'Shannara Chronicles' First Look: Watch the Ellcrys Come to Life
With apologies to Joyce Kilmer, we’ve got proof that God isn’t the only one who can make a tree. Based on this new behind-the-scenes featurette for The Shannara Chronicles, the production team behind the highly-anticipated MTV fantasy series is doing a pretty great job in the foliage-creating department. The two-minute video depicts the evolution of the Ellcrys, a living crimson-colored tree that’s a crucial character within the world of the show, adapted from the popular book series created by Terry Brooks. It’s leaves serve as prison cells for the many and varied demons that would like nothing more than to escape and wreak havoc on the elves, druids and humans that inhabit the Four Lands. “We don’t know a world without the Ellcrys,” explains Emilia Burns, who plays the tree’s protector, Commander Tilton. “It’s institutionalized in our way of living.”
To preserve the majesty of this all-important institution, Shannara Chronicles production designer Rob Gillies carefully sculpted clay models of the Ellcrys, working from intricate drawings. They then created different interpretations of the tree’s towering trunk that could be stacked on top of each other. The final stage was assembling a life-sized version of the Ellcrys on the show’s New Zealand set. And the cast was deeply affected by their carefully constructed co-star. “I cried the first time I saw the Ellcrys, because I was so overwhelmed,” admits series star Poppy Drayton. Meeting a celebrity is never easy — even when they’re a little wooden.
The Shannara Chronicles premieres Jan. 5 at 10 p.m. on MTV
