Get ready for Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature

• Explore the links between animals of the natural world, mythical creatures and their fictional counterparts from the Wizarding World.
• An exhibition of astounding variety showcasing 120 exhibits including the Dracorex Hogwartsia dinosaur – so named to celebrate Hogwarts, along with Nifflers and Bowtruckles – film fan favourites, a hoax mermaid and what was once believed to be a unicorn horn – all alongside elements from the Wizarding World.
• Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature is a partnership between the Natural History Museum, Warner Bros. Consumer Products and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit.

Look out your wands, polish off your magnifying glasses and come face to face with all kinds of fantastic beasts! This winter, the Natural History Museum will, for the first time ever, display the natural world wonders that have long fascinated humankind, next to the fictional creatures of the Wizarding World that have captured the imaginations of millions. 

Be bewitched by the powerful combination of science, nature and imagination as you explore fantastic beasts in all their forms and learn how the natural world has inspired some of the most incredible stories and folklore ever told. 

Get lost in our enchanted galleries where objects aren’t always as they seem, and the creatures on display are endlessly surprising. Journey back hundreds of years to when some people believed that unicorns roamed the earth, merpeople swam beneath the waves and sea monsters attacked ships. 

Explore a 16^th century map where seas churn with ferocious beasts - what real animals might have inspired tales of these monsters? 

Follow in the footsteps of the fictional Magizoologist Newt Scamander and the hundreds of scientists at the Museum as you venture into the wild to discover more about some of the most awe-inspiring creatures ever known. You may just catch a rare glimpse of a magical Mooncalf, as well as some of the most elusive animals on our planet. 

Learn more about the magnificent Occamy and try to suss out just how it fits into its hideaway teapot. In the natural world, the Galapagos marine iguana shrinks its body size by a seemingly impossible twenty per cent when food is scarce, while the slimy, boneless hagfish can squeeze into gaps half the width of its body. 

Fantastic beasts from the Wizarding World such as the endangered Erumpent will help shine a light on creatures of the natural world that find themselves struggling for survival - inspiring us to better protect them in the future. 

Clare Matterson CBE, Executive Director of Engagement at the Natural History Museum, says, ‘We cannot wait to share this thrilling experience with our visitors. No sooner will they set foot inside that they will journey through magical realms and walk alongside some of the most fascinating creatures in the world. At the heart of this exhibition is a celebration of all the fantastic beasts we have the privilege of sharing our planet with, and the very real threats they face. Visitors will leave with a renewed love of the wonders of nature, and a revived urgency to help protect it.’

Google Arts & Culture Digital Experience 
Delve into the Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature collection with Google Arts & Culture; a curated digital exhibition created in partnership with the Museum. Explorers will enjoy an immersive digital experience featuring highlights from the exhibition and fascinating insights from Museum scientists and curators as they investigate the details of some of the incredible specimens on display.

Fantastic Beasts: The Wonder of Nature is supported by Google Arts & Culture. 

ENDS

Notes for editors 

Media contact: Tel: (0)779 969 0151 Email: press@nhm.ac.uk  
 
Images: Available  here

Ticket information:

Tickets on sale from Thursday 12^th November via the Museum’s website. Priority booking is available to those who originally booked tickets and had them refunded when the exhibition was postponed, as well as our Members, Patrons and mailing list, Wizarding World Gold members and Harry Potter fan club members. Visit our website for full details. #NHMFantasticBeasts. 

* Members, Patrons and children up to 3 years old go free

About the Natural History Museum:

The Natural History Museum is both a world-leading science research centre and the most-visited natural history museum in Europe. With a vision of a future in which both people and the planet thrive, it is uniquely positioned to be a powerful champion for balancing humanity’s needs with those of the natural world. 

It is custodian of one of the world’s most important scientific collections comprising over 80 million specimens. The scale of this collection enables researchers from all over the world to document how species have and continue to respond to environmental changes - which is vital in helping predict what might happen in the future and informing future policies and plans to help the planet. 

The Museum’s 300 scientists continue to represent one of the largest groups in the world studying and enabling research into every aspect of the natural world. Their science is contributing critical data to help the global fight to save the future of the planet from the major threats of climate change and biodiversity loss through to finding solutions such as the sustainable extraction of natural resources. 

The Museum uses its enormous global reach and influence to meet its mission to create advocates for the planet - to inform, inspire and empower everyone to make a difference for nature. We welcome over five million visitors each year; our digital output reaches hundreds of thousands of people in over 200 countries each month and our touring exhibitions have been seen by around 30 million people in the last 10 years. 

About Warner Bros. Entertainment 
Warner Bros. Entertainment is a fully integrated, broad-based entertainment company and a global leader in the creation, production, distribution, licensing and marketing of all forms of entertainment and their related businesses. A WarnerMedia company, the Studio is home to one of the most successful collections of brands in the world and stands at the forefront of every aspect of the entertainment industry, from feature film, television and home entertainment production and worldwide distribution to DVD and Blu-ray, digital distribution, animation, comic books, videogames, product and brand licensing, and broadcasting. The company’s vast library, one of the most prestigious and valuable in the world, consists of more than 100,000 hours of programming, 8,600 feature films and 5,000 television programs comprised of tens of thousands of individual episodes.  

About Warner Bros. Consumer Products 
Warner Bros. Consumer Products (WBCP), a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, extends the Studio's powerful portfolio of entertainment brands and franchises into the lives of fans around the world.  WBCP partners with best-in-class licensees globally on an award-winning range of toys, fashion, home décor, and publishing inspired by franchises and properties such as DC, J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World, Looney Tunes and Hanna-Barbera. The division's successful global themed entertainment business includes groundbreaking experiences such as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi. With innovative global licensing and merchandising programs, retail initiatives, promotional partnerships and themed experiences, WBCP is one of the leading licensing and retail merchandising organizations in the world. 

 
About Wizarding World  
More than two decades ago, a young Harry Potter was whisked onto Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station, and readers everywhere were swept along with him into a magical universe, created by J.K. Rowling. In the years since, the seven Harry Potter bestsellers have inspired eight blockbuster movies, an award-winning stage play, and, more recently, the start of the Fantastic Beasts five-film series. People of all ages have been enthralled by these extraordinary adventures, set within an expanding universe, inspired by the vision of J.K. Rowling. For today's growing worldwide fan community, and for generations to come, the Wizarding World welcomes everyone to explore more of this magical universe - past, present and future. The Wizarding World also provides fans with an instant, trusted kite-mark of quality and authenticity. 

About Framestore 
Framestore is an Oscar and BAFTA-winning creative studio that uses innovative talent and technology to create high-end images for every platform. Framestore partners with clients ranging from Hollywood studios through to advertisers, ad agencies, production companies and video game developers. In addition to being recognised for its globally celebrated visual effects, Framestore has more recently made its name as an innovator in the digital space by focusing on the immersive engagement potential of interactive visual effects. 

About Google Arts & Culture 
Google Arts & Culture puts the collections of more than 2,000 museums at your fingertips. It's an immersive way to explore art, history and the wonders of the world, from Van Gogh's bedroom paintings to the women's rights movement and the Taj Mahal. The Google Arts & Culture app is free and available online for iOS and Android.  Our team has been an innovation partner for cultural institutions since 2011. We develop technologies that help preserve and share culture and allow curators to create engaging exhibitions online and offline, inside museums. Read about our latest projects on the Google Keyword blog. 

About On Purpose Group 
Partnership brought together by On Purpose Group. On Purpose Group develops ground-breaking, high-impact content that encourages people to change their behaviour for the benefit of the planet. 

WIZARDING WORLD and all related trademarks, characters, names, and indicia are © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Publishing Rights © JKR. (s20)