A portal to the new "Narnia" film

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" opens at midnight Thursday at a number of local theaters. Here are a few facts and figures about the film:

More than 2,000 children were interviewed for the leading roles of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie. Of the four who were cast, only 10-year-old Georgie Henley (Lucy) has never acted professionally before.

As the faun Mr. Tumnus, actor James McAvoy spent three hours daily in the makeup chair and wore a headpiece that included radio-controlled ears that move. In the movie, you'll see McAvoy from the waist up; from the waist down, he's all CGI.

In most scenes, Aslan the lion (voiced by Liam Neeson)is digitally created. Three life-size animatronic lions were created for a few scenes, including Susan and Lucy's ride on his back.

The snowy fields of Narnia were created in Kelly Park, a former equestrian center north of Auckland, New Zealand.

The iconic lamppost is cast from an original London post, right down to its gas fittings.

Mr. and Mrs. Beaver's home, inspired by the IMAX film "Beavers," required more than 4,500 sticks to build.

To create "ice" in the White Witch's world, more than 7,000 gallons of resin were used.

Richard Taylor's New Zealand-based WETA workshop created the creatures of Narnia, having previously crafted effects for the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. For "Narnia," they crafted 60 different species.

For the climactic battle scene, 20,000 creatures appear, most of them computer-generated, and more than 1,300 weapons were crafted.

— Moira Macdonald