Cool Stuff: New 'Harry Potter' Books Include Intricate Hogwarts Pop-Up And A Kid's Guide To Filmmaking
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We're still a few months away from getting another movie in the wizarding world of Harry Potter with the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald in November. But the month before will give Harry Potter fans something else cool to hold them over.
In October, a trio of new Harry Potter books will be hitting shelves. No, they won't expand the mythology of the world like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, but they will give fans a new way to explore the wizarding world in the form of an intricate pop-up book, a detailed, die-cut dive into the creatures of Harry Potter, and an informative book with all the details and instruction they need to create their own magical adventures in cinema.
Harry Potter Hogwarts Pop-Up Book
While many fans would like to see Hogwarts: A History become a real book, they'll have to settle for Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Guide to Hogwarts. The book unfolds to create an incredible pop-up layout of the school of witchcraft and wizardry, showing off all the familiar places inside and outside Hogwarts castle. The castle's grounds are all accounted for, including the Quidditch pitch, the Forbidden Forest, and beyond. Plus, there are mini pop-ups of things like the Marauder's Map and the Flying Ford Anglia from Chamber of Secrets.
This is obviously something intended for the younger fans of Harry Potter, but this is easily one of the coolest pop-up books we've ever seen. The artwork by the outstanding Kevin M. Wilson (aka Ape Meets Girl) alone would make this a cool addition on the shelf of an adult collector. Plus, the pricetag isn't too bad at just $45 on Amazon right now. The book releases on October 23, but you can pre-order right now.
Harry Potter: Creatures: A Paper Scene Book
Earlier in October, fans can take a deep dive into the world of magical creatures from the world of Harry Potter. This new book is called Harry Potter: Creatures: A Paper Scene Book featuring four intricate, multilayer dioramas that capture beloved moments from the films. The pop-up elements aren't quite as intricate as the Hogwarts pop-up book above, but it does contain some impressive laser die-cut paper art bringing creatures like the Hungarian Horntail dragon and the mysterious thestrals to life in a cool way.
The book also includes facts about various magical creates, as well as behind the scenes information from the production of the film. This one only costs $29.99 at Amazon, and it will be released on October 2.
Imagining Hogwarts: A Beginner’s Guide to Moviemaking
Finally, for those of you budding wizards and witches out there who are looking to do some magic with a camera, the world of Harry Potter has you covered. Harry Potter: Imagining Hogwarts: A Beginner's Guide to Moviemaking uses the wizarding franchise as a basis for teaching young fans about the process of making movies and how they can make their own films.
As you can see, the book dives into details like storyboarding, set design, prop making, the rule of thirds and all that stuff you'd learn in a beginner's film school course. This could be the perfect gateway for the little movie lover in your life to find their passion and maybe make some films of their own. After all, feature films are being made on iPhones nowadays, so you might as well get the kids hooked on filmmaking at an early age. The book costs $19.99 on Amazon right now and will be released on October 30.