Narnia Wardrobe

[Gary Salisbury]

I have searched high and low for some plans for building a replica of the wardrobe from the movie, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." I know that Disney has given some reproductions away in one of their contests but I don't know who built them or how to find out. Does anyone have any suggestions how to get a set of working plans or how to get started on this big project?




Gary Salisbury
San Diego, CA

[Rob Bodenschatz]

<gulp>

[Mark Rios]

Wow....That's very impressive.

While the outside would obviously be a very large and intricate undertaking, I'm not sure where you would get the magical material for the inside that would let you enter a magical land. I think Rockler stopped carrying the magical material a few years back. Oh, and don't forget to use a finish on the inside that will stand up to the feet/hooves of those centaur things; I hear they're pretty hard on wood.


hth

[Art Mulder]

. Does anyone have any suggestions how to get a set of working plans or how to get started on this big project?

My, Gary, you don't aim low, do you!?

Plans? No, I'll trust you on your googling results.

Suggestions? One of the magazines (FWW maybe?) in the last year had an article about taking dimensions from a photogragh. So, I would suggest you find as many photos of the wardrobe as possible, and start from there

But I'd also suggest you build it smaller - this thing is HUGE. My guess from this photo, and recollections of the movie, is that it is over 8ft tall.

Also, I'd suggest you reread the relevent portions of "The Lion the WItch and the Wardrobe", as well as "The Magician's Nephew". That might give you some other hints as well. For instance, at the end of The Magician's Nephew it explains that the wardrobe was made in it's entirety from the wood of one fruit tree. To me, that suggests something a little less immense than that Disney version!

Also, you might look up some biographies of C.S.Lewis. Reportedly there was a story of a young girl visiting Lewis at his house and spying a wardrobe and asking him if that was the one, to which he smiled and with twinkling eye said "It might be...". Perhaps you can find a photo of that one, or a description of what a typical British wardrobe might have been like when CS Lewis was a young man.

As for the insides, you've got it easy there, they are really just an empty box with a rod for haning coats/clothes.

hope this helps.

...art

ps: oh, and if you're seriously going to tackle this project, then why not also included a secret compartment? I think that would really fit with the mystery of this project.

[Jason Roehl]

Why just one secret compartment? There are lots of places to hide a secret compartment in that monster.

[Tyler Howell]

ROTFLOL
Good one Mark.

Wow....That's very impressive.

While the outside would obviously be a very large and intricate undertaking, I'm not sure where you would get the magical material for the inside that would let you enter a magical land. I think Rockler stopped carrying the magical material a few years back. Oh, and don't forget to use a finish on the inside that will stand up to the feet/hooves of those centaur things; I hear they're pretty hard on wood.


hth

[Andy Hoyt]

Wow....That's very impressive.

While the outside would obviously be a very large and intricate undertaking, I'm not sure where you would get the magical material for the inside that would let you enter a magical land. I think Rockler stopped carrying the magical material a few years back. Oh, and don't forget to use a finish on the inside that will stand up to the feet/hooves of those centaur things; I hear they're pretty hard on wood. hth

Mark - last time I looked there was guy on the corner of El Camino Real and Maricopa who was selling that magical material in little plastic baggies. I think it was suspicious though - no vendor license and didn't charge sales tax

[Robert Schaubhut]

Gary,
I don't know what you want to achieve with this project and since I did not see the movie have no idea what is inside.
I know how I would start.
Most people need the plans but it is my belief that if you really want to make it yours you need, to learn to figure it, to learn how to make YOUR plan, so that you can figure out what design is in your heart, make a plan for that and build a little piece of you, not always reproducing. For the reproducers I have no problem, there is some great stuff from the past,but I like to think with guidance each one of us has some great stuff inside us just waiting to be let free and built.

[Robert Schaubhut]

Gary,
To start you need to determine the scale to which you want to build it. Determine the height and the width and the depth that will work in your space. It looks to be just a big rectangle with some projecting columns left and right, a heavy base, ornate freize with crown above and what else I don't know. Naturally you need a source for the carving unless you do it yourself, surf the web, and get some better pictures unless you just want to have a go at it. I don't see a problem, just a challenge, and a lot of time.
Shaz

[Jonathon Spafford]

Here are the specs on the thing... I think it would be cool if you designed your own as Disney was only representing as what they thought it might look like. It wasn't the real thing in C.S. Lewis' head. It would be cool if you did your own carvings and your own thing. Just my thoughts! Or if you have 16 grand you can go buy the one they are giving for the Sweepstakes.

[Dave Richards]

I wouldn't try to talk you out of building a wardrobe similar to the one in the movie but for what it is worth, the one in the illustrations from the original book is considerably more simple. It also appears to be much less imposing.

The one in the book wouldn't be as much fun as there is no carving. No Aslan and no tree.

[Damien Falgoust]

Better view of the front carvings:



Also, apparently there is a The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe game that uses the wardrobe as its interface (scroll down in that article). That may give you a better look at the carvings.

[Art Mulder]

Better view of the front carvings:

Damien, thanks for posting that.

Gary, I'm now even more with Dave and the others - design your own, and look to the books.

I would NOT build a wardrobe with the carving of the White Witch on the front!! (bottom corners in Damien's photo). I'm really surprised that this got used in the film looking like that. It also makes no sense in terms of the books, since the wardrobe was created, in book time, some time after "The Magician's Nephew", and Diggory would have no reason to want to immortalize the Witch in that way.

But I'm getting a bit picky, I know. The rings and the apple make sense, so does the tree and the phoenix (second from top on left) And there is fledge in the bottom left I see. But the bell in the bottom right? That, again, is a reference to the White Witch, where Diggory and Polly found the bell on Charn and used it to free the Witch by mistake.

Hmmm, can you tell that I am rather fond of the books, as well as accuracy in interpeting them?

[Art Mulder]

Wow....That's very impressive.

While the outside would obviously be a very large and intricate undertaking, I'm not sure where you would get the magical material for the inside that would let you enter a magical land. \

Say, Mark... in all seriousness, it occurs to me that it would be rather cool to position this reproduction "wardrobe" so that it blocks the doorway to a room in a house. In that way it would conceal a "secret" place.

[Robert Schaubhut]

There is no way that piece is 7'5" tall and 6'8" wide.
Those dimensions equal a relative square and in order to obtain that drama in those photos we have to do some photoshop stretch. Be careful what you believe.
Shaz