Other Titles • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe • The Chronicles of Narnia
Once they cross the threshold of the wardrobe, the Pevensie children find themselves in a world filled with extraordinary creatures that were previously unimaginable to them—and some of whom become their good friends and heroes. To forge these now-iconic creatures from THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE required not just one or two filmmaking techniques but a sophisticated and complex mix of human acting performances, practical effects and digital wizardry.
The first steps to their creation began with meticulous casting. While casting director Pippa Hall concentrated on finding the four key child actors for the Pevensie kids, her colleague Gail Stevens was secured by the production to audition talent for the “non-human” roles that make up so much of the film.
The very first “non-human” role cast was that of Mr. Tumnus—the shy, retiring, half-manhalf- goat who befriends Lucy but is forced to serve the evil plans of the White Witch. The faun was C.S. Lewis’ original inspiration for the creation of Narnia—he once said that it “all began with a picture of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels in a snowy wood”—so the filmmakers knew the part was vital to bringing Narnia to life. They found the fabled qualities they were seeking in rising Scottish actor James McAvoy. “James captured the sinister duality of Mr. Tumnus,” says Andrew Adamson. “He also has the perfect face for the role. Most of all, he had this incredible connection with Georgie, which was so important to the story.”
“I loved the books when I was a child, and to remember how they made me feel back then was exciting,” McAvoy relates. “Mr. Tumnus was always one of my favorite characters, so to play him was a big honor.” For McAvoy, the fascinating part of Tumnus is that he becomes morally torn in his mission to kidnap Lucy for the White Witch. “He’s forced by circumstance to do something against his will,” says McAvoy. “And therein lies the duality that Andrew and I talked about. Tumnus is conflicted because in the process of kidnapping Lucy, he forms a bond with her and they become close friends. Ultimately, he’s forced to look at who he is, and what he wants and what he can live with, which is a very unexpected thing for him.”
To morph from a 26-year-old modern young man into a century-plus-old mythological creature, McAvoy had his own trials to bear—enduring over three hours daily at the hands of one of Hollywood’s most seasoned makeup magicians: K.N.B. EFX Group co-founder Howard Berger. “Once they cast James, we flew him over from England for a life-casting,” Berger explains. “Andrew had a very specific vision in his head of what Mr. Tumnus should look like. He wanted to re-create the Mr. Tumnus that was in his head when he was a child and I think we were very successful.”
Berger continues: “For James, we sculpted a head piece that included little radio-controlled ears that actually move, and horns attached to a skull cap. Then there’s a nose piece, a forehead piece and hair pieces, including a wig, chops, beard, eyebrows, and body hair. It took two of us over three hours to put all that on James every day. It was a very intense process.” In addition to enduring the grueling grind of his daily makeup, McAvoy spent several weeks perfecting the voice and walk he used to bring the film’s first Narnian creature to life.
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