Bringing "The Spiderwick Chronicles" to Life
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” comes to theaters this Thursday, Feb. 14, 2008. It tells the story of the Grace family, including twins Jared and Simon (both played by Freddie Highmore) and their sister Mallory (Sarah Bolger).
The clan moves into an old house they’ve inherited from their great uncle, Arthur Spiderwick. When bizarre things start happening on the estate, Jared finds a book that holds the secret to the mystery, which includes several strange creatures who lurk in the shadows.
In today’s New York Daily News, director Mark Waters talks about bringing all the ghouls, goblins and other creatures to life in the fantasy film, based on a series of best-selling books that “were geared toward children, but had moments that sent chills down my spine. They were scary, but in a good way … you want to keep reading, or keep looking at the screen.”
More after the jump…
Waters, who also directed “Mean Girls,” says he was less interested in creating his own version of Narnia or Hogwarts than in revisiting films that inspired him, like “Gremlins,” “E.T.,” and “Back to the Future.”
“I’m a suburban Midwestern kid,” he said. “I could imagine “Spiderwick” happening to me…a movie using modern computer effects with old-school Celtic fairy creatures interacting with contemporary American kids. It’s a really cool juxtaposition.”
He called on two of the biggest names in FX: monster-maker Phil Tippett and George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, whose creations included the chubby-faced Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short), who turns into an unpleasant giant when upset, and the shape-shifting ogre Mulgarath (voiced by Nick Nolte), as well as sprites, sylphs and a griffin.
It took a bit of fancy footwork for the two shops not to step on each other’s toes, particularly when their creations were on screen at the same time. “We had about 15 moments like that,” says ILM effects supervisor Tim Alexander. “We traded animation and models back and forth, to ensure characters were in the right place and could interact.”
Watch the trailer and check out production photos.
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POSTED IN: Action/Adventure, Animation, Coming Soon to Theaters, Family, Fantasy, Film Genres, Film Industry, Interviews, Mystery, Thriller
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