The next level
Computers generate new fantasy realm in ‘Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'
Computers generate new fantasy realm in 'Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'

By Gene Triplett

Published: May 16, 2008

NEW YORK — Like the characters they reprise in "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the young actors were a bit older and wiser when they found themselves stumbling into a fantastical environment that was drastically different from what they'd experienced in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”

The second film based on the beloved series of classic children's books by C.S. Lewis is bigger, darker and more action-packed than its predecessor, and was far more demanding on the bodies and minds of its fledgling stars.

"For me, actually what's funny, with the last one it was a lot more of imagining things,” said William Moseley, 21, referring to the computer-generated characters and scenery that made up the first cinematic re-creation of Narnia.

"It's obvious we were fighting humans this time,” he said during recent press interviews at an upscale Manhattan hotel. "We weren't fighting mythical creatures, so there was definitely that real element. And on every level this film is a step up. If they wanted to go to a place in the middle of nowhere with huge mountains, they wouldn't CG it; they would take us there in a helicopter. If they needed a castle, they wouldn't CG the castle, they would build it.

"So for us actors it was actually more of a sensory experience because we were immersed in these locations and sets that were just out of this world.”

Moseley plays Peter, the oldest of four World War II-era siblings who literally fell out of this world and into another in the first adventure, where fauns, centaurs and talking animals roamed the woods, and the White Witch Jadis (Tilda Swinton) held the land in an icy grip in the absence of Aslan, the great lion protector.

Rounding out the Pevensie brood in the initial story were Anna Popplewell as Susan, the level-headed older sister, Skandar Keynes as Edmund, the younger rebellious brother, and Georgie Henley as Lucy, the sweet and trusting youngest of the children.

In the first adventure, the Pevensie kids muster the forces of good under the wise guidance of Aslan to defeat the White Witch and her army of evil, becoming the young kings and queens of Narnia before returning to the world of 1940s England.

In "Prince Caspian,” the Pevensies journey back to the far-away realm after a year's absence, only to find that 1,300 years have passed in Narnia time and its golden age is now a dim memory. The mighty lion Aslan has not been seen in a thousand years, all the magical talking animals and mythical creatures seem to have disappeared, and the land is dominated by the Telmarines, a race of humans led by the ruthless Lord Miraz (Sergio Castellitto).

The four children have been summoned back by Caspian (Ben Barnes), the young heir to the Telmarine throne, to help fight his ruthless uncle Miraz, aided by the crusty but courageous dwarf, Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage), and a fearless, swashbuckling mouse named Reepicheep (voice of Eddie Izzard).

The amped-up action of this second installment, complete with hard horseback riding, carefully choreographed swordplay and an epic battle scene teeming with human and CG-creature combatants, was particularly gratifying to Moseley.

"The physical aspect I completely immersed myself in and embraced it,” he said. "... I was running eight miles every other day and working out in the gym for a couple of hours. I was just thinking my body was in such good shape last year.

"On an emotional level it was a lot harder, the film was a lot harder. In the first one, I essentially just played myself, the older brother trying to do selfless things. But now Peter's much more angry, much more frustrated, headstrong and self-entitled. And I really had to get in touch with all these sort of angry emotions and take it out on all my little siblings, which wasn't easy at times. So on an emotional level it was harder, but on a physical level, I think it was actually better.”

Much of his character's anger and frustration arises from the fact that he's now the former Narnian king fighting to put this new bloke, Caspian, on the throne.

Meanwhile, Henley, now 12, was just happy her character got to mature a little bit.

"I was older this time, and I felt because I've grown, Lucy's grown,” she said. "It was a lot easier for me to portray because I could basically be myself but changed a bit, and I think the action side of it I was really happy about. I loved doing my own stunts, and I got to learn to ride, which was amazing.”

Popplewell said she was simply awed by the immense scope of the production.

"It wasn't necessarily easier or harder, it was just different,” she said, comparing the two Narnia films. "I mean the last one was big in terms of the scale, but this one was bigger. And when you're dealing with suddenly having Telmarine armies as well as Narnian armies, suddenly there are 300 extras training in one area ... (and) you're catering for 1,000 people, even having experienced the huge scale of the first movie, I was surprised by how big everything was. ... And to be the only one on the battlefield in a skirt was interesting.”

For Moseley and Popplewell, there was an element of sadness as well, because their characters won't be returning for the third film, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” It seems the four young stars have formed a familial bond in the course of making two movies together.

"Having Will and Skandar around was like having two big brothers,” Henley said. "And especially Will. He's always there if you want to have a cuddle on the set, which is lovely. Because whenever you're feeling down, Will's always there and he's always happy, unless you've just done a shouting scene. It's all very intense.”

"I'm going to cry,” Popplewell said, only half joking. "No, it's bittersweet, the fact that Will and I won't be involved next time around. ... I had my first audition for this when I was 13, and I'm 19 now. I haven't been doing Narnia for six years nonstop, but it's been a big chunk of my life.

"The four of us were very close,” she said. "It's very cheesy the way everyone says, oh, they're like a real family. But there is definitely some kind of connection between the four of us. ... When you do extraordinary things with people like fighting battles or simulating huge wars, then you do bond very quickly.”

Barnes, the new kid on the block at 27, didn't buy all those bonding claims at first.

"It's all really lovely and it's all really nice, and I just thought, yeah, get me a bucket. I don't believe you,” he said. "Then I walked into the production office on the first day and they were playing table tennis with each other and sitting on each other's laps and sharing ice cream. It was like something out of a Disney movie.”

Travel and accommodations provided by Walt Disney Pictures.

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