Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a release that the kids have been anticipating since they first saw the preview for the movie. Not inherently one of those kid-friendly releases, we’ve got a four and a seven year old enthralled with the wizarding world of Harry Potter, so we decided to give it a try.
First, they loved the beasts. That was the highlight of the show for both the girls. They loved the fact that the beasts were so out of control, and the youngest stood up during the film to exclaim “She said strange beasts!” shocked it was the name of the film.
The Rowling-authored script was inspired by one of the actual assigned reading books for students of Hogwarts. Newt Scamander, is an expert in the field who travels to New York City in the early 1900s, to find a particular creature. While he’s there, the animals that he’s brought along in his suitcase escape. In the process of tracking them down, he finds himself in the middle of the No-Majs (Muggles) and the Wizards living in America.
Older children will pick up on small details through the show, like references to certain Harry Potter characters, wands and spells. For adult Harry Potter fans, these nuances will have you curious about future installments of this series, and have you looking forward to watching them.
There are a couple of scary parts that bordered on intense for the four-year-old, the abusive and evil mother in the movie, and the dark gust of wind with the ability to destroy an entire building. The dark matter was the only aspect of the movie that had our fear year old a bit scared; otherwise, both children were enthralled with the entire show.
Wondering if it’s okay for your children? We suggest that Harry Potter fans that have watched most of the movies in the series (ours have watched up until the sixth movie) and are seven and up will enjoy Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
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