By: Kelly Holdaway On: August 27, 2013 In: Blog Comments: 0

Disney have recently announced an all-star Hollywood cast for their movie adaptation of “Into The Woods”, but did you know that a UNIC mini crane helped create a fantasy woodland theatre set for the Olivier Award winning production of the Stephen Sondheim musical in Regents Park, London?

A UNIC URW-295 mini spider crane was hired out one Summer to help construct the outdoor stage which was designed by award winning set designed Soutra Gilmour for this open air theatre production. The stage hosted a six week run of the show, with a cast playing over 20 fairytale characters from Brothers Grimm stories, including Little Red Riding Hood, Jack & The Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella.

The 2.9 tonne capacity UNIC mini crane lifted sections of the steel construction into position so they could be welded together. Take a look at this BBC clip of directors Timothy Sheader and Liam Steel walking around the set and showing the UNIC mini crane in action.

The set featured platforms, walkways, ladders and stairs to create a multi-level stage with plenty of height and cleverly incorporated the surrounding trees.  The production was given rave reviews by the critics who especially liked how the natural woodland environment was used in the set design.

Here’s an amazing time lapse video of how the set was built using the UNIC mini crane.

The Disney blockbuster remake of “Into The Woods” is due to be released in 2014 and will star Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden, Anna Kendrick and Chris Pine.

UNIC mini cranes are ideal for woodland and countryside lifting challenges as they can be transported up steep inclines on their tracks and their moveable outriggers can be precisely positioned so they safely work on softer uneven terrain. Read more about how UNIC mini cranes worked on mobile phone masts in the great outdoors in Wales and Canterbury.

Trackback URL: https://www.ggrgroup.com/news/mini-crane-creates-magic-on-fairytale-set/trackback/