Real-world mermaid created by WETA Workshop

WETA mermaid tailWETA Workshop, creators of almost everything seen in the Lord of the Rings films, have brought movie magic to real life with the creation of a prosthetic mermaid tail for a double amputee in Auckland, New Zealand. Nadya Vessey, who lost both her legs below the knee as a child, asked WETA for the tail two years ago. Recently her wish came true.

Richard Taylor, Lee Williams, and other names you’re likely to recognize if you watched any of the special features from the LotR DVDs worked together to build the tail out of wetsuit material, with hand-painted scales. It needed to be “beautiful and sexy”, and knowing the provenance of this thing I’m sure it hit the mark.

Via CNET.