Blockbuster Additions to Hollywood Wax Museum Capture Movie Magic
7/30/02 6:54 AM Source: PR Newswire
HOLLYWOOD, Calif.

Characters from three of the all-time highest grossing movies will join the star ranks of the Hollywood Wax Museum. Starting July 31, Harry Potter, Spider-Man and Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg), along with three primate co-stars from Planet of the Apes, will appear as if they stepped off the movie screen casting their spells, webs and blame. 

Eleven-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, already waxing nostalgic about his role as the young wizard-in-training, is "lifelike to the point it's spooky," according to the Museum's wax artist Paul Barnes. The biggest challenge? "His eyes," says Barnes. "We had to bring in a pediatric ophthalmologist to help us create his baby blues with the focus and depth of the real thing." The spellbinding Hogwarts student is the Museum's fourth figure of age 12 or under, joining Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker, Macaulay Culkin as Home Alone's Kevin McCallister and Shirley Temple.  A different kind of magic brought Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man to life in the 2002 blockbuster. "Creating a real-life wax likeness of a digitally-created character is a challenge. Our team spent 200 hours molding the body and another 150 hours to paint and finish him," according to Barnes. The buff web-slinger will capture attention in the Wax Museum's front lobby as he is poised to cast a spidery trap for the Green Goblin. Peter Parker's alter ego rounds out the Museum's trio of super heroes, with Superman (Christopher Reeve) and Batman (Michael Keaton) already amazing visitors.  Leaving the jungle of Spider-Man's home in Queens, NY, guests will find the eerie Sug Jungle, where General Thade (Tim Roth) and Colonel Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan) are stalking humankind's hero Captain Leo Davidson (Mark Wahlberg) and his primate friend Krull (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). Barnes says a special needle was used for the time-consuming job of inserting hair, one strand at a time. "Mark (Wahlberg), has about 8,000 hairs on his head, but that was nothing compared to the three apes. Their bodies, faces, and heads had to be plunged with more than 500,000 hairs."  This summer, visitors can see the Hollywood Wax Museum as part of a Triple Star Deal, which includes the Hollywood Guinness World Records Museum and a new guided walking tour, Hollywood Revealed: An Insider's Look by Foot. Call 323.462.5991.

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