The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

"He's not a tame lion."

"No... but he is good."

During WWII, the Pevensie children are evacated to live in the country with Professor Kirke (Broadbent).  The Professor is not used to having children around, and the children miss home.  One day while playing hide-and-seek, Lucy (Henley) finds a wardrobe that transports her to the land of Narnia.  In Narnia, Lucy befriends a fawn, Mr. Tumnus (McAvoy), and spends hours with him... but when she returns only moments have passed and the wardrobe is just a wardrobe.

Later, Edmund (Keynes) follows Lucy into Narnia and meets the White Witch (Swinton), who asks him to bring his siblings to Narnia. A few days later, Edmund, Susan (Popplewell), Peter (Moseley), and Lucy hide in the wardrobe to avoid the wrath of the housekeeper Mrs. Macready (Elizabeth Hawthorne).  They all end up in Narnia, and are shocked to find that they are very important to Narnia.  With the Witch and her cronies closing in, can they find the great Aslan (Neeson) in time to save Narnia?


In the 1940s, author C.S. Lewis conceived a series of children's fantasy novels called "The Chronicles of Narnia."  The seven books tell the story of the land of Narnia, from it's formation to it's ultimate destruction.  The books were written out of chronological order, beginning with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (LWW) (the story officially begins with "The Magician's Nephew").

LWW is the best known book / story in the Narnia series, and is the best introduction to the series.  In 2000, negotiations with C.S. Lewis' estate for the rights to the story by Walden Media.  Walden Media and director Andrew Adamson (in his first live-action film) wanted to be faithful to the books, while making minor alterations to the book (which leaves a great deal to the reader's imagination).

I saw the film in theaters, and was captivated by the world of Narnia, which exceeded by expectations.  They cast unknowns in the lead roles, to focus on the characters and not the actors.  They do a decent job, although Susan is not particularly likeable.  Liam Neeson provides the voice of Aslan, conveying much without actually appearing on screen.  The faun and centaur characters are well-done (the film one the Academy Award for Best Makeup in 2006).  The CGI is ok, but could be better... and Tilda Swinton is intense and imposing as The White Witch.

The film was successful enough for Walden to greenlight further Narnia films... and chose to make the films in the order they were written (making the second film Prince Caspian).  I look forward to seeing Walden's vision for the remaining 6 books.

There have been numerous adaptations, a few TV and animated films and some theater productions.  This is the first big movie based on C.S. Lewis' timeless classic.  A great family film, enjoyable for all Narnia fans.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005) 143 minutes
Director: Andrew Adamson
Starring: Georige Henley as Lucy Pevensie
Skandar Keynes as Edmund Pevensie
William Moseley as Peter Pevensie
Anna Popplewell as Susan Pevensie
Tilda Swinton as The White Witch
James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus
Jim Broadbent as Professor Kirke