The Internet is popping with loving reviews for Gore Verbinski’s Rango, but might Water for Elephants be the first great, no-caveats-like-it’s-animated film of the year? If the second trailer for the Reese Witherspoon-Robert Pattinson three-hanky weeper is any indication, quite possibly.
I know: You’ve probably got fangs knives out for Water for Elephants, if only because of the presence of Edward Cullen and director Francis Lawrence (he of the immortal I Am Legend), but we’re now two trailers deep into the marketing campaign for this thing, and it still looks kinda great. Well, it looks good, thanks to Lawrence and his cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Brokeback Mountain, Biutiful), but it actually seems like a worthwhile adaptation of Sara Gruen’s bestseller. Pattinson makes for a winning-but-tortured protagonist, Witherspoon has a great classic movie goddess (not goddesses, Charlie Sheen) vibe, and Christoph Waltz seems perfectly capable of pulling off the mustache twirling villainy that Water for Elephants needs. Considering how bad this early crop of 2011 movies has been — and how the prospects for March don’t look that much better — isn’t it possible for Elephants to be the best film of 2011*? Here’s hoping…
[*Through April 22, when Water for Elephants opens.]
“There is your path… There is your struggle… And there is your destiny.”
“Love is worth the risk.”
Since the new Water for Elephants trailer came out last night we’d love to hear what you guys thought about it. What did you think of the new trailer? What was your favorite scene?
As the majority of you know the new Water for Elephants trailer came out last night. Here are some reviews of the trailer. We’ll update this post as more come in so keep checking back!
I think I’m just going to come out and say it: Best. Second. Trailer. Ever.
There’s nothing more disappointing than looking forward to a new trailer for a highly anticipated release, only for it to be a cleverly re-packaged version of the first with nary a new scene in sight. Well, “Water for Elephants” director Francis Lawrence got it right with this one, because it almost felt like I was watching clips from an entirely different movie (in a totally good way).
Sure, Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz were all there just like before, but this second trailer revealed a whole new perspective of Sara Gruen’s best-selling novel that I totally enjoyed. Let’s count all the exciting new things after the jump!
1. Jacob Jankowski’s back story unfolds Whereas the first trailer began with Jacob’s (Robert) arrival at the Benzini Brothers show, this one goes back even further to the events that led him to join the big top. We see the veterinary student sit for an exam until he’s interrupted by an official with tragic news—his parents were killed in a car accident. It’s then that Jacob drops out of school and hops a train bound for his destiny.
2. Marlena and Jacob kiss! Commence the fits of fangirl giggles! It’s only a quick one- or two-second flash on screen, but we definitely spied a make out session between Reese’s Marlena and Jacob. We knew it would only be a matter of time before those longing glances from the initial trailer we’re fulfilled. (We just wish we had been on the receiving end instead of Reese!)
3. The tone is much darker Kissing another man’s wife tends to have consequences, and for Jacob, it’s a beat-down from Marlena’s husband August (Christoph). It’s just one of several scenes—including the circus catastrophe hinted at in the first trailer—that gives this second trailer a decidedly darker tone. While the joy and whimsy of the circus—tinkly music and all—were the focus last time, the tension and conflict inside the tent take center stage now.
Today we thought we’d do a poll to see which Water for Elephants still is your favorite. We’ve also included the posters. To make this easier for you guys we’ve labelled the stills from 1 to 8 and all you have to do is tell us which one is your favorite on the poll!
Francis Lawrence (@Hibbits) tweeted that he had just finished a new Water for Elephants trailer and that it would be coming shortly. We can’t wait to see the new trailer! We loved the first one. See his tweet below.
*Update* According to the article the premiere will be on April 27th at the Sony Center in Berlin – as of yet no official confirmation. The movie will be out in the theaters in Germany on April 28th (here’s a link to the article with the location info)
According to a German newspaper (BZ) Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz would be attending a Premiere of Water for Elephants in Berlin in April. We contacted the newspaper and here’s what they had to say:
**Please note that we are still considering this a rumour at this point until we receive official confirmation.**
Translation:
Yes, they’re really coming all 3 to Berlin: RP, Reese W. and Christoph Waltz! We have confirmation from Fox. Sincerely,
Translation:
As far as I know, Mr. Pattinson will come with Ms. Witherspoon and Mr. Waltz to the premiere of the film in Berlin. Further details about the location and progress of the premiere, will be coming in the following days.
Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson share a smooch and more in the upcoming ‘Water for Elephants,’ and the onscreen lovebirds are talking about their forbidden movie romance with ET! They also share a nugget of obscure movie trivia — they were once cast in a film as mother and son!
In ‘Water for Elephants,’ Reese plays the married star performer in a circus who catches the attention of a bachelor animal caretaker, played by ‘Twilight’ star Rob. When ET visited the Los Angeles set during production on the film last summer, Reese rode atop an enormous elephant for a scene involving an elaborate 1930s parade.
Reese gushed about sharing love scenes with Rob, proclaiming, “I am so lucky. He’s so amazing and wonderful and sweet and just the nicest guy too, so you can just add that to the soup. I mean, he’s just so good looking and he’s a really nice person.”
Rob said the pair hadn’t yet shot their love scenes, but shared, “Reese has only got two days [of work] left [on the film]. So … they must expect me to be very professional about it.” He also gave a tidbit about one love scene — he says it ends with his character getting beaten up!
“We’ll probably just laugh the whole time, because all we do is just laugh and joke around,” Reese predicted of filming the scenes.
Although Reese and Rob are an onscreen couple in ‘Water for Elephants,’ they had a very different movie relationship when they filmed 2004’s ‘Vanity Fair’ — mother and son! Despite Reese being only ten years older then Rob, he was cast as her son, though his scenes later landed on the cutting room floor.
Reese recalls of meeting Rob back then, “He was walking down this corridor and I turned to the director, and I said, ‘That’s my son? He’s so good looking!’ I was like, ‘He’s so hot!'”
For his part, Rob remembers, “Even then, I realized on the set, I was like, I look too old to be playing her son. I mean, that’s probably why I was cut.”
Based on the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen, ‘Water for Elephants’ follows an elderly man (Hal Holbrook) reminiscing about his days working as an animal caretaker at a circus. A young veterinary school student (Robert) witnessing the beauty and brutality of life under the big top, he falls for Marlena (Reese), the captivating star performer, and suffers the wrath of her charismatic but dangerous husband, August (‘Inglourious Basterds’ Oscar winner Christoph Waltz).
‘Water for Elephants’ will debut in theaters on April 15, 2011.
Yesterday we did a poll asking you guys when you would be going to see Water for Elephants. 63.38% of you guys answered that you would be there opening day and 22.8% said you would be there on opening weekend. That means that 86.6% of the people who answered will be going to see Water for Elephants during opening weekend! Is it April yet?
Robert Pattinson
c/o Curtis Brown Group Ltd.
Haymarket House
5th Floor, 28-29
Haymarket
London, SW1Y 4SP
England
or
Robert Pattinson
c/o Endeavor Agency
Stephanie Ritz
9601 Wilshire Blvd. Floor 3
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
USA
Calendar
January 2026
M
T
W
T
F
S
S
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Partners
DISCLAIMER
Thinking of Rob is not affiliated with Robert Pattinson or his management in any way.
There is no copyright infringement intended on this blog. If you are the original owner of any media used and would like it removed, we will be happy to do so, please contact us.
Copyright and Trademark Notice
All original content on this site, including any manipulations or enhancements, is the sole copyright of ThinkingofRob™ and ToR™.
Thinking of Rob 