How long did the Trojan Horse take to make?
According to Universal, a team of 34 people spent a combined 288 hours building the replica.
The materials were a practical mix of lightweight and structural components, including:
- Polystyrene
- Steel
- Resin tin foil
- Fibreglass
That blend helped create something large enough to dominate Leicester Square without requiring an actual Bronze Age army to move it. Still, getting it into place was not exactly a quick errand.
Moving the horse became its own small Odyssey
Transporting the Trojan Horse to Leicester Square took three trucks. The structure arrived in four separate parts, plus its base.
Once on site, six people spent about nine hours assembling it. Taking it apart and loading it back into the trucks took roughly the same amount of time.
Across the design, build and assembly process, Universal said 45 people were involved. That is not far off the number of men on Odysseus’ ship, depending on which stage of the monster-heavy journey you are counting from. Cinema marketing remains less fatal, as a general rule.
Where the 36-foot horse goes next in the UK
The London premiere was not the horse’s final public appearance.
Before The Odyssey opens on July 17, the 36-foot replica is scheduled to appear at two more UK locations:
- Trafalgar Square in London for one day on July 14
- Westfield London for a four-day display beginning July 16
The UK version will stay in the country, but Universal has not left American audiences without their own oversized mythological livestock.
The US has more than one giant horse
There are two Trojan Horses in the United States tied to the film’s rollout.
One is the original horse used in The Odyssey, which appears on screen as Troy burns during the assault by Matt Damon’s army of Greeks. That prop is now on display at Universal Studios CityWalk, outside the AMC Universal Cinema.
The other has been travelling as part of the promotional campaign. It has already appeared in Venice, Texas and Miami. On Tuesday, it is due to make its red carpet debut at the US premiere of The Odyssey at AMC Lincoln Square 13 in New York.
The real competition may be smaller
For all the engineering, transport planning and mythic scale involved, Universal’s giant horses still face a very modern rival: The Odyssey popcorn bucket.
It is smaller, more plastic, and much easier to fit in a car. Whether it generates more public excitement than a 36-foot Trojan Horse remains the sort of question only blockbuster marketing can make feel almost reasonable.
