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11 Fun Facts About 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
By InCinemas / 14 Apr 2022 (Thursday)
It is time to return to the magic – Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is finally released in cinemas!
Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?
In honour of the Wizarding World's return to the big screen (and the film being the 11th of the Wizarding World franchise!) here are 11 fun facts you can learn about the third installment of the Fantastic Beasts franchise:
1. The Room of Requirement at Hogwarts was a proxy set almost entirely realised via VFX during post-production. The only physical elements in the scene were the floor on which the actors were standing and the Bhutanese prayer wheel centrally placed.
2. The German Ministry of Magic is the second ministry in the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” film series to be built above ground, following MACUSA in New York. The British and French Ministries are both located underground.
3. The set for Otto’s Leather Shop in Berlin was a favourite of the Art Department. Set Decorator Anna Pinnock found a luggage manufacturer still working in a very similar way to the way they worked at the turn of the century, who agreed to provide the production with the traditional tools and luggage making equipment. It gave the set great authenticity.
4. The original props of the Quidditch Bludgers and Snitches from the “Harry Potter” films were brought out of the archives and scanned so they could fly out of a case in Bhutan.
5. All of the signage in Berlin was conceived by the Graphics department, led by Eduardo Lima and Miraphora Mina—known as MinaLima—who gave a subtle nod to some of their colleagues in the signs, with Germanized version of their names to fit the setting. They included Neilfreid Lamont (for Production Designer Neil Lamont), Alstein Bullock (for Supervising Art Director Al Bullock), S Neumann Graysmark (for Assistant Set Decorators Sophie Newman and Jo & Julie Graysmark), among others.
6. 2188 bags totaling 22,000 kgs of snow base were used to dress Berlin Streets.
7. For the wizarding world election, the three groups of supporters for Grindelwald, Santos and Tao all had a different colour element to the costumes to distinguish them from one another, and the colour scheme was also reflected in the wonderful election banners made by MinaLima.
8. The reclusive Qilin is perhaps the wizarding world’s most revered magical beast—prized for its innate ability to see into a person’s very soul and tell if they are pure of heart. The adult Qilin has the appearance of an equine dragon, with its elk-like body and long neck covered in primarily golden-hued scales and its body emitting an iridescent glow. Its distinctive head has two pronounced scaly ridges and a pointed snout with two long tendrils, one extending from each side of its face. A tousled mane of fur runs from the top of the Qilin’s head down the length of its back and there are also tufts of fur on the tip of its long tail and behind each of its hooves. Up close, the Qilin’s most distinctive feature is its expressive brown eyes.
Baby Qilins are born with the inherent ability to perceive a person’s true character and are known to bow to someone who is pure of heart. Their walk is reminiscent of a fawn, with its thin, gangly legs trying to find their footing.
9. Baby Manticores are menacing in sheer numbers if not in size. Their spiny heads and curled tails make them look more like prawns or scorpions than lobsters, and they have a sideways gait—on six multiply-jointed legs—that is more crab-like. However, like their parent, the baby Manticores have five beady eyes that immediately set them apart from any non-magical crustacean.
10. All of the ties Newt wears were either hand-printed or knitted using machinery from the 1930s.
11. Jessica Williams (who plays Professor Hicks) shares her birthday with J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter: July 31st.
Experience Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore in cinemas now!
(Photo Credits: WarnerMedia)