Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was pretty much all CGI, VFX reel shows

Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them was a whimsical film that enthralled audiences with a trip back to the world of Harry Potter. From the New York City set pieces to the Magical Congress of the United States of America, it offered a new perspective on the world created by J.K. Rowling. Turns out, barely any of it was real.

It was common knowledge Fantastic Beasts used its fair share of CGI to recreate 1920’s New York City, but a new featurette by Rodeo FX reveals just how little of the film was real. Everything from backgrounds to buildings to doors, and even the gritty aesthetic present throughout the film—it’s all CGI.

The beasts were a little less convincing, but were still beautifully drawn out by artists. The featurette shows off details that went into crafting the unique looks of the beasts. In total, Rodeo FX worked on 126 visual effect shots for the movie.

CGI doesn’t have to be bad

I’ve always been of the opinion that if it looks good, take advantage of the tool. Fantastic Beasts certainly did that.

Many films today tend to overuse CGI, creating artificial worlds that don’t feel real or tangible. When watching Fantastic Beasts, there were certain parts I knew were CGI, but at other junctures, I was completely fooled.

You can see the amount of work that went intro creating these shots in the video below.