entries in their favorite franchises, so it’s probably a good sign for all of us that fans were so excited after seeing this special look at the film. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will be available for the rest of us to see November 18.
