Something to keep in mind is that we do't really know the Dragon (Eustace or otherwise) and the Sea Serpent will be fighting each other or that it will be they will both be in the same scene. It does sound like that, but Michael said he was weary after filming so maybe he just didn't want to give long answers and actually meant two different scenes.

I don't know, just thought I'd throw that out there.

P.S. I love how Michael Apted described the movie.

maybe they have only changed Dragon Island a slight bit and maybe there will be another dragon on the island (besides the one that dies)!

I just hope that this sea serpent isn't the emerald witch in disguise.

Don't worry, we have had assurance from the production that this is not happening.

I was just talking to Malkah in the chatroom, and she suggested that maybe we are reading this quote completely the wrong way...

What if Apted meant that there will be two big action scenes in the film...

1. A battle at the end with a sea-serpent
2. A battle with a dragon.

Keep in mind that Apted spoke these words (while he was right in the middle of filming) and someone transcribed them. I think we need to be careful about taking the quote absolutely literally.

The video we saw of the dragon (apparently Eustace) flying around the ship comes to mind. The forum thread on it actually describes it as "Video: Dragon Attack". This could possibly be "the battle with a dragon".

I have kind of a horrid feeling that it will be dragon versus sea serpent, because I find myself doubting it's going to be "everybody push the sea serpent off the mast." But I have no idea how a dragon and a sea serpent could fight each other, so...

But whatever it is, it sounds like the dragon may be in a battle. I wouldn't consider a dragon by itself to be action. But glumPuddle is right; I don't know how much we should read into a quote that maybe wasn't worded too precisely to what is actually going to happen.

The whole point of the Sea Serpent battle is it wasn't won with brute strength. C.S. Lewis deliberately wrote it that way.

The whole point? Far from it.

The fact that they win by NOT fighting is memorable, funny, and unexpected. But if that was the whole point of the scene, I'd call it a worthless scene and wonder why Lewis put it in. All that just for a laugh? Lewis is a better writer than that.

The point of the scene is to give Eustace an opportunity to be brave, and show how he has changed since his undragoning. It's interesting that both Eustace and Reep behave uncharacteristically in this scene. Eustace is courageous and selfless, and Reep tells the others to stop fighting.

I think they may be trying to accomplish the same thing with DragonEustace fighting the Sea-Serpent. That would show how Eustace is changing. He is putting his life on the line to defend the crew. This could be a very effective way of visually showing how Eustace is changing. The book simply tells you Eustace' thoughts, but that wouldn't work in a movie. If that's what they're trying to do, it would fit perfectly into my definition of good adaptation: Achieving essentially the same thing as the source material, but in a different way (in this case, achieving it visually).

This also could be a good way of getting the audience to start liking Eustace. He has been a brat for most of the movie, and now the audience has to see that he has changed. This scene would actually give the audience a chance to root for Eustace. And he would save the lives of all the other characters.

But if it's just a cheap excuse to throw in another action scene and make it more epic....

I really think that this might be suggesting that Eustace is a dragon for a larger part of the film and maybe somehow goes with the Dawn Treader on it's journey.

^ Unless they make him a much smaller dragon... It's hard to imagine that working.

VDT, Ch.7: But of course what hung over everyone like a cloud was the problem of what to do with their dragon when they were ready to sail. They tried not to talk of it when he was there, but he couldn't help overhearing things like, "Would he fit all along one side of the deck? And we'd have to shift all the stores to the other side down below so as to balance," or, "Would towing him be any good?" or "Would he be able to keep up by flying?" and (most often of all), "But how are we to feed him?"

Well, remember the Dawn Treader is larger than in the book, so perhaps the size of the dragon wouldn't matter so much.

And then there's still the question, if it does turn out to be dragon versus sea serpent, which is going to win? The sea serpent is in the water and the dragon is in the air. It seems to me like it would be so close to the same match, it's hard to tell how it would be resolved. Although maybe that will be a good thing in the end, because it shows it's not a cheesy scene. (And by cheesy, I mean I hope it wouldn't be cliched.)

I suppose maybe the dragon could go underwater, but if it did, the sea serpent would most likely win (and it would be a very slow-motion "battle"). Maybe it depends on whether the sea serpent is going to tie itself around the Dawn Treader. Who knows!

I agree. The Dawn Treader is much larger and if they can have a few minotaurs hanging around then one smallish sized dragon would be fine. Though they may decide to make the dragon huge which i never really thought in the book that the dragon was huge as dragons go.

I agree that it would be a departure from the book, but the departure is more how that would affect the plot rather then whether or not they could fit the dragon on the ship.

I can see it now. Eustace fights the sea serpent, kills it, but is apparently drug down into the depths by the serpent. Everyone gets all mournful and teary-eyed, thinking Eustace is dead. But then the sea people bring him up out of the depths, all limp and dying. Just when it looks like all hope is lost, he transforms back into a human, everyone gets excited

Ugh! That makes me think Beauty and the Beast. (Not that I don't like Beauty and the Beast, but that type of thing has been done before. )
If they have DragonEustace travel on the ship, (why can I never think of an appropriate threat?) I still wondering how they are going to have enough food for a couple minotaurs. The quote that gP posted explains why this wouldn't work. Unless he is about the size of a horse I don't see this working at all. (Even then that is pushing it)

Keep in mind that Apted spoke these words (while he was right in the middle of filming) and someone transcribed them. I think we need to be careful about taking the quote absolutely literally.

Something to keep in mind is that we do't really know the Dragon (Eustace or otherwise) and the Sea Serpent will be fighting each other or that it will be they will both be in the same scene. It does sound like that, but Michael said he was weary after filming so maybe he just didn't want to give long answers and actually meant two different scenes.

I agree with both of these. It is hard to know exactly what he meant. I would imagine there was also a lot of background noise at the time.
I found Defender of the King's and [wrath]'s comments on the article especially interesting.

I just hope that this sea serpent isn't the emerald witch in disguise.

Don't worry, we have had assurance from the production that this is not happening.

They would run the risk of being attacked by an angry mob of Narnia fans if the changed their minds on this point and that might be more dangerous than facing a dragon and a sea serpent.

I hope glumpuddle is right about the Michael Apted quote being slightly wrong! that would make me calm down.....

And then there's still the question, if it does turn out to be dragon versus sea serpent, which is going to win? The sea serpent is in the water and the dragon is in the air. It seems to me like it would be so close to the same match, it's hard to tell how it would be resolved. Although maybe that will be a good thing in the end, because it shows it's not a cheesy scene. (And by cheesy, I mean I hope it wouldn't be cliched.)

I suppose maybe the dragon could go underwater, but if it did, the sea serpent would most likely win (and it would be a very slow-motion "battle"). Maybe it depends on whether the sea serpent is going to tie itself around the Dawn Treader. Who knows!

That's a very good point.

It would be really hard having the two of them having a decent fight. I'm getting less and less worried all the time.

And then there's still the question, if it does turn out to be dragon versus sea serpent, which is going to win?

If the dragon is Eustace, of course the dragon is going to win.

And I think it's very safe to say it's Eustace. I can't imagine what purpose the scene could possibly have if it was just a random dragon.

Having a dragon and a sea serpent in the same movie does present a very hard-to-resist temptation to have them 'battle it out'... if I were someone else speaking (someone who was less of a fan of the marvelously ingenious way Lewis wrote the books), I'd say I can't blame them.

Even if there is a battle between the two reptilian beasts, from Apted's quote it seems obvious that such a battle would not be the main focus of the movie - maybe not even the climax of the storyline. If such were the case, I could easily be content with it. So many fantasy or sci-fi movies today think that they have to be all about battles, shed, and frightening images; they lack any actual substantive storyline. What Apted said about the movie being more of a character story, more emotional or psychological, really gives me hope. Sounds like Voyage will retain the meaningful story that Lewis built into it, while still being exciting and adventure-filled. If that's an accurate depiction of the movie, I'm all for it. My only qualm would be that the movie makers would have to seriously tamper with the order of events to arrange such a battle between dragon and serpent - but we already knew they were moving things around anyway.

However, if glumPuddle's suggestion about the dragon and Sea Serpent battles being two seperate scenes is right, I'll be more than happy. So, my official opinion on the quote is more or less nuetral; a wait and see sort of thing.