Dame Maggie Smith has passed away at age 89.
Although she leaves a decades’ long legacy in screen and theater, two of her most well-known recent roles were Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey and, of course, Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies. As one of the most important characters in the series, McGonagall’s defining abilities include being an “Animagus,” a witch or wizard who can shapeshift into an animal. The word was created by the author for the series, but shapeshifters, particularly those who can transform into animals, have been around well before the book series.
In memory of Smith, as well as a celebration of the coming spooky season, here are 10 random and geeky facts about shapeshifters in pop culture who focus on animals forms:
1. The rare Animagus ability possessed by McGonagall allows a wizard to turn into an animal anytime they want, but they don’t get to select the animal. Still, McGonagall’s tabby cat is cool, because you can recognize it is McGonagall by its specific markings, including square “spectacle markings” around its eyes. This detail wasn’t seen in the movie version, but Minerva is still cool cat.
2. Alas, even the wizard world isn’t free from government regulations, as British Ministry of Magic Registry Service, under the Improper Use of Magic Office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, all witches and wizards with Animagus abilities have to register this ability. If you don’t, it is Azkaban Prison for you. Seems a bit harsh for not telling people you can be calico cat, like one witch was.
3. Shortly before the Harry Potter world was introduced, there was another series featuring animal shapeshifters ’90s kids might remember: Animorphs. This story of teenagers who fight an alien race with their ability to change into the animals they touch, was written by married couple, Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant under the pen named K.A. Applegate. The series ran more than 50 issues from 1996 to 2001, but much of the books in the later half of the series were ghost written.
4. Not being able to choose which animal you shapeshift into, might also help unfairly decide your course direction in superhero high school. In the 2005 Disney movie Sky High, Magenta’s ability to shapeshift—into a guinea pig—relegates her to “sidekick” status, but she later demonstrates the power and importance of her ability.
5. There are plenty of shapeshifting heroes and villains in comic books, including those who can transform into other people, as well as manipulate and contort their bodies in extreme ways. As far as animal shapeshifters, one of the most popular is Teen Titans member, Beast Boy. Not only can he change into any animal on Earth, but also animals no longer on Earth… like dinosaurs!
6. Mythology from all over the world often includes at least one animal shapeshifter. The Navajo yee naaldlooshii, referring to one who walks by four legs, is the language’s term for skin-walker. These are more like witches than werewolves, as they can choose to change their shape, but wolves are a common animal of choice in folklore about skin-walkers.
7. If you watch modern K-Dramas, the Gumiho, the Nine-Tailed Fox, is often a shape-shifting romantic character. Yet in Yokai lore they are known as masters of deception and trickery as well. If you meet one, be careful before falling in love. They might bring you good fortune… or certain doom. You get a good look at character Shin Woo-Yeo’s fox self only in the opening episode of 2021 My Roommate is a Gumiho.
8. Back to the wizard world, many readers know the foursome of Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prong consist of Animagi Peter Pettigrew (rat), Sirius Black (dog), and James Potter (deer). Werewolf Remus Lupin, however, is not technically Animagus. Werewolves don’t get to choose when they change, nor do they retain much of their human intellect in animal form.
9. Whether by choice or not, werewolves are certainly shapeshifters, and have been the subject of several movies, books, comics, and television series. The original Universal Monsters 1941 classic Wolf Man is even getting another reboot next year. One of things that made the classic cool is onscreen chemistry. That is between Larry Talbot and the “wolf” he fights. It was played by actor Lon Chaney Jr.’s own German Shepherd, Moose.
10. Wolves aren’t the only animal to plague humans in this way. Werebeasts include the “Were-Rabbit”of Wallace & Gromit fame, a popular children’s book series launched in 2019 Curse of the Were-Penguin, wereboars, werebears, and many others. With Halloween coming up, don’t forget the werecat Michael Jackson becomes in his music video/short film Thriller, directed by John Landis who also directed American Werewolf in London.
Godspeed, Maggie Smith, and to everyone who has and still brings us magic in this world.
Always be kind to animals. You never know what secrets they hold.
