The Chronicles of Narnia (film series)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of English fantasy films from Walden Media that are based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels written by C. S. Lewis. From the seven books, there have been three film adaptations so far—The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).^[1]

The series revolves around the adventures of children in the fictional world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a talking lion and the true king of Narnia. Most of the children featured were the Pevensie siblings and the prominent antagonist featured was the White Witch. While the films follow the novels' traditional storyline and Christian themes, they also added deviations from the source material, including the Greek Mythology and Irish fairy tales.

The first two films were directed by Andrew Adamson, produced by Mark Johnson, and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The third film is the first of the chronicles to be released in Digital 3D. It was directed by Michael Apted and distributed by 20th Century Fox.^[2]

The series is considered to be one of the biggest movie franchises around the world due to the legacy of the novels. The first film is the 41st highest-grossing film of all-time. The series has now grossed over $1.5 billion making it the 19th highest-grossing film series of all time.

Development

C. S. Lewis never sold the film rights to the Narnia series, being skeptical that any cinematic adaptation could render the more fantastical elements and characters of the story realistically.^[3] Only after seeing a demo reel of CGI animals did Douglas Gresham (Lewis's stepson and literary executor, and film co-producer) give approval for a film adaptation.

Films

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was directed by New Zealander Andrew Adamson and was shot mainly in New Zealand, though locations were used in Poland, the Czech Republic and England.

The story follows four British children who are evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside and find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia; there, they must ally with the Lion Aslan against the forces of the White Witch, who has the world under an eternal winter.

The film was released theatrically starting on December 7, 2005. As of^[update] April 2006, the film has grossed over US$700 million worldwide, making it the 41st highest grossing movie worldwide of all time.^[4]

The DVD was released on April 3, 2006 in the UK and April 4, 2006, in North America and Europe.

Prince Caspian (2008)

Prince Caspian was the second adaption to the Chronicles of Narnia franchise. The whole production team from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe returned but also new cast members joined the Narnia team such as Ben Barnes, Peter Dinklage and Eddie Izzard

The story follows four British children who were transported to Narnia in the previous film returning to Narnia and finding out that over 1300 years have passed and the land has been invaded by Telmarines. The four Pevensie children (William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley) return to aid Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) in his struggle for the throne against his corrupt uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto)

The film was released on May 16, 2008.^[1] It grossed $419 million worldwide and was considered a moderate success. This film was the last in the Narnia film series to be distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the novel with the same title, was directed by Michael Apted and was the third official film in the series.

The story follows the two younger Pevensie children as they return to Narnia with their cousin, Eustace. They join the new king of Narnia, Caspian, in his quest to rescue seven lost lords to save Narnia from a corrupting evil that resides on a dark island.^[5]

Production was put on hold when Disney chose not to produce the film after a budget dispute with Walden Media, who then negotiated with 20th Century Fox to replace them.^[6] Fox officially joined Walden Media on January 28, 2009.^[7] They announced a December 10, 2010 release date shortly afterwards. It was released on December 10, 2010 in the US in Digital 3D in select theaters, along with its wide 2D release. It grossed over $415 million worldwide.

Future

As there are seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia, each book could potentially become a theatrical feature film.^[8] Although they originally produced the films in the same order as the book series' original publication, 20th Century Fox, Walden Media, and the C.S Lewis Estate selected The Magician's Nephew, which recounts the creation of Narnia, to be the basis for the fourth movie, instead of The Silver Chair.^[9] Shortly before Perry Moore's death in February 2011, he told his family that he had secured funding for such a film.^[10] In March 2011, Walden Media confirmed that they intended The Magician's Nephew to be next in the series, but stressed that it was not yet in development.^[11]

However, in October 2011, Douglas Gresham stated that Walden Media's contract with the C. S. Lewis estate had expired, and any production of a future film was on hold indefinitely. It is assumed that 2014 is the earliest that production on another Narnia film could begin, as that would be the earliest the moratorium placed on the C.S. Lewis Estate's right to sell the film option of the series will be lifted.^[12][13][14]

Main cast

Children

• William Moseley as Peter Pevensie, the eldest Pevensie child and the High King of Narnia.
• Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie, the eldest Pevensie girl and the High Queen of Narnia.
• Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie, the youngest Pevensie boy and King of Narnia.
• Georgie Henley as Lucy Pevensie, the youngest Pevensie child and Queen of Narnia.
• Will Poulter as Eustace Scrubb, the Pevensie children's cousin.

Other recurring characters

• Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan, the magnificent and powerful lion who helps govern Narnia, his own creation. He is the only character to appear in all of the books.
• Tilda Swinton as Jadis, the White Witch, the former queen of Charn and a witch who ruled Narnia after the events of The Magician's Nephew and during the events of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
• Ben Barnes as Caspian X, the Telmarine prince who becomes King of Narnia after overthrowing his evil uncle Miraz.
• Eddie Izzard and Simon Pegg as the voice of Reepicheep, the noble and courageous mouse who fights for Aslan and the freedom of Narnia. Izzard played the character in Prince Caspian, and Pegg took over the role in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

Reception

Box office

See also: List of Highest-grossing films

Critical

See also

• The Chronicles of Narnia novels:
  • The Magician's Nephew
  • The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
  • Prince Caspian
  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
  • The Silver Chair
  • The Horse and His Boy
  • The Last Battle

References

External links

• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian at the Internet Movie Database
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader at the Internet Movie Database