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| country = [[United States]] / [[United Kingdom]]
| country = [[United States]] / [[United Kingdom]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = [[US$]]280 million<ref>{{cite news | author = Emily Wilcox | title = Plymouth youngsters to get first peek at Prince Caspian | publisher = [[GateHouse Media]] | date = [[2008-04-05]] | url = http://www.wickedlocal.com/plymouth/fun/entertainment/x1565514415 | accessdate=2008-04-05}}</ref>
| budget = [[US$]]100 million<ref>{{cite news | author = Bruce Nash | title = The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian | publisher = [[Nash Information Services, LLC]] | date = [[2008-05-14]] | url = http://the-numbers.com/movies/2008/NARN2.php | accessdate=2008-05-14}}</ref>
| preceded_by = ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''
| preceded_by = ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''
| followed_by = ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''
| followed_by = ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''

Revision as of 02:35, 15 May 2008

For the book, see Prince Caspian. For the video game, see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (video game). For the soundtrack, see The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (soundtrack).
The Chronicles of Narnia:
Prince Caspian
File:PrinceCaspianposter.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byAndrew Adamson
Written byNovel:
C. S. Lewis
Screenplay:
Andrew Adamson
Christopher Markus
Stephen McFeely
Produced byAndrew Adamson
Cary Granat
Mark Johnson
Perry Moore
Douglas Gresham
Philip Steuer
StarringWilliam Moseley
Anna Popplewell
Skandar Keynes
Georgie Henley
Ben Barnes
Sergio Castellitto
Liam Neeson (voice)
Eddie Izzard (voice)
Peter Dinklage
CinematographyKarl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited bySim Evan-Jones
Music byHarry Gregson-Williams
Distributed byWalt Disney Pictures
Buena Vista Pictures
Release dates
May 16, 2008 (USA)
June 5, 2008 (AUS)
June 26, 2008 (UK)
Running time
137 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States / United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
BudgetUS$100 million[2]

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 fantasy film based on Prince Caspian, the second published novel in C. S. Lewis' children's fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. It will be the second film in The Chronicles of Narnia film series from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, following The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). The four Pevensie children return to Narnia to aid a young prince (Ben Barnes) in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto). The film will be released on May 16, 2008 in the United States, June 5 2008 in Australia, and June 27 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Work on the script began before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released, so filming could begin before the actors grew too old for their parts. Director Andrew Adamson wanted to make the film more spectacular than the first, and created an action sequence not in the novel to up the ante. The Narnians were designed to look wilder as they have been hiding from persecution, to stress the darker tone of the sequel. The filmmakers also took a Spanish influence for the antagonistic race of the Telmarines. Filming began in February 2007 in New Zealand, but unlike the previous film, the majority of shooting took place in Central Europe, because of the larger sets available in those countries. To keep costs down, Adamson chose to base post-production in the UK, because of recent tax credits there.

Plot

File:Caspianflees.jpg
Caspian fleeing Miraz's castle.

In Narnia, Caspian, a Telemarine Prince, is wakened by his mentor, Doctor Cornelius. Doctor Cornelius explains to Caspian that his aunt has just given birth to a son. Caspian is the rightful heir to the Narnian throne, but his father died when he was young. His uncle, Miraz, maintained rule over Narnia until Caspian was old enough, only because Miraz had no children of his own. Now that he did have a child, if he killed Caspian, he would be the sole heir to the throne and have a son to be his successor. Caspian realizes that his life is in danger, and escapes through a secret passage in a wardrobe just before some Telemarine soldiers charge into the room and fire arrows right at his bed, where he was moments before. Dr. Cornelius gets Caspian's horse, Destrier, and gives Caspian a small package, saying not to use it except in great need. Caspian gallops away from the castle, but not before some Telemarine soldiers notice and chase after him.

Caspian, who had been told by Dr. Cornelius to head into the woods, heads for the woods. Telemarine folk tales tell of horrible savage beasts that inhabited Narnia before the Telemarines arrived, and when they were driven out of Narnia they went to the woods and have lurked there ever since. Caspian heads into the woods, but the soldiers on horseback don't follow, afraid of the stories. The leader of the group comes up behind them and calls them a bunch of sissies, and the soldiers head into the woods.

Caspian thinks he has lost the soldiers, so he relaxes a little bit, but then gets hit by a low branch and is knocked off his horse. Out of a tree nearby come two Narnian dwarves and a talking badger. Caspian recognizes these creatures as the ones out of the stories and, terrified, reaches for Dr. Cornelius's package. It contains a small ivory horn, which Caspian promptly blows. The horn causes the Telemarine soldiers to know Caspian's whereabouts, and they charge. One of the Narnian dwarves, Trumpkin, goes off to stop the soldiers and gets captured, while the other dwarf, Nikabrik, and the badger, Trufflehunter, carry Caspian inside.

Meanwhile, back in England, the four Pevensie children are heading into a subway station to depart for school, one year having passed in their world since they had their first adventure. Peter is the least able to cope with returning from a king to a schoolkid, and gets in a brawl with another kid in the train station. Just as the subway train pulls into the station, the walls start sucking in, and the whole station tears apart to leave the terrified Pevensies in a dark tunnel.

The Pevensies look and see at the end of the tunnel a beach. They run off to play in the waves, realizing they are back in Narnia. But then they discover some ruins, which they do not remember to be in Narnia. They investigate, and Susan discovers an old chess peice, one exactly like the one in their chess set at Cair Paravel. They then realize that the ruins are Cair Paravel. They don't understand how this can be, since they think they've only been gone for a year. Eventually they come to the conclusion that Cair Paravel was attacked. They go into a secret treasure chamber in Cair Paravel and gear up in all their old Narnian attire and things to go find out what happened.

Meanwhile, Caspian wakes up to see Nikabrik and Trufflehunter. Nikabrik is all for killing Caspian, since he's a Telemarine, but Trumpkin reminds him of an old Narnian prophecy, which states that whoever blows the horn of Queen Susan (which happened to be the horn Caspian had) shall lead the Narnians to freedom. Trufflehunter leads Caspian to the dancing lawn, where all the Narnians have assembled. On the way, they meet a swashbuckling mouse, Reepicheep. However, the Narnians at the Dancing Lawn are disgruntled at the Telemarines and don't want one of them to be their leader. Caspian, however, convinces them that if they help him reclaim his throne, he can bring peace between them. An old wise Centaur, Glenstorm, is the first to support Caspian, and eventually everyone pledges their alleigence to Caspian.

However, in Miraz's castle, Miraz holds a meeting with all his highest lords, thrusting Trumpkin, boud and gagged, onto the floor. "Our beloved Caspian was abducted by NARNIANS!!!" he bellows, spit flying from his mouth. "They have been secretly watching us...waiting, plotting, ready to strike...and I intend to strike first!" he says, striking Trumpkin. Trumpkin is then taken off to be executed.

The Pevensies see Trumpkin tied up about to be dropped into deep waters. Susan yells, "Drop him!" so the Telemarines drop Trumpkin into the water. Susan shoots arrows at the Telemarines while Peter dives in and saves Trumpkin. Together, they set off to find the others. They have some trouble along the way, but eventually find Prince Caspian, and journey to Aslan's How, where they set up a war council.

Caspian thinks they should stay and defend Aslan's How, but Peter has different ideas. "We need to strike them before they strike us," he says. He suggests that since Miraz is sending an army here, that the same army won't be guarding the castle. "But that's crazy," Caspian says, "No one has ever taken the castle!" "There's always a first time," Peter replies. Lucy reminds Peter that it was really Aslan who saved Narnia, but Peter decides they've waited long enough for Aslan.

The Narnians attempt to capture Miraz at the castle, and are doing fine battling the Telemarine guards, until hundreds of archers line the walls of the courtyard and open fire. Seeing that if they keep fighting they will all be killed by the force of archers, Peter calls for a retreat. However, Miraz's Castle is in the middle of a huge gorge, accesible only by a narrow drawbridge and a long stone archway. Asterius sacrifices himself and uses his body to stop the gate from coming down, thus crushing himself but stopping the drawbridge from going up, at least temporarily. Barely half the Narnians are able to escape, and the rest are brutally slaughtered.

Peter and Caspian argue when they get back to the castle over whose fault it was that the Night Raid was a miserable failure, but Nikabrik calls Caspian aside to show him his own plan for defeating Miraz. He shows Caspian two of his friends, a hag and a wer-wolf, who call up the White Witch using black sorcery. The White Witch supposedly has power beyond all imagination, but is even more evil than Miraz. Fortunantly, the plan is thwarted when Peter and Edmund show up, and Edmund saves the day by shattering the ice where the Witch is forming before she can completely materialize.

Peter then suggests he and Miraz duel one on one for all the marbles to prevent any further losses of life. Miraz is forced to accept, as it would look cowardly to refuse to fight a boy half his age. Peter and Miraz battle it out, while Lucy goes off to find Aslan. Peter's arm gets injured, but he eventually is able to beat the exhausted Miraz. Peter hands Miraz's sword to Caspian, giving him the honor of killing Miraz. Caspian lets Miraz keep his life, but says he will give Narnia back to the fairy-tale creatures.

File:FINALBATTLENARNIA2.png
The Telemarines unleash the wrath of their trebuchets.

Suddenly, Miraz's lords kill Miraz and blame the Narnian archers. Calling treachery, they call the Telemarine army to advance (which outnumbers the Narnians 10 to 1) so that they can obliterate the Narnians and rule Narnia themselves. The Telemarines unfurl nasty trebuchets which fire a continuous stream of boulders at the Narnian army. In an effort to fight back, the Narnians summon the gryphons, which swoop over the Telemarine army and fire arrows, but the Telemarine's giant crossbows shoot them out of the sky. The Narnians try several more tactics, including destroying underground tunnels underneath the army, and eventually just charge, but they are hopelessly outnumbered.

Lucy, meanwhile, has found Aslan, who awakens the trees, who have been in a deep sleep. The whole forest begins to ripple with movement, and this energy travels back toward the battlefeild. With the whole forest suddenly against them, the Telemarines don't stand a chance and, terrified, run back toward Miraz's castle.

In order to get to Miraz's castle, though, they must travel across the bridge of Beruna, where Lucy and Aslan are waiting. Aslan summons the river god, which picks up the bridge, still jammed with Telemarine soldiers, and destroys it. Then he dissapears back into the river with a gian wave defeats the Telemarines once and for all.

The plot differs significantly from the book, but keeps most of the scenes from the story in the film.

Cast

Further information: [[:List of Chronicles of Narnia cast members]]
Pevensies
  • William Moseley as Peter Pevensie. In a departure from the novel, Peter has a rivalry with Caspian. Moseley explained, "Peter's got his own issues to deal with, and Caspian's got his own issues to deal with, and when neither is willing to compromise there's bound to be friction. That's really what happens. And it's a lot about humility. I think they both have to learn a certain humility, [...] and that's really what a great King needs is to be humble, to listen to his people, to be willing to compromise, and they start off as these sort of angry teenagers, and become kings at the end." In real life, the two actors got on well together. Moseley also stated that he identified with Peter, having gone back to school between shooting both films.[3]
  • Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie. She described making the sequel as like a family reunion. "We know each other very well after spending that much time together," Popplewell says. "We know the good things and tolerate the not-so-good things. Skandar lives around the corner from me, and I couldn't escape if I wanted to."[4] Adamson described her relationship with Caspian as "[accepting] the fact that you can have a wondrous experience, enjoy it and move on".[5]
Telmarines
  • Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian. Adamson said "Caspian is a coming of age and, to some degree, a loss of innocence story, with Caspian starting out quite naïve, then craving revenge and finally letting go of the vengeance."[5] While many readers interpret Caspian as a child, a passage in the novel mentions his age to be near that of Peter's, so an older actor was sought to match Moseley. Barnes had read the novel as a child, and was cast in two-and-a-half weeks after meeting with the filmmakers. He spent two months in New Zealand horse riding and stunt training to prepare for shooting,[8] [9] Barnes modelled his Spanish accent on Mandy Patinkin's performance as Inigo Montoya in The Princess Bride,[10] though he also had a dialect coach aiding him.[9] Adamson did not expect to cast a British actor as Caspian, and said Barnes fitted well into the surrogate family of Adamson and the four actors playing the Pevensies.[11] When cast, Barnes was set to tour with the National Theatre's production of The History Boys: producer Mark Johnson joked Barnes "probably isn't the National's favorite actor right now". Barnes left England without telling the Theatre.[12] They considered suing him for breach of contract, but decided against it.[9]
  • Sergio Castellitto as King Miraz. Castellitto was not familiar with the novel, but his four children had enjoyed the first film. Miraz marks the first time the Italian actor has portrayed a villain, and he found it interesting to "act out a stereotype". Nonetheless, he also felt that he and Adamson brought depth to the role, explaining Miraz is a soldier, not a coward, and that he takes the throne for his son. He compared the character to King Claudius in Hamlet.[13]
  • Pierfrancesco Favino as Lord Glozelle, Miraz's general,[13] who intends to have his king killed in combat with Caspian and Peter in order to lead his own attack on the Narnians. Adamson called him "a real Benedict Arnold".[5]
  • Damián Alcázar as Lord Sopespian.[14] "In some ways Sopespian turns out to be the real bad guy of the film," Adamson said. "Where it seems that Miraz has the upper hand at the beginning, we see that Sopespian, like Shakespeare's Iago, is trying to manipulate the situation."[5]
Narnians
  • Liam Neeson as the voice of the godlike lion Aslan. Adamson said Aslan is "more parental here, [he] lets the kids, well, make their own mistakes".[5]
  • Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin, a cynical red dwarf. Dinklage was Adamson and Johnson's first choice, having seen him in The Station Agent.[12] He accepted because "often, you get the hero and the villain and not much in between. Trumpkin is in between. He is not a lovable Snow White dwarf. Audiences appreciate these cynical characters. It helps parents and adults to go along with the journey."[4] Dinklage's prosthetics took three hours to apply. On his first day of filming, he was bitten by sand flies and fell into a river. "We were lucky that he returned after his first day!", recalled Johnson.[12]
  • Warwick Davis as Nikabrik, a black dwarf. He is descendant of Ginarrbrik, who served the White Witch, and bears one of his rings, which was passed down from each generation.[20] Mark Johnson acknowledged casting Davis as the treacherous Nikabrik was casting against type:[12] Berger covered all his face bar his eyelids in prosthetics, to allow Davis to ward off the audience's perceptions of him.[21] Davis feared filming in the Czech Republic, because the grass is filled with ticks, so he put elastic bands to hold his trousers against his legs.[22]
  • Eddie Izzard as the voice of Reepicheep, a swashbuckling mouse.[23] Adamson credits Izzard for making the role his own; beforehand, the director was approaching the character similar to Puss in Boots in Shrek 2.[24] Izzard approached Reepicheep as less camp and more of a bloodthirsty assassin with a sense of honor (a cross between Mad Max and William the Conqueror): Izzard interpreted Reepicheep as someone whose family was killed by the Telmarines.[21] The Narnia series were some of the few books Izzard read as a child, and he cherished them.[25] When discussing Reepicheep to the animators, Adamson told them to rent as many Errol Flynn films as possible.[12]
  • Ken Stott as the voice of Trufflehunter the badger.[26] Adamson called Trufflehunter "a walking and talking Narnian library [who is] totally old-school".[5]
  • David Walliams as the voice of the Bulgy Bear.[27]
  • Klara Issova as a hag who attempts to resurrect the White Witch.[21]
  • Cornell John as Glenstorm the Centaur.[28] Adamson had seen John perform in Porgy and Bess in London, and liked his long face.[21]
    • Lejla Abbasová as Windmane (Glenstorm's wife).[21]
    • Yemi Akinyemi as Ironhoof (Glenstorm's son).[19]
    • Carlos Da Silva as Suncloud (Glenstorm's son).[19]
    • Ephraim Goldin as Rainstone (Glenstorm's son).
  • Gomez Mussenden, son of costume designer Isis Mussenden, plays Lightning Bolt, a child Centaur.[29]
  • Jan Pavel Filipensky as Wimbleweather the giant.[19]
  • Shane Rangi as Asterius, an elderly minotaur who aids Caspian. Rangi also stood in for Aslan, the Bulgy Bear, the Werewolf, another Minotaur, and the Wild Bear on set.[30] Rangi played General Otmin in the previous film, and he was able to see more in the redesigned animatronic minotaur heads, though "in order to make the eye line straight and correct, you've actually got to hold your head down, so your view is only about a foot and a half in front of you, which still makes it a little bit hard". The costumes were still very hot, reducing him to a "walking waterfall". Although a head sculpt of Aslan was used to stand in for the character on the first film, Rangi had to portray the character on set because Lucy interacts with him more.[31]

Douglas Gresham will have a cameo as a Telemarine crier.[32] Tilda Swinton will reprise her role as the White Witch as an apparition.[33]

Production

Writing

"We had some difficulty figuring out how to make Caspian work as a film. In the book, the children arrive in Narnia, and they all sit down around the campfire and Trumpkin tells them the story of Prince Caspian – which means that the four Pevensie children vanish for half of the book."

Douglas Gresham[34]

Before the release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the screenplay for the sequel Prince Caspian had already been written.[35] Director Andrew Adamson said the decision was made to follow the publication order of the novels was because "if we don't make it now we'll never be able to, because the [actors will] be too old". Prince Caspian, the second published novel in the series, is the fourth chronologically. The Horse and his Boy takes place during The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[36] The writers briefly considered combining Caspian with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which the BBC did for their television adaptation.[19]

Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely wanted to explore how the Pevensies feel after returning from Narnia, going from being kings and queens back to an awkward year as school children. They noted, "[C. S. Lewis] doesn't much consider what it would be like for a King of Narnia to return to being a 1940s schoolkid." They also decided to introduce the Pevensies back into Narnia nearer the start, in order to weave the two separate stories of the Pevensies and Caspian, in contrast to the book's structure.[37] A sense of guilt on the Pevensies' part was added, seeing the destruction of Narnia in their absence.[38]

Susan and Lucy were given a bigger part during the action sequences.[39] Adamson convinced Gresham to agree to this deviation by suggesting Susan and Lucy's passive roles indicated his stepfather's view of women before he met Joy Gresham. "I think [Lewis] cast women down in the earlier books, but when you look at The Horse and His Boy, it has a strong female character. Doug's mother was a strong woman."[40] Adamson also added the Caspian/Susan romance, because "The kids are growing up. If you look at Ben and you look at Anna, it seems really implausible that they wouldn't have some feelings for each other", although he knew it had to be "sensitively handled".[41]

Adamson also desired to make the film larger in scale; "I've gained confidence having gone through the first. This time, I was able to go larger [in] scale, with more extras and bigger battle scenes."[4] As part of this, a new battle scene in which Peter and Caspian make an attempted raid on Miraz's castle was created.[42] Inspired by a passage in the novel where Reepicheep says he would like to attack the castle,[43] Adamson felt the imagery of mythological Greek creatures storming a castle was highly original.[11] Markus and McFeely used the sequence to illustrate Peter and Caspian's conflict and Edmund's maturity, in an effort to tighten the script by using action as drama. Adamson preferred subtlety to the drama scenes, asking his young male actors not to perform angrily. Adamson copied Alfred Hitchcock by "tell[ing] people at the end of the scene, 'Now just give me something where you're not thinking about anything.' By using it in context, the audience will read an emotion into it."[43]

Design

Concept art of Miraz's armour. The Telmarines are heavily Spanish in look, and their masked helmets are partly based on conquistadors

Andrew Adamson described the film as being darker, as it takes place "another 1300 years later, [and] Narnia has been oppressed by Telmarines for a large period of that time, so it's a dirtier, grittier, darker place than the last world was".[44] He added, "This one is more of a boy's movie. It's a harsher world. The villains are human, and that lends a more realistic attitude."[4] Creature supervisor Howard Berger also said that Prince Caspian would be more medieval than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.[38] Being a family film, Berger was unable to incorporate blood, but this was fine as he knew Adamson's vision was meant to reflect the imagery of a child reading the book, and children dislike blood. Alongside Adamson, Berger's children critiqued his designs, aiding the process:[22] his son thought the werewolf's ears were silly, so they were made smaller.[21]

For the Narnians, Berger envisioned them as more wild in appearance, as they have been forced into the forests. He also decided to increase the portrayal of various ages, sizes and races.[45] The black dwarfs are distinguished by the red dwarfs as they have more leather and jewellery, and a darker colour scheme in their costumes.[20] Each race of creatures also had their fighting styles made more distinguishable.[46] The minotaurs have maces, and the centaurs use flails.[47] The satyrs were redesigned, as their creation on the first film had been rushed.[29]

The filmmakers interpreted the Telmarines, including Caspian, as being Hispanic because of their pirate origins, which producer Mark Johnson noted made Caspian "a contrast to the lily-white [Pevensies]".[39] Production designer Roger Ford originally wanted the Telmarines to be French, as they had a confrontational history with the English, who are represented by the Pevensies. This was scrapped as the crew were unable to shoot at Pierre Fonds Castle, for Miraz's lair, so they went for the Spanish feel.[48] Weta Workshop created masked helmets for their army, and faceplates for the live horses on set. The stunt soldiers wield two-hundred polearms in two different styles, two-hundred rapiers of varying design, over a hundred falchions, two-hundred and fifty shields and fifty-five crossbows. Caspian's own sword is a variation of the Royal Guard's weapons.[47] Costume designer Isis Mussenden looked to the paintings of El Greco to inspire the Telmarines' costumes.[38] She wanted to use colours that looked "acidic and hot and cool at the same time", unlike the red and gold seen in the Narnian soldiers.[20] Their masked helmets are based on conquistadors and samurai.[49] An eagle emblem was incorporated into the characters' lairs to make them feel fascist.[50]

Filming

The Pevensies' return to Narnia was shot at Cathedral Cove because of an arch which mirrors the train tunnel the children are transported from

Eight months were spent scouting locations,[19] including Ireland,[51] China and Argentina,[52] before New Zealand, Prague, Slovenia and Poland were chosen.[19] Whereas the previous film was predominantly shot in New Zealand with a few months of filming in Central Europe, Adamson decided New Zealand lacked enough sound stages to accommodate the larger scale of the film.[44] The decision to film most of the picture in Europe also allowed the ability to shoot during summer in both continents.[53]

Filming began on February 12, 2007 in Auckland.[26] The scene where the Pevensies return to the ruined Cair Paravel was shot at Cathedral Cove. The filmmakers chose the location because it had a tunnel-like arch, which echoed the train tunnel the children go into before being summoned back into Narnia.[48]

On April 1 2007, the crew began filming at Barrandov Studios in Prague.[54] There, sets such as Miraz's castle, Aslan's How and the underground hiding places of the Narnians were created. Aslan's How was modified into the hideout after filming for those scenes was finished. Miraz's courtyard is the largest set in production designer Roger Ford's career, including the previous Narnia film.[42] The 200 feet tall castle was built to scale because Adamson felt he overused digital sets on the last film.[43] To create Trufflehunter's den, Ford's crew put a camera inside a badger's den to study what it should look like.[19]

In June 2007, they shot the bridge battle in the Soča region of Slovenia.[55] The location was chosen for its resemblance to New Zealand. A large bridge was built, which was modelled on the one Julius Caesar built to cross the Rhine.[48] Months of government negotiation was required to build the bridge, which stood for two months before being dismantled. The filmmakers even made repairs to the river's course during the bridge's deconstruction.[56] Part of the battle was shot at Ústí nad Labem in the Czech Republic;[57] to film Peter and Miraz's duel, the camera was placed on a 360 degree track surrounding them.[19] Shooting in dark Czech forests required large lighting cranes to film daylight scenes.[56] Filming finished by September 8 2007.[58]

Effects

Prince Caspian has over 1500 special effects shots, more than The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe's 800 effects shots, yet the film has less time to complete them.[38] The scale of special effects led Andrew Adamson to decide to base production in the UK, to take advantage of new tax credits. Therefore, it will legally qualify as a British film.[59] British visual effects companies the Moving Picture Company and Framestore CFC were hired to create the visual effects alongside Weta Digital. Framestore worked on Aslan, Trufflehunter, the River-god, the tunnel scene and the door made of three sticks; MPC did the battles; and Weta created the werewolf, the wild bear and Miraz's castle.[60]

Alex Funke, who worked on The Lord of the Rings, is directing the film's miniatures unit.[38] These include 1/24th and 1/100th scale miniatures of Miraz's castle.[47] A scale model was built of the Narnians' cave hideouts during the climactic battle, which the actor playing the giant Wimbleweather was filmed against.[61] One of the improvements made over the previous film was to make the centaurs walk during dialogue scenes, so Cornell John as Glenstorm wore Power Risers (mechanical stilts with springs), to mimic a horse's canter and height.[42] The redesigned animatronic minotaur and satyr heads are also able to lip sync, and Asterius is even able to mimic "Shhh" in one scene.[61]

Music

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe composer Harry Gregson-Williams began composing the sequel in December 2007. Recording began at Abbey Road Studios the following month, and finished by April 2008.[62] He said the score would be darker and more aggressive than the previous film, and that he would develop "one or two of the cues",[63] as well as compose new themes.[62]

The Crouch End Festival Chorus will be featured in the score.[62] Imogen Heap, who sang "I Can't Take It In" for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, is in talks to perform another song for Prince Caspian.[64] The band Switchfoot's song, "This Is Home" which is written for the Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, will be featured on the soundtrack.[65]

Release

During pre-production, Disney announced a December 14 2007 release date,[66] but pushed it back to May 16 2008.[67][68] The world premiere was held at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City on May 7 2008.[69] The British premiere will be held at the O2 Arena on June 19, the first time the dome has hosted a film screening. Around 10,000 people will attend the event, the proceeds of which will go to Great Ormond Street Hospital.[70]

The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film a PG. To earn this rating, which Disney had contractually bounded the filmmakers to do, Adamson altered a shot of a fallen helmet to make clear that it did not contain a decapitated head.[71]

Marketing

The official trailer was released on December 4 2007 on Narnia fan sites and social networking sites to a potential audience of nearly 400 million.[72] Play Along Toys created a playset of Miraz's castle, a series of 3¾-inch and 7-inch action figures, and roleplaying costumes. There will also be Weta Workshop's Collectibles unit also created statues, busts and helmets based on their props for the film,[73] and there was also a Monopoly edition based on the film.[74]

Reception

The film recived mostly positive reviews, earning a 91% "fresh" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website with 1 rotten and 10 fresh reviews. [75]

Both the film industry trade journals gave the film positive reviews. Todd McCarthy of Variety felt Adamson's direction had a "surer sense of cinematic values" and praised the improved special effects, the "timeless" locations and production design. On the performances, he felt "the four kids overall have more character and are therefore more interesting to watch than they were before, and Italian actor Castellitto registers strongly with evil that's implacable but not overplayed."[76] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter noted the film was darker than the original, with "the loss of innocence theme [...] significantly deepened". He highlighted Peter Dinklage's performance, which "outmaneuver[ed] the title character as Narnia's most colorful new inhabitant".[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Michael Rechtshaffen (2008-05-09). "A bit of the magic is gone, but the enchantment lives on". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2008-05-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ Bruce Nash (2008-05-14). "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 2008-05-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Edward Douglas (2007-10-19). "William Moseley is Peter Pevensie". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Susan Wloszczyna (2008-01-21). "Peter Dinklage is big on dwarf role in 'Caspian'". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Tom Johnson (2008-04-11). "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Character Guide". Moviefone. Retrieved 2008-04-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Edward Douglas (2007-10-19). "Skandar Keynes is Edmund Pevensie". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Linda Canup (May 2008). "Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia". In Touch Ministries. pp. 26–27.
  8. ^ Edward Douglas (2007-10-19). "Ben Barnes is Prince Caspian". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b c Brook Barnes (2008-05-08). "Disney's Newly Crowned Prince, Plucked From a London Stage". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Dan Jolin (April 2008). "Ben Barnes is Prince Caspian". Empire. p. 96.
  11. ^ a b "Orchestrating Magic in Narnia All Over Again". Disney Insider. Retrieved 2008-04-03.
  12. ^ a b c d e Joe Nazzaro (May 2008). "Return to Narnia". Starlog. pp. 47–50.
  13. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2007-10-19). "Castellitto and Favino are King Miraz and Gen. Glozelle". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-11-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Damián Alcázar Cast as Sopespian". NarniaWeb. 2007-03-14. Retrieved 2007-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Vincent Grass Cast as Doctor Cornelius". NarniaWeb. 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2007-02-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ John Hopewell (2007-02-05). "Borrachero cast in 'Prince Caspian'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-02-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Simon Andreu Cast as Lord Scythley". NarniaWeb. 2007-03-24. Retrieved 2007-03-24. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "The First and Best Predrag Bjelac Resource". http://www.predrag-bjelac.com/. 2007-06-15. Retrieved 2007-06-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); External link in |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Official Movie Companion Book Review". NarniaWeb. 2008-03-29. Retrieved 2008-03-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b c Isis Mussenden (2007-11-15). "Costume Design". Official blog. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ a b c d e f Jonathan Crocker (June 2008). "The Monster Master". Total Film. pp. 94–98.
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  23. ^ "The Virgin Knight swings his tale of BNAT9 and the glory he found!". Ain't It Cool News. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Eric Vespe (2008-04-03). "Quint visits the PRINCE CASPIAN edit bay and sees 45 minutes of the movie!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2008-04-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Anita Singh (2008-04-22). "Eddie Izzard lends voice to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2008-04-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ a b Walt Disney Pictures (2007-02-16). "Narnia Sequel Starts Principal Photography". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2007-02-16. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "David Walliams to Voice the Bulgy Bear". NarniaWeb. 2008-03-15. Retrieved 2008-03-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Cornell John Cast as Glenstorm". NarniaWeb. 2007-04-18. Retrieved 2007-04-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ a b "Interview: Howard Berger & Dean Wright". NarniaWeb. 2007-08-14. Retrieved 2007-08-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ NarniaWeb (2007-07-23). "Shane Rangi Interview". NarniaWeb.com. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  33. ^ December 5 2007 trailer
  34. ^ Mark Moring (2008-04-08). "'A Poorer Story, but a Better Movie'". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2008-04-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ Ian Nathan (2005-10-28). "Narnia". Empire Issue 198. p. 97. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Caspian to be second Narnia movie". BBC. 2006-01-18. Retrieved 2006-12-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (2007-05-04). "Adapting Caspian". Movie Blog. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ a b c d e Heather Newgen (2007-07-30). "Prince Caspian Audio Interviews". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ a b Tom Ambrose (2007-07-26). "Heroes of 2008". Empire. p. 78. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ Mark Moring (2008-05-06). "The Weight of Story". Christianity Today. Retrieved 2008-05-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  41. ^ Josh Horowitz (2008-05-08). "'Chronicles Of Narnia: Prince Caspian' Stars Get Royal Red-Carpet Treatment As They Defend Movie's Romantic Twist". MTV. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ a b c Edward Douglas (2007-07-23). "Prince Caspian Prague Set Visit Part 1". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ a b c Peter Debruge (2008-05-07). "'Narnia' director guided by principals". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2007-07-23). "Prince Caspian Director Andrew Adamson". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  45. ^ Howard Berger (2007-04-17). "A Look Into The Creatures Of Narnia". Movie Blog. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  46. ^ Eric Vespe (2007-08-01). "Quint catches up on Disney's PRINCE CASPIAN and WALL-E panel at Comic-Con!!!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2007-08-01. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  47. ^ a b c Richard Taylor (2007-09-07). "Weta Workshop on Prince Caspian". Official blog. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ a b c Roger Ford (2007-11-01). "Designing Narnia". Official blog. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  49. ^ "Miraz". Official blog. 2007-10-04. Retrieved 2007-12-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  50. ^ Edward Douglas (2007-09-04). "Narnia Production Designer Roger Ford". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  51. ^ "Ireland Considered for Narnia". NarniaWeb. 2006-01-30. Retrieved 2007-01-13. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ "Close up: Andrew Adamson". TV One NZ. 2006-02-05. Retrieved 2007-02-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |forat= ignored (help)
  53. ^ Joanna Hunkin (2007-02-05). "Adamson back in NZ to shoot next Narnia film". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2007-02-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ Steffen Silvis (2007-04-04). "Stillking is still king". The Prague Post. Retrieved 2007-04-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  55. ^ Bovec (2007-02-22). "Parts of Disney's Chronicles of Narnia to Be Shot in Slovenia". Republic of Slovenia. Retrieved 2007-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  56. ^ a b Lizerne Guiting. "Narnia's New Zealand & Eastern Europe". Fandango. Retrieved 2008-05-09.
  57. ^ Drew McWeeny (2008-03-13). "Moriarty Visits Narnia... In Prague!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2008-03-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  58. ^ "Dawn Treader Locations". NarniaWeb. 2007-09-09. Retrieved 2007-09-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  59. ^ Adam Dawtrey (2006-12-13). "'Caspian' to qualify as U.K. movie". Variety. Retrieved 2006-12-21.
  60. ^ Bill Desowitz (2008-01-10). "2008 VFX Sneaks: The Top 20 Movies". VFXWorld. Retrieved 2008-03-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  61. ^ a b Edward Douglas (2007-09-04). "Narnia FX Gurus Dean Wright & Howard Berger". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2008-02-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  62. ^ a b c Dan Goldwasser (2008-03-20). "Harry Gregson-Williams returns to Narnia with The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved 2008-03-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  63. ^ Jeff Bond (2007-05-02). "Wild About Harry". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-05-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  64. ^ Imogen Heap (2008-02-08). "imogen heap : vBlog#20". YouTube. Retrieved 2008-03-22. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  65. ^ WeSpreadTheWord. "Switchfoot's "This Is Home" featured on PRINCE CASPIAN". Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  66. ^ "Narnia pushed back to Summer 2008". Comingsoon.net. 2006-05-17. Retrieved 2006-10-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  67. ^ "Prince Caspian has a Release Date". narniafans.com. 2006-11-02. Retrieved 2006-11-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  68. ^ "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Disney Fan Club. 2008-02-23. Retrieved 2008-04-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  69. ^ "Prince Caspian Premiere Details". NarniaWeb. 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-07. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  70. ^ Archie Thomas (2008-05-08). "Brits set 'Narnia' arena bash". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  71. ^ John Horn (2008-05-03). "Action speaks louder in 'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-04-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  72. ^ Mark Graser (2007-12-04). "'Prince Caspian' trailer goes wide". Variety. Retrieved 2007-12-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  73. ^ Disney Consumer Products (2008-05-06). "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Product Line Brings Action & Adventure to Life". Business Wire. Retrieved 2008-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  74. ^ "Prince Caspian Monopoly". NarniaWeb. 2008-02-09. Retrieved 2008-03-11. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  75. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_prince_caspian/
  76. ^ Todd McCarthy (2008-05-09). "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian". Variety. Retrieved 2008-05-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


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