Tag Archives: Harry Potter

John Ball Zoo transforms for Wizarding Weekends

Entertainment, Local Entertainment, , ,

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Wizards and wizards-in-training can visit the magical world of John Ball Zoo. (Supplied)

As the season turns to fall and school begins, a magical change begins to occur at John Ball Zoo. It’s a time when the distinguished magical Zoo staff give lessons in caring for fantastical beasts. It’s time for magic.

John Ball Zoo is officially inviting all wizards, witches, and muggles alike to Wizarding Weekends. For two enchanting weekends, the Zoo will magically transform for this family- friendly event. From entering Nocturnal Alley, to exploring the Forbidden Forest, there is much for every wizarding fan to enjoy.

Visit the realms, hollows, and platforms throughout the magical grounds. Time to renew your imagination and brush up on your spells. Costumes are highly encouraged so put on your robes and grab your wand, and visit the fantastic beasts of the muggle world.

Wizarding Weekends at John Ball Zoo happens for two weekends starting Sept. 11 – 12 and again Sept, 18 – 19, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. each day.

It is recommend purchasing your tickets online prior to arrival. This will make your entry quicker and easier by not having to visit the ticket window first to purchase a ticket before entering the Zoo.



For daily admission tickets and more information about the event, visit jbzoo.org/wizardingweekends. John Ball Zoo is located on Fulton Avenue, one mile west of downtown Grand Rapids. For questions or for more information, call 616-336-4301 or email info@jbzoo.org.

Harry Potter returns to DeVos with ‘Half-Blood Prince’ and live music, Feb. 21 – 22

Entertainment, ,
The Grand Rapids Symphony performs the music of “Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince” Feb. 21 and 22 as the film plays on a giant screen. (Supplied)

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk
Grand Rapids Symphony

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to DeVos Performance Hall with “Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince” in Concert, the sixth film in the Harry Potter series. On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22, Associate Conductor John Varineau conducts the Grand Rapids Symphony in performing Nicholas Hooper’s incredible score live from “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”™ while the entire film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen.

In 2016, CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, a global concert tour celebrating the Harry Potter films. Since the world premiere of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” in Concert in June 2016, more than 2.5 million fans have enjoyed this magical experience from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, which is scheduled to include over 1,500 performances across more than 48 countries worldwide through 2020.

“When the Grand Rapids Symphony brought the Harry Potter Film Concert Series to town four years ago, we sold out three performances of ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ in Concert,” said Mary Tuuk, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony. “Afterwards, the Symphony’s Facebook page lit up with comments from fans who said it was ‘absolutely phenomenal.’ We’re thrilled to be able to bring the Harry Potter Film Concert Series back to DeVos Performance Hall for the sixth time along with our fabulous Grand Rapids Symphony.”

As Lord Voldemort tightens his grip on both the Muggle and Wizarding Worldsä, Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing Harry for the battle fast approaching. Even as the showdown looms, romance blossoms for Harry, Ron, Hermione and their classmates. Love is in the air, but danger lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Any for a game of quidditch? “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” performed by the Grand Rapids Symphony Feb. 21 and 22. (Supplied)

Nominated for the 2010 Grammy Award, Nicholas Hooper returns to the Harry Potter series with this magical score that debuted at number twenty-nine on the Billboard 200 chart, thus making it the highest-charting soundtrack among all the six movie soundtracks released. Considered “emotionally churning” by Variety, Hooper’s score features soaring and unique motifs that could only represent the grandeur and scope of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.

Justin Freer, President of CineConcerts and Producer of The Harry Potter Film Concert Series explains, “The Harry Potter film series is a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon that continues to delight millions of fans around the world. It is with great pleasure that we bring fans for the first time ever an opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved film is simultaneously projected onto the big screen. This is truly an unforgettable event.”

Brady Beaubien of CineConcerts and Concert Producer for The Harry Potter Film Concert Series added, “Harry Potter is synonymous with excitement around the world and we hope that by performing this incredible music with the full movie, audiences will enjoy returning to the Wizarding World.”

Tickets are now on sale via GRSymphony.org and 616-454-9451 ext. 4 for “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” in Concert with performances at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 and at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22.

For more information on the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, please visit www.harrypotterinconcert.com.

Grand Rapids Symphony goes where no man has gone before with music from several Sci-Fi classics

Entertainment, , ,
Members of the ’empire’ from “star Wars” visit with Grand Rapids Symphony’s Pops Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt. (Grand Rapids Symphony/Terry Johnston)

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk
Grand Rapids Symphony

It began with a brilliant fanfare that jolted you out of your seat, followed by an epic trumpet solo backed by a full symphony orchestra. Before either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader spoke a line or appeared on screen, John Williams’ Grammy Award-winning score set the stage for the 1977 film Star Wars.

It was the birth of the blockbuster film and the return of soaring symphonic scores to accompany epic space adventures, heroic journeys across middle earth, and forays into the world of magic on the silver screen.

Grand Rapids Pops concludes its 2018-19 Fox Motors Pops series with Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth, and More!a musical salute to the symphonic soundtracks of some of the greatest films from such franchise as Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

The Grand Rapids Symphony goes where no orchestra has gone before with highlights from such favorites as the 1978 film Superman starring Christopher Reeve, and the main themes from the Star Trek franchise including TV shows as well as movies.

Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt leads performances at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, May 10-11, and at 3 p.m. Sunday May 12, in DeVos Performance Hall. Guest Artist sponsor is Pinnacle Construction.

Special guest vocalist Mela Sarajane Dailey joins the Grand Rapids Symphony to sing Can You Read My Mind? from Superman. The Grammy Award-winning singer, who first appeared with the Grand Rapids Symphony for its Holiday Pops in 2015, also sings two show-stopping operatic arias, the “Mad Scene” from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Vissi d’arte from Verdi’s Tosca.

“Live long and prosper” by attending the last Grand Rapids Symphony Pops concert which will feature music from “Star Trek. (Grand Rapids Symphony/Terry Johnston)

Bernhardt, who became Grand Rapids Symphony’s Principal Pops Conductor in 2015, is a personal friend of John Williams. When Williams served as conductor of the Boston Pops from 1980 to 1993, he hired Bernhardt in 1992 for the first time as a guest conductor to lead the Boston Pops. Last summer, Bernhardt marked his 25th anniversary with the Boston Pops.

Today, John Williams, a five-time Academy Award winner and a 51-time nominee for the Oscar for film composition, is famous for such films as the Indiana Jones series, the first two Jurassic Park films. In the mid-1970s, Williams was a rising star who won the Oscar for the 1974 film Jaws.

To compose music for the first Star Wars film and another eight films in the franchise that would follow, Williams revived the practice of composing leitmotifs or “leading motifs” to represent each character. Star Wars fans are familiar with The Imperial March and know that it’s Darth Vader’s theme. The main theme for Star Wars actually is Luke Skywalker’s theme, and the theme is heard in the score when Skywalker first appears on screen.

Williams used the same technique, which dates back to the 19th century operas of Richard Wagner, in such franchises as Harry Potter, in which key themes appear over and over across all eight films.

Grand Rapids Pops’ Star Wars, Star Trek, Middle Earth and More! includes music from the latest Star Warsinstallments including the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, the  2016 film, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the 2017 film Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

The concert also includes music from the 2013 film Star Trek Into Darkenss and a medley of music spanning the entire Star Trek franchise.

Bernhardt will lead the Grand Rapids Pops in a suite of melodies from The Lord of the Rings films, all composed by Howard Shore, who won Oscars for the first film in the series, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, and for the third film, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Tickets

Single tickets for the Fox Motors Pops series start at $18 and are available at the Grand Rapids Symphony box office, weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum).

Tickets are available at the DeVos Place box office, weekdays 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.

Harry Potter returns to Grand Rapids with ‘The Prisoner of Azkaban’

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The Grand Rapids Symphony performs the music of “The Prisoner of Azkaban.”

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series returns to DeVos Performance Hall with Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert, the third film in the Harry Potter series. On Friday and Saturday, Feb. 9-10, 2018, the Grand Rapids Symphony will perform the magical score live from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while the entire film plays in high-definition on a 40-foot screen. The Harry Potter Film Concert Series, which is another magical experience from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, kicked off in June 2016 with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and is scheduled to include hundreds of performances across more than 35 countries around the world through 2018.

 

“When the Grand Rapids Symphony brought the Harry Potter Film Concert Series to town last year, we sold out three performances of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert,” said Peter Perez, President and CEO of the Grand Rapids Symphony. “Afterwards, the Symphony’s Facebook page lit up with comments from fans who said it was ‘absolutely phenomenal.’ We’re thrilled to be able to bring the Harry Potter Film Concert Series back to DeVos Performance Hall along with our fabulous Grand Rapids Symphony.”

 

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron and Hermione, now teenagers, return for their third year at Hogwarts, where they are forced to face escaped prisoner, Sirius Black, who seems to pose a great threat to Harry. Harry and his friends spend their third year learning how to handle a half-horse, half-eagle creature known as a Hippogriff, repel shape-shifting Boggarts and master the art of Divination. They also visit the wizarding village of Hogsmeade and the Shrieking Shack, which is considered the most haunted dwelling in Britain. In addition to these new experiences, Harry faces a werewolf and must overcome the threats of the soul-sucking Dementors. With his best friends, Harry tackles advanced magic, crosses the barriers of time and impacts the course of life-changing events for those around him.

 

Earning an Oscar-nomination for the score, the spellbinding and incredible music composed by John Williams became an instant classic, conjuring beautiful, soaring motifs that continue the adventures of Harry Potter on his magical journey.

 

This film concert series has been created by CineConcerts, in partnership with Warner Bros. Consumer Products, and will be conducted by its creator and Producer, Justin Freer. He explains, “The Harry Potter film series continues to be a once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomenon that delights millions of fans around the world. It is with great pleasure that we introduced for the first time ever an opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved film is simultaneously projected onto the big screen. This will be another unforgettable event.”

 

Brady Beaubien of CineConcerts and Concert Producer for the Harry Potter Film Concert Series added, “Harry Potter is synonymous with excitement around the world, and we hope that by performing this incredible music with the full movie, audiences will enjoy returning to this world, and to the many wonderful magical characters that inhabit it.”

 

Tickets, starting at $18, are now on sale for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Concert. Call the Grand Rapids Symphony at (616) 454-9451 ext. 4 or go online to GRSymphony.org for tickets for performances at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 9, and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, 2018.

 

For more information on the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, please visit www.harrypotterinconcert.com.

Eclectic season planned for GR Symphony in 2017-18

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , , , ,

 

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

 

The Grand Rapids Symphony has unveiled its 2017-18 season with classical blockbusters, classic rock, Broadway’s biggest hits, family friendly entertainment and cinematic special events including second and third films in the Harry Potter Film Concert Series with live music.

 

In 2017-18 the symphony will perform all-time classical favorites including Ravel’s Bolero, Holst’sThe Planets, Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony No. 41, and an all-Tchaikovsky program on the Richard and Helen DeVos Classical series.

 

In addition to pianist extraordinaire, Nelson Freire, world-famous soloists including violinist Sarah Chang and pianist Gabriela Montego — all three personal friends and colleagues of the Grand Rapids Symphony’s new Music Director Marcelo Lehninger — will perform on the stage.

 

The 2017-18 season*

Grand Rapids Symphony’s 88th season includes such monumental works as Richard Strauss’ epic tone poem, Ein Heldenleben or A Hero’s Life in DeVos Hall.

 

The Brazilian-born Lehninger will lead the orchestra in several pieces by Brazil’s best-known composer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, including Momoprecóce featuring Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire. Several years ago, Lehninger led a performance of it with the Freire and the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood.

 

Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus will join the orchestra for Verdi’s Requiem in the fall and for Beethoven’s “Choral” Symphony No. 9 to end the 2017-18 season.

 

“It’s one of the pieces I enjoy conducting the most,” Lehninger said about the Verdi Requiem.

 

*Click here for a pdf of the lineup.

 

St. Cecilia Music Center

At St. Cecilia Music Center, the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Crowe Horwath Great Eras and Porter Hills Coffee Classics series will expand from three concerts to four.

 

Sarah Chang, who was in Grand Rapids as St. Cecilia Music Center’s 2011 Great Artist, will open the Grand Rapids Symphony’s 2017-18 season with West Side Story Suite for Violin and Orchestra, arranged for her by David Newman from Leonard Bernstein’s musical score. The performance coincides with the 100th anniversary of Bernstein’s birth in 1917.

 

“Sarah’s a wonderful violinist, a wonderful artist, and a personal friend of mine,” Lehninger said. “She’s the only one who plays the piece, so it was a perfect fit.”

 

Venezuelan pianist Gabriella Montero will be soloist in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1, part of the all-Tchaikovsky program Lehninger will lead.

 

“Gabriella has a sound, a big, round sound that’ll be perfect for it,” Lehninger said. “She’s a great, great pianist with a great personality, a wonderful heart, and a fabulous musician.”

 

The Grand Rapids Pops

Join the Grand Rapids Pops at the movies for a full-length screening of An American in Paris starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, the 1951 film powered by live musical accompaniment. Back by popular demand, the Fox Motors Pops Series celebrates the music of one of the greatest film composers in history with ‘Star Wars’ and More: The Music of John Williams.

 

The six-concert season, which opens with a salute to the music of Fleetwood Mac by the rock group Landslide, includes an evening of Broadway blockbusters with songs from Broadway’s biggest shows of all time including Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, The Sound Of Music, Chicago, A Chorus Line, and Cats.

 

Principal Pops Conductor Bob Bernhardt will be on the podium for the Wolverine Worldwide Holiday Pops, one of three shows he’ll lead on the series. Associate Conductor John Varineau will conduct the other three concerts including The Second City Guide to the Symphony, an evening of sketch comedy and beautiful music featuring The Second City comedy troupe.

 

A highlight of the 2017-18 season will be special-event screenings of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the second and third films in the Harry Potter franchise of eight movies, based on the books by J.K. Rowling.

 

Meanwhile, the Grand Rapids Symphony will unveil its 2017 D&W Fresh Market Picnic Pops series in mid-March. Plenty of great music is coming this summer to Cannonsburg Ski Area.

 

Back to Carnegie Hall in 2018

Nearly 12 years ago, the Grand Rapids Symphony capped off its 75th anniversary season with a trip to the Big Apple and a concert in New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

 

New York Times critic Bernard Holland, noting the enthusiastic reception for the orchestra in the 2,800-seat hall, began his review with, “The Grand Rapids Symphony came to Carnegie Hall on Saturday night and brought a good part of the city with it.”

 

The Grand Rapids Symphony, under Lehninger, will return to Carnegie Hall near the end of its 88th season in April 2018. The Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, for the first time, will travel along with the orchestra for the performance in the world-famous concert hall.

 

The Brazilian-born conductor will be joined by the eminent Brazilian pianist Nelson Freire for a performance on April 20, one week after appearing in DeVos Performance Hall with a concert featuring Freire as soloist in Manuel de Falla’s Nights in the Gardens of Spain and Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Momoprecóce.

 

Tickets

Season tickets are on sale now with select concerts also on sale to subscribers. Subscriptions are available at a discount of up to 50 percent off select series and seats for new package orders. Single tickets will be available beginning July 31.

 

Tickets are available at the GRS ticket office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm, at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)

Grand Rapids Pops performs ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ in concert Jan. 27-28

Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, , ,

 

By Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk

 

The Grand Rapids Pops will perform Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in Concert with three performances Jan. 27-28 in DeVos Performance Hall as part of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series. The concert will feature the Grand Rapids Symphony performing, to picture, every note from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Audiences will be able to relive the magic of the film in high-definition on a 40-foot screen while hearing the orchestra perform John Williams’s unforgettable score.

 

CineConcerts and Warner Bros. Consumer Products announced the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, a new global concert tour celebrating the Harry Potter films, in April 2016. The Harry Potter Film Concert that kicked off in June 2016 is another magical experience from J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.

 

Justin Freer, President of CineConcerts and Producer/Conductor of the Harry Potter Film Concert Series explains, “The Harry Potter film series is one of those once-in-a-lifetime cultural phenomena that continues to delight millions of fans around the world,” It is with great pleasure that we introduce for the first time ever an opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved film is simultaneously projected onto the big screen. It will be an unforgettable event.”

 

Freer has quickly become one of the most sought-after conductors of film music with a long list of full symphonic live to projection projects. He has appeared with some of the world’s leading orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

 

For more information on the Harry Potter Film Concert Series, please go here.

Tickets

Tickets for Harry Potter in Concert start at $18 and are available at the GRS ticket office, weekdays 9 am-5 pm at 300 Ottawa Ave. NW, Suite 100, (located across from the Calder Plaza), or by calling 616.454.9451 x 4. (Phone orders will be charged a $2 per ticket service fee, with a $12 maximum.)

 

Tickets are available at the DeVos Place box office, weekdays 10 am-6 pm or on the day of the concert beginning two hours prior to the performance. Tickets also may be purchased online at GRSymphony.org.

Experience the Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball Dec. 9

Books, Citizen Journalism, Entertainment, Holidays, Local Entertainment, Upcoming Events, ,
harry-potter-book-cover-jw-32715Dancing. Music. Harry Potter-themed activities & a special giveaway. These are a few of the various things you’ll find at the Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball.

Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids cordially invites customers of all ages to experience its first-ever Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball on Friday, Dec. 9, starting at 7 pm at Woodland Mall, 3195 28th St. SE. Barnes & Noble’s Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball will feature dancing, music, Harry Potter-themed activities and a special giveaway. Customers are encouraged to wear their most festive Harry Potter costumes and holiday attire to the special event as they dance the night away and celebrate all things Harry Potter with Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids.

 

Magical Harry Potter-Themed Activities & Giveaways 

The Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball will be complemented by special activities, featuring a designated Harry Potter-themed Craft Making Station, where customers can create their own ornaments and owl fans, while supplies last. There will also be Wizard Charades, Trivia, a Word Search, and more, plus a coloring station for customers to enjoy, and a special photo-op station where they will be able to forever capture the magic of the Harry Potter-inspired celebration. Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids will also feature delicious treats from the Barnes & Noble Café, including free samples of a festive sugar cookie and a caramel apple spice drink, available while supplies last. 

Plus, Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids will offer a free giveaway of a special Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: The Illustrated Edition poster, available while supplies last.

 

Additional activities that will take place at Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids include special guest DJ AB (Adrian Butler), kid friendly crafts, Quidditch games and a costume contest runway.

 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Barnes & Noble

Fans of Harry Potter can continue to relive the magic at Barnes & Noble this holiday season with a dedicated Harry Potter experience inside Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids. Customers can shop a unique assortment of books and gifts from J. K. Rowling’s wizarding world, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts I and II, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, as well as Harry Potter wands, chess sets, music and DVDs, hats, scarves and so much more. For additional details, customers can visit Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids today. 

 

For more information on how customers can relive the magic of Harry Potter at Barnes & Noble Grand Rapids this holiday season with Barnes & Noble’s Harry Potter Magical Holiday Ball, they should visit BN.com/MagicalHolidayBall. For more information on Barnes & Noble’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter with a unique assortment of books, toys & games and gifts, perfect for the whole family, customers should visit BN.com/HarryPotter. 

‘Fantastic Beasts’ set to cast its spell this weekend

3-bottom, City of Wyoming, Entertainment, , , ,

fantastic-beasts-cast-xlarge

So today is the day that many Potter fans have been waiting for — the release of the newest movie in the wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

 

It’s been five years since the last Harry Potter film was released and coupled with the fact that “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Part 1” is not expected to be released until 2018, excitement over “Fantastic Beasts” has been building. For proof of that, we offer up this fact: you can’t even get a ticket to the Kent District Library’s upcoming “Harry Potter Party” set for next week at Celebration! Cinema North.

 

“I’m excited to see everything in it and if they’ll be any cameos from the original cast members,”  said Wyoming High School 10 grader Maria Martinez.

 

The story actually takes place about 70 years — 1926 to be exact — before Harry and crew were even born. Infact, the new movie does not feature a single character from the original Harry Potter movies, although there are a few name drops such as Albert Dumbledore and that other dark wizard and Dumbledore’s former friend Gellert Grindelwald, who at this point is terrorizing the wizarding world.

 

“I am so excited to see a new installation of the Harry Potter fandom come to life in an entirely new and magical way,” said Abby D’Addario, who is a youth paraprofessional at the KDL Wyoming branch and will be seeing the movie at the KDL Nov. 21 event. “I always imagined what witchcraft and wizardry looked like outside the walls of Hogwarts – we barely caught a glimpse of that in the ‘Goblet of Fire.’ In this film we get the privileged of seeing the magic underworld of America. It is hard to imagine a magical world without Harry and Voldemort, but I can forgive Ms. Rowling because Eddie Redmayne is magical enough for all of us.”

 

The film is directed by Potter alum David Yates who reportedly brought with him several former Potter crew members. Also J.K. Rowling did write the screenplay — her first — and adapted it from her 2001 book of the same title.

 

Of course, “Fantastic Beasts” is set to be a series of movies — recently announced to be five — so there are already predictions that Dumbledore will be making an appearance. Probably not too far off since Johnny Depp recently was tapped to play Grindelwald.

 

Eddie Redmaye as Newt Scamander.
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander.

“I’m excited to just see Eddie Redmayne!” said Wyoming High School 10th grader Alondra Soto. Well who would not be excited to see Redmayne? He won an Oscar for Best Actor for the 2014 film “The Theory of Everything” and was nominated for the 2015 film “The Danish Girl.”

 

“I can’t wait to see the attitudes of the new characters and how Eddie Redmayne will be!” said Wyoming Middle School seventh grader Harlei Schovey.

 

Redmayne plays Newt Scamander, who has just completed a global excursion to find and document an extraordinary array of magical creatures. He intends to make a brief stopover in New York, but as we all know, nothing is ever brief when dealing with magical creatures.

 

As an aside, Scamander is a graduate of Hogwarts, from Hufflepuff House. Redmayne recently did a PSA about being a “proud Hufflepuff.”

 

Scamander meets up with No-Maj — American for Muggle — Jacob (Dan Fogler). There are lots of other new characters such as Tina Goldstein who is a former Auror and who works for the Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA); Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), an Auror with a mean streak; Queenie (Alison Sudol), Tina’s sister and a mindreader: and Credence (Ezra Miller), an introverted orphan whose adopted mother is leading a group of non-magical people in a witch hunt.

 

“The intense CGI and the new story line,” said Wyoming High School 12th grader Matt Bulthuis. “The old with the new really gets me excited!”

 

From early reviews its sounds like few will be disappointed with the new film. “The Chicago Tribune” said “Eddie Redmayne and company make magic in Potter  prequel” and from “The Guardian,” “The entertainment enchanter J.K. Rowling has come storming back to the world of magic in a shower of supernatural sparks — and created a glorious fantasy — romance adventure, all about the wizards of prohibition-era America and the diffident wizarding Brit who causes chaos in their midst with a bagful of exotic creatures.”

 

If you want to learn more about world of Harry Potter or “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” to prepare for your movie adventure, visit Rowling’s site Pottermore.com or the Harry Potter Lexicon at hp-lexicon.org.