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The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Full Screen Edition) (2005)This title will be released on April 4, 2006. |
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The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Widescreen Edition) (2005)This title will be released on April 4, 2006. |
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The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Special Two-Disc Collector's Edition) (2005)This title will be released on April 4, 2006. |
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This Alan Seymour dramatization of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was originally broadcast as a BBC series in 1988. Edited here to feature-length, it's simply superb. Whether you take C. S. Lewis's unsubtle Christian symbolism on board or not, the fact remains that the cycle of Narnia novels, of which The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the first, are among the best children's fantasy stories of all time. For anyone who spent their formative years on Mars, the story concerns four children who find their way into a magical land benevolently ruled by the mystical lion, Aslan (voiced by Ronald Pickup). Aslan has been deposed by the evil White Witch (played wonderfully by a screechingly camp Barbara Kellerman) who has cast all of Narnia into perpetual winter and whose eventual defeat entails a fearful sacrifice. While the special effects are firmly of the Doctor Who school, Lewis's writing is expertly transferred to the small screen and there are robust but credible performances from the four highly plausible young thespians who are cast in the leading roles. It's the perfect video for cozy family (early!) evening viewing, and one that young viewers will return to again and again. --Roger Thomas, Amazon.co.uk |
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Prince Caspian, the second fantasy adventure after The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in British author C.S. Lewis's beloved, Bible-based Narnia series, was first published in 1951, with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952) just on its heels. In 1989, these two novels were merged and adapted into a BBC TV series, and then edited into a riveting, but rather homespun feature-length production in two parts. In the first 59-minute episode, Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter are mysteriously whisked back to Narnia at the call of Prince Caspian, nephew of the cruel King Miraz, ruler of all Narnia. Miraz, who silenced Old Narnia, wants to kill his nephew, the rightful heir to the throne, so his own new baby son can be king. The four siblings help the fauns, dwarves, and talking animals of Old Narnia in Aslan's fierce battle to drive Miraz out of Narnia. In the second, 109-minute episode, Lucy, Edmund, and their obnoxious cousin Eustace Scrubb have just been sucked into a maritime painting of the Dawn Treader... and into another dangerous adventure in which the children assist Caspian on a voyage to rescue seven lords of Narnia, banished under Miraz's reign, encountering invisible armies, dragons, and their own nightmares--and sailing to the edge of the world. Lewis's hearty, old-fashioned battle of good vs. evil, brought to life with clashing swords, gorgeous costumes, and some pretty darn good (if sometimes hokey) special effects, makes for an exciting, blustery journey to the world of Narnia. --Karin Snelson |
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On the run from bullies at school, Eustace and his friend Jill suddenly find themselves in the enchanted land of Narnia. Prince Rilian, son of the old and frail King Caspian, has disappeared mysteriously and Eustace and Jill are called upon to help. Aslan, the Great Lion king, sends the children on a quest through treacherous lands of witches and giants to locate Prince Rilian, heir to the Narnia throne, and bring him home. The Emerald Witch who rules the underworld will ensure that this is no easy feat. |
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The Chronicles of Narnia, a seven-volume, Bible-based children's fantasy series written in the 1950s by British theologian C.S. Lewis, draws young readers into the magical, dangerous land of Narnia and plunges them into the age-old battle of good and evil. Lewis envisioned these stories as pictures before he wrote them, so it seems only proper that the books would eventually make it to the small screen. In the late 1980s and early '90s, three adventures in this series--The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (169 minutes), Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (168 minutes), and The Silver Chair (168 minutes)--were faithfully adapted into a TV series by the BBC and Home Vision Entertainment, then edited to feature-length productions. All three of these discs (nine hours of viewing!) are included in this boxed set of DVDs, along with interactive trivia games and more. |
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C.S. Lewis's beloved children's fantasy is as delicate as a Fabergé egg, and bringing it to film has tons of inherent risks. Faithfulness is not the problem in this live-action version from WonderWorks, but pacing most certainly is. This realization is poky at times when it should be absolutely riveting, and yet it manages to be diverting during sequences that are primarily set-up or exposition. Four young children travel through an attic wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia. There, the White Witch keeps it "always winter and never Christmas," but her rule is in jeopardy as the fabled lord of the land, a huge lion named Aslan, is rumored to have returned. Sadly, near the end of the film, it's almost possible to hear the production team debating just where to spend its cash. They gave it their all to create the lion Aslan but had to settle for rudimentary animation for many of the truly magical creatures of Narnia. Suffice it to say, it's a nice try. --Keith Simanton |
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