| masterofmystery | 11-06-2015 05:00 PM |
'Fantastic Beasts' Magical Congress of the United States of America entrance explored
A breakdown of the entrance to the Magical Congress of the United States of America at the Woolworth Building in New York City, featured front and center in the first Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film, was released. Phoenixes, to no surprise, are significant magical creatures even in the U.S., as shown by the statues near the entrance, and the emblem on which Newt Scamander, below, stands. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">5 secrets in our <a href="https://twitter.com/FantasticBeasts">@FantasticBeasts</a> cover photo you might have missed: <a href="https://t.co/96cG8WsRFn">https://t.co/96cG8WsRFn</a> <a href="https://t.co/1RZ2VClpH1">pic.twitter.com/1RZ2VClpH1</a></p>— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) <a href="https://twitter.com/EW/status/662668609945227264">November 6, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
http://www.snitchseeker.com/gallery/...-beasts-08.jpg Quote:
ARCHITECTURAL WIZARDRY: The Magical Congress of the United States of America is hidden from Muggle view inside the very real Woolworth Building (New York’s tallest structure in 1926). Wizards enter through an ultra-fast-spinning revolving door into a grand lobby.
While this Fantastic Beasts stage is a rather massive 250 feet long and 50 feet high, the ceiling will be extended with special effects to reach nearly 700 feet to represent “an empty cathedral of light, a hugely impressive, brilliantly lit space,” says production designer Stuart Craig.
| Quote:
THE PHOENIXES OF THE ORDER: J.K. Rowling’s screenplay included these four golden phoenix statues (two unseen) that bracket the MACUSA entrance, paying homage to those who died during the Salem witch trials – a major traumatic event in the history of American wizard and No-Maj (a.k.a. Muggle) relations.
Notes Craig: “Throughout, the magical world is grounded in the context of the Muggle world, born out of things familiar and real.”
| Quote:
GOLD, NOT JUST FOR SNITCHES ANY LONGER: Loosely based on the interior of the Gothic art-deco American Radiator Building in midtown Manhattan, the MACUSA design includes a heavy use of gold to “bring a richness to the decoration. Given that this is the seat of power of the government in the magic world, it’s appropriate that it is gilded.”
| Quote:
MAGICAL HERALDRY: The official MACUSA emblem, based on the U.S. presidential seal, includes the etching of an American flag combined with an abstract phoenix.
| Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's first installment, written by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, hits theaters in November 2016. | 