'Fantastic Beasts' trailer captures that old 'Harry Potter' magic

Posted Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 11:14 AM Central
Last updated Tuesday, April 12, 2016 at 11:14 AM Central

by John Couture

Officially, the Harry Potter story is confined to seven books and eight movies, but Warner Bros. is hoping that with a little sleight of hand, they can extend that universe a bit. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first spin-off from the successful franchise and follows legendary Magizoologist Newt Scamander as his travels take him to America shortly after the turn of the last century.

So, the once very British story is getting an Amerian makeover and, predictably, everything will be bigger. The question is will it be better, or even maintain the high quality of the original franchise? Obviously, Warner Bros. has a lot riding on the success of Fantastic Beasts as it is positioned as the opening tome of a brand new Harry Potter trilogy, but did they capture the magic of the original?

From the first few glimpses, it would appear that they did. This weekend saw the debut of the first real trailer for the film and there are more than a few passing connections to the original franchise. More than that, though, the look and feel of the film (at least from the trailer) seem to be that of a Harry Potter film.

The question remains as to whether the actual film will deliver on this promise, but I'm pretty sure they hit a homerun with Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will hit theaters on November 18.