LIW Disney movie -- Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Forum

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Date Posted: 12:37:36 07/23/04 Fri
Author: Jennifer
Subject: LIW Disney movie

Since Ann mentioned this it jogged my brain that a guy was posting at FG for a while who runs prairiefans.com He has an interview on there with the actress who will be playing Laura - so everyone go check it out for updates!

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[> Re: LIW Disney movie -- Ann, 15:38:54 07/23/04 Fri

Thanks for that link, Jennifer! Here are some excerpts about the upcoming filming:

"Its rolling hills, tall grasses and prairie skyline has made Okotoks a prime location for the filming of an all-time classic �Little House on the Prairie.� Filming for the upcoming ABC six-hour mini-series, which will air under the �Wonderful World of Disney� banner, began 17 days ago in the Okotoks area and so far, the story is being played out without a hitch.

The film is based on the series of autobiographical books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and veers from the NBC series that ran for 183 episodes between 1974 and 1983.

The little house is located on the Albertine Farms site and the CL Ranch was the Town of Pepin from where the Ingall�s first ventured.

Much of the show�s interior or nighttime scenes have been filmed in a Calgary warehouse where a replica little house has been built to scale. As the seasons change the actors will take their positions outside in order to capture the transition from winter to spring.
...the newest film is more closely true to the books which tell the tale of a close-knit family coming of age in the Midwest frontier and the relationship between Laura Ingalls and her father.
�This is based on the original books rather than the 70s TV series which strayed from the books quite a bit,� said Chapman. �The film is more from Laura�s point of view and her relationship with her father.�

The movie focuses on the hardships the family had to face while traveling across the Midwest in the 1870s and 80s.
The movie begins with the family staying at Caroline�s parent�s home in the bustling city of Wisconsin. The family then sets out across America to chart out a new home. The film follows the family through their excursions until they finally settle on a place outside the Town of Independence. The film highlights the hardships of setting up a homestead and with the Ingalls family forming relationships with the Indians in the area.
Animals also play a major role in the show with four dogs playing Jack the dog as well as cougars, wolves and bears making an appearance.

Cast members in the film include Cameron Bancroft to star as Charles Ingalls. Bancroft was recently seen in CBS� �Undercover Christmas� and �Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron.� He joins Erin Cottrell as Caroline Ingalls (originally played by Karen Grassle). Cottrell is best known for her roles in �Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde� as well as daytime soaps �Guiding Light� and �All My Children�. She also had a guest-starring role on NBC�s �Ed.� Cottrell said after playing a sorority girl in Legally Blonde 2, the role of Mrs. Ingalls was an interesting transition.

�What attracted me the most to her is how strong she is especially for a time when women were really perceived as kind of second class,� said Cottrell after filming a scene in a Calgary warehouse.
The strength of pioneer women was amazing, said Cottrell, a Los Angelos resident. They had to know how to survive off the land, take care of the children, put out fires and chase off wolves.
�That is something I don�t think women today, as strong as we see ourselves, we don�t have the capacity to fight off the elements that I think women did at the time.�

Playing the delightful Laura Ingalls (original played by Melissa Gilbert), is the charismatic Kyle Chavarria. Chavarria has been acting for five years and has co-starred on shows such as �According to Jim� and �The Agency�. She has also been on commercials for McDonald�s, Ford and Smuckers.

She said she likes playing the role of Laura Ingalls because she is such of a tomboy - a similar trait to her own personality. What she likes best about being a part of the film, however, are the people.
�Everybody is so nice especially Hans and David, the director and producer, and you practically know everybody by now. They are just all very nice,� said the enchanting nine-year-old.
Chavarria also enjoys being able to work with �Mary�.
Starring as Mary is Danielle Ryan Chuchran, 10, who is best known for her role as Thing One in �The Cat in the Hat� starring Mike Myers.
Chuchran and Chavarria have a close friendship and spend much of their time off the set together.

For Chuchran playing Mary is fun. What she likes best about her character is the fact that she is prim and proper and a ma�s girl. �Laura is more of a pa�s girl,� said Chuchran, �but Mary wants to be just like her mom when she grows up.� While the girls say they have a lot of fun on the set, they also work hard not only to delve into their character roles but also to keep up on their schoolwork. But both say they have an advantage over other kids their age.
�It�s kind of better because you get to learn more things. Kyle and I are way ahead of our class,� said Chavarria. �I mean, 27 kids to one teacher, that�s kind of hard. Well, it�s one teacher and two kids so it�s very easy.� While the cast and crew continue working on the project, many viewers are anxiously awaiting the release of the movie series where they may catch a glimpse of their homeland in Alberta. It is anticipated that Little House on the Prairie will air sometime this fall."

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[> thanks for this -- delilah, 19:41:35 07/23/04 Fri

That was a great read. I hope they do this correctly. I am off to check out the site Jennifer left......

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