Chip Flaherty, Jr., Executive Vice President of Walden Media was on “The Don Kroah Show” discussing “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”
Don Kroah: Talk about some of the settings, and countries or places where this film was shot.
Chip Flaherty: It was incredible. We went back to New Zealand, which is where the bulk of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was filmed. But we also went to a couple of other sets as well. We were in Czechoslovakia, we were in Slovenia, and each one of those countries captured a part of Narnia. In Prince Caspian what happens is when the kids—the Pevensie children—are summoned back, and they first get to Narnia, they have to walk around and they have to they really acclimate themselves and they come to the sober realization that Narnia has changed since they were the kings and queens of Narnia.
So, to be able to be able to get that epic backdrop, it just wasn’t just one county, but we had to go to a couple of different countries. I think that is another thing that I would really would like to say about the film. Lion Witch is so dear to my heart. Its hard to even look at it as a film, because absent the success of that film we wouldn’t be able to go on and keep on making the types of films like Charlotte’s Web and everything else that we are able to make.
So, you look at that as just being so important to kind of brand Walden Media and what we were trying to do. If you look at Prince Caspian it is so epic, it reminds you of one of those “Lawrence of Arabia,” or one of those sweeping, beautiful movies just in terms of the backdrop and everything else. I have a couple of neighbors who went last weekend and they said, “You know what? Even if the sound stopped half way through the film, which it didn’t, but even without sound it would be almost worth going to see how beautiful all the scenes are and the scenery.” One guy said, “It reminded me of one of those old-time epic Hollywood films in terms of the stunning backdrop.”
So, in order to do that, you have to travel all around the world. As my mom always said, “God spreads His beauty over around He doesn’t want just one region to get it.” So we were able to go around to different places and put together the film. It was an epic undertaking….
Kroah: Now, in all, there are seven in the series in all that Lewis wrote. Are there any plans that you can talk about for what’s next?
Flaherty: Now in the next film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader,” Prince Caspian, along with two of the Pevensie children are able to go off and they have great adventures as they try to get some of the exiled rulers of Narnia that have been exiled under the previous regime and they try to bring them back together.
So, that is on tap to be the next one—and it’s great. You still have two of the Pevensies—Edmund and Lucy—and I think Lucy lights luminous. She has the faith of a child, but kind of the intellect of a grown up. She’s savvy, but she also has that boundless faith. She is well- named, and she is my favorite character and she’ll be back next along with Prince Caspian.
Kroah: … Thank you for the great work you and Walden Media are continuing to do. And we pray God’s best for this film and, after having prayed that, we need to get out and see it.
Flaherty: Well, I appreciate it again…. I do think if you bring the family to this, it’s one of those things where it’s a fun escape for two hours, but it really is a nice bonding collective experience that will give you a lot of things to talk about later.
Kroah: Great to have you. I can’t wait till we talk about “Dawn Treader” together.
Flaherty: That sounds great. That’s a date. Thank you.
Don Kroah is host of “The Don Kroah Show,” heard Monday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. on 105.1 FM and 780 AM-WAVA and on the Web at www.wava.com. Contact Don at [email protected].
