We still stan Hedwig, though.
It’s a fact that Hedwig will always be the best Harry Potter animal of all time, however there’s a new bundle of cuties in the upcoming Fantastic Beasts sequel giving the snowy owl a run for her money. If you saw the first Newt Scamander adventure, you’ll remember that there was a cheeky little bugger called a Niffler and - well - it’s had tiny adorable children.
A glimpse at one of Newt’s fuzzy friends was revealed by Entertainment Weekly, who shared a still featuring one of the baby Nifflers alongside Eddie Redmayne as the magical protagonist. It seems like the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree as it appears to share its parents' love for shiny things - in the picture, it appears to be carrying some kind of golden trinket that’s bigger than it is.
Entertainment Weekly revealed that Newt would have to deal with a number of Niffler hijinks once again, as in the upcoming film Newt ‘tries to wrangle a litter of newborns which are just as mischievous as their parents’.
Eddie Redmayne said, ‘They’re wreaking havoc.’
Original concept art from the film was also released and showed a baby Niffler with badger-like markings clutching at a shiny coin, date-stamped 1912.
Nifflers aren’t the only magical creature to make an appearance in this film, as it was also revealed that Newt would have to contend with a few other magical beasties. Like Harry and the original gang, a younger Newt Scamander has to face off against a boggart during one of Professor Dumbledore's Hogwarts classes. Other mystical beings to make an appearance in the new film include a Kelpie, described as a ‘Scottish underwater creature that can be mounted and ridden’ and a leucrotta, ‘a large moose-like creature with an impossible huge month [sic]’. The film's official Instagram shared a quick look at a kelpie below.
And for those of you Harry Potter and the Cursed Child fans? One significant beast from the Harry Potter stage play will also be making an appearance: the Augurey, an ‘owl-like creature whose cry is believed to foretell death’. According to Hypable, the film's official Instagram confirmed that it featured for all of two or three seconds in the newest Fantastic Beasts 2 trailer. You can take a peek at the 2.10 minute mark below.
In the stage play, a character named Delphi Diggory has a tattoo of the Augurey’s feathers inked across her shoulder blades. The beady eyed have also pointed out that the feathers in the play’s logos are also a sly reference to the ominous bird.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is set to be released in the UK on November 16 later this year.
