The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (DVD, 2006, Full Frame)

CS Lewis' classic children's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe holds a special place in many readers' hearts, usually alongside Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The authors, in fact, were long-time friends who (as members of a literary group called the Inklings) even critiqued each others' work. The parallel between the two books continues in the fact that the narrative power and visual appeal of both these stories beg for them to be brought to the screen... and that the very nature of the stories made this difficult to do well. That is, until computer-generated animation came of age in moviemaking. Now we can have believable fauns, centaurs, giants, and lions inhabiting a gorgeous fantasy landscape; we can (if it's done well) have a Narnia (as we had a Middle Earth) that allows us to see it, at least to some degree, the way we have imagined it.

The film does one other thing that warms my heart for its authenticity. It starts off the Narnia series as it should be: with the first book that Lewis wrote, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the past few years, it has become a new fad to re-order the seven Narnia books in internal chronological order rather than publication order, thus placing The Magician's Nephew, the next-to-last book, in first place. This is a really, truly dreadful thing to do, because The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the book that introduces us to the world of Narnia, just as the four children are introduced to it. In The Magician's Nephew, many of the mysterious magical elements of Narnia are explained... but unless you've experienced the preceding five stories, you don't know why these particular elements are special and interesting. Furthermore, this ordering of the books spoils some of the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Why did we all get put into such a mess? The official word is that this is Lewis' preferred order, but in fact it is not – and as a scholar of literature who did her dissertation on the fantasy novel, including Lewis' novels, I've done the research and I know where the problem arose. Years after the books were all published, one of Lewis' young fans wrote a letter to him suggesting that it was a good idea to put the books in internal order. Lewis wrote back saying he thought that was a fine idea. (And it is – if you've already read the books and want to re-read them in a different light.) But I don't think we should consider this one offhand comment as an indication that Lewis genuinely thought it was the best order; in fact, while Lewis was alive, it stayed as just that, an option that readers could take for themselves. (My 1970 printing of the series has the spines numbered correctly!) Only in recent years has the fad for reordering them taken over, much to my dismay.

So I have to give a big thank-you to the filmmakers for proving my point, and the point of all the other devoted Narnia fans: the best way to start out experiencing Narnia is with this story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

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Hello all,

C. S. Lewis is one of my favorite writers and I'm always moved by the magical and astute way this story is told in film. When this version came out, I wondered if the film would bring this magic through to the viewer. The acting, animation, script, and all else truly does this in the telling of this beloved story.

The actors they chose for this film are great for the characters each one played, in my opinion :). I saw them as the characters they played, not as themselves. Also, this film has a wonderful mix of different types of film mediums. They are blended so well, that is isn't easy to see the meshing of them at times.

The witch's reign brought misery and pain to all of Aslan's creation...Narnia. When Aslan came back to Narnia, his beauty, spirit, and ways enhanced and awakened the earth and the hearts of all those who had waited so long for his return and for the prophecy to be fulfilled.

The White Witch was correct when she spoke of her rights over Edmund's life. Edmund was not the only one saved by Aslan's blood, but all those in Narnia.
I get tingles when Aslan comes back to life each time. Aslan overcame death and the White Witch through his sacrifice and resurrection, just as Christ did for us. It is a well-known story of good verses evil with good overcoming and bringing joy and hope to all.

I would definitely recommend this film to families and individuals. Thanks for this opportunity to review this film :).

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe is a great movie brining to life a modern version of this childrens classic. The effects and acting were very good with a cast of vurtual unknowans playing the four children who have been sent away by their parents during the war to live country side. Their adventure begins when the younist enteres teh wardrobe ina frobidden room and dicovers a new world. Godd effects and story violence is minamal but may be too much for some small children.

This Movie is a wonderful story that will warm your heart and open your amagination.

It is the story of four young children who find a magical land in a wardrobe. The land of Narnia has been under the rule of a wicked white witch who made it always winter, but never Christmas.The first of the children to fall into this land is Lucy, a girl of about 8.She is befriended by a faun, and then goes back into the real world where none of her siblings belive her. That night, to make sure it wasn't a dream she goes into the wardrobe, followed by her brother, Edmund. Edmund meets the Witch, who persuades him that she's good. Later all four children fall into Narnia and learn that there is a profecy that they will be king and queens and overrule the White Witch, but first they have to get Edmund out the clutches of the witch.

This was a perfect fantasy movie!! Everyone was terrific especially Tilda Swinton, Liam Neeson, Anna Popplewell & Georgie Henley. Well-paced, well-acted, wondrous special effects & incredible visuals. The most worthy fantasy film alongside the Harry Potter & Lord of the Rings since The Never-Ending Story. It deserves 5 stars. If you haven't seen it I would recommend it.