“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” is a return to Rowling’s roots

J.K. Rowling’s spin-off of her own book, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” premiered in theaters Nov. 17.

“Fantastic Beasts” was originally written as a bestiary, a written work by fictional character Newt Scamander designed to label and describe mythical creatures from Rowling’s Wizarding World.

Rowling wrote and produced the movie “Fantastic Beasts,” adding it to the collection of her other renowned series, Harry Potter.

“Fantastic Beasts” will be a sequel of movies, five total, which is designed as a prequel to Harry Potter, though entirely different in plot.

“Fantastic Beasts” is set in the 1920s in New York City. The plot follows Newt Scamander’s adventure as he writes his book on magical creatures and their habits.

Though separate from Harry Potter, this movie lived up to the Harry Potter standard. Director David Yates and composer James Newton Howard, both of whom worked to create the atmosphere of Harry Potter as we know it, also aided in the production of “Fantastic Beasts.”

The directing style of Yates was evident, especially in the opening scene with the typical introduction to every Harry Potter movie — a cloudy sky and the Warner Bros. logo with the famous music score included.

Despite the similarities, it stops there. Howard composed a new score for “Fantastic Beasts,” though his style remained the same, which gave the audience that magical, warm feeling.

The cast didn’t disappoint either. Rowling strayed from the trio she used in Harry Potter and decided this time to use two males and two females.

Harry Potter references were, of course, mentioned in the movie, dropping names such as Hogwarts, Lestrange and Albus Dumbledore. If you consider yourself a “Potterhead,” it makes the movie all the more interesting to watch.

However, “Fantastic Beasts” is nothing like Harry Potter. The movie does not revolve around one boy’s life. No, this movie is about magical creatures and how they interact with the world around them.

Through Newt Scamander’s briefcase, the audience can step into the world of fantastic beasts.