If you can dream it, you can make it!
Wētā Workshop is known for working on many films across a wide variety of genres, but what we are most famous for is epic fantasies. Richard Taylor, along with the Wētā Workshop crew, won four Academy Awards for the work done on trilogy, The Lord of the Rings and picked up another accolade for King Kong. So, it’s safe to say that fantasy is part of our DNA.
Imagine a fantasy world
The full arsenal of our movie-making ability is on display in the fantasy section at Unleashed, having dreamed up and physically built a completely imaginary world, cast of characters and ecosystem for our original fantasy film Age of the Ever-Clan. The story is born from asking one question: what if dinosaurs never went extinct? From that single thread, a whole tale was spun. Woven with concept writing, idea generation, artwork, storytelling, and our physical effects expertise – we’ve crafted an experience that takes visitors into the very heart of that world.
The beautifully creative Artists’ Shed
Begin your journey by diving straight into the heart of the creative process in our Artists' Shed. One of the keys to successful fantasy films is believability - it might be fantasy, but the world needs to be as real as we can make it. What do the characters look like? Are there monsters and magical beings in this world? If so, what do they look like? All of this is worked out through imagination, research, detailed briefs, and artist renderings – and it’s all on display for you to explore.
Turning dreams, into reality
See how we nail down the look of fantasy worlds, before constructing even a single character. This groundwork is essential in ensuring we have a full and rich story to work from. At the artist’s table, you’ll learn how we manipulate distance and scale for the films we work on. Sometimes we use miniatures for long shots of a castle, then life-size sets when our characters walk its halls. That evil tower you thought was 100-stories high might only be several metres tall on set. All of this prepares you for your trip into the film set of our fantasy tale Age of the Ever-Clan on the eve of a great battle.
Join the epic battle
Enter the Age of the Ever-Clan miniature set and you’ll experience a dash of Lord of the Rings and a pinch of Gulliver’s Travels. Walk amongst two bigature cities representing the opposing dinosaur factions, the noble Herbivore Clan with their terraced slopes, manicured gardens and grand castle, and the hard-scramble leather-and-bone world of the vicious Meat Horde. Each society is fully expressed through the detailed construction of these astonishing sets. As children explore these physical objects of beauty, it adds to their understanding of the movies they love. It might even inspire them to get creative!
Enhance your experience
The chemistry behind the magic
When building a fantasy world, the first thing you must do is not treat it like a fantasy. With The Lord of the Rings, we knew it would work only if the viewer believed that Middle-earth was real, from the top of Gandalf’s pointy hat to each hair on our hobbit’s toes. Every great fantasy film is built on research and detail. It’s that level of commitment that inspires all of us at Wētā Workshop. Each day we strive to make the films you love come to life in the most realistic way possible.