Now, I don't want to stir the pot with a big ol' conspiracy theory or anything, but I am 1000 percent convinced that the Beauty and the Beast trailer contained a secret Harry Potter reference just for me. Like, the rest of you are welcome to look at it too, but, deep in my heart of hearts, I know that it was a message directly from my girl Emma Watson to me. And that message was, "As long as I am on this great green Earth, I will continue to pay homage to Hermione Granger and the Harry Potter franchise proper."
Because just think about it. Another character whose storyline takes place in a drafty old castle with magic and spells and old-timey portraits and enchanted furniture? This cannot possibly be a coincidence; I refuse to accept that possibility. It's a love letter to me and my obsession with the trifecta that is Harry Potter, Emma Watson, and the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, and it doesn't fall upon deaf ears, let me tell you.
From the beginning to the end, the minute-and-a-half long trailer was packed with Wizarding World references, and I picked up every single one you were setting down, Disney. That first sweeping shot of the castle might as well have been a wink and a nudge for how much it resembled Hogwarts, and I wasn't the only one who thought so.
And that end shot, as well? You think I don't remember the fact that the Beast's entire survival hinges upon that enchanted rose? AKA that it's incredibly dangerous for anyone to touch it? How is that not a reference to dangerous Potterworld plants like the Venomous Tentacula or the Mandrake?
I see you, Disney, and I can't wait to find out how you work in the concept of the Time Turner to make sure that Belle has time to build a relationship with the Beast without taking time off from her full course load at Beauxbatons.
Images: Disney Movie Trailers/YouTube
