FOR months, it was the only show in town as Disney’s jaw-dropping Disenchanted set became a huge attraction in its own right, with throngs of day-trippers visiting daily.
But tomorrow will see the final day of shooting in Wicklow for the movie starring Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams taking place in the village of Enniskerry, which got under way on June 14.
Director Adam Shankman has spoken about finishing up work on this “beautiful baby” as filming winds up over the next few weeks.
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Tight security restrictions are in place at the colourful set in Wicklow, for the duration of filming hours, which run from 7am to 10pm.
Some of the people who live in the village even had to move out temporarily ahead of a number of night-time shoots. They were moved to the five-star splendour of the nearby Powerscourt Hotel.
Yet despite hopes that some of the set may be left in place after Disney leaves the village, as a permanent reminder of the big-budget production, one inside source said this wouldn’t be possible.
Sisters Hannah (5) and Meghan (3) Lyons at the Disenchanted set in Enniskerry last month. Photo: Mark Condren
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Sisters Hannah (5) and Meghan (3) Lyons at the Disenchanted set in Enniskerry last month. Photo: Mark Condren
“Our understanding is that the entire set will have to come down,” she said. “All the facades on the shopfronts will be taken away and the cobblelock will have to be taken up.
“Much as the locals would love to have seen just one or two items left behind, it’s essentially the property of Disney so it will have to go back to the US once the set is no longer in use.”
This week saw Shankman, who has been effusive in his praise of Ireland, sharing a picture of some brand-new merchandise, namely a blue T-shirt bearing the logo ‘Disenchanted Ireland 2021’.
He said that it was the “first sign that filming is rapidly coming to a close: the transportation department gave me a T-shirt”.
Director Adam Shankman from 'Disenchanted' shares a picture of the crew's new tee-shirt Source: Instagram
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Director Adam Shankman from 'Disenchanted' shares a picture of the crew's new tee-shirt Source: Instagram
He added: “Thanks everyone. Let’s finish this beautiful baby out strong for the next few weeks and focus on our blessings. For me, the first one on my mind is being able to direct and choreograph this amazing joy-filled movie #Disenchanted.”
Filming will continue for a few more weeks at a second location at the RDS, where the green-screen element of the production will take place.
However the knock-on effect of having such an iconic movie filmed entirely in Ireland is set to be felt for years to come.
The large-scale production is part of an industry that is worth an estimated €629m and is responsible for creating nearly 12,000 jobs here.
Meanwhile, many of the stars have been doing their own unofficial promotion of Ireland as Dempsey, Adams and Shankman have all shared photos of Ireland’s stunning scenery to followers worldwide.
Grey’s Anatomy star Dempsey in particular seems to have fallen in love with the country, sharing photos of Trinity College Dublin, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland on Dublin’s Kildare Street and the Oscar Wilde statue in Merrion Square.
Patrick Dempsey at Mussenden Temple (Image: Patrick Dempsey/Instagram)
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Patrick Dempsey at Mussenden Temple (Image: Patrick Dempsey/Instagram)
He took pictures at Bray Head, climbed the Sugar Loaf Mountain, got a suit from Louis Copeland and even shared an image of chip-shop Leo Burdock with the caption: “Bleeding deadly!”
Melanie Corrigan, a member of Wicklow County Council and the Wicklow County Tourism Board, said she would like to see a ‘film trail’ introduced for the area.
This would give Irish and international fans the chance to see where projects like Disenchanted, Ballykissangel, Leap Year, Glenroe and Excalibur were filmed in Wicklow.
