Things You Might Have Missed In The Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald Trailer

Written by Vanessa Agius

Harry Potter fans are still buzzing from last week’s Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald trailer, and after a few days of excitement and speculation, it’s time to take a closer look. Here are some things you might have missed.

Old friends

Alongside the obvious Harry Potter series nods, such as the return to Hogwarts and the appearance of a young Dumbledore (played by Jude Law), there are some familiar images taking fans back to Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire.

We see what looks to be a Thestral-drawn flying carriage and an ice-themed ballroom. These images take us back to the Triwizard Tournament. Although the Triwizard Tournament was actually banned at this point in time, these images could allude to a visit to Beauxbaton’s Academy of Magic, located in the Pyrenees Mountains of Southern France. With that in mind, a Beauxbaton’s carriage is pulled by Abraxan horses, so it presents an intriguing idea.

Dumbledore during his teaching years

Given the chronology of the film, the infamous headmaster we all know as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was simply a staff member at Hogwarts during the time period of Fantastic Beasts. A teacher of transfiguration, Dumbledore would have been working under either headmaster Phineas Nigellus Black or Armando Dippet, depending on the exact date the film is set.

The relationship between Dumbledore and his former student, Newt Scamander, is joked about, stating, “If you’d ever had the pleasure to teach him, you’d know Newt is not a great follower of orders.” Dumbledore seems to be a mentor to Newt, as well as a comrade in the fight against Gellert Grindelwald (Johnny Depp), expressing his inability to defeat him.

Going global

In Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them, the story focused mainly on the wizarding community in America. The Crimes Of Grindelwald takes viewers back to London, as well as through Paris, with multiple shots of the city skyline and landmark rooftops in view. We also get a sneak peek into the interiors of the French Ministry of Magic. With its minimalistic design and mythology-inspired aesthetic, it will be interesting to compare the differences between the various Ministry headquarters fans have already been introduced to.

Early days of the House of Lestrange

In the trailer, very briefly, a small family tree depicting the House of Lestrange appears on a brick wall, showing the lineage of some notable characters in the film. One of these names, Leta Lestrange, is Newt Scamander’s former love – which was addressed in Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. The reasoning behind the appearance of this family tree is unknown, however, knowing the obsessive pure-blood nature of these ancient families, it could reveal that Leta is, in fact, a half-blood, with her mother being a muggle. How this information will affect her position is yet to be seen, but it is certain to play a part in her overall storyline within the series.

Return of The Deathly Hallows

There is no doubt from the trailer that the major return of The Deathly Hallows into the modern wizarding era was well underway by this point. Towards the end of the trailer, flashes of The Deathly Hallows symbol appear in the smoke, as well as the actual Hallows replacing letters in the movie title!

It is known that Grindelwald infamously stole The Elder Wand, one of the three Deathly Hallows, from wandmaker Gregorovitch back in his youth. In the final scenes of the trailer, a shot of Newt and his brother Theseus look to be defending a graveyard. Whether this is a ploy to defend the other two Hallows from Grindelwald is yet to be seen. Judging by the great focus placed on the Hallows, it seems that this story arc will be one of the main focuses of the film, possibly even continuing into the latter half of the series.

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald hits Australian cinemas on November 15.