{"id":14848,"date":"2022-04-12T16:39:03","date_gmt":"2022-04-12T14:39:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=14848"},"modified":"2022-04-12T17:18:05","modified_gmt":"2022-04-12T15:18:05","slug":"the-beasts-and-characters-of-fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2022\/04\/12\/the-beasts-and-characters-of-fantastic-beasts-the-secrets-of-dumbledore\/","title":{"rendered":"The Beasts And Characters Of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The Beasts Of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

THE BOWTRUCKLE (PICKETT)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bowtruckle could easily be mistaken for a twig or a small sprig of a plant, with its tiny leafy appendages and spindly legs that resemble tree roots.\u00a0 However, it is a decidedly sentient creature, by nature extremely shy, yet capable of great intelligence, courage and loyalty.\u00a0 The Bowtruckle called Pickett is extremely attached to Magizoologist Newt Scamander, who has long since given up any attempt to return him to his tree home in Newt\u2019s beast sanctuary.\u00a0 Rather, Pickett has become his constant companion and an often-invaluable ally.\u00a0 His skill at picking locks\u2014a talent that makes Bowtruckles valuable on the black market\u2014has helped get Newt and his friends out of more than one unfortunate situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Bowtruckle (Pickett)
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Copyright: \u00a9 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THE NIFFLER (TEDDY)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Niffler is an adorable rodent-like beast with a long, rounded snout, resembling a cross between a duck-billed platypus and a mole.\u00a0 Newt Scamander has a particular fondness for a mischievous Niffler named Teddy, whose incorrigible affinity for shiny objects has created a few predicaments for the Magizoologist over the years.\u00a0 Yet, Teddy\u2019s obsession was also the catalyst for Newt\u2019s first encounter with Jacob Kowalski and the Goldstein sisters, setting his adventures in motion.\u00a0 And Teddy\u2019s predilection for purloining anything that glitters has also, at times, had unexpectedly beneficial results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Niffler (Teddy)
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Copyright: \u00a9 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

ADOLESCENT NIFFLERS (ALFIE & TIMOTHY)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

No longer babies, the younger Nifflers, named Alfie and Timothy, have entered adolescence and while they might seem cuddly and adorable, they are even more irrepressibly mischievous, if that\u2019s possible.  Their favorite pastime seems to be confounding Newt Scamander\u2019s loyal assistant, Bunty, who has a difficult time keeping the playful little beasts in sight, let alone in check.  Like Teddy, the adolescent Nifflers have an instinctive fascination with sparkly items, so any missing coins, jewelry or other trinkets are likely to be found in their deceptively expandable pouch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ADULT QILIN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reclusive Qilin is perhaps the wizarding world\u2019s most revered magical beast\u2014prized for its innate ability to see into a person\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s most distinctive feature is its expressive brown eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BABY QILIN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Baby Qilin is born with the inherent ability to perceive a person\u2019s true character and is known to bow to someone who is pure of heart.  Like its parent, the baby Qilin has a pointed snout and a ridged head, with two tendrils that will lengthen as it ages.  There are scales covering its small body, which. at certain times, glows with a warm iridescent light.  The baby also has the beginnings of a mane of fur extending from the top of its head down its back, with smaller tufts on the end of its tail and hooves.  The baby Qilin\u2019s walk is reminiscent of a fawn, with its thin, gangly legs trying to find their footing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WYVERN<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Wyvern is a two-legged beast, which can assume different shapes depending on function.  It is akin to a dragon but with smooth skin rather than scales.  At first glance, it looks something like a Dodo, but with a long, feathered tail and short, stubby wings that seem incapable of flight.  However, defying expectations\u2014and gravity\u2014the Wyvern can fly, initiating its takeoff by inflating like a blowfish and then floating up like a hot air balloon, with its small wings beating similar to a hummingbird\u2019s.  Its tail lengthens exponentially and possesses the tensile strength to carry objects many times the Wyvern\u2019s weight, including a person.  Once airborne, the Wyvern transforms again: deflating its body as its wingspan grows to resemble those of a pterodactyl\u2026and off it flies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MANTICORE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The terrifying Manticore is an enormous crustacean-like beast that resembles a cross between a giant lobster and a crab, with a hard, fuzzy shell and five eyes.  It has multiple appendages: two with claws, others topped with hooks, and several more that act as its legs.  But the claws on this humongous carnivorous creature can crush a man, while its powerful jaws, which look like a third claw, can strip the flesh from his bones and devour it in mere seconds.  The Manticore feeds the remains to its hundreds of hungry offspring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BABY MANTICORES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While tiny in comparison to the full-grown Manticore, the baby Manticores are menacing in sheer numbers if not in size.\u00a0 Their spiny heads and curled tails make them look more like prawns or scorpions than lobsters, and they have a sideways gait\u2014on six multiply-jointed legs\u2014that is more crab-like.\u00a0 However, like their parent, the baby Manticores have five beady eyes that immediately set them apart from any non-magical crustacean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Baby Manticores
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Copyright: \u00a9 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Characters Of “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

NEWT SCAMANDER (Eddie Redmayne)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Newt Scamander is known throughout the wizarding world as its first, and still only, Magizoologist and author of the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them<\/em>. Previously content to keep largely to himself, care for his beasts and not take sides, he has seen firsthand the consequences of Gellert Grindelwald\u2019s rise to power and knows he can no longer be a passive bystander. Entrusted by Albus Dumbledore to lead a small but brave band of wizards and his Muggle friend, Jacob, Newt demonstrates great courage and ingenuity as he puts Dumbledore\u2019s plan to stop Grindelwald into motion. But even Newt cannot know everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(L-R) EDDIE REDMAYNE as Newt Scamander with a baby Niffler and VICTORIA YEATES as Bunty in a scene from Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE,\u201d a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Copyright: \u00a9 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/a> ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Jude Law)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hogwarts Professor Albus Dumbledore was once close with Gellert Grindelwald and knows better than anyone the Dark wizard\u2019s plot to plunge the wizarding world into war against the non-magical world. Despite his own formidable powers, Dumbledore is unable to strike at Grindelwald himself because of the blood oath sworn between them. So, while he has devised the moves, he must leave it to Newt Scamander and his team to engage in this magical match of wills where the stakes could not be higher. To lose could mean the destruction of both the wizarding and non-magical worlds, so the question remains: how long will it be possible for Dumbledore to stay out of the fray?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GELLERT GRINDELWALD (Mads Mikkelsen)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gellert Grindelwald, no longer a fugitive operating in the shadows, is systematically destroying all obstacles standing in his way to seize total control of the wizarding world. Ruthless but charismatic, Grindelwald has raised a growing legion of loyal followers who believe in his message: that wizards have natural superiority to Muggles. He thinks no one is powerful enough to stop him\u2014not even Albus Dumbledore, who cannot move against him for reasons they alone share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

QUEENIE GOLDSTEIN (Alison Sudol)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a> Queenie Goldstein was a free-spirited witch who fell in love with an American Muggle baker, Jacob Kowalski, in spite of the American wizarding world rules against their romance. Driven by desperation not to lose the man she loves, she chose to follow Grindelwald, misunderstanding his promise of a different and better world for all wizards and witches. Grindelwald now exploits her power as a Legilimens with the ability to read minds. But the more Queenie sees, is she really telling Grindelwald everything she knows?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JACOB KOWALSKI (Dan Fogler)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacob Kowalski is an American Muggle who is madly in love with Queenie Goldstein. When she broke his heart by choosing to follow Grindelwald, his whole world fell apart; he no longer takes joy even in his beloved bakery in New York City. When he is first approached about venturing back into the wizarding world, his immediate reaction is to want no part of it. But despite his objections, Jacob can\u2019t turn down any chance to find and be reunited with Queenie. Teaming up again with his best friend, Newt Scamander, this Muggle\u2014who always wanted to be a wizard\u2014is presented with a special gift from Dumbledore that makes him feel truly a part of the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

AURELIUS DUMBLEDORE aka CREDENCE (Ezra Miller)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The young man, once called Credence, is now an acolyte of Gellert Grindelwald, who gave him back his true name\u2014Aurelius Dumbledore\u2014and a wand to direct his powers as a wizard. Grindelwald has kept Credence close, grooming him for a special mission, but the magical force known as an Obscurus still churns within Credence, threatening not only his life but the lives of those around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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EZRA MILLER as Credence in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE,\u201d a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Copyright: \u00a9 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

EULALIE \u201cLALLY\u201d HICKS (Jessica Williams)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eulalie Hicks, known as Lally, is the Charms professor at Ilvermorny, the North American School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and a friend of Albus Dumbledore. A brilliant witch, Lally is also brave, resourceful and has no trouble speaking her mind. She is a great admirer of Newt Scamander\u2019s work and has corresponded with him since the publication of his book, though this is the first time they\u2019ve met. She also finds Jacob delightful and enjoys their alliance as they team with Newt, Theseus and the others on their mission from Dumbledore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(L-R) JESSICA WILLIAMS as Eulalie \u201cLally\u201d Hicks, CALLUM TURNER as Theseus Scamander, JUDE LAW as Albus Dumbledore, FIONNA GLASCOTT as Minerva McGonagall, DAN FOGLER as Jacob Kowalski and EDDIE REDMAYNE as Newt Scamander in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE,\u201d a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Photo Credit: Jaap Buitendijk
Copyright: \u00a9 2021 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

THESEUS SCAMANDER (Callum Turner)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theseus Scamander, the older brother of Newt Scamander, is the Head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic. Renowned as a war hero, Theseus had always worried about his younger sibling, who was often getting in trouble with the Ministry, putting Theseus in an awkward position. But now he sees that the tables have turned and Newt has become a leader, fighting for more than just his beasts, and Theseus could not be prouder to follow him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUNTY BROADACRE (Victoria Yeates)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bunty Broadacre is Newt Scamander\u2019s loyal assistant, who typically spends most of her day tending to the needs of Newt\u2019s large menagerie, including trying to wrangle mischievous young Nifflers. Bunty has long carried a torch for her boss, who is oblivious, but who values her greatly. Stepping out of her assistant role, Bunty is given an important part to play in Dumbledore\u2019s scheme\u2014one that even Newt isn\u2019t privy to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ABERFORTH DUMBLEDORE (Richard Coyle)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aberforth is the rather surly younger brother of Albus Dumbledore, for whom he clearly harbors some resentment, largely connected to the fate of their beloved sister, Arianna. Aberforth is the owner of the Hog\u2019s Head in Hogsmeade, and, despite his strained relationship with Albus, he allows it to serve as a clandestine meeting spot for his brother\u2019s compatriots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

YUSUF KAMA (William Nadylam)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yusuf Kama is an elegant French-African wizard, who first met Newt Scamander in Paris, when Kama was searching for Credence. The half-brother of Leta Lestrange, Kama blames Grindelwald for her fiery death, so he has personal reasons for wanting to take him down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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