A Shot-by-Shot Breakdown of the First “Secrets of Dumbledore” Trailer

The first official trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is finally here, and there’s a lot to unpack. Clocking in at a generous two minutes and 45 seconds long, the trailer includes a look at our beloved characters, new magical creatures, and stunning locations. Here’s a shot-by-shot breakdown.

The trailer opens on Hogwarts castle, with a golden Snitch flying across the frame. Before we see him, we hear Dumbledore say, “If you listen carefully enough, the past whispers to you.” Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore appears on screen before the shot changes to Jude Law’s younger version of the character.

We see Newt and Jacob shuffling along the snow-covered streets of Hogsmeade village. Over the footage, Newt says, “We’re here to see Albus Dumbledore.”

Inside what looks like it could be the Hog’s Head, a man turns around and says, “That would be my brother.” To many fans, the appearance of Aberforth Dumbledore does not come as a surprise. Speculation that actor Richard Coyle had been cast to portray the younger Dumbledore brother began when he changed his Twitter location to Hogsmeade.

“The world as we know it is coming undone,” Albus Dumbledore says as we see him walking the streets of what we think is New York City. The signs are in English and we can see what looks like the Manhatten Bridge in the distance. We’re then shown a glimpse of some sort of rally. A crowd is gathered in a snowy courtyard.

“Grindelwald is pulling it apart with hate,” Dumbledore continues as we get our first glimpse of Mads Mikkelsen as Gellert Grindelwald. He is pulling memories from the head of Yusuf Kama.

Next, we see Newt rowing through a river on a raft with Pickett the Bowtruckle at the helm, before pivoting back to Hogwarts, where Dumbledore tells Theseus Scamander, “If we’re to defeat him, you’ll have to trust me.”

We cut back to Newt, now disembarking from his raft and stepping into a bamboo forest. Previous reports have said this film takes place in many locations, including the U.K., Germany, Bhutan, and China. It’s a logical conclusion that these scenes in a bamboo forest are in China.

Demonstrating the globe-trotting nature of the film, the next scene we’re shown is back in Berlin, where we see Newt, Jacob, Theseus, and Ilvermorny Charms professor Eulalie Hicks. After only appearing briefly in Nicholas Flamel’s book in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, it looks like Eulalie is going to play a much larger role in this film. “This is the team that’s going to take down the most dangerous wizard in a century,” we hear Theseus say as the group disappears through a brick wall.

From there, we’re given a series of shots of the characters who are making up this group moving against Grindelwald. Newt Scamander “a Magizoologist,” Bunty “his indispensable assistant,” Yusuf Kama “a wizard descended from a very old family,” Eulalie Hicks “a school teacher,” and Jacob Kowalski “a Muggle.” Noticeably missing is Tina Goldstein.

When this montage is over, the whole crew is gathered inside a train car. In the surprise of the century, Newt presents Jacob with a wand. Theseus concludes his speech by saying, “Who wouldn’t like our chances?”

Next, we’re back at Hogwarts. This is where we get a scene between the two Dumbledore brothers. Albus is shrugging on his coat while Aberforth says, “off to save the world, are we?” 

We see one more shot of the rally before flying with a phoenix towards Credence, who is standing on the side of a cliff.

“Things are not quite what they appear,” we hear as we see a series of shots, including Jacob and Queenie hugging inside the bakery, Dumbledore holding the blood pact, and Newt in a cave. This brings us to the single most hilarious moment of the trailer.

You can’t help but laugh out loud as Newt instructs Theseus to “swivel, but delicately,” to blend in with a group of fire crabs. What ensues is reminiscent of the  Erumpent dance. The sequence ends with a creature chasing Newt and Theseus through the cave.

Following that moment of levity, we get a series of action shots and our first look at Queenie. She appears paler, her hair is lighter, and she’s traded in her custom pink attire for a black dress.

In a mountainous landscape, we see Credence cutting through a web of magical light. In the next moment, we see Newt running up a sprawling expanse of stone stairs to meet Grindelwald, who raises his wand and says, “Our war with the Muggles begins today!” 

In the climax of the trailer, Credence is running through the streets, his Obscurus exploding buildings in his wake. He collides with Dumbledore, who seems to be pushing him back, but not attacking in turn.

When we’re taken back to Hogwarts, it’s to a room where Bunty is placing five identical suitcases on the floor. A prayer wheel stands towards the back of the room. Jacob asks what this place is, and Newt replies, “It is the room that we require.” This return to the Room of Requirement concludes with Dumbledore and Jacob diving into the prayer wheel and being whisked away.

The trailer closes with a light-hearted scene where Jacob is dining with a group of Hogwarts students. One reaches for the wand that Newt gave him, and he quickly pulls it away, telling them it’s far too powerful to fall into the wrong hands. Jacob claims, “I got it for Christmas.”

Now that we have seen some footage from Secrets of Dumbledore, do you have any new theories? We would love to read them in the comments. You can also check out SpeakBeasty for more analysis of the trailer.