Aslan

Aslan is one of the main characters in the BBC TV serial of C. S. Lewis' first 4 books in the series ''The Chronicles of Narnia.

Aslan was operated by Ailsa Berk, William Todd-Jones, and puppeteer Tim Rose. Actor Ronald Pickup provided the voice of Aslan.

On the puppet
Aslan's mane was made from real yak hair, while the rest of his fur was made from the same material as car seat covers. The eyes were made softer than a real lion's, while the face had animatronic functions, most of which were operated by Tim Rose. Two people were inside the lion (Ailsa Berk performed the front, while William Todd-Jones did the back), somewhat like a pantomime horse.

Trivia
Aslan is a Turkish word meaning "lion".

According to the book No Strings Attached, the Jim Henson Creature Workshop was hired to provide some of the animal characters for a film version of The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Under the supervision of Neal Scanlan, and working closely with Boorman and his art team, the Creature Shop designed a puppet model of Aslan, which stood five feet at the shoulders and was designed to carry three child actors on its back. Because of its sheer size, Scanlan recalled that the designers "had to do a lot of work on the face to make it dignified. like a wise old man, rather than just plain scary." This film was never completed or released.