Narnia Fans » Cair Paravel

Prince Caspian Official Illustrated Movie Companion

Title: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion.
Author: Ernie Malik
Publisher: HarperOne

ISBN-13: 978-0061435607

Summary of the book:

The film adaptations of the Chronicles of Narnia are some of the most anticipated movies ever. Ernie Malik looks at the making of the second film in the series, “Prince Caspian”. From preproduction, to filming to post production this book goers every aspect of the filming of the movie, complete with exclusive behind the scenes photos from the movie.

Review of the book:

It was almost a given that with the success of the first film in the Narnia series, that a second would follow. This book looks at the making of the film and is great not only for film buffs interested in the process, but for fans of Narnia who want to know more about their new favorite movie.

The book begins with forwards from Andrew Adamson, Douglas Gresham and Mark Johnson. Appropriately it concludes with an afterward by newcomer Ben Barnes, who plays the titular prince. These forwards and afterwards are very inviting and welcoming and immerse you in the action of the film making process and make you eager for not only Prince Caspian, but for the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

As expected the book has many biographies on the cast and crew, complete with great photos. This includes some amazing shots of Will, Anna, Skander and Georgie, who, in my opinion are looking more and more like Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie and less like a bunch of actors and actresses chosen to play them.

Readers discover that the four young stars didn’t let their success on the first film go to their heads. What’s more these kids are clearly very good friends with each other, which will help so much in their performances in the film.

The new cast member profiles as just as enjoyable as the ones on the returning cast members. Ben Barnes recounts how he became the “fifth Pevensie” and fit right into their already jelled group of friends. This is great news for us fans when we go to the movie. If he can’t fit into the mix, then the movie would be a bust, but if he seems natural with them, the magic can continue. He even recounts how he grew so close to them that at times Will grew angry at him as it seemed Ben was usurping his role as Georgie’s on set older brother.

Warwick Davis recounts his work on the BBC Narnia films and how much he enjoys being back working on Narnia. There’s even a humorous anecdote about how on his first day on set, Howard Berger, blasted the Ewok theme from Return of the Jedi ( Davis played Wicket, the main Ewok who befriends Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) over the speakers on set to welcome him.

The book goes into full detail about the whole production process from making the props and costumes to designing the creatures. They continually emphasis how everything in Prince Caspian should feel more “used” and “worn out” as opposed to how new and fresh it all felt in the first film.

Casting is described to be just as hard as it was with the first film. The hardest character to design and cast ended up being Reepicheep who was cast at the time the book was being finished. From what we’ve scene already in trailers and sneak peaks, when you read this book, you’ll be glad they did.

The behind the scenes photos are visually stunning and at times are funny to see. You’ll see things like tennis balls, or fake lion heads standing in for creatures like Reepicheep or Aslan. There’s even one of the four Pevensies standing on their marks at the ruins of Cair Paravel, with Anna and Georgie in very modern sandals. In the case of Georgie, they are a clearly oversized pair of sandals.

And of course, lest I forget, our own Paul Martin is mentioned in the Special Thanks section in the back of the book as he helped contribute some information for the book.

This books is nothing short of an exciting look at the magic behind the magic of the Prince Caspian film. It was well written, well researched, the photos were great and in short it had everything you need in a “behind the scenes book.”It is certainly well worth the read. However, when you buy it, make sure to read it after you see the film. There is plenty of juicy spoiler info inside. One thing becomes more sure after reading this book, you will want them to make the rest of the series.

Five out of five shields.

Fans of The Chronicles of Narnia will get to experience two unique film scenes only one way – on their home consoles or Windows-based PC. Disney Interactive Studios announced today that two original scenes for Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game were filmed exclusively for the product and appear separately from the film. The unique scenes link The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian stories with Dr. Cornelius (Vincent Grass) telling Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) the story of how Narnia fell to the Telmarines hundreds of years ago.

The scenes were shot on the film set in Prague, Czech Republic, during principal shooting and feature dialogue revealing plot based on the events of the book, game and film. The creation of the live action content was directed by Andrew Adamson, the film’s director. The two original scenes are part of 18 live action moments in the game, which include 16 excerpts from the feature film.

“The special filmed content that is exclusive to the video game provides insight into Narnia and the events around the ‘Prince Caspian’ story like nothing else,” said Andrew Adamson. “With movie fans’ enthusiasm for unique experiences in video games as well, these scenes are ideal to complement the ‘Prince Caspian’ game’s action.”

The England-based game production and development teams worked in cooperation with the London-based film crew and Andrew Adamson to assure the game’s overall accuracy to the film. Capturing two original scenes was only possible through the collaborative partnership between Disney Interactive Studios; and Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.

“The close partnerships we maintain with our film division and Walden Media allowed us to utilize the cast, crew and set to create two unique scenes exclusively for the video game,” said Ed Bainbridge, vice president of European production, Disney Interactive Studios. “These entertaining and memorable scenes enable us to portray a part of the Narnia history that is drawn from the fiction and played out in the game.”

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii™ home video game system, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Windows-based PC. A separate Nintendo DS™ version will also be available.

Developed by Traveller’s Tales, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for home consoles and Windows-based PC takes players throughout Narnia and includes a gameplay level, which is unique from both the novel and the film. The level, which is set between the events of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian,” takes place at the castle of Cair Paravel and tells the story of how Narnia fell to the Telmarine hordes. In “Prince Caspian,” Cair Paravel is seen only as abandoned ruins the Pevensies discover hundreds of years later.

The action/adventure game offers gameplay for one or two players on the same system and drop-in/drop-out features, allowing either player to join the game and leave. With combat, exploration and puzzle solving that extends beyond the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the ideal complement to the movie-going experience. The game features more than 20 playable characters including the ability to play as Prince Caspian. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian console game is the sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for consoles, which received the prestigious IGN.com Editor’s Choice Award.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS, which is an action/role playing game, will include the debut of DGamer, Disney Interactive Studios’ innovative new technology that provides a fun, connected game community for Disney video game fans. With DGamer, players earn content, interact and chat with others on Nintendo DS through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or on a computer through the Disney.com website. DGamer will be offered in North America in future Nintendo DS games from Disney Interactive Studios with a future launch scheduled in other global regions. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS and DGamer are being developed by Fall Line Studio, the Nintendo platform-dedicated development studio of Disney Interactive Studios.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for consoles and Windows PC is rated T for Teen by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and will be available for Xbox 360, the PLAYSTATION 3 system and Wii for $49.99; and the PLAYSTATION 2 system and Windows-based PC for $29.99. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for the Nintendo DS has an ESRB rating of E10+ for Everyone 10 years and older and will be available for $29.99.

For more information about The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game, log on to www.princecaspiangame.com.

Those who long to spend their days in Narnia will be able to revisit as old heroes return 1,300 years later and a new hero must rise. Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game will be released at retail stores throughout the United States in time for the film’s May 16, 2008, opening, Disney Interactive Studios announced today.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian video game will be available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, the Wii system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Nintendo DS™ and Windows-based PC.

Developed by Traveller’s Tales, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for home consoles and Windows-based PC takes players throughout Narnia and includes a level, which is unique from both the novel and the film. The level, which is set between the events of “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” and “Prince Caspian,” takes place at the castle of Cair Paravel and tells the story of how Narnia fell to the Telmarine hordes. In “Prince Caspian,” Cair Paravel is seen only as abandoned ruins the Pevensies discover hundreds of years later.

The action/adventure game offers gameplay for one or two players on the same system and drop-in/drop-out features, allowing either player to join the game and leave. With combat, exploration and puzzle solving that extends beyond the film, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is the ideal complement to the movie-going experience. The game features more than 20 playable characters including the ability to play as Prince Caspian. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game is the sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe for consoles, which received the prestigious IGN.com Editor’s Choice Award.

“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian game is an epic adventure that provides memorable experiences as it takes players throughout the familiar areas of Narnia from the second film,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Fans of the films and books will re-live the excitement, the battles and the memorable characters while going beyond the events of the film.”

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS, which is an action/role playing game, will debut DGamer, Disney Interactive Studios’ innovative new technology that provides a fun, connected game community for Disney video game fans. With DGamer, players earn content, interact and chat with others on Nintendo DS through the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection or on a computer through the Disney.com website. DGamer will be offered in North America in future Nintendo DS games from Disney Interactive Studios with a future launch scheduled in other global regions. Prince Caspian for Nintendo DS is being developed by Fall Line Studio, the Nintendo platform-dedicated development studio of Disney Interactive Studios.

Narniaweb has interviewed Henrik Tamm. Tamm worked as a concept artist on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and is currently working on Prince Caspian. You can also see some of his fantastic concept art pieces.

NW: For how long did you work on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe?

HT: I spent about two years on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I worked from the very beginning in January 2003 in Glendale, CA when we were just a few people. I then travelled with the production to New Zealand in early 2004. At that point the production had grown manyfold, and it finally felt like this film was taking shape. We had our offices at an airforce base outside Auckland. Sets started getting built and actors in funny outfits were wandering around. It was all very fun. Every department was busy doing what they do, all working toward the same goal. Somehow all this frenetic creative work came together to make the film. Andrew was very involved through the whole process, guiding all the departments to shape one unified vision. Let’s just say the man was very busy!

We returned to Los Angeles for post production in January 2005. At that point a lot of the work still remained. Much of the film had to be created digitally with Visual Effects, since so much of the story involved talking animals and fantastic, huge scale sets. At that point my position had changed from Concept Artist to Visual Effects Art Director, essentially carrying the look of the film through into the Visual Effects portions. The design for both Cair Paravel and the White Witch’s castle still remained to be finalized. We had gone through several renditions at that point, never quite hitting on what Andrew wanted. I spent most of my remaining time on those two locations. My engagement finally ended in April 2005. At that point I believe only the editor was left, besides Andrew himself, who had started on the project before me and was still there.

[Narniaweb for the rest]

The newest episode of NarniaFansCast has just been released! Join John and Roger as they discuss the news, talk about the upcoming movie, and answer questions submitted by YOU! Also included is a new short story by John called “The Other Magician”

This week, the hosts discuss :
~James McAvoy not appearing in Prince Caspian,
~A possible Prince Caspian video game, and
~The look of Cair Paravel in the next movie.

The hosts will also be announcing the runner-ups questions in our Ask-A-Question Contest!

There are a number of ways where you can listen to NarniaFansCast:
Click Here to subscribe through iTunes
Click Here for a direct link.

If you have a question that you would like to be answered on the show, please send them to NFC AT narniafans dot com

If you are interested in transcribing or editing our shows, send an email to NFC AT narniafans dot com with your name, age and why you would like to be on our staff. If you are applying to be an editor, please also include a sample of your work.

C.S. Lewis’ masterpiece comes to life! IM your friends with Narnia as your background. Choose 100 years of winter or bring spring to Cair Paravel. Meet the White Witch and Aslan, the great lion. Buzz your friends and bring a little chill to the conversation. When you buzz your friends, it tell you how many days until Narnia hits theatres.

This week I visit in the evening. One film crew is working early morning until mid-afternoon; the second unit starts at 1 pm and works until 1 am. Before seeing them, I have a look at some places that are starting to look familiar – the courtyard of the Witch’s house, and the great hall of Cair Paravel. The courtyard has the same feel as the audience hall I saw the other week – heavy, gloomy architecture loaded with ice and snow. The icicles are made of fiberglass. The sharp smell of fiberglass fills the courtyard. It’s an exciting smell that I remember from the past, when I would watch my brother hatch a new kayak out of its mould, all ready to paint and finish. You can make so many things out of fiberglass that the very smell of it seems ripe with imagination.

What a team of eleven sculptors has made for Narnia are dozens of creatures: Narnians who have been frozen into stone by the Witch. They’re amazing sculptures – somehow their surfaces are deeply textured, with the fur matted up into sharp points like wet hair, and yet completely grey and lifeless. I can see from a bear’s broken paw that each creature is built around a polystyrene core with the fiberglass forming a rind on the outside. But it’s incredibly detailed modeling, and the poses are lifelike. You can see eyes, hair, teeth, all in the same grey stone-like substance. The expressions of fear and despair on their faces are vivid and unsettling.

The courtyard is snowy with strangely waxy but realistic-looking fake snow. A dead tree hung with icicles stands in the middle of it, with a stone eagle frozen onto it. Other creatures are scattered about, paused in violent action. I see a male and female centaur, a bear, a panther, a griffin, a giant (modeled on a real big guy, I hear), and a faun. I can’t confirm whether he is Tumnus, who might suffer that fate after his time in the dungeon. There is a lioness. I don’t see a stone lion for Aslan to wake. He may have been there earlier – according to my guide Ernie, there were around 70 stone creatures here when they were filming. Now this set is ready to demolish, and many of the stone creatures have been moved down to the South Island where they’ll be part of the great battle scene.

Read the rest at TheOneLion.

MAJOR Spoiler Warning! Do not read unless you have read “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

Sacrifice is a major theme, if not the major theme, of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series. It is the essence of giving up one’s self for the sake of another, a gift that usually is a saving gift, that kind of sacrafice is the theme most prominent in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The Chronicles of Narnia is an allegorically written series, but the The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has a more direct parellel to real life events than any other novel in the series. This is due to the fact that Lewis believed, as do I, that the greatest sacrifice, and I dare say the greatest example of all, was the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross.

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe the main occurrence of sacrifice comes from the lion Aslan. In the story, Aslan pays the blood-debt owed to the White Witch instead of Edmund pouring out his own blood for his mistakes. Edmund was spared a horrible death at the hands of the White Witch. Aslan, who did nothing wrong, was humiliated, tortured and killed because of Edmund’s betrayal. Aslan loved Edmund so much that he took Edmund’s place and paid the debt. It was the same for Jesus. He took our place on the cross and paid our debt, for our sins because He loved us. It’s because of Jesus that we can have eternal life in heaven to share with him. We have only to accept His free gift of salvation.

In the end it was because of Aslan that the prophecy of Cair Paravel was fulfilled. Both Jesus and Aslan made incredible sacrifices on the behalf of the unworthy because of their amazing love. Yet the most amazing part both stories share is their happy, hopeful endings. Aslan knew of the deeper magic, and because he was innocent, even though he was slain; he rose from the dead. He then freed the Witc’s captives from their prison’s of stone, and won the war against the White Witch.

Just as Aslan did, Jesus also rose from the dead, but He set us free from the prison of sin, and death; which is the ultimate result of unforgiven sin. But the most amazing detail of the story of Jesus is that it really happened. Lewis knew that there is no greater sacrifice than to lay down your life for another. He portrays the true story of Jesus in the life and death of Aslan. And what a beautiful portrayal it is.

Undoubtedly the most heroic gesture is the sacrifice made by Jesus in the form of his counterpart Aslan, that makes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe such a powerful yet entertaining story.

Jennyjenjen56

Gloomy Halls and Golden Pillars

SPOILERS!
Note: I’ve cut out much of the detail. For the full article, visit the source link.

The Witch’s House. The architecture is not exactly spiky, but the details on the walls are full of angles, like Art Deco only more threatening. Ranks of icebound pillars march down either side of the hall, and stalactites hang from above. It is truly a winter palace.

It’s a place designed to put the White Witch’s subjects in their place. The main floor is a sunken court surrounded by steps on all sides – no doubt the Queen’s guards and bullies can look down from there onto anyone standing before her throne.

The throne itself is an angular heavy thing, once again looking like Art Deco furniture gone subtly wrong, and it sits on a platform well above the floor of the hall. A huge white fur rug is thrown carelessly across it. When somebody is sitting in that throne, there is no question of who is the boss in this place. The rest of the hall is utterly without comfort. It is empty.

Cair Paravel. Plaster pillars are being cast and decorated for another set. Nothing could be more different from the pillars of the Witch’s hall. These ones are rounded and beautifully proportioned, and they are painted to look like marble of a soft and delicate green colour. There are lots of curves and spirals that seem ready to spring to life. In some cultures, (like the New Zealand Maori, for instance) spirals are a symbol of life and growth. Such things will go into the set for Cair Paravel, and their colours and forms seem full of a Spring-like energy. They should form a perfect opposition to the cold and deadly architecture of the Witch’s house.

Edmund’s Rescue. On my last visit, I’d heard that the other children were fleeing across the melting ice with the Beavers on their way to rescue Edmund from this dungeon. More than one worried correspondent had written to ask whether this meant that Aslan’s role would be downplayed. What if Aslan doesn’t rescue Edmund? I’m able to ask film’s publicist, Ernie Malik, about this apparent plot change. He stresses that the film follows C.S. Lewis’s works very closely and keeps its themes intact. The official word on that is, Lamp Post Productions confirms that Edmund’s rescue is very faithful to Lewis’ book.

Edmund may be imprisoned, and the children may intend to rescue him, but apparently they do not carry out their plan. The Beavers are there, after all, to warn them not to attempt it. There is time for Edmund to be taken away on the dreadful sleigh journey by the Witch first, and her plans for him can be thwarted by Aslan as in the book. Certainly the Stone Table exists for Aslan’s pivotal scene, and film crews have been working around it for over two weeks.

Mr. Tumnus’ Role. What is interesting is that nobody’s denied that at some point Tumnus is imprisoned with Edmund, instead of spending most of the story as a frozen statue in the Witch’s courtyard. I think this may add up to some additional scenes that don’t detract from the book. After all, if the film has a fine actor like James McAvoy playing Tumnus, it’s a shame to have him appear only in one scene near the beginning, when he invites Lucy to tea, and then let him disappear from the film until near the end. It would make sense to give us more time with the character of Tumnus. He is a typical Narnian, and the audience has to get a chance to care about Narnians and their fate. If Edmund spends time imprisoned with Tumnus, we may see him realise that he has been misled by the Witch. He must see that the nature of Narnian creatures is very different to what she made him believe. Perhaps in that dungeon he will finally realise what he has done by betraying them. That could be a very emotional moment. It would lead naturally to his moment of pity later on when he sees the Witch turn other innocent creatures into stone. One of the themes of the book is Edmund’s learning to feel sorry for others besides himself, and the movie won’t suffer from spending time on that.

THE WHITE WITCH’S GREAT HALL

The next soundstage we visited was the White Witch’s Great Hall, as they’ve come to call it. It was a colossal completely iced over ballroom-like locale which showcased at the far end her glorious and immense throne (naturally larger than normal as the witch is larger than humans, as mentioned in the book). Huge columns surrounded the room and a large green screen enveloped the entire background of the area as they intend to make the room even larger in scope and feel. A crewmember was walking around with a special video-recorder capturing every angle and dimension of the place, which was in turn being fed into a nearby computer. This would allow them free reign to manipulate the entire 3D range of the witch’s hall. All that to say it would look even more grandiose than it already was. Again, having just pictured this room a little earlier during my reading, I was happily surprised to see the vision they ended up with for this place. This is the room in which Edmund shows up about halfway through the book, without his siblings, much to the dismay and fury of the Witch. That scene, we were told, had already been shot.

THE GREAT ICE RIVER FLOW

Next, we were brought to a soundstage that can best be described as a frozen over waterfall or ‘The Great Ice Flow River” as they’ve come to dub it. It’s here where they shot the sequence in which the wolves are in pursuit of the children. This is one of the scenes that isn’t, word for word, from the book. The children will basically be cornered on a large chunk of ice on the river, surrounded by wolves at which point one of them will pull out the staff Father Christmas had given to him before, puncture the ice and break free into the river, away from the predators. Dean Wright, the movie’s visual effects supervisor expanded a little regarding this particular set:

“Also, the kids come upon a frozen waterfall and that’s going to be a huge sequence for us because we’re going to use a combination of miniatures and CG ice, CG water and all that stuff and as the kids run across the ice, the idea is it gets more and more precarious for them. We’ll have ice cracking and water gushing and all sorts of craziness will be going on around while they’re trying to make their way across the waterfalls.“

CAIR PARAVEL

Off to the side we spotted several intricate columns, which we were told are to be used in the castle of Cair Paravel, where the four youngsters are meant to rule as the first Kings and Queens of Narnia and where a huge party will be held in their honor. We dropped by that set in the Cair Paravel on a later day. It was an immense ballroom-type hall that the filmmakers plan to make even larger with CG. But as it was, it was the least complex of the sets we’d seen so far, just a large, royal looking reception hall.

THE STONE TABLE

The stone table set was, in a word, simple; and I’m glad for it. It’s high atop a little hill they’ve built in one of the soundstages, fourteen steps up, to be exact. There is also a large crack that runs right down the middle of the steps. It would have been a shame if they’d added a bunch of “bells and whistles” to what, as described in the book anyway, is a very straightforward looking stone table, lifted up by a few small stones in the middle of the forest. The table had some ancient symbols and writings on it and was surrounded by about 8 or 9 Stonehenge-like columns. I was tempted to rush up and lay upon it just so I could tell people I touched it for years to come, until I recognized how sad an that idea was. Besides, there were “KEEP OFF THE GRASS” signs all over the place. We re-visited this set later on to interview the director. In that instance, they had Aslan laying upon it…

THE NARNIAN WOODS – MR. and MRS. BEAVER’S LODGE

On our final day, we were driven down to a soundstage in the countryside, in Wainui, to what was easily the most realistic and cozy looking set I’d ever stood in. Picture a veritable winter wonderland as the recreation of the snowy wooded areas where Mr. and Mrs. Beaver’s lodge stands as well as where Mr. Tumnus makes his home. The soundstage, which is as big as the renowned Pinewood studios in England (where they shoot the Bond films), was packed with real trees (200+) all drenched in the most genuine looking snow I’d ever seen (and I’m from Canada). The authentic look was created with a combination of detergent-type materials, paper snow, insulated foam and Epson salts. The entire venture took them 10-12 weeks to build and 8 meters in the ground to dig into.

The enormity of the forest was a little overwhelming. All of us standing there, having come from outside, into another outside, into another world, well, damn it, it was almost as though we’d crossed through our own version of a magical wardrobe (yikes, did I just write that?). What my very bad analogy was trying to suggest is that the forest had all the romance and magic you’d imagine the Narnian woods would have, and then some. We all just stood there, silent for a few minutes taking it all in. From the detail of the acorns on the trees, to the Beaver’s little hut below us, it was truly a place and time plucked straight from the pages of C.S. Lewis’ book. The spell was broken when I spotted the two stuffed Mr. & Mrs. Beavers and Father Christmas passed out in the brush. Okay, Father Christmas wasn’t there but the beaver “stuffies” were and I did get a chuckle from seeing them. They’re just visual aids, of course…

Then they broke out the WOLVES for us. Okay, it was one wolf, but we did go and see the other nine, most of them siblings, later on. The wolves are actually half-huskies, half-wolves and have very crucial roles in the film. Not only is one of them the witch’s main henchwolf, Maugrim, but they also chase the kiddies across the perilous waterfalls and break into the Beaver’s abode for some investigating about halfway through the movie. We were told we could break out our cameras and snap a few pictures of the wolf. Behind it, you can see part of the Narnian woods that I just described.

THE FINAL BATTLE SCENE

During our 5-day visit, we were also brought to an office to view a sort of ‘animated storyboard’ or pre-visualization on one of their computers. The sequence was to be the final battle scene at the end of the film and it lasted about 8 to 10 minutes. Although it was computer animated, it was still interesting to see the vision they had for the extended conflict that precedes the ultimate finale of the book and movie. Seeing Peter in his armor and battle gear, sitting bravely on his horse, no longer a boy but a man leading his “troops” on the battlefield looked satisfying enough, but it was when both sides finally collided, with all the different species and creatures clashing, fighting for their lives, that was when I got a real idea of how momentous the filmmakers want to make this ultimate struggle between good and evil. Eagles dropping huge chunks of ice on the enemies from up above and seeing all the dwarves, good and bad, heading towards one another, battleaxes, arrows and all, were just a couple of the many highlights of the clip.

Bear in mind, this is only a preview of what they’re aiming at, but if the pre-vis is any indication of what’s to come, the battle will rival some of the best we’ve seen from recent movie epics.