It’s a big weekend for CG effects as Christopher Paolini’s best-selling fantasy tome about dragon riders arrives in theaters, along with another cinematic treatment of E.B. White’s classic tale of friendship between a pig and a spider. Eragon from 20th Century Fox and a live-action version of Charlotte’s Web from Paramount arrive in wide release today in hopes of snatching the top two box-office spots from Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto and Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s animated Happy Feet.
Paolini was just a teenager when he published Eragon, the story of a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and embarks on a journey to take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders and save his land of Algagaesia from the devious plans of the evil king Galbatorix. The film stars newcomer Edward Speleers in the title role, leading a cast that includes Jeremy Irons, John Malkovich, Robert Carlyle, Djimon Hounsou and Rachel Weisz as the voice of the computer-generated dragon, Saphira.
Directed by ILM visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier, Eragon features extensive visual effects work and character animation by ILM, Weta Digital, Fox Studios, Furious FX, Caf’FX, Cinesite and Svengali FX. The 400-plus dragon shots were completed by ILM and Weta. The film debuts in just over 3,000 theaters, about 500 fewer than the 3,566 roll-out for Charlotte’s Web.
Unlike Paramount’s time-honored 1973 animated version (animated by Hanna-Barbera Prods.), this latest adaptation of Charlotte’s Web employs live actors, some real animals and entirely computer-generated critters to bring the heartwarming and bittersweet tale to the screen. Directed by Gary Winick, (Tadpole, 13 Going on 30), the film stars Dakota Fanning in the flesh and features voice performances by Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Kathy Bates, Cedric the Entertainer, Reba McEntire, Robert Redford, Thomas Hayden Church and Andr’ Benjamin, among others. In addition, acclaimed playwright/actor Sam Shepard provides narration.
VFX houses lending their considerable talents to the project include Tippett Studio, Rhythm & Hues, Stan Winston Studios, Rising Sun Pictures, Digital Dimension, Fuel, Digital Pictures Lloura, Proof Inc. and Sandman Studios.
You can read more about the making of the visual effects in both Eragon and Charlotte’s Web in the 20th Anniversary Issue of Animation Magazine, which arrives at Barnes & Noble stores and other booksellers next week.
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