'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' acquaints the audience with most of the major characters of the Wizarding World franchise, almost none of whom - besides Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris) - appear in the 'Fantastic Beasts' series. Not only is it a canonically earlier storyline, it offers vivid backstories for many characters who later figure in the 'Harry Potter' series. However, it still makes the most sense to watch the 'Fantastic Beasts' series first. There are obviously many carry-over elements between it and the 'Harry Potter' movies, but the actual storyline isn't all that closely connected. Here, he's just as brilliant and skilled, but mired in entirely different conflicts from the ones he faces in the 'Harry Potter' movies.įor the most part, the 'Fantastic Beasts' series stands on its own. One of the most important things it does is clearly establish the prominence and prestige of Albus Dumbledore, whose legendary reputation is seen from an entirely new angle. However, the film does contain many stand-alone arcs and story moments. This leaves room for more sequels in the future. Interestingly, this movie does not close out either Grindelwald's storyline or that of Credence Barebone, now revealed to be Credence Dumbledore.

Harry potter series order