![]() ![]() "We decided early on that we wanted him to have elements of other animals, but no particular animal specifically," he says. We had to create many versions of the character and make sure they were all related to each other," says animation supervisor Richard Frances-Moore of Weta Digital.īefore Weta Digital came to the project, director Jay Russell developed each of Crusoe's stages with artist Matt Codd. "We'd done large-scale creature effects, but we'd never dealt with a character that changed so much. ![]() Most of the roughly 600 effects shots in "The Water Horse" are of Crusoe - a considerable challenge because the creature had to grow rather rapidly from infant to adult. Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment In this article, we'll detail Crusoe's development from concept to screen, outline the other logistic and technical challenges the filmmakers faced, and get insight into Loch Ness mythology from one of the premier experts on the subject. ![]() Preparation helped saved time and money, too, notes Russell: "I was very specific about what I wanted so we didn't waste a lot of resources. It did, and it allowed us to do things I envisioned without it costing $300 million." "With the technology where it was at the time and the cost of that technology, we couldn't get it made then," he says. He got King-Smith's blessing to change the narrative's perspective from a child's point of view to that of an older man remembering his boyhood.īut Russell put the idea aside and made "Tuck Everlasting" (2002) and "Ladder 49" (2004) instead. "I'd just finished 'My Dog Skip,' which had a similar theme involving a relationship with an animal and children during World War II," he says. The film - specifically "Crusoe," the water horse himself - posed a unique challenge for the creative team at Weta Digital, the New Zealand visual effects house known for its work on the "Lord of the Rings" movies and "King Kong."ĭirector Jay Russell first read "The Water Horse" nearly seven years ago and was enchanted by it. It's directed by Jay Russell ("Ladder 49," "My Dog Skip") from a screenplay by Robert Nelson Jacobs and stars Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and 13-year-old Alex Etel ("Millions") as Angus. Scottish tourism could get another boost with the Christmas Day release of "The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep." The movie, based on the book by British children's author Dick King-Smith, is the story of Angus, a boy who discovers a strange egg on the shores of Loch Ness. ![]()
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