(EDITOR'S NOTE: Below is Part 2 from our on-going coverage of Walt Disney Pictures' "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" due out December 2005. We recently sent Jenny Halper to New Zealand for an insider's report. Be sure to keep checking back to Cinema Confidential for more from Jenny, as well as other features and exclusive looks...)

By Jenny Halper, on location in New Zealand

When Richard Taylor, the esteemed director of Wellington’s Oscar Winning WETA workshop, told the online press that we’d be attending a “pulp-culture convention,” I wasn’t sure whether I should be excited or nonplussed. I’d attended two other conventions- both IT related- and the computer jargon sputtered by brainy cold fusion and dream weaver professionals was way over my head.

Hosted by Wellington’s Queens Wharf Events Center, Armageddon was informative and invigorating, not to mention star-studded. Panelists including “Lord of the Rings” star Sean Astin (my elevator companion one night prior!) spoke to enamored spectators, while children and adults hit endless tables boasting comic books, videos, and action figures. In one corner, wrestling matches proved an entertaining diversion, if a noisy one.

Armageddon’s crowning event occurred late in the afternoon, when special effects wizards Taylor, Dean Wright, and Howard Berger took the stage. Introduced by their publicist, all three boast impressive credentials. Berger, who recently completed “Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events” “Kill Bill 1&2” and “House of Wax,” founded the KNB EFX group with Greg Nicotero, and is handling the film’s special makeup and creature/character prosthetics. Visual effects supervisor Wright has been in the business for almost twenty years, and his credits include “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” and “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Taylor, who treated us to an extensive tour of his busy studios, (check Cinema Confidential for a full WETA report in December) founded WETA workshops in 1986. All three men are working hard on director Andrew Adamson’s “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” and all three men seemed as excited as the Armageddon crowd.

While an audience composed of Kiwis (New Zealanders) and foreigners fired questions, Wright, Berger, and Taylor took turns discussing the demanding debut of what will hopefully become a treasured film series.

Here are some snippets from the Armageddon Q and A:

Q: Can you talk a bit about the creation of Aslan?

BERGER: Andrew Adamson likes to keep things from the kids, like he doesn't want them to preview anything so, he has the lion (the “stuffy” version, created for the children) out for a little bit, and then, everybody went away... Richard designed a beautiful, beautiful Aslan... I had to cut his mane yesterday. We're shooting it backwards. He's a beautiful lion...

WRIGHT: In terms of bringing Aslan to life, in terms of the other animal features, there's this fine line and, taking an animal character, having it talk and relate to humans and not crossing the line of becoming cartoonish...keep it real. The photo-realism and the movement and they do have to have a hyper-reality to them in that they can think more than you expect a lion to think... That's gonna be our struggle as we look through the animation...

Q: Did the success of “Lord of the Rings” have a major influence on the decision to film “Narnia” in New Zealand?

TAYLOR: I don't think so, simply because the world of Narnia is such a diverse world to that of Middle-earth. I think it was just because of all the opportunities down here. The fact that there is a culture of successful fantasy filmmaking, Andrew wanted to bring a film back to New Zealand. We're very thrilled it was chosen to be shot here because our workshops are here. Imagine how difficult it's been for Howard having to bring his workshops down to New Zealand for the opportunity to make this project. We've got the great luxury of going back to Wellington and a one-hour flight North or South, we'll be able to shoot the stuff that we've made…

Q: Howard, how does working on “Narnia” compare to working on “Kill Bill?”

BERGER: I look for projects that are going to be fun. Sometimes they're not fun, but I've been very lucky… Of the four hundred films I've done, five of them have been good. I'd have to say that, when we did Kill Bill, I went to China with two other people… We did everything. Three people did all that stuff. It was intense… But it was really rewarding, especially when the film ended up being so great… Getting a film like this, I have three young children, and they won't ever see Kill Bill until they're older. They want to see Kill Bill, but they're not going to. But this film, when I first told them that I got a call: 'I may be working on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' they lost their minds. At that point, I knew I had to get this job. Richard recommended me very highly… There were four other very large shops that I was bidding against. I think that my passion for the project and perhaps me talking to Andrew (saying), 'My kids think it should be like this, my kids think it should be like that' really helped sell how much I really wanted to do this… I feel that this is the one movie that I'm going to work on that will be for my children and that hopefully they'll love this movie and it will be with them forever and when I'm long gone they'll still be able to watch it and remember their dad…

Other notes from Armageddon:

• That “Lion” is being shot before “The Magician’s Nephew” is a major bone of contention with die-hard Narnia fans, and a woman sitting behind me seemed particularly peeved. The Complete Chronicles of Narnia, a ten pound monster of a book that was doing some major damage to the strap of my shoulder bag, does stipulate Lewis’ preferred Narnia order: “The Magician’s Nephew,” ”The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” “A Horse and his Boy,” “Prince Caspian,” and so on. According to the production team, beginning the series with the most popular book seemed wisest.

• Four continents were scouted as possible locations, but New Zealand, notable for both breathtaking beauty and the conveniently located WETA workshop, proved an ideal choice. The South Island, the only location not used by Jackson for “Lord of the Rings,” will serve as the setting for the final battle scene. “The most important thing,” remarked Taylor, who employs nearly two hundred New Zealanders via WETA, “was that we make this film in New Zealand.”

• A forthcoming script for “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” follow-up, “Prince Caspian,” was hinted at as in the works.

Though “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” won’t be released until December 2005, the eager Armageddon audience seemed ready to wait.

(above) The ground floor of the Armageddon sci-fi/fantasy expo

TO BE CONTINUED...