Friday, February 27, 2009

From 'Lord Of The Rings' to 'Lady Of The Fishes'!


I'm amused and impressed by this report.

Nadya Vessey, from Auckland, New Zealand, suffered a medical condition as a child that forced doctors to amputate both her legs.

When a little boy asked her what happened to her legs, she told him she was a mermaid.

The idea stuck - and, two years ago, she wrote to Oscar-winning special effects company Weta Workshop in Wellington, New Zealand, to ask them to make her a tail.




She never believed they actually would.

But for the people behind the special effects in blockbuster hits like 'Lord of the Rings', 'The Chronicles of Narnia', and 'King Kong', the task was a piece of cake.

Now the astounded - and delighted - Nadya has a fully-functioning tail.

It comes complete with a fitted suit, and covered with digitally printed sock with hand-painted mermaid scales.




'A prosthetic is a prosthetic, and your body has to be comfortable with it and you have to mentally make it part of yourself,' Nadya, who has been swimming in a pool and Auckland Harbour, told New Zealand media.

'It was absolutely amazing,' said costumer Lee Williams. 'It's beautiful to watch Nadya swim and to see that dream come true and to be a part of that. I feel quite blessed.'


More info and pictures at the link. Well done, Weta, for helping this lady to live so much more at ease with her disability! I'm impressed.

Peter