PotterCast #261: Fantastic Things!

Your favorite Leaky podcasters are back! Well, most of them–Frak didn’t make it this week but he’ll be back for a live recording of Pottercast at LeakyCon 2016 NEXT WEEK! In this new episode–which can be downloaded on iTunes, or listened to at this MP3 link–there is much to talk about in the Potter-world, especially since J.K. Rowling dropped a Fantastic Beasts bombshell on us just a few days ago. As the description for this episode states:

“Huge, wonderful news. Five films! Melissa has seen the first ten minutes of Fantastic Beasts, and there are feelings to discuss. In this episode, John takes his Patronus test for the first time.”

This week, Leaky staff attended a Fantastic Beasts global fan event–live Q&A with the stars, David Yates, David Heyman, and ultimately J.K. Rowling. Two Leaky staffers went to London to be with the stars, and Melissa attended the New York IMAX event. Just like the two correspondents in London, Melissa (and others in the IMAX theaters across the word) had the opportunity to see the first ten minutes of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them–lucky ducks! For the first time in a long time (and oh, how we’ve missed it) John got to make his PotterCast “Spoiler Alert” noise as Melissa began to discuss what she saw!

The first ten minutes of the film bring the audience back to the Wizarding World, but in America. Melissa talks about being introduced to 1920’s Wizarding America, where controlling unusual happenings, especially with magical beasts, and keeping the wizarding world completely separate from the no-maj world creates erupting tension.  The audience was also introduced to Newt Scamander as he arrived in New York, went through customs (in a real-world, relatable fashion), and bumped into his future wife, Tina, as he came upon Second Salemer, Mary Lou, preaching and shouting from her stoop.

The podcasters discussed this new extension to the wizarding world in depth, talking about real world wizards–very different from growing kids playing with, and learning how to use, magic. The films have an adult quartet, rather than a teenage trio. The podcasters later discuss American Wizards, with MACUSA’s own (more serious) version of the Weasley clock, and Grindelwald vs. Voldemort. Grindelwald will become a major force in the films–manipulating and purging the world of a less superior race, like Hitler in the 1940’s–but this could also mean we see (young) Dumbledore return to the silver screen!

Fantastic Beasts is different from Potter in another way–the medium in which it is presented. Potter was introduced to the world through books, and movie adaptions of said books. Fantastic Beasts is strictly a movie series, though the scripts written by Rowling have the same Rowling-esque feel as the Potter novels. The PotterCasters discuss this different in format, how it may be better movies, and how J.K. Rowling’s five-movie series is almost a response to fans’ desire for a TV (HBO) mini-series–but a five-part movie series!

Since the last episode of Pottercast, J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore also added a long-waited for feature to its site. The Patronus Quiz! Since John had yet to discover his Patronus, he took the quiz during this PotterCast recording–listen to discover his Patronus!

Next week, LeakyCon 2016 will be taking L.A. by storm! There is so much Potter-Fantastic Beasts, All Things Wizardy, coming to the West Coast with this Harry Potter fan celebration. LeakyCon 2016 has so much to offer, especially their Open at the Close park event! Tickets–general passes, day passes, park passes–are still available. Visit LeakyCon to buy tickets and learn more. PotterCast will return soon with a live episode from LeakyCon 2016!

Download on iTunes or listen to the latest episode of PotterCast here!