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Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them is the 192nd episode of Screen Junkies comedy series Honest Trailers. It was written by Spencer GilbertJoe Starr, Dan Murrell and Andy Signore. It was narrated by Jon Bailey as Epic Voice Guy. It parodies the 2016 fantasy film Fantasitc Beasts & Where to Find Them. It was published on March 28, 2017, to coincide with the film's release on home video and Blu-ray. It is 4 minutes 34 seconds long. It has been viewed over 4.6 million times.

Watch Honest Trailers - Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them on YouTube

"A five-part prequel that isn't off to the best start. But who cares, man? Us Potterheads need a fix!" ~ Honest Trailers - Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Script[]

From the magical mind of J. K. Rowling and the magical wallet of the Harry Potter Global Franchise Development Team comes a movie based on a real fake textbook based on a fake real textbook briefly mentioned in two real Harry Potter books. Boy, we are really scraping the bottom of the barrel here, aren't we?

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Long after J. K. ran out of novels, the world still craves more Potter; but Hermione is way too famous these days (shows Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast), Harry is literally farting around (shows Daniel Radcliffe as the farting corpse Manny in Swiss Army Man), and Ron is...where is Ron, anyway? Now, get ready for a five-part prequel that isn't off to the best start. But who cares, man? Us Potterheads need a fix! (shows Newt Scamander making animal noises) Echhh, never mind. Maybe I'll go find my Patronus again. (shows a salmon Patronus on Pottermore) Look, I'm a salmon! That's...cool.

Journey to the uptight, repressed society of 1920s New York, but beneath the surface lies a magical world that's also really uptight and repressed. They've got their own uncreative slang, their own Muggle racism, and their own state-sponsored murder jacuzzis.

(shows Tina being enveloped by a death potion)

Bernadette: Don't that look good?

Ummm, can we go back to Hogwarts, please?

Once upon a time, J. K. Rowling insisted on only using British actors; but now the franchise has come to America, and everyone is still British, like fancy lad Newt Scamander, the latest of Eddie Redmayne's whisper-mumblers (shows Eddie Redmayne speaking quietly as Newt Scamander, Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything, Balem Abrasax in Jupiter Ascending, and Lili Elbe in The Danish Girl). He may not be charming, he may not be popular, but he is willing to lie to save his Pokémon at the cost of human lives. (shows clips of magical creatures causing destruction intercut with clips of Newt Scamander saying "They aren't dangerous!")

Newt's not alone in the big city. Move over, Ron, Draco, Snape, and Hermione, because there's a far less interesting gang in town, like the boring Tina Goldstein; this psychic Betty Boop (Queenie Goldstein); random Jon Voight family drama (the Shaw family); and the actually likable Kowalski, a Muggle who steals the show just by reacting to stuff. (shows clips of Jacob Kowalski making humorous reactive faces) Damn, that guy gives great face.

So come along on a story that works well enough on its own, but isn't that promising as an intro to a franchise because, while the whole world loved growing up with Harry Potter, we all know what happens when Johnny Depp plays a pale weirdo (Gellert Grindelwald), and no one ever needs to see that again (Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka: Good morning sunshine! The earth says hello!).

Starring Eddie Redmayne Talks to Animals (shows clips of Newt Scamander making animal noises), The Pillsbury O-Face (Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski), True Auror Season 2 (Colin Farrell as Percival Graves), Boremione (Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein), DTF Scott Fitzgerald (Alison Sudol as Queenie Goldstein), We Need to Talk About Creedence (Ezra Miller as Credence Barebone), Avada Kadeppra (Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald), and Aaahh!!! Fake Monsters (shows clips of various magical creatures).

Honest Trailers - Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find ThemOpen Invideo 3-46 screenshot

Honest title for Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them - He Brought a Zoo. Title design by Robert Holtby.

He Brought a Zoo

(shows Jacob trying to throw an Occamy into a teapot) Gee, if only there were a magic spell that could help you out in this situation. (shows Harry Potter summoning the Triwizard Cup with a Summoning Charm)

Viewer's Comments[]

Say "Harry Potter, you must go to the Shire and become a Jedi Knight so you can sit on the Iron Throne." - Morgan Young

please say, "Honest Trailers is filmed in front of an adorable live audience!" - Zarina A113

say:farm fresh butt nuggets for sale at your mom's house - Zachary Freedom

say: "I like pineapple on pizza" - Mikael Usman

say: "I honestly don't even know what's in my sprite" - Drunken Reviewers

 Trivia[]

  • An Honest Trailer Commentary for this episode was recorded and was available on the Screen Junkies Plus until the website/app was discontinued. Screen Junkies don't currently have any way of releasing the video.

Reception[]

Honest Trailers - Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them has a 97.2% approval rating from YouTube viewers. Radio Times wrote that the Honest Trailer was "harsh but fair" and its criticisms "hit the nail on the head." The Radio Times found the Honest Trailer notable for highlighting the film's weirder moments, like the "'state-sponsored murder Jacuzzis,' Eddie Redmayne’s insistence on 'whisper-mumbling' all his roles and the fact that all the actors are still British despite the film being set in the US, although good points – including actor Dan Fogler’s expressive “Pilsbury Oh-Face” – get their fair due as well."

Screen Rant observed that "one of the better zingers in the video is Tina's "Starring" card as "Boremione," an obvious reference to Harry Potter heroine Hermione Granger. ScreenJunkies is also quick to remind everyone what happens when Depp plays a 'pale weirdo.'" The site also noted that "one of the easiest targets for this parody/critique is just how thin the overall concept is." In addition, Screen Rant highlighted the Honest Trailer's criticism of the lackluster setting and its praise of Dan Fogler's character.

MovieFone declared the Honest Trailer was "almost as much homage to Harry Potter fandom as it is a critique of the first film in J.K. Rowling's newest series." The site appreciated the inclusion of "fun Harry Potter throwbacks, from footage from the movies to what their stars are doing now. The narrator even takes a quick timeout to find his Patronus again on Pottermore. By the end, Fantastic Beasts hasn't been overlooked completely, but Harry Potter does certainly grab some of its spotlight -- which is pretty fitting."

 Production credits[]

FantasticBeasts

Video thumbnail for Honest Trailers - Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Voiceover Narration by Jon Bailey

Title design by Robert Holtby

Series Created by Andy Signore & Brett Weiner

Executive Producer - Andy Signore

Producers - Dan Murrell, Spencer Gilbert, Michael Bolton, Christina Kline

Written by Spencer Gilbert, Joe Starr, Dan Murrell & Andy Signore

Edited by Kevin Williamsen and TJ Nordaker

External links []

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