If you’ve been online lately, you’ll have heard about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; on November 18th, the wizarding world is finally returning with J.K. Rowling’s first foray into screenwriting, and if you know me, you know I’ll be the person dressed up in full costume, crying throughout. Just watching the trailer and hearing that familiar old theme song made me tear up, and there are so many reasons to be excited. These are just a few.
Eddie Redmayne
I love Eddie Redmayne. He’s absolutely adorable, a dork in the best way, and it’s obvious he has a love for the Harry Potter series. Not to mention, he’s a super-talented Oscar-winning actor and has made me cry on multiple occasions. I have no doubts that he’ll be the perfect actor to lead this series of movies.
Boss Ass Witches
Now, we haven’t seen much from the trailers, but we know that the Magical Congress of the United States of America is lead by a woman (in 1926, no less), and we see two witches, Tina and Queenie, as main characters too. Tina is an ex-auror so we know she’ll have serious skills, and I can’t wait to see these women kick ass throughout the movie.
Hufflepuff Representation!!!
If you’ve taken the sorting quiz, or just feel that you’re a Hufflepuff, you’ll understand how important it is that Newt Scamander (the main character) is a Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff has been seen as the house for the dumb kids, the mediocre kids, or the ones who just really like food, and it’s incredibly hard to find Hufflepuff merchandise. Everyone wants the Gryffindor or Slytherin merch, so you’ll always see ties and scarves for them, and even a few Ravenclaw items for the people who like to show off how smart the are, but let me tell you, finding a Hufflepuff scarf or tie anywhere other than the Wizarding World theme parks is next to impossible. I’m ready for people to realize how great a house Hufflepuff really is.
It’s 1926
The movie is set in New York in 1926: the roaring 20s, the time of the Great Gatsby. The parties were amazing, the fashion was stunning, the music was swinging; it was a time of prosperity, when people became more tolerant and the arts boomed. I’m especially excited to see how the ‘20s were in the Wizarding world, and how being set in ‘20s New York shapes the story.
The Fantastic Beasts
I know some of them will be terrifying, some of them will be adorable, and all of them will be fantastic. Just look at this cute little guy!
The Fandom
The Harry Potter fandom is a great community. So many of us grew up with Harry Potter as a big part of our childhoods and young adult life; it has affected so many people in so many ways and changed innumerable lives. Not only is this a chance for the current fandom to rejoice over something new, but it’s also a chance to welcome a new generation of kids growing up with these new stories as well as the original books into the Potterhead family. Every time I see a kid dressed in a Harry Potter costume I can’t help but smile; I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more little wizards soon!
And last but not least…
DUMBLEDORE!!!
Now, Dumbledore is a bit of a controversial character, but I think in the end we all love him. He was such a great character, and provided serious, funny and heartbreaking moments throughout the series. We’ll be seeing everyone’s favorite wise old man (though he’ll be much younger) in the movies soon!
There are so many more reasons to be excited, but these are my top reasons so far. All the new characters, creatures and stories are so exciting! I was so happy to have Harry Potter in my childhood, and now, as I get closer to adulthood (only a little bit in denial), I’ve got the Wizarding World there with me again. Especially now, when many of us have been feeling less excited and optimistic about the world, we need something to lift our spirits, bring us together and make us believe in the power of love and hope. I’m so ready to get magical again.