- Title: USA: ANAMATRONIC KANGAROOS HIT THE BIG SCREEN IN "WARRIORS OF VIRTUE"
- Date: 12th April 1997
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 12, 1997) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) ANGUS MACFADYEN (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING YOU CAN BE AS BIG AS YOU WANT. IN FACT, THE POINT IS TO GET IT OUT THERE, AS LARGE AS POSSIBLE SO IT BECOMES THIS INCREDIBLE CREATURE WHICH CAPTURES THE MINDS OF THE CHILDREN. IT'S NOT SMALL NATURALISTIC ACTING WHERE YOU'RE SMOKING A CIGARETTE AND THIN
- Embargoed: 27th April 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES/ VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA609EQQ0MT4WR16TFZFB13YBP0
- Story Text: Anamatronic Kangaroos are leaping onto a screen near you in the latest MGM release "Warriors of Virtue." MGM is exploring the fantasy-action-adventure genre through the movie, which is aimed at young audiences.
Young actor Mario Yedidia ("Jack" and "James and the Giant Peach") and Scot Angus Macfadyen ("Braveheart" and "Brylcream Boys") star alongside the cast of animatronic characters which possess magical powers as well as martial arts skills.
The story is set in a fantasy land known as "Tao" which is being torn apart by the forces of good and evil.
It begins with Ryan - played by Yedidia - a child neglected by his mother and bullied by the quarterback in his school football team. Ryan's friend Ming, a chef in a Chinese restaurant, entrusts him with a manuscript - The Book of Tao.
When Ryan is invited to join a gang of friends he is forced to prove his loyalty by crossing a whirlpool. In the process, he falls into the water and disappears - only to emerge in Tao.
In Tao, Ryan meets Elysia - played by Marley Shelton - and Master Chung - played by Chao-Li Chi - and becomes entangled in a civil war fought over the Lifesprings. The Lifesprings have provided Tao's inhabitants with eternal youth and vitality and their survival depends on the one remaining spring.
Ryan, whose Book of Tao holds the key to defeating Kamodo - played by Macfadyen - joins the warriors to conquer evil.
Chinese director Ronny Yu describes the warriors as half human, half kangaroo martial artists.
They are, in fact, five animatronic suits worn by actors and operated by technicians.
Tony Gardner said the film-makers tried to find a balance between fantasy and reality when creating the kangaroo warriors.
"Not too fantastical to the point where you didn't believe them or they are too cheesy. At the same time trying to keep in mind that the target audience is small children and you don't want to scare them," he said.
Yedida said it was a group effort to make the anamatronic effects appear realistic. "There were five people coming together to create one of these beings. They move the ears, the nose, the mouth, the eyes to create an actual guy in the suit," he said.
In the film, the five warriors embody the virtues of Benevolence, Righteousness, Order, Wisdom and Loyalty and perform acrobatic feats while waging a war against Kamodo.
The tale is the brainchild of four brothers from Hong Kong.
Dennis, Ronald, Christopher and Jeremy Law based their idea on the stylised, action-packed Hong Kong movie tradition.
"Warriors of Virtue" was filmed almost entirely in Beijing, China with some sequences completed in Vancouver, Canada.
The film is at number 7 in the U.S. box office charts. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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