The “Harry Potter” franchise evolved alongside a generation that followed the same journey as its protagonist. They were young, confused, often misguided by the adults in charge, and everybody knew an Umbridge or two. The only difference between our two worlds was that the Harry Potter Universe had magic and, depending on how it was used, it made problems better or worse. Akin to the ever-growing technology of our world, magic was not inherently bad; it was the people who used it and the decisions they made that determined its morality. That was what the franchise was about: choices.

With a new generation, Harry Potter has grown up and defeated Voldemort, and instead of looking to see what happens in the future, “Fantastic Beasts” travels to the past. “Fantastic Beasts” introduces Newt Scamander, fresh out of Hogwarts and led by his curiosity to learn and discover new and fantastic creatures. It isn’t so much a coming-of-age story like “Harry Potter,” but more of a “how-to” guide when dealing with life in general. School is difficult and life after that even more so. How does one go about life after school without looking like a fool? “Fantastic Beasts” shows us that growing into adulthood and dealing with real-world problems can be a nightmare, but that is not why we are looking into the past. It teaches this generation to look at past mistakes and learn from them so we can have a better and brighter future.

Though magic does not exist in the world we live in, nor do fantastical beasts, there is still some magic in the air that can bring us all together.