Batman had its Batmobile. Mission to Mars its rover. And come February 8, The Time Machine will have its time machine - a nearly 11-foot-tall, 4,500-pound vehicle fitted with 217 Plexiglas prisms. Constructed for the latest motion picture based on the H. G. Wells novel, the $750,000 transporter is central to the plot: Inventor Alexander Hartdegen uses it to travel from 1895 New York to 800,000 years into the future. Teaming up with director Simon Wells (HG's great-grandson), DreamWorks digital illustrator Tim Wilcox redesigned the craft while paying homage to George Pal's 1960 big-screen version - most notably, the onboard difference engine's crystal key and the barber's chair. Wilcox's sketch sped from digital model to ridable prop in just three months - an unheard-of production cycle. The accelerated schedule gave filmmakers time for a few last-minute special effects, including removing some disaster scenes in major metropolitan cities.
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