Michael Apted on “the heart of this film”

MovieWeb has posted their report on the footage screened in New York and Los Angeles this week. There isn’t anything new as far as spoilers, but this report includes some interesting quotes from Director Michael Apted. Here are a couple highlights:

“Another of the big challenges was to really honor the book because the book has a spiritual quality to it that I feel is important. Hopefully it is a spiritual thing that is accessible to everyone.”
[…]
“It’s a story that has English roots but its relatable to every child on the planet because its about growing up, finding yourself, coming to terms with yourself and knowing what your values are, that is really the heart of this film.”

MovieWeb writes:

One of the best parts of the footage that we saw, besides the incredibly real looking dragon, was the relationship between the unlikable Eustace and Reepicheep.

Read the whole report (The Apted quotes began in the fourth paragraph down)

Elsewhere, UGO has posted “6 Realizations After Watching New Narnia: Dawn Treader Footage.” We’ll summarize them here, but be sure to read the entire report.

1. Narnia’s Gone Back to the Magic: UGO believes the first two films were passable Lord of the Rings cash-ins, but Dawn Treader has a much more magical feel.

2. Michael Apted Thinks Talking Animals Are Ridiculous and He’s Right: Apted said making a minotaur not look goofy was a challenge, but UGO says he has pulled it off.

3. The Movie May Contain Actual Performances: UGO writes, “Yes, it’s still about the kids wandering around going ‘ooh’ and ‘aah,’ but it’s done with a confidence that the previous two films were missing.”

4. Dawn Treader Scales Back the Visuals to Its Own Benefit: UGO believes VDT has a less ‘epic’ feel than Prince Caspian. “It’s about a crew setting forth on an adventure, not the entire world congregating for the biggest battle of all time.”

5. The Film Looks British-ier: The look of the film reminded UGO of BBC’s Narnia production. “British television and film has a certain grainy quality you don’t find in America and […] I noticed the aesthetic carrying over to Dawn Treader, moreso than the original films.”

6. Sailing the High Sees Looks Fun!: “It looks like a rousing adventure with likeable leads and plenty of surprises.”

The reports from New York and Los Angeles just keeping pouring in, so keep your eyes peeled for more!