Toronto was hit with magic on as muggles, wizards and the creatures of the city gathered at Yonge and Dundas Square for the premiere of the Fantastic Beasts exhibit, Newt’s Case.
The cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them walked the red carpet and wowed the fans, who waited all day in the rain on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The cast signed posters, took selfies and interacted with fans for the Nov. 18 movie release.
The film takes place in 1926, where Magizoologist Newt Scamander, portrayed by Eddie Redmayne,
arrives in New York City to research and rescue magical creatures. No-Maj (American word for Muggle) Jacob Kowalski, played by Dan Fogler, accidentally lets the beasts lose from the briefcase. He teams up with Newt, former Auror Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterson) and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol) in recovering the beasts. Throughout their mission, they encounter a No-Maj anti-witchcraft group lead by Ezra Miller’s character, Credence, while on the run from Percival Graves (Colin Farrell, ) a Auror from the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
Cast members Waterson, Sudol, Fogler, Miller and Oscar winner Redmayne, were joined by director David Yates and producer David Heyman for Toronto’s event..
Yates spoke to Toronto Sun about what encouraged him to return to Rowling’s wizarding world after directing four Potter films.
“I asked myself: ‘Can I go back? Is it like attending Hogwarts again?’ Then I opened the script (by Rowling herself) and it said: ‘Newt Scamander gets off a boat in New York in 1926 with a Keatonesque walk.’ And that’s what got me. That’s not Scotland. That’s not a school full of kids. There is this really interesting figure walking through this New York landscape in 1926 and I got really excited. The script was delightful, so that was the first inducement,” Yates told the Sun.
Photo Credit: Danila Neves
On Wednesday, Nov. 9, fans got the chance to step into the wizarding world of 1926 New York through the Google Virtual Reality app. The experience also offered a sneak peak at the Lego Dimensions expansion pack along with getting a chance to play the game before its release.
Photo Credit: Danila Neves
Props and four of the costumes from the film, including Scamander’s suit and v briefcase, where some of the magical creatures are kept safe , were on display.
Fans also had a chance to win prizes such as wands and advance screening tickets. Prizes were awarded to fans dressed in their best character costumes from the series.
Photo Credit: Danila Neves
Prizes quickly ran out as soon as the Newt’s Case exhibit opened its doors at 10 a.m but continued to keep a line of fans through out the day for a chance to step inside until the very end at 9 p.m.
Woodhouse’s selfie with Eddie Redmayne on the red carpet.
While waiting in line for both the red carpet event and the exhibit, fans bonded and shared their excitement for the release of the film. The exhibit reminded fans that the world they love hasn’t gone anywhere.
“I was so excited when I heard we were getting the exhibit, I didn’t know it was a thing so it was the best surprise when I read about it on the Facebook event page. It brought a bit of Harry Potter magic back into my life and made me even more excited for Fantastic Beasts,” says Courtney Woodhouse attended both the red carpet on Nov. 8 and Newt’s Case exhibit the next day.
Fantastic Beasts topped the box office on it’s opening weekend making $75 million.
