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The Astonishing Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Some voyages take us far from home. Some ventures lead us to our destiny. Others take us to the Disney adaptation of C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia. The first movie in the series is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. This distinct world of fantasy and magic is beloved by generations of avid readers eager to thrill at the exploits of the Pevensie children as they encounter fauns, minotaurs, giants, and a wicked queen.
The original novel was published in 1950 to worldwide approval. Indeed, Time Magazine designated it as one of the 100 Best English-language Novels written between from 1923 and 2005. Though it spawned various animated and television adaptations, it took the funds of Walt Disney to bring it to modern movie audiences. Indeed, it had been deemed un-filmable until the relatively recent development of CGI technology. Moreover, it was the success of Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone that prompted Disney to take a chance on this classic tale.
The able Andrew Adamson, who helmed the phenomenally successful Shrek and Shrek 2, directed The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He had been a 20-page treatment, which Disney approved and used as the basis for the screenplay, credited to Ann Peacock, Adamson himself, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely.
The film, like the novel, follows the four Pevensie siblings as they are evacuated during the Blitz of London. They are taken to the country home of Professor Kirke where they soon discover a passage to the realm of Narnia. There, they soon become aware of the evil of the White Witch and her cruel, encompassing winter. The mythic lion, Aslan, who seeks to usurp the White Witchs reign, takes in the children. Soon, they are at the helm of a massive army bent on freeing the realm from evil.
The head of physical effects, Richard Taylor (of Weta Workshop) was inspired by Hieronymus Boschs The Garden of Earthly Delights as a basis for creature and production design. In contrast to the gritty feel of Lord of the Rings, he felt Narnia should enjoy a cleaner, more streamlined design. Though Weta Workshop began the design work, KNB FX inherited the implementation of the creatures. Needless to say, they realized the production design and creature design with aplomb (as the Academy of Arts and Motion Pictures would attest to).
Released in December 2005, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe met with generally good reviews and a tremendous audience response. It earned $745,011,272 worldwide and marked a financial high watermark for Disney (until the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest the subsequent year).
The film, the first in a series to be based on Lewiss body of work, won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Make Up. The subsequent DVD release was the best selling DVD in North America, garnering well over $333 million. The deluxe widescreen two-disc boxed set sold four million copies on its first day, surpassing Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. A fitting act of one-upsmanship upon the film series that made Narnia possible.
About the Author Steve Collins is a writer and journalist. A huge Disney fan, he uses the Disney Movie Club to complete his collection. Read his articles about the movies available from the Disney Movie Club here.
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