The Fantastic Beasts series is a case study in large-scale world-building grounded in practical filmmaking. These movies, with VFX work completed by DNEG, are a showcase of how physical sets, animation, and simulation can work together to deliver complex environments that feel cohesive and immersive—even when most of what’s on-screen doesn’t physically exist.

Street scenes that began as limited set builds were extended into full cityscapes, often designed to collapse, burn, or morph in real-time. One key sequence features a dark creature tearing through London as the street crumbles beneath it—completely fabricated, down to the last piece of debris. Water simulations were pushed further in moments like the flood crashing into a subway station, requiring careful integration with practical set elements and atmospheric effects.

Creature work was also a cornerstone of the VFX efforts in these movies, with actors frequently performing alongside tracking markers or stand-ins. In one rooftop scene with a massive creature interaction was filmed entirely on green screen, and demanded close collaboration between performance direction, animation, and compositing to convincingly land the emotional beats and physical interaction between the actor and computer-generated imagery.

Eye-popping magical effects—ranging from Johnny Depp’s white fire tirade to disintegration spells that make characters disappear from the screen in a moment's notice—also required tight choreography and precise timing to align with on-set blocking and lensing. Crowd replication was also used in numerous scenes, with one scene in particular using CGI to transform an empty stadium into a full arena. All the while, the final color and tone were carefully balanced in post to keep the fantasy grounded without losing scale or clarity.

However, what stands out most in the Fantastic Beasts series is the volume of invisible work—set extensions, atmospheric passes, and simulation layers that are never meant to be noticed to the casual viewer. Fantastic Beasts relies on the strength of its VFX pipeline to support ambitious storytelling, and every magical moment is a reminder of the creative precision behind the scenes.

Watch the full VFX Breakdown: 

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