A Wardrobe of Wonder in "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe"


Title: 
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe

Director: Andrew Adamson
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Genre(s): Fantasy
Rated: PG (For battle sequences and frightening moments)
Back when C.S. Lewis was alive, he famously stated he never wanted to see his book series -  "The Chronicles of Narnia" - adapted into a movie. He likely said this because when he was alive movies were a practical effects medium. Sure, movies like "King Kong" and the Universal monster movies had charm in how their puppetry and quaint visuals worked, but as the author of a fantasy world, he likely couldn't see it being truly brought to life properly, and likely feared that the final result would be cheesy and hokey. At the time he was likely right, as roughly five years after his death a 10-episode TV series aired, which seemed to confirm that a live-action adaptation was doomed at the concept stage.


After a couple more attempts (most noticeably by PBS and the BBC), Disney decided to take a crack at the books in the hope of creating a viable fantasy franchise that could compete with the likes of 'Harry Potter' and "The Lord of the Rings," a plan that resulted in mixed results when all was said and done. Still, Disney was nothing if not ambitious in their plans for Narnia. They boldly stated that they would adapt all seven books of the series (something that still has not happened). Rather than hire a hotshot action director, they went with Andrew Adamson, a man whose previous films were "Shrek" and "Shrek 2."


They likely did this because they wanted the movie to be as much about the themes of the books as it was the spectacle they would be selling in the trailers. Hiring someone who primarily worked in animation meant that "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" would be helmed by someone who had a unique flair for storytelling, while also having experience with visuals that the film would need to be successful. And successful the film is, as "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was a triumph on every level, perfectly capturing the religious themes of the book while also delivering a wondrous action film that provides thrills without being too scary.


Even all these years later (and despite the World War II setting) kids still can relate to the Pevensie children, and Adamson creates the perfect shot of Lucy (Georgie Henley) walking through the wardrobe and entering Narnia for the first, letting the audience know that they are watching an instant classic. The franchise, sadly, fell off the rails, and it's almost sad to rewatch this and think about what could have been. Still, individual movies are about themselves and not franchise potential, and "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" was, for at least one film, lightning in a bottle that resulted in an instant classic. No amount of blundered marketing can take that away.

Comments