Lemony Snicket’s VFX Breakdown
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (also simply known as A Series of Unfortunate Events) is a 2004 American gothic black comedy film directed by Brad Silberling. It is a film adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, covering the first three novels The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. The film stars Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge and Meryl Streep, as well as Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. In truth, Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American born writer Daniel Handler.
Nickelodeon Movies purchased the film rights to Daniel Handler's book series in 2000 and soon began development of a film with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct. Handler adapted the screenplay and courted Jim Carrey for Count Olaf. Sonnenfeld eventually left over budget concerns in January 2003 and Brad Silberling took over. Robert Gordon rewrote Handler's script, and principal photography started in November 2003. A Series of Unfortunate Events was entirely shot using sound stages and backlots at Paramount Pictures and Downey Studios. The film received positive reviews, with many praising Carrey's performance, while some criticized its comical tone. The film also grossed $209 million worldwide, and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup.
In the opening, the narrator, who identifies himself as Lemony Snicket, while typing on a type-writer, tells the audience the story of the Baudelaire children.
Fourteen-year-old inventor Violet Baudelaire, her twelve-year-old brother Klaus, and their baby sister Sunny are orphaned when a fire burns down their house and kills their parents. Mr. Poe, the family's banker, manages their fortune and leaves them in the care of their closest relative Count Olaf, who is only interested in obtaining their fortune despite Violet not being the legal age of eighteen to obtain it. He also forces them to work through grueling house chores and belittles them.
The day Olaf obtains full custody, he pretends to go into a store claiming to buy soda, but Violet notices the car is parked directly on train tracks with a train heading towards them. They manage to build a device to turn the switch controlling the tracks so that they are not hit. Mr. Poe arrives and takes them away when he sees Sunny in the front seat, believing her to have been "driving." Olaf initially says farewell, but threatens them that they will always be found.
The orphans are then taken to their uncle Dr. Montgomery, a kind, caring herpetologist who is planning to take the children with him to Peru. However, Olaf arrives in disguise as an Italian scientist named Stephano. The orphans attempt to warn Montgomery, and he believes to an extent. Montgomery believes Stephano is after a large viper in his museum, which despite its looks, is actually very gentle. He is discovered dead shortly after, and the orphans cannot prove that Stephano is responsible for Montgomery's death. They are almost taken back to him when Sunny proves the viper's innocence when it plays with her, disproving its hostile nature. Stephano flees the scene, ridding himself of all evidence of his disguise as the police pursue him.
Mr. Poe leaves them with their Aunt Josephine, a kindly woman who is nonetheless obsessed with grammar and has irrational fears. Olaf appears disguised as Captain Sham to interfere with their plans again. One day, Josephine is not at the house, leaving what is apparently a suicide note; Klaus takes advantage of mistakes in the letter's grammar (which Josephine would never have tolerated) to decode her location: Curdled Cave. A hurricane sweeps through the town - ultimately destroying the house - but the children manage to flee before the structure falls apart. They sail to the cave and rescue her, but attract leeches due to Josephine having eaten a banana. Olaf appears and takes the kids with him, throwing Josephine off the boat and to the Lachrymose Leeches after she annoys him by correcting his speech.
A play is soon planned, titled "The Marvelous Marriage" that involves Olaf and Violet as the leads: a groom and a bride. Klaus's suspicions reveal that Olaf is planning to take advantage of the play to marry Violet in reality in a desperate attempt to get the fortune. Unless Violet follows her lines or finds a loophole, Sunny, who is being held hostage in a cage, will be dropped to her death.
Klaus manages to escape and finds a hidden tower in Olaf's house, with a large lens which, if positioned correctly, can focus the rays of the sun. He discovers this way that it was Olaf who set the fire to their old house. He uses this window to burn the marriage certificate before the marriage is officially complete, leading to Olaf's arrest. However, a jury of his peers overturn his sentence and Olaf vanishes.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny are taken to visit their old home one last time. As they observe the burned remains, a letter lost in the mail finally arrives, and inside is a spyglass announcing their family's secret society. Though their future is unclear, despite the children's misfortune, they still have each other, thus making them "Very Fortunate Indeed".
In the end, Snicket concludes the story, finishes typing the book, and prepares to publish it.
Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (also simply known as A Series of Unfortunate Events) is a 2004 American gothic black comedy film directed by Brad Silberling. It is a film adaptation of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket, covering the first three novels The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, and The Wide Window. The film stars Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge and Meryl Streep, as well as Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. In truth, Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American born writer Daniel Handler.
Nickelodeon Movies purchased the film rights to Daniel Handler's book series in 2000 and soon began development of a film with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct. Handler adapted the screenplay and courted Jim Carrey for Count Olaf. Sonnenfeld eventually left over budget concerns in January 2003 and Brad Silberling took over. Robert Gordon rewrote Handler's script, and principal photography started in November 2003. A Series of Unfortunate Events was entirely shot using sound stages and backlots at Paramount Pictures and Downey Studios. The film received positive reviews, with many praising Carrey's performance, while some criticized its comical tone. The film also grossed $209 million worldwide, and won the Academy Award for Best Makeup.
In the opening, the narrator, who identifies himself as Lemony Snicket, while typing on a type-writer, tells the audience the story of the Baudelaire children.
Fourteen-year-old inventor Violet Baudelaire, her twelve-year-old brother Klaus, and their baby sister Sunny are orphaned when a fire burns down their house and kills their parents. Mr. Poe, the family's banker, manages their fortune and leaves them in the care of their closest relative Count Olaf, who is only interested in obtaining their fortune despite Violet not being the legal age of eighteen to obtain it. He also forces them to work through grueling house chores and belittles them.
The day Olaf obtains full custody, he pretends to go into a store claiming to buy soda, but Violet notices the car is parked directly on train tracks with a train heading towards them. They manage to build a device to turn the switch controlling the tracks so that they are not hit. Mr. Poe arrives and takes them away when he sees Sunny in the front seat, believing her to have been "driving." Olaf initially says farewell, but threatens them that they will always be found.
The orphans are then taken to their uncle Dr. Montgomery, a kind, caring herpetologist who is planning to take the children with him to Peru. However, Olaf arrives in disguise as an Italian scientist named Stephano. The orphans attempt to warn Montgomery, and he believes to an extent. Montgomery believes Stephano is after a large viper in his museum, which despite its looks, is actually very gentle. He is discovered dead shortly after, and the orphans cannot prove that Stephano is responsible for Montgomery's death. They are almost taken back to him when Sunny proves the viper's innocence when it plays with her, disproving its hostile nature. Stephano flees the scene, ridding himself of all evidence of his disguise as the police pursue him.
Mr. Poe leaves them with their Aunt Josephine, a kindly woman who is nonetheless obsessed with grammar and has irrational fears. Olaf appears disguised as Captain Sham to interfere with their plans again. One day, Josephine is not at the house, leaving what is apparently a suicide note; Klaus takes advantage of mistakes in the letter's grammar (which Josephine would never have tolerated) to decode her location: Curdled Cave. A hurricane sweeps through the town - ultimately destroying the house - but the children manage to flee before the structure falls apart. They sail to the cave and rescue her, but attract leeches due to Josephine having eaten a banana. Olaf appears and takes the kids with him, throwing Josephine off the boat and to the Lachrymose Leeches after she annoys him by correcting his speech.
Klaus manages to escape and finds a hidden tower in Olaf's house, with a large lens which, if positioned correctly, can focus the rays of the sun. He discovers this way that it was Olaf who set the fire to their old house. He uses this window to burn the marriage certificate before the marriage is officially complete, leading to Olaf's arrest. However, a jury of his peers overturn his sentence and Olaf vanishes.
Violet, Klaus and Sunny are taken to visit their old home one last time. As they observe the burned remains, a letter lost in the mail finally arrives, and inside is a spyglass announcing their family's secret society. Though their future is unclear, despite the children's misfortune, they still have each other, thus making them "Very Fortunate Indeed".
In the end, Snicket concludes the story, finishes typing the book, and prepares to publish it.