Hear 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' Theme (With a Hint of 'Hedwig')

By Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter

J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore on Friday unveiled the main theme tune from upcoming film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, starring Eddie Redmayne.

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James Newton Howard’s opening track to the movie early on includes elements that will be familiar to fans of the Harry Potter film franchise. “As you’ll hear, the song starts out with a familiar tune,” Pottermore wrote. “One that’ll make you shiver with nostalgia: a few bars of ‘Hedwig’s Theme,’ and we’re swept into the new main title track for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.”

It added: “Like the movie, it’s epic, dramatic, playful, and beautiful.”

The film soundtrack will be available on Nov. 18 and feature 72 minutes of music, including songs called “There Are Witches Among Us,” “Gnarlak Negotiations,” and "Newt Releases the Thunderbird.” A deluxe edition will be nearly 100 minutes long and feature 26 songs.

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“Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composer James Newton Howard has done an exquisite job,” Pottermore said about the soundtrack. “As you’d expect him to — James has worked on some serious classics, including The Hunger Games franchise, The Dark Knight, Snow White and the Huntsman, and Pretty Woman.”

The site also shared a bit of the musical back story. “James spent seven months writing the Fantastic Beasts soundtrack,” it said. “For this particular track, as well as Newt Scamander’s theme, he sat down at his piano and just played until it came.”

‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’: Watch the cast discuss the difference between American and British wizards: