Weta Unveils PC Collectibles
Warror Saytr
Following the success of our 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 1/4 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.
