HisDarkMaterials.org

Corgi International has announced their range of toys and collectibles to coincide with the release of The Golden Compass. This includes 3 3/4 inch scale action figures and battling panserbjorne. Also available are interactive electronic 'Digi-Dæmons' and an alethiometer with moving needles and a carry pouch. Additional products including Die-Cast vehicles, Lee Scoresby’s Balloon Playset and High End Prop Replicas from Corgi International’s Master Replicas brand. Retailers of the products include Toys R Us, Tesco, Play.com and Harrods & Hamleys.

The official blog reports that acclaimed English singer Kate Bush will pen an original song entitled "Lyra" for the end credits of The Golden Compass. The song which was produced in Kate's studio and features the Magdalen College Choir from Oxford will be available as part of the official The Golden Compass soundtrack to be released December 11th.

The Christian lobby which was set in motion by the Catholic League's boycott has now been joined by various other parties each trying to warn for The Golden Compass, and its author Philip Pullman. In this article we look at four recent publications.

Update: Also read about the Pied Piper of Atheism publication.

In an interview with Donna Freitas, the author of both the book and film Killing the Imposter God, Philip Pullman discussed his own take on the His Dark Materials trilogy and his intentions with the story. He explained that Dust was to be seen as an intelligence that was almost divine in its presence, and that everything in the world had a consciousness as a result of Dust.

Pullman's strong support of free-thinking becomes apparent as he goes on to urge parents not to be skeptical about about what their children want to believe. He also agrees with Freitas that the story conveys a message that is more in line with "saving the divine" and not killing it. He wants his audience to understand his perspective, and explains that although the trilogy is under heavy criticism from various religious groups, he was merely trying to tell "the story of an ordinary boy and ordinary girl in an extraordinary situation."

IGN.com has posted some concept art from The Golden Compass. Be sure to check out the image gallery with newly-added storyboards including the development of Lyra at Mrs. Coulter's flat and Lyra speaking with Serafina Pekkala on board the Nooderlicht.

Variety magazine reports on the extensive marketing campaign being undertaken by New Line in promotion of The Golden Compass. The total value of brand-backed marketing is estimated to be $120 million and includes brand partners Coca-Cola Co., Burger King, Wal-Mart, Target, Sega, the World Wildlife Fund, Borders, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Best Buy, Emusic, FAO Schwarz, Corgi Intl., Toys R Us, Trans World Entertainment, Circuit City, Marie Claire and Scholastic.

Costume designer for The Golden Compass, Ruth Myers, who is slated to win a Career Achievement Award from the Costume Designers Guild next year was interviewed by the LA Times:

Philip Pullman visited the Barnes & Noble Union Square in New York City, which HDM.org staff member JParry was lucky enough to attend. His write-up of the event, including photos, follows below. The event was filmed by Barnes & Noble, and is available for viewing at Barnes & Noble media.

The LA Times' Gina Piccalo wrote the following insightful article about The Golden compass and Chris Weitz quest to bring the novel to the silver screen.

"The Golden Compass," the first book in British author Philip Pullman's award-winning young adult trilogy, sets in motion a story that so smartly merges theology with quantum physics and Nietzschean pondering with fairy tale characters that it has inspired scores of scholarly essays, serious academic study, blockbuster book sales, a National Theatre play, a radio show and an international society of die-hard fans. Now -- Dec. 7, to be exact -- comes New Line Cinema's long-awaited $180-million movie "The Golden Compass," a fantasy-adventure directed by "About a Boy's" Chris Weitz, starring Nicole Kidman as the malevolent beauty Marisa Coulter, Daniel Craig as the mysterious Lord Asriel, Sam Elliott as cowboy adventurer Lee Scoresby and 12-year-old newcomer Dakota Blue Richards as the film's young protagonist, the wily urchin Lyra Belacqua. It is an epic story set in a parallel universe similar to Oxford, England, populated by flying witches, talking animals and warrior polar bears -- all locked in a battle with the authoritarian governing body the Magisterium over mystical particles known as Dust.

Philip Pullman addressed several issues, including claims that the His Dark Material books are anti-Catholic and promote atheism, raised by readers of Al's Book Club on MSNBC. He also answers questions on how he imagined such an epic world and how he came up with the concept of dæmons. Thanks to IMDb.com user downinnewyork for bringing this to our attention.

New Line Cinema and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are launching a Global Warming awareness campaign to help educate the public about the impact global warming is having on animals throughout the world.

On the campaign website www.worldwildlife.org/goldencompass visitors can view a panoramic lineup of the animal spirits or "dæmons" featured in the film, many of which are the same species that WWF works to protect in the real world. Fans of the film can also show their support for WWF and its message of species protection by "adopting" a real-life animal whose species is featured in the film – including polar bears, snow leopards, and monkeys – through the site.

Philip Nel, a Professor of English, and Donna Freitas, a Professor of Religion, have each written separate responses to the criticisms mounted towards The Golden Compass film and the His Dark Materials books.

An open letter from Philip Nel, of Kansas State University, has been published on the official blog responding to an article by Snopes.com, an urban legends reference site, which claims the assertion that the Golden Compass film is "based on a series of books with anti-religious themes" to be "True."

Donna Freitas, of Boston University, has written an article on why Christians shouldn't fear Philip Pullman and his trilogy. Freitas, who is a co-author of the soon-to-be-released book Killing the Imposter God: Philip Pullman's Spiritual Imagination in His Dark Materials, which explores the spiritual and religious themes of the trilogy, contends that "as a scholar, a Christian, and someone who has read the trilogy more times than [she] can count,... the telos of Pullman's "His Dark Materials" is to save God, not kill him." She also writes of her experience with meeting Philip Pullman.

Webblogger of educating alice was in attendance at the October 30th talk with Philip Pullman at The Times Center in New York. Her event write-up follows.

If you were unable to attend the October 9th Trailer Debut Party in New York City, you've not been forgotten. Contest winner and attendee Aimee has written a brief synopsis of the event and added some video featuring event host Sam Elliot on stage and the countdown to the trailer premiere.

Our friends at QuesteOscureMaterie.it have alerted us to a series of images scans from the tie-in book "The World of The Golden Compass." Notably, these scans feature some images from the now-misplaced ending of The Golden Compass, including an image of the city beyond the aurora, a map of Lyra's world, and scenes of Billy Costa with his mother.

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