Pottermore Debuts ‘Fantastic Beasts’ Theme Tune

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.

James Newton Howard’s opening track for 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,” said Pottermore. “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 adds: “Like the movie, it’s epic, dramatic, playful and beautiful.”

The film soundtrack will be available on Nov. 18 and will 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 will feature 26 songs.

“Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composer James Newton Howard has done an exquisite job,” said Pottermore 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 backstory. “James spent seven months writing the Fantastic Beasts soundtrack,” said the site. “For this particular track, as well as Newt Scamander’s theme, he sat down at his piano and just played until it came.”

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“You hear the main theme song of the movie play when the main crew arrive at the MACUSA the first time and various other times,” said the composer. “You hear this haunting kind of theme. If you had to say what is the theme for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them for now and in the future, it would be that theme. I wrote it on my piano because I believe that if that kind of thing is going to be good, it should be done that simply.”

Check out the main theme below.