Fantastic Beasts

The Fantastic Beasts series is a spin-off prequel to the Harry Potter films, set decades before the boy wizard's story. Directed by David Yates across all three installments, the franchise expands the wizarding world beyond Britain, introducing magical communities in 1920s New York, Paris, and Bhutan. J.K. Rowling wrote the screenplays, with Steve Kloves co-writing the third film. The series follows magizoologist Newt Scamander, played by Eddie Redmayne, as he documents magical creatures and becomes entangled in the rising conflict between Albus Dumbledore and the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.

Three films have been released: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018), and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). The cast includes Jude Law as a younger Dumbledore, with Colin Farrell, Johnny Depp, and Mads Mikkelsen each portraying Grindelwald at different points. Ezra Miller, Katherine Waterston, Alison Sudol, and Dan Fogler round out the principal ensemble. The series was originally planned as five films, but production has paused after mixed critical reception and declining box office returns.

Collectively, the three films have grossed over $1.8 billion worldwide against a combined production budget of approximately $580 million. The first film earned strong reviews, while the sequels received more divided responses. The series has been praised for its visual effects, production design, and Redmayne's performance, but criticized for convoluted plotting and tonal inconsistency. Despite this, the franchise introduced enduringly popular creatures like the Niffler and expanded the lore of the wizarding world.[edit]

Newt Scamander arrives in 1926 New York carrying a battered suitcase filled with magical creatures. A shy, awkward British magizoologist who was once expelled from Hogwarts, Newt is on a mission to document and protect endangered beasts. His careful routine unravels when he accidentally swaps suitcases with No-Maj baker Jacob Kowalski, allowing several creatures to escape into the city. This draws the attention of the Magical Congress of the United States of America, particularly the earnest Auror Porpentina Goldstein and her telepathic sister Queenie.

The chaos of the escaped creatures intersects with a darker threat: a mysterious force is destroying the city, and the wizarding community fears exposure. The dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, disguised as MACUSA official Percival Graves, manipulates events to incite conflict between wizards and No-Majs. He seeks Credence Barebone, a troubled young man harboring a powerful Obscurus, a parasitic magical force born from suppressed abilities. Newt, Tina, Jacob, and Queenie must recapture the creatures while uncovering Grindelwald's plot.

In The Crimes of Grindelwald, the action moves to Paris and London. Grindelwald escapes custody and establishes a following, preaching wizarding supremacy. Newt is recruited by a young Albus Dumbledore, who cannot act against Grindelwald due to a blood pact made in their youth. Dumbledore tasks Newt with finding Credence, whose true parentage becomes the central mystery. Newt is joined by his Auror brother Theseus, the French wizard Yusuf Kama, and Leta Lestrange, whose family secrets hold clues. The film reveals Credence's identity as Aurelius Dumbledore, Albus's long-lost brother, a revelation that reshapes the wizarding world's understanding of Dumbledore's history.

The Secrets of Dumbledore follows Newt and an assembled team, including Professor Eulalie Hicks and the now-heartbroken Jacob, as they attempt to thwart Grindelwald's plan to become Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards. Grindelwald uses a magical creature called a Qilin, which can see into souls, to fake a sign of purity. Dumbledore orchestrates a complex counter-plan from the shadows, sending Newt's group on separate missions across Europe and Bhutan. The team races to protect a newborn Qilin and expose Grindelwald's deception before the election, while Jacob and Queenie's fractured relationship hangs in the balance.[edit]