Weta Cast is a brilliant podcast created by the folks at Weta.  This episode features a pair of interviews with a couple of guys you may have heard of: Richard Taylor and Shane Rangi.

Richard Taylor is behind the weapons and armor you see in both The Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Shane Rangi is a great friend to NarniaFans.com, and he played at least seven roles in Prince Caspian as well as a couple in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe including both major Minotaurs: Asterius and Otmin.

Download and listen to Weta Cast here

Thanks to Magnus for writing us about it!

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The Crafting Of Narnia won Kids Choice at The NZ Post Book Awards for Children and Young Adults! Weta has a limited supply of books signed by Paul Tobin and Daniel Falconer!

Written and designed by the artists of Weta and published by HarperCollins, this book chronicles the stunning concept drawings, designs and props that helped shape the world of Narnia in cinematic glory.

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WETA has been nominated for the 2009 Children’s and Young Adults Book Awards, for their book ‘The Crafting of Narnia.’

Congratulations WETA!  You deserve it!

Before you can film a fantasy movie, you must create an authentic world. What kind of weather is found within, what would the buildings be made of, what creatures populate its land, and what is the history behind its people? For every stunning frame of film, there have been countless hours of work to create such majesty. And what a task to bring to the screen one of the world’s most beloved children’s series, C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia.

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When they talk about “living the dream”, they are talking about people like Weta guru Richard Taylor. He loves movies, he loves making things for movies, and he’s just completed work on the latest Narnia, Prince Caspian.

All the visual effects magicians at Weta have been toiling away to bring Prince Caspian and all the other inhabitants of Narnia to life.

They have also been in the weapons business, creating swords and armour for the Nanian and Telmarine armies.

Kate Rodger had a secret tour of Weta’s off-limits weapons store, and talked all things Narnia with Richard Taylor.

Watch the full, uncut interview.

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Weta recently opened its “Weta Cave” to give visitors something cool to see when they make the journey to the gentle neighborhood in Wellington where one of the world’s most important film special effects houses sits. This Sunday the already must-visit destination is the site of a pretty incredible afternoon celebrating the New Zealand release of “Prince Caspian.”

“To celebrate the New Zealand release of Disney’s and Walden Media’s “The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian”, Weta has pulled together an exciting afternoon for curious visitors and Narnia fans at the Weta Cave. The programme is FREE and Weta invites everybody to come along and have a great time with Weta artists and craftsmen.

This is a unique opportunity to see what goes into the crafting of the art of Weta and we encourage everyone to drop by and take part in what is set to be an incredible afternoon!

The event is also hot on the heels of the release of “The Crafting Of Narnia” (book) in New Zealand and there will be an opportunity to get purchased copies signed on the day.

Programme:

1pm – 2pm

Book Signing of The Crafting Of Narnia with Richard Taylor and Weta Designers and Technicians

1pm – 4pm

Sculpting demonstration by Weta sculptor Eden Small

2.15pm – 2.45pm &

3.15pm – 3.45pm

Conceptual Design demonstration by Weta Designer Paul Tobin

3pm – 3.30 pm

Meet the swordsmith – Weta swordsmith Peter Lyons shows the swords of Narnia and talks about the art of sword making

- On this day ONLY: Narnia weapons and props on display in the Weta Cave

- An exclusive Weta Cave “behind-the-scenes” video takes you inside Weta

- Art, collectibles and apparel in the Weta Cave

Come and meet the artists and craftspeople who helped bring Narnia to life!

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WETA wrote us today, telling us about the latest issue of Toy Collector Magazine, that is currently available for download.

There’s a terrific article about WETA’s Prince Caspian line of toys, followed by a small one about the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe line from a couple of years ago.

Here’s an excerpt:

CS. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia has been a classic in the realm of fantasy since The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe first hit bookshelves in 1949. The storyline follows the adventures of four London children who are sent to a professor’s country home to put them out of harm’s way during World War II. There they discover a magic wardrobe that leads to a mystical land – Narnia – whose ruler is a malevolent witch.

In late 2005, the movie version of Lewis’ fantasy tale joined the ranks of highest-earning films of all time with a worldwide box office take of almost $745 million. Along with the amazing film, titled The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, came more Narnia merchandise than even the literary genius C.S. Lewis ever could have imagined. Toy stores were filled with action figures and role-play toys, and the shelves of collectors were adorned with some of the finest statues and replica weapons ever made.

A couple of years may have passed, but with last month’s release of the new Narnia film, Prince Caspian, the hunger for collectibles based on Lewis’ characters is as strong as ever. Whether you are looking for toys for the kids, or a high-end collectible that you’d never let your kids near, there’s something for everyone coming to market in the next couple months.

Download the full article here. It starts on page 61.

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Prince Caspian, the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia, commits himself to battle, leading his fellow Narnians into combat. Astride his bay steed he charges, sword in hand, determined to depose the treacherous King Miraz and the oppressive Telmarines and at long last bring peace and prosperity to all Narnians.

Today, on the day of the World Premiere, Weta launches the third piece from Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Weta Concept Designer Paul Tobin designed this feature piece, with inspiration drawn from the works of Western artist Frederic Remington. It was then sculpted by Eden Small and Daniel Cockersell.

This sculpture joins a long Weta tradition of much admired equestrian statues, and in an edition limited to ONLY 500 WORLDWIDE, Prince Caspian In Battle is set to become immensely collectible. It’s available for pre-order and will be delivered in July/August.

Background:

Weta is a multi Academy Award-winning company based in Wellington, New Zealand, that rose to international fame with the creation of Middle-Earth for The Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Since then, the art of Weta has been seen in a number of films such as King Kong, The Last Samurai and The Chronicles of Narnia. The artists who create our collectibles are the same artists who work on these movies.

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Minotaur Bust
Special Preorder Offer
USD $117.00 RRP:USD $130.00
NZD $152.10 RRP:NZD $169.00
GBP £58.50 RRP:GBP £65.00
All prices exclude New Zealand GST of 12.5%
Item Number: 00021

Forced into hiding for centuries by the relentless advance of the Telmarines, the Minotaurs and their Narnian brethren have been biding their time, waiting for the chance to emerge from myth and shadow and take back their land. Now – united in arms under the banner of Prince Caspian, their hour has come! Leading the charge into battle, the Minotaurs fight for justice, freedom and to reinstate the rightful heir to the throne of Narnia.

Designed as a high end collectible by Weta artist Stephen Crowe, who also designed armour and weaponry for the film, the Minotaur bust from Disney’s The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian was sculpted by Weta veteran Jamie Beswarick, and exudes power and determination, a superb follow-up piece to the energetic Warrior Satyr statue already announced.

Dimensions: 15″ H x 7″ W x 7.8″ D (380mm x 180mm x 200mm).

Available in a STRICTLY LIMITED EDITION OF 350 World Wide.

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The first piece in the range of collectibles for Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian that Weta announced earlier this month is now available to pre-order from Weta’s website.

The Warrior Satyr is based on a concept drawing by Weta designer Stephen Crowe: “I wanted quite an action-filled piece, and the real challenge was conveying that sense of movement and force in a static collectible. I wanted the Satyr to look defiant, as though he were in mid charge, about to attack.”

The statue is available in a strictly limited edition of only 300, so Weta recommend getting in early!

Further preview and pre-order announcements will be sent to Weta’s mailing list. Sign up at www.wetanz.com/mailinglist

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Following the success of their debut range from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Weta have once again teamed up with Disney Consumer Products and the talented technicians who worked on the highly anticipated sequel releasing this summer, The Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian, to create a line of statues and miniatures based on the film.

The Weta range features limited edition polystone statues of iconic characters from the film, including Prince Caspian himself, the irrepressible warrior mouse Reepicheep and a Satyr in mid battle. Also included in the first pieces of the range is a 1/5th scale mini-bust of the Minotaur, and a collection of 1/4th scale miniature helmets, based on the full sized costume pieces Weta’s artists designed and built for the Chronicles of Narnia films.

Weta Concept Designer Paul Tobin designed the feature piece, ‘Prince Caspian In Battle’, in which the film’s title character charges into battle on horseback with his sword raised in defiance. Paul found inspiration in the works of Western artist Frederic Remington. “The intention behind this sculpture was to capture Prince Caspian galloping to war on his horse, as featured in the film’s climactic battle”, recounts Paul. “Many of Remington’s pieces feature beautiful horse sculptures. The pose, the action and the drama were all inspired by Remington. He captures an epic sense of drama and the excitement of a Western and that’s what I wanted to convey in this Weta piece.”

Working closely with Disney and their production team, Weta designed and created many of the props and costuming for the sequel, gaining a unique insight into the world of Narnia. This was invaluable for designer Nick Keller, who designed both Reepicheep’s sword, seen in the film, and the Weta statue of this special character.

Designer Stephen Crowe conceptualised the action poses of both the ‘Warrior Satyr’ statue and the ‘Minotaur’ bust. He says it was great fun creating dynamic battle pieces. “I wanted quite an action-filled piece, and the real challenge was conveying that sense of movement and force in a static collectible. I wanted both pieces to look defiant, as though they are in mid charge, about to attack.”

The Weta range of collectibles will also feature a limited edition number of ¼ scale Miniature Helmets, based on those worn by key characters and creatures from both films, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian.

Images, pricing, edition sizes and release dates will be revealed at a later date. For updates, visit www.wetanz.com.

ABOUT THE PIECES

Statues

Prince Caspian statue
Designed by Paul Tobin
Sculpted by Eden Small and Daniel Cockersell

Warrior Satyr
Sculpted by Bill Hunt
Designed by Stephen Crowe
For a sneak preview of the Warrior Satyr, please see:
www.wetanz.com/princecaspian/satyr

Reepicheep
Designed by Nick Keller
Sculpted by Greg Tozer

Mini-Bust

Minotaur Bust
Designed by Stephen Crowe
Sculpted by Jamie Beswarick

Helmets

Six Mini Helmets
¼ scale miniature helmets based on Prince Caspian and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Each helmet, approx 3-4 inches, not including base.
Themed base (same for all helmets)

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