The Harry Potter stories it derived from, but it also forgot one key thing that made the earlier movies magic. Fantastic Beasts is expected to end after its third installment despite the original plan for five films. Other spinoffs have been successful, however, so it seems the lack of the original Harry Potter magic in Fantastic Beasts only adds to its failures in expanding the Wizarding World.
One thing Fantastic Beasts forgot to include was the wizarding costumes, which were part of what made Harry Potter magic. The opening of the first Harry Potter book stresses what the wizards look like and the long colorful robes they wear. The introduction of Dumbledore and McGonagall in chapter one describes how odd they look compared to the "proper" residents of Privet Drive, especially how they contrast to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The costumes are a huge part of the Wizarding World, and a big feature of what makes them so different from muggles, but this is not continued in Fantastic Beasts.
Why Do Fantastic Beasts' Wizards Dress So Differently From Harry Potter's?
There has never been any official explanation as to why wizards don't wear robes in the Fantastic Beasts movies. Dumbledore is the biggest example of this change, as in Harry Potter he wears the most elaborate robes, but in the poor-performing Fantastic Beasts movies, he is usually in smart three-piece suits. One reason for the change in costumes could be that Fantastic Beasts is mainly set in America and their wizarding fashion in the 1920s might have been aimed at blending in with Muggles (or No-Majs) out of fear of being found out. American wizards seem to blend in with Muggles more than English wizards. No equivalent of Diagon Alley is shown in Fantastic Beasts, so they probably needed to not stick out so much.
This would not explain Dumbledore’s clothing, though, and wizarding robes are only seen on Hogwarts students in Fantastic Beasts. Wizards do not even wear robes to the American Ministry of Magic, despite it being a safe wizarding space. Flashbacks of Richard Harris's original Dumbledore in The Chamber of Secrets showed him still wearing robes at Hogwarts 50 years prior, yet Fantastic Beasts stripped away this side of the Wizarding World. Even if it was to blend the American wizards in more, that does not explain the Hogwarts staff, Dumbledore, and Newt’s clothing. Another reason could just be because Fantastic Beasts wanted to mix up the Wizarding World a bit and go for a new look, as wizards wear a mix of Muggle clothing and robes in the Harry Potter movies while Fantastic Beasts decided to go for all Muggle clothing.
Fantastic Beasts' Wizarding World Has None Of The Real Magic
Wizards have a big link to the history and tradition that their magic stems from, and this can be seen throughout Harry Potter but is lost in Fantastic Beasts, failing the Wizarding World franchise. Harry Potter’s magic is unattainable in the ordinary world, which makes it so special, and it shows big parts of wizarding life in a normal context, such as riding a broom or asking your crush out to a magical yule ball. Fantastic Beasts focuses a lot on the storyline and misses out on showing more of the Wizarding World, instead using what Harry Potter has already set up or something that is beneficial to the plot. The wizarding robes are a big example of this, as they are not necessary to the Harry Potter plot, but they show the magical side of the Wizarding World that Fantastic Beasts fails to continue.
