Which fantastic beasts is Newt Scamander set to meet in the new film? It’s a question we’ve all been asking.
There has been brief glimpse at some of the creatures in the trailer to the film, but we now have details on the six most important ones you’ll need to know about thanks to Entertainment Weekly.
What creatures does Newt have in his suitcase? (Warner Bros)
Let’s meet the menagerie:
Niffler
The Niffler (Warner Bros)
Nifflers are familiar to fans of the books: Ron used one to find Leprechaun gold during Hagrid’s Care Of Magical Creatures class and Lee Jordan set loose two in Dolores Umbridge’s office.
They are magpie-like in their love for anything glittery, and look like a cross between a mole and a duck-billed platypus, although the inspiration in the film is the honey badger.
“We saw some great footage of a honey badger raiding somebody’s house with a completely insatiable desire to find food and nothing would get in its way,” visual effects supervisor Christian Manz told EW.
Bowtruckle
The Bowtruckle (Warner Bros)
The fact it looks like a twig is very handy because the Bowtruckle is extremely shy, but also very loyal and great for picking locks.
Eddie Redmayne said that one called Pickett is his favourite character in the film. “Pickett has attachment issues, so Newt knows he shouldn’t have favourites, but like he loves Pickett to sit in his top pocket. I felt for him quite badly,” he said.
Thunderbird
The Thunderbird (Warner Bros)
Anyone who’s been sorted into their house at the American school Ilvermorny will know the Thunderbird is one of its sigil. It looks similar to a Hippogriff and can create storms and sense danger.
Newt saved one from traffickers in Egypt and has promised to return it to its native Arizona.
Swooping Evil
The Swooping Evil (Warner Bros)
JK Rowling really knows how to name for maximum effect and this one lives up to it as it “is capable of sucking out brains”.
“Conversely, if properly diluted, its venom can be quite useful to erase bad memories.” Which is good. And perhaps necessary in the film?
It looks like across between a large butterfly and a reptile, and it lives in a green spiny cocoon when not launching a terrifying brain-eating attack.
Demiguise
The Demiguise (Warner Bros)
The Demiguise is “a primate-like creature that resembles a silver-haired orang-utan with large, doleful black eyes.”
Those eyes give it precognitive sight, meaning to catch it requires doing something completely unpredictable, while that silvery hair gives it the ability to become invisible at will. Sadly, that also means its pelt is very valuable for spinning into invisibility cloaks.
It’s “fundamentally a peaceful beast, but it will give a rather nasty nip when provoked or feels threatened”.
Occamy
The Occamy (Warner Bros)
Last but not least, the Occamy is “a plumed, two-legged, winged creature with a serpentine body, making it look like a cross between a dragon and a bird.”
As well as a highly prized silver egg shell, the Occamy has another interesting characteristic. It’s a choranaptyxic, which means it grows or shrinks to fit the available space.
Fantastic Beasts is in UK cinemas on November 18.
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