ERAGON

Year: 2006
USA: Fox 2000 Pictures
UK: Twentieth Century Fox
Cast: Ed Speleers, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Guillory, Robert Carlyle, John Malkovich, Garrett Hedlund, Alun Armstrong, Chris Egan, Gary Lewis, Djimon Hounsou, Rachel Weisz, Richard Rifkin, Steve Speirs, Joss Stone, Michael A Mehlmann, Tamas Deak, Matt Devere, Mate Haumann, Andrea Fazekas, Caroline Chikezie, agnes Banfalvi, Pal Makrai, Spencer Wilding, Gabor Hortobagyi
Cast (voices of): Maggie Baird, John Gidcomb, Julian Barnes, Melissa Bickerton, Neil Dickson, Sean Mahon, Darren Richardson, Julian Stone, Peter Lavin, Randall Montgomery, Anthony Armatrading, Kenneth Danziger, Jean Gilpin, Kevin Owers, Ian Ruskin, Mark Sussman, Paula Jane Newman, Mark Silverman, Deanne Mercer Dennis, Peter Dennis, Martin Jarvis, Warren Press, Alan Shearman, Diz White
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Country: USA
USA & UK: 104 mins
USA Rated: PG for fantasy violence, intense battle sequences and some frightening images
UK Certificate: PG contains mild fantasy violence and scary moments
USA Release Date: 15 December 2006
UK Release Date: 15 December 2006
UK DVD Release Date: 16 April 2007

Synopsis

ERAGON, a fantasy adventure for young people based on the phenomenally successful novel by Christopher Paolini - the first book in the young author's epic Inheritance Trilogy - is a timeless yet modern tale. Published in 2003, his second novel 'Eldest' followed in 2005.

The book's most fantastical character - a flying dragon named Saphira - arrives via the high-tech wizardry of the industry's most honored visual effects houses: WETA Digital (THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, KING KONG) and Industrial Light & Magic (the STAR WARS films, JURASSIC PARK). In addition, WETA created ERAGON's climactic and massive battle scene, in which the forces of good, led by the young Dragon Rider Eragon and Saphira, battle the armies of the evil King Galbatorix.

For over two millennia, dragons have been - depending on the culture and times - beloved, feared, or even worshipped. Today, the mythical creatures are a mainstay of pop culture. ERAGON's Saphira is inspired by the rich heritage of the storied winged creatures, but for the first time, the power of state-of-the-art computer generated imagery brings myth to photo-real, emotional life. What JURASSIC PARK was to dinosaurs, ERAGON is to dragons. Indeed, Saphira is a step beyond the dinosaurs of JURASSIC PARK, as her facial imagery conveys thoughts and feelings.

At the centre of both novel and film is the bond between Eragon (Ed Speleers) and Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz). ERAGON presents a mythology in which Dragon Riders had once brought peace and prosperity to the land of Alagaësia. Dragons gave their Riders magical powers, even immortality. No enemy could defeat them - until one of their own, the powerful and evil King Galbatorix (John Malkovich), decided to take all the power for himself and cut down the Dragon Riders. But with Eragon's discovery of a gleaming sapphire egg, which hatches a dragon he names Saphira, the time of the Dragon Riders has come again.

Having discovered his true path as a Dragon Rider, and with the help of his mentor Brom (Jeremy Irons), Eragon is determined to bring back the golden age of justice once known throughout the land, if he can survive the machinations of King Galbatorix. Eragon is swept into a world of magic and power, becoming a true hero to - and the last hope of - the people of Alagaësia.

Taking on the title role is newcomer Ed Speleers, 18, who got the part after Twentieth Century Fox and the filmmakers conducted a worldwide casting search, which rivalled the hunt for a cinematic "Harry Potter" and included hundreds of auditions and dozens of screen tests.

The film also stars BAFTA Award winner Robert Carlyle as the powerful sorcerer Durza; Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad, the leader of the rebel Varden; Sienna Guillory as the beautiful warrior Arya; and Garrett Hedlund as a young man with a past.

ERAGON is directed by Stefen Fangmeier, one of the motion picture industry's true visual effects geniuses. During his tenure at Industrial Light & Magic, Fangmeier supervised films such as SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, TWISTER, THE PERFECT STORM and MASTER AND COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD. He is a three-time BAFTA Award winner, and is a four-time Oscar nominee.

DVD EXTRAS

Audio: English 5.1
Aspect Ratio: 2:35

Eragon One-Disc DVD Features:
Audio commentary by Stefen Fangmeier
7 extended/ deleted scenes
Eragon Two-Disc DVD Features:
Inside the Inheritance Trilogy: The Magic of Eragon featurette
The Inhabitants of Alagaesia featurette
Vision of Eragon featurette with optional commentary by Stefen Fangmeier
Storyboards
Ed Speleers auditions
Interview with Christopher Paolini
The Secrets of Alagaesia featurette
Saphira's Animation Guide
Trailers