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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We’ve acquired some concept art from Prince Caspian. This art features character designs done by KNB EFX group, I believe. It’s really awesome stuff.

My favorite of them is this Satyr design. Very regal and very thoughtful.

Here is another Satyr.

And another.

Here is a Hag.

Here is a WereWolf.

See more Caspian art and images.

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Weta Collectibles is proud to present our new range of exclusive collectible polystone sculptures. The Collection celebrates the release of the first installmanet of “The Chronicles of Narnia”, Disney’s “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”, directed by Kiwi, Andrew Adamson. Hand sculpted at Weta Workshop by the same team of artists who designed the armour, weapons and many of the creatures for the film. Darkhorse comics have joined with us as the premier distributor for this exciting limited edition collection.

The Quantity of the product line is only estimated at this point, as are the designs of the statues and exactly what products will be available. This is a very exciting line, one that could grow by the time the movie comes out.

Orieus Polystone Statue
US Suggested Retail Price: $175.00
Release Date: 9th December 2005

General Otmin Polystone Statue
US Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Release Date: 9th December 2005

White Witch Polystone Statue
US Suggested Retail Price: $180.00
Release Date: 1st October 2005

Peter on Unicorn Polystone Statue
US Suggested Retail Price: $300.00
Release Date: 1st October 2005

White Witch Castle Polystone Environment
US Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Release Date: 9th December 2005

Satyr Design Maquette
US Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Release Date: 1st December 2005
Includes “In insight to the design process” booklet on the development of the character

Girls on Aslan Polystone Statue
US Suggested Retail Price: $300.00
Release Date: 1st October 2005

Minoboar Design Maquette
US Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Release Date: 1st October 2005
Includes “In insight to the design process” booklet on the development of the character

Tumnus Design Maquette
US Suggested Retail Price: $150.00
Release Date: 1st October 2005
Includes “In insight to the design process” booklet on the development of the character

Lion & Witch Polystone Bookends
US Suggested Retail Price: TBD
Release Date: 1st October 2005

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It’s unusual to find a crowd of people at the studio who aren’t doing anything, but today I find such a crowd. They are standing and admiring. The reason for this is that Richard Taylor and his team from Weta are visiting, and there is a kind of show-and-tell in progress in one of the studio sheds. The Weta people – already famous for their work on The Lord of the Rings, and currently busy on King Kong – are also making some of the prosthetics for The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. Today they have brought up the rigs and costumes for some of the C. S. Lewis’s most magical characters.

In one room I met Stephen Ure, who should be familiar to Rings fans – not that you’d recognise him out of orc costume. He played both Grishnakh and Gorbag, and he’s certainly used to being encased in latex and hair suits. Just as well, because he’s doing it again – this time as a satyr. Satyrs are the ugly cousins to the cute little goat footed fauns. In Narnia they’re very hairy, with stubby-fingered hands and curling ram’s horns. Stephen’s satyr was armed with a short curved sword. Weta’s latex mask gave him a very different face, with a blunt muzzle and a lipless mouth. I asked him if he had to act under all that and he said he did. He has a very mobile face and I remember him saying a while back that he had learned, with Peter Jackson, how to move his features enough to transmit his expressions through the thickness of a latex mask.

There was a good deal more excitement in the next room, and I had to push through a press of photographers and bystanders to see an astonishing sight: Four centaurs lined up with their armor and weapons.

The centaurs – three men and one woman – are standing with a kind of rig harnessed to their hips which provides the horse parts to their bodies. The back end of the horse is supported on a post that rides on a pair of small wheels. How the post attaches to the undercarriage of the horse is clever: I noticed that whenever the centaur actors shifted their weight from foot to foot, the body of the horse moved to counterbalance in a very natural way, just as a real horse would. I couldn’t see the join – you can’t see any of it. The centaurs are clothed in leather and chain mail armor, and the camera will only show them down to the tops of their legs. Just as well, because you could see their shoes and socks poking out from under their beautiful breastplates.

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