“Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight” will be released on DVD on 15 January 2008!

Many thanks to Shane from Maverick Public Relations in arranging this interview!

Dragonlance Team:

Cindi Rice: Co-Executive Producer
George Strayton: Screen writer
Margaret Weis: Co-creator
Tracy Hickman: Co-creator

Penny: For those who are not familiar with the Dragonlance Chronicles and the world of Krynn, can you give us a brief summary of the book, Dragonlance: Dragons of Autumn Twilight?

Cindi Rice: The Dragonlance animated movie is based on Dragons of Autumn Twilight, the first novel in the bestselling Dragonlance fantasy franchise, published by Wizards of the Coast. As this beautiful sword-and-sorcery world, the gods have long battled for control, though it has always been the heroic deeds of mortals that decide its fate.

Our story begins as Tanis Half-Elven meets up with his old friends — Flint Fireforge (a grumpy old dwarven warrior), Tasslehoff Burrfoot (the tiny and inquisitive kender rogue), Raistlin & Caramon Majere (the dark, mysterious human wizard and his warrior brother), and Sturm Brightblade (the valiant human knight). Reunited after an unsuccessful five-year journey to seek out signs of the old gods, these Companions are thrown into a conflict over a legendary blue crystal staff, wielded by the barbarian princess Goldmoon.

When the heroes see evil goblins harassing the beautiful barbarian woman, they immediately leap to her rescue, helping Goldmoon and her bodyguard Riverwind escape the dragon armies of the evil warlord Verminaard. Following the trail of clues from the mysterious staff, the Companions learn that at least one of the old gods has returned: Takhisis, the evil dragon goddess, who guides Verminaard’s hand.

The heroes then set out to stop the evil dragon armies by retrieving an ancient artifact known to have divine powers. Fighting their way past dragons and their vile draconian spawn, Tanis and his friends finally learn to have faith in both the gods and themselves, thereby bringing back the deities of light, who aid them in defeating the forces of Takhisis. Of course, the evil goddess is not one to give up so easily, and it looks like our heroes’ battle has only just begun….

Penny: Has the movie script stayed true to the book?

Cindi Rice: Absolutely! The team has worked as hard as possible to follow the existing Dragonlance material, which is why it has been so important to have Margaret & Tracy involved.

Penny: When casting for the movie, what specific “character aspect” were you looking for in casting for Raistlin, Tanis, and the other companions?

Cindi Rice: Obviously, the most important thing was finding talented actors, as well as making sure all the voices were distinct from one another, though each character did have key qualities we wanted to embody through their voices. We thought Kiefer was perfect for the role of Raistlin not only because he is an amazing actor but he also has a distinctive voice, with a naturally raspy, breathy quality, which we felt would help convey character’s distinctive illness and quiet power. For Tas, we were seeking a voice that could combine eager enthusiasm and innocence. For Flint, we needed to convey his friendly gruffness, in contrast to Fizban, who had to come across both bumbling and lovable. Tika needed to be vibrant and coy, while Laurana’s voice should seem both naïve and regal. Sturm’s voice required quiet strength and nobility, and we felt that Goldmoon should sound wise and steadfast. Tanis was probably the hardest, since he needed to seem haunted and uncertain, while also instilling confidence as the default leader of the companions.

Tracy Hickman: In animation of this type, the voice work can be critical in conveying character. We were particularly blessed with the incredible cast that was assembled for this film. Tanis needed to be an accessible hero and Michael Rosenbaum provided that brilliantly. Lucy Lawless gave our Goldmoon character just the perfect turn of fallen royal cool and passionate warmth. Our mischievous Tasslehoff character was taken on by the incomparable Jason Marsden who absolutely owned the role.

Raistlin however is the most complex character in the series – a demanding task for any actor called upon to portray him. He has the most distinctive of voices of all the characters in Dragonlance – the only voice which, I believe, is specifically described in the original books. His relationships with each of the other characters is unique and troubled – a dark and in many ways hurtful person who nevertheless has working and powerful relationships with his companions. You have to believe that this otherwise unlikable individual has something inside that inspires others to want him around. The role becomes daunting when you realize that he is also the most popular of our characters with millions of fans around the world.
Margaret and I were on our Chicago stop of a book signing tour when Cindi Rice called us from the recording studio and told us that Kiefer had just completely nailed the part. We both breathed an excited sigh of relief: we knew that Kiefer was the perfect choice for this pivotal voice.

Margaret Weis: As far as Raistlin, it was important to find an actor who has a dark quality to his voice and acting. An actor who can give a cynical edge to his lines, yet soften into compassion, this made Keifer perfect! As for Tanis, he’s difficult because he can come across as whiney and indecisive. Michael Rosenbaum gave Tanis the perfect aspect of a man troubled by self-doubt, yet one who is not afraid to make hard decisions.

Penny: What do you feel are the hardest aspects of creating an animated feature based on Dragons of Autumn Twilight?

Cindi Rice: The hardest part was probably keeping the tone accurate. This is a movie targeted at Dragonlance fans, so it’s generally for college age and up. Still, there’s not a lot that happens in the Chronicles stories that isn’t appropriate for the younger audience, and we didn’t want to shoehorn those things in just to ensure a more “adult” rating. The novels don’t really have much in the way of nudity, cursing, or sex, and the violence isn’t particularly gruesome or detailed (though there are a few intense scenes, which we’re not shying away from). We just did our best to approach everything in the film from an adult sensibility and think about the story and characters in a mature way.

Penny: For the writers, were they fans of the Dragonlance novels before becoming involved in writing the script?

George Strayton: I have been a huge fan of DRAGONLANCE since the first Chronicles installment arrived in bookstores in 1984. In fact, I spent a great deal of time just trying to track down a copy of the book, the first D&D novel developed within TSR (as opposed to QUAG KEEP, written by Andre Norton, which was the first licensed D&D novel, and one which I greatly enjoyed, as well). At the time, you couldn’t buy anything online, of course, and Barnes & Nobles carried only a limited selection of mass-market paperback books. I recall there was some sort of problem in the ordering process that prevented the stores from getting copies of the books. Once it was resolved, I finally got my hands on a copy and didn’t put it down until I reached the end of the story. I read the next two Chronicles books as soon as they came out and continued with the Legends Trilogy, becoming particularly interested in the character of Raistlin/Fistandantilus. (I have to say, Kiefer was my first choice for playing Raistlin and he did a brilliant job. He has an amazing voice, a fantastic work ethic, and is overall a true professional. I hope to work with him again soon.) After that, I read as many of the DL novels as possible, usually on my way back and forth to college in the late ’80s/early ’90s (I had a four-hour train ride each way, so I could finish a book in one round-trip). Most recently, I’ve been reading the Dark Chronicles by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman, which I highly, highly recommend.

Penny: What do you feel are the hardest aspects of creating an animated feature based on Dragons of Autumn Twilight?

George Strayton: Length was definitely an issue. Condensing the story from a 450-page novel to a 90-page/90-minute screenplay was a great challenge. I had a difficult time cutting moments of the book that I loved — the wicker dragon sequence, for example. Secondly, I was very concerned with the tone — I feared that an animated movie would automatically be thought of as rated G, which the novel is most definitely not. I strived to retain the adult nature of Margaret and Tracy’s story, and was greatly relieved when the movie earned a PG-13 rating from the MPAA.

Penny: Was it always planned that the movie be animated?

Cindi Rice: We had actually pursued all film opportunities for Dragonlance, and we had even started several previous productions over the years, in both live-action and animation. It just turned out that this was the best opportunity to fully realize the brand’s vast possibilities. Animation is a fantastic and creative storytelling medium, which gave us an amazing amount of freedom to represent an entirely unique fantasy world, something completely unlike our own.

Penny: A rumor we have all heard is that both Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis will make an appearance in the movie. Is this true?

Tracy Hickman: When we previewed the movie for my family, we all played a sort of ‘Where’s Waldo’ game of who can find me the most in the movie. I was quite surprised: I want you to know that I get considerable screen time in this motion picture although I sadly have no lines. I suppose I just wasn’t animated enough to speak! And I’m still wondering why they couldn’t have taken thirty pound or so of my character. A guy can dream, can’t he?

Margaret Weis: Yes, we have cameos in the movie! In fact, it’s been fun for me to try to find myself in the various scenes!

Penny: There are so many Dragonlance fans out there, have any fans been asked for input in creating/making the first Dragonlance movie?

Cindi Rice: Of course! In addition to ourselves (since everyone on the core creative team for the film are big Dragonlance devotees), we sought input from many other fans as well. To start with, Margaret gave us access to her continuity team, which is a group of aficionados who help her keep an eye on the enormous amount of Dragonlance materials constantly in the works. In addition, we spoke to tons of fans at conventions and online. When that wasn’t possible (for confidentiality reasons), we could always rely on our own circle of friends and D&D groups, since we hang out with some of the world’s biggest Dragonlance enthusiasts!

Penny: Will the DVD be available internationally?

Chris Dreyer: Yes the DVD will be available internationally. Exact dates and territories have not been determined but I know our international team is currently working on their plan and all the release dates will fall within the 2008 timeframe.

Penny: Are there plans for any sequels – for the rest of the Dragonlance books?

Cindi Rice: We hope so! We’ve already started planning adaptations of at least the full Chronicles series, though everything is contingent on the success of this first one.