W. R. Miller
I've worked primarily in the entertainment industry as an animator, writer and storyboard artist, with two Emmy honors on The Simpsons. My articles have been published in Starlog, Comics Scene, Comics Buyer’s Guide, Animation Magazine, Animato! and the online Animation World Magazine. I have just completed the five-volume Batman: The Animated Interviews, published by BearManor Media. Works-in-progress: The Justice Dragon; The Star Wars Historical Sourcebook. Further details are presented at my webpage, https://wrmilleronline.com/about/
The Shear Experience of Walter Peak Farm
Thursday, March 2, 2023. On my second full day in Queenstown, New Zealand, I elected to visit Walter Peak High Country Farm, which is on the western shore of Lake Wakatipu. To get there, tourists take a steamboat trip on the TSS Earnslaw, a.k.a. “The Lady of the Lake.” The boat provides a snack bar, […]
The Dragon Prince and the Great Big Wave
We interrupt this New Zealand travelogue with another promotion from Wonderstorm: this impressive poster from Season Five of The Dragon Prince, coming this summer from Netflix. The image is called “The Wicked Depths.” I can believe it. Look closely at the wave. There appears to be something … inside it. What could it be? Click […]
“The Eighth Most Dangerous Road in the World”
I found two companies in Queenstown that offered Lord of the Rings half-day tours: Nomad Safari and Pure Glenorchy. They scheduled an hour or hour-and-a-half break between the morning and afternoon trips. I took Glenorchy’s tour in the morning, but both groups had already booked their afternoon jaunts. (See this previous post for details.) Nomad […]
Isengard in Paradise
Morning of March 1, 2023. Paradise Valley. Otago Region. South Island, New Zealand. East side of the Dart River. Where Peter Jackson filmed scenes depicting the Lothlorian Forest … and Isengard. The Pure Glenorchy Scenic Lord of the Rings Tour took us to Acadia Station, the site of Isengard and Saruman’s castle, placed there by […]
Swords in Paradise
Leaving Glenorchy the tour group next visited Paradise Valley in Mt. Aspiring National Park. We stopped at the site of Middle Earth’s Lothlorian Forest. Francesco Garino, our guide, took out some Lord of the Rings costumes for us to wear. Cloaks, pointed hats … and swords. Don’t know whether these were Weta-made or screen-used. Watch […]
Glenorchy: A real-world window to Middle Earth
48 kilometers, or 28 miles north of Queenstown is the small settlement of Glenorchy (population 318 as of 2018 census), which lies at the northern end of Lake Wakatipu. Peter Jackson filmed Lord of the Rings around the neighboring mountains. Naturally, tour groups come to visit here. This is the boat shed with emphemera inside […]
The Road to Middle Earth
New Zealand is known as the shooting location for Middle Earth. It’s also the home of Weta Workshop, the production company that created the makeup, armour, weapons, costumes, and special visual effects. So naturally, I had to take a Lord of the Rings tour. Researching on the web, I found one “My Queenstown Diary” webpage […]
The Best Burgers in Queenstown
The itinerary for my trip was to travel from south to north, starting in Queenstown on the south island to Auckland on the north island. February 28, 2023 Air New Zealand landed me at the Queenstown Airport at 3:20 p.m. The place was surrounded by mountains. None were snow-capped, this being the autumn time of […]
My Trip to New Zealand Begins
It took about a month of planning–figuring out what places to visit, how to travel to each, the availability of the transportation, the kind of transportation, the time and distance it took to walk to the accommodations, the availability of the accommodations, making sure I filled government requirements for passage, adjusting flights to allow time […]
The Dragon Prince and the Great Big Boat
Each season of The Dragon Prince teases potential viewers with a poster. Seasons One, Two and Three showed us the dragon Sol Regem. Season Four’s poster showcased the Startouch Elf, Aaravos. Season Five’s poster features … a boat. What challenge does this boat bring? Could it be there are other land masses besides Xadia? Does […]
