Here’s the latest official movie blog for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, written by the film’s publicist. Having walked into Coriakin’s library myself, I can say without a doubt that it is more beautiful than I had ever imagined it to be. I think it’s going to capture your imagination in much the same way that Lucy’s first entrance into Narnia did in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I cannot wait to see more of it on screen with a sweeping score to amplify all of the emotions that you feel when you take it in.
by Ernie Malik
…especially the 2,000 or so antique volumes that adorned the shelves in Coriakinʼs library, another beautifully rendered set design by Barry Robison, whose rich detail and vivid character in all of his sets will add so many layers of texture and substance and wonder to the world of Narnia in this third film installment.
When asked about his inspiration for the designs of his sets on “…Dawn Treader,” Barry was always quick to note that everything was manufactured because “there is no Narnia store where you can buy any of this stuff!”
Yes, folks, even the books in the magicianʼs library. A touch of magic themselves, per Barryʼs set decorating colleague on the film, Rebecca Cohen. When dressing a library set, many movie decorators will source books through local stores or libraries (or, in the case of Narnia, maybe antique dealers), sometimes buying them by the pound or volume or, when not available for sale, renting the editions.
Because Australiaʼs history does not date back centuries, Rebecca could not find the quantity of aged books needed to dress the handsome circular library (whose detail, though quite different, recalls Doctor Corneliusʼ study in “Prince Caspian” in its distinct flavor of history and tutelage).
There is a line at the end of this blog that has some people a bit uneasy. To you I say this: take it with a grain of salt. Don’t let your fears trump your excitement, and be prepared for a marvelous and wonderous adventure. Remember: just as each Narnia book is different than the last, so too is each adventure, and we’re in for a great voyage.