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

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The Chronicles of Narnia:
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Andrew Adamson
Screenplay by
Based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
by C. S. Lewis
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Donald McAlpine
Edited by
  • Sim Evan-Jones
  • Jim May
Music by Harry Gregson-Williams
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution [1]
Release dates
  • 7 December 2005 (2005-12-07)(Royal Film Performance)
  • 8 December 2005 (2005-12-08)(United Kingdom)
  • 9 December 2005 (2005-12-09)(United States)
Running time
143 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom [2]
  • United States [2]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$180 million [3]
Box office$745 million [3]

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a 2005 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ann Peacock and the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , the first published and second chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The film is the first installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.

Contents

William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley play Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie, four British children evacuated during the Blitz to the countryside, who find a wardrobe that leads to the fantasy world of Narnia, where they ally with the lion Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson) against the forces of the White Witch (Tilda Swinton).

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe premiered on 7 December 2005, selected for the Royal Film Performance, before it was theatrically released on 8 December in the United Kingdom and 9 December in the United States. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and was a box office hit, grossing $745 million worldwide against a $180 million budget and becoming the third-highest-grossing film of 2005. An extended edition was released on 12 December 2006, on DVD. Combining both releases of the film, in regular and extended edition, it was the third-best-selling and first-highest-grossing DVD in North America in 2006, taking in $332.7 million that year. [4] At the 78th Academy Awards, the film won for Best Makeup and was nominated for Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects, while at the 59th BAFTA Awards, it won for Best Makeup and Hair and was nominated for Best Costume Design and Best Special Visual Effects. The score was nominated for Best Original Score and the song "Wunderkind" by Alanis Morissette was nominated for Best Original Song at the 63rd Golden Globe Awards. The score was also nominated for Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media and the song "Can't Take It In" by Imogen Heap was nominated for Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media at the 49th Grammy Awards.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was followed by Prince Caspian in 2008 and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 2010. The three films have grossed a total of $1.5 billion worldwide.

Plot

In September 1940, after surviving The Blitz, the Pevensie children – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy – are evacuated from London, England to the country home of Professor Kirke.

During a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy discovers a wardrobe and hides inside, only to find that she has entered a magical winter world. She encounters a faun named Mr. Tumnus, who tells her she is in Narnia. Tumnus lulls Lucy to sleep by playing a flute lullaby. When she wakes up, he explains that he had intended to betray her to the White Witch, who has cursed Narnia to eternally experience winter and never Christmas; any humans encountered are to be brought to her. Instead Tumnus sends Lucy back home through the wardrobe, where she finds that hardly any time has passed in the real world.

Lucy later returns through the wardrobe. Edmund follows her, but meets the White Witch and tells her about Tumnus. The Witch offers him Turkish delight and kingship if he brings his siblings to her. In the real world, Lucy tells Peter and Susan of Narnia, but Edmund spitefully betrays her by pretending that Lucy has simply imagined it. Professor Kirke, however, suggests Lucy is telling the truth.

After accidentally breaking a window, the siblings flee the housekeeper through the wardrobe and enter Narnia. Peter chastises Edmund for lying about Lucy and forces him to apologize to her. They discover that the Witch has taken Tumnus. They meet talking beavers, who say Aslan plans to return and regain control of Narnia, and that there is a prophecy that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve sit on the thrones of Cair Paravel, the Witch's reign will end.

Edmund sneaks off to visit the Witch, but she is furious that he came without his siblings. She sends wolves led by Maugrim to find the children, and Edmund is imprisoned, where he meets Tumnus. The children and beavers escape, and the Witch turns Tumnus to stone.

Peter, Lucy, Susan, and the beavers encounter Father Christmas, a sign that the Witch's power is weakening. He gives them tools to defend themselves — Lucy receives a dagger and a cordial that can heal any injury; Susan a magical horn and a bow with a quiver of arrows; and Peter a sword and shield. After evading the Witch's wolves, the group reaches Aslan's camp, where he is revealed to be a lion. Maugrim and a wolf ambush Lucy and Susan, but Peter kills Maugrim. Aslan's troops chase the fleeing wolf scout and rescue Edmund.

The Witch journeys to Aslan's camp to claim Edmund as a traitor, but Aslan secretly offers himself instead. That night, Lucy and Susan see the Witch kill Aslan at the Stone Table and deploy an army to slaughter his troops. Edmund encourages Peter to take command. In the morning, both armies clash in battle. Aslan is resurrected, citing magic beyond the Witch's understanding, and takes Susan and Lucy to the Witch's castle to free the petrified prisoners. Edmund is mortally wounded after breaking the witch's wand with his sword while saving Peter, but reinforcements arrive and Aslan kills the Witch. Edmund is healed by Lucy's cordial, and the Pevensies are crowned King Peter the Magnificent, Queen Susan the Gentle, King Edmund the Just, and Queen Lucy the Valiant.

Fifteen years later, the siblings, now adults, pursue a white stag. They encounter the lamppost that Lucy first saw when she entered Narnia. They cross back through the wardrobe, and since hardly any time in their world has passed since they left, they become children again. Professor Kirke asks why they were in the wardrobe. Peter says he wouldn't believe them, and he responds, "Try me."

In a mid-credit scene, Lucy attempts to use the wardrobe again, but Professor Kirke tells her he has also tried, and they will probably return to Narnia when they least expect it.

Cast

The radio-announcer that Peter listens to on the rainy day near the beginning of the film is played by Douglas Gresham, co-producer of the movie and C. S. Lewis's stepson. [5] Keynes' voice broke during filming, so some of his voice track had to be re-looped by his sister Soumaya. [5] Mr. Pevensie is only glimpsed in a photo which Edmund tries to retrieve during the bombing, which is of Sim-Evan Jones's father. [6]

With the exception of Tilda Swinton, who was the first choice to play Jadis, the White Witch, [7] casting was a long process. Beginning in 2002, [8] Adamson went through 2,500 audition tapes, met 1,800 children and workshopped 400 before coming down to the final four actors for the Pevensies. Moseley and Popplewell came from the very start of casting, whilst Henley and Keynes were cast relatively late. [9] Moseley was cast because casting director Pippa Hall remembered she cast him as an extra in Cider with Rosie (1998). He beat 3,000 boys to the role of Peter and quit school to learn all his lines. [10]

Aslan's voice was a contention point. Brian Cox was originally cast in the role on 9 December 2004, [11] but Adamson changed his mind. [12] Liam Neeson sought out the role, [8] and was announced as the voice on 17 July 2005. [13]

Production

Pre-production

During the early 1990s, producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy were planning a film version. [14] They could not find a space in Britain to shoot the film during 1996, [15] and their plans to set the film in modern times [16] made Douglas Gresham oppose the film, [17] in addition to his feeling that technology had yet to catch up. [16] Perry Moore began negotiations with the C. S. Lewis estate in 2000. [18] On 7 December 2001, Walden Media announced that they had acquired the rights to The Chronicles of Narnia . [19]

The success of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone prompted the producers to feel they could make a faithful adaptation of the novel set in Britain. " Harry Potter came along, and all those cultural or geographical lines were broken," Mark Johnson explained. "When The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe was being developed at Paramount, the imperative was to set it in the U.S., and it just doesn't hold. [...] It's not the book." [20] Guillermo del Toro turned down the offer to direct due to his commitment on Pan's Labyrinth . [21] Following an Academy Award win for Shrek , director Andrew Adamson began adapting the source material with a 20-page treatment based on his memories of the book. [7] As such the film begins with the Luftwaffe bombing and concludes with an enormous battle, although they do not take up as much time in the novel. [18]

In the novel, the battle is not seen until Aslan, Susan, Lucy and their reinforcements arrive. This was changed in the movie because Adamson said he could vividly remember a huge battle, [9] an example of how Lewis left a lot to the readers' imagination. Other small changes include the reason all four children come to Narnia, in that an accident breaks a window and forces them to hide. Tumnus also never meets Edmund until the end of the novel. Minor details were added to the Pevensies, such as their mother's name, Helen, being the actual first name of Georgie Henley's mother. [5] Finchley as the home of the Pevensies was inspired by Anna Popplewell, who actually is from Finchley. [22] Adamson also changed the circumstances in which Lucy first comes into Narnia. He felt it was more natural that she first see the wardrobe while looking for a hide-and-seek hiding place, rather than just chance upon it exploring the house. [9] The film also hints at Professor Kirke's role in The Magician's Nephew , such as the engravings on the wardrobe, when it is a simple one in the novel, and the Professor's surprise and intrigue when Peter and Susan mention Lucy's discovery in the wardrobe. When Lewis wrote the novel, it was the first of the series, and the back-story later outlined by the subsequent books in the series did not exist. Additionally, in the novel, the father of the Pevensie children is in London with their mother, but in the film, their father is fighting in the war as Lucy states to Mr. Tumnus when they first meet in Narnia.

Weapon props from the film at Weta Cave Weapons from The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.jpg
Weapon props from the film at Weta Cave

Weta Workshop head Richard Taylor cited Hieronymus Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights as an inspiration on the film. He felt Narnia had to be less dark and gritty than their depiction of Middle-earth in The Lord of the Rings because it is a new world. [23] Many of Weta's creature designs were designed for digital creation, so when Howard Berger and KNB FX inherited the practical effects work, they had to spend three months retooling approved designs for animatronics. [24] Berger's children would comment and advise upon his designs; they suggested the White Witch's hair be changed from black to blonde, which Berger concurred with as he realized Swinton's wig looked too Gothic. [25]

Filming

Principal photography began in New Zealand on 28 June 2004, [26] shooting in primarily chronological order. [6] Adamson did this in order to naturally create a sense of mature development from his young actors, which mirrored their real-life development. [17] Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes [8] were never shown the set before filming scenes of their characters entering Narnia, nor had Henley seen James McAvoy in his Mr. Tumnus costume before shooting their scenes together. [5]

The first scene shot was at the former RNZAF Base Hobsonville for the railway scene. [27] Afterwards, they shot the Blitz scene, which Adamson called their first formal day of shooting. [9]

The filmmakers asked permission to bring in twelve reindeer to New Zealand to pull the White Witch's sled. They were denied by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, citing the potentially deadly Q fever, from which the North American reindeer population suffers, as the reason. However, ten wolves and wolf hybrids were allowed in for filming in Auckland. [28] To replace the denied live reindeer, Mark Rappaport's Creature Effects, Inc. created four animatronic reindeer that were used in shots where the deer were standing in place. The reindeer were designed with replaceable skins to get the most usage; brown for those of Father Christmas and white for those of the White Witch.[ citation needed ]

The cast and crew spent their time in New Zealand in Auckland before moving in November to the South Island. Shooting locations in the South Island included Flock Hill in Canterbury, the area known as Elephant Rocks near Duntroon in North Otago, which was transformed into Aslan's camp. [29] The castle scene was filmed in Purakaunui Bay, in the Catlins district, not far from the most southern point in New Zealand. [30]

They filmed in the Czech Republic (Prague and České Švýcarsko National Park), Slovenia and Poland after the Christmas break, [6] before wrapping in February. [31]

Post-production

The film was edited by Jim May and Sim Evan-Jones. Jones states that he really liked the problem solving that one can do with editing. According to Sim, "The way you can just take stuff and sort it out and be the keeper of the story without having to interact with actors, crew and reign" drew him to film editing. [32]

Jim May had worked at several visual effects facilities—Rhythm & Hues Studios, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Sony Pictures Imageworks—and eventually, moved into feature editorial as the visual effects editor in the cutting room. [33]

Music

The soundtrack was composed and conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams, having previously worked with Adamson on Shrek (2001) and Shrek 2 (2004). In addition there are three original songs in the film; "Can't Take It In" by Imogen Heap, "Wunderkind" by Alanis Morissette and "Winter Light" by Tim Finn. Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee also wrote a song for the film, but it was not included in the soundtrack. [34]

The soundtrack was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London, England, and in Los Angeles, California. Gregson-Williams employed the 75-piece Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra, along with a 140-member choir (mostly members of the Bach Choir) and numerous other solo musicians such as electric violinist Hugh Marsh and vocalist Lisbeth Scott (at his Wavecrest Studio). [35] He composed the original score and then spent late September through early November 2005 conducting the Hollywood Orchestra and overseeing the recording of the English choir. [35] For "colour", he employed instruments used in ancient folk music, and to underscore critical dramatic moments, he added choral textures and, occasionally, a solo voice. The score includes instances of electronic music. [36]

The soundtrack received two Golden Globe Award nominations, Best Original Score and Best Original Song (for "Wunderkind").

EMI also released a compilation soundtrack entitled Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released in September 2005. The album features songs by contemporary Christian music artists, such as Bethany Dillon, Kutless, and Nichole Nordeman. It released "Waiting for the World to Fall" by Jars of Clay as a single. The album went on to win the Special Event Album of the Year at the GMA Music Awards.

Another song inspired by the movie is "Lazy Sunday" (also known as "The Narnia rap") by the Lonely Island and Chris Parnell. [37] [38] [39] The song and its music video was released as a comedy sketch in a 2005 episode of the TV show, Saturday Night Live . The song and its video are both a spoof of hardcore rap songs. [37] In "Lazy Sunday", Parnell and Lonely Island member Andy Samberg rap about among other things, going to see The Chronicles of Narnia at an afternoon matinee. [37] The joke is that the song's lyrics are not typical for hardcore rap, which normally depicts scenes of crime and violence. [37] Samberg himself describes "Lazy Sunday" as "two guys rapping about very lame, sensitive stuff." [37] Both the song and its video became an overnight hit, surprising its creators. [37] "Lazy Sunday" is credited with helping revive Saturday Night Live which was stagnant in the years before the song's release. Several bootleg copies of "Lazy Sunday" were uploaded to the video-sharing YouTube, which had only launched earlier in the year, where they were very popular and gained a combined total of five million views (a very large number for an online video at the time). [38] [39] The video's popularity brought widespread attention to YouTube and kick started the site's success, quickly becoming the most popular video website on the internet and one of the most popular websites overall, remaining so as of the early 2020s. [38] [39]

Release

On 7 December 2005, the film had its world premiere in London as the 59th Royal Film Performance, an event held in aid of The Film and Television Charity. The event took place at the Royal Albert Hall and was attended by the then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. [40] The film was released 8 December 2005 in the United Kingdom and 9 December 2005 in North America and the rest of Europe.

Box office

Worldwide, Narnia earned $745 million marking it the 55th-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide. It had a worldwide opening of $107.1 million, marking Disney's fifth-largest opening worldwide (at the time it was the largest). [41] It is the third-largest movie worldwide among those released in 2005 [42] and it remains the highest-grossing movie of the Narnia franchise worldwide, and separately in North America and overseas. [43] Finally, it is also the most successful film of Walden Media worldwide. [44]

United States and Canada

First Lady of the United States Laura Bush hosts a screening of the film at the White House Family Theater Family-theater-2005.jpg
First Lady of the United States Laura Bush hosts a screening of the film at the White House Family Theater

The film opened with $23 million on around 6,800 screens at 3,616 theatres on its opening day (Friday, 9 December 2005), averaging $6,363 per theater or $3,383 per screen. The film took in a total of $65.6 million on its opening weekend (9–11 December 2005), [45] the 24th-best opening weekend at the time (now 54th). It was also Disney's third-largest opening weekend at the time (now the 34th-largest) [46] as well as the second-biggest December opening, behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King . It is now fourth following the 2012 opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , the 2007 release of I Am Legend , and the 2009 release of Avatar as well. [47] Additionally, it made the third-largest opening weekend of 2005. [48] It grossed $291.7 million in total becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2005 behind Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith . [49] It surpassed the gross of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by only $1.7 million, although the latter grossed $895.9 million worldwide, ahead of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is the highest-grossing film of the 2005 holiday period, [50] the second-highest-grossing Christian film, [51] the sixth-largest family–children's book adaptation, [52] the ninth-highest-grossing fantasy–live-action film [53] and the 10th-highest-grossing film overall in Disney company history. [54] Finally, it is the largest film of Walden Media worldwide. Box Office Mojo estimates that the film sold over 45 million tickets in North America. [55]

Critical reception

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe received positive reviews. [56] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 217 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With first-rate special effects and compelling storytelling, this adaptation stays faithful to its source material and will please moviegoers of all ages." [57] On Metacritic the film holds an average weighted score of 75 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [58] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade. [59]

Critic Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. Ebert and Roeper gave the movie "Two Thumbs Up". Movie critic Leonard Maltin gave the film 3 out of four stars, calling it "an impressive and worthwhile family film", though he also said, "it does go on a bit and the special effects are extremely variable." [60] Duane Dudak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel gave the movie 3 out of 4 stars. Stuart Klawans of The Nation said, "All ticket buyers will get their money's worth." [61] Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News gave it 4 out of 4 stars and said: "A generation-spanning journey that feels both comfortingly familiar and excitingly original." Critic Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle listed it as the second best film of the year. [62] Kit Bowen gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. [63]

John Anderson of Newsday reacted negatively to the film, stating "there's a deliberateness, a fastidiousness and a lack of daring and vision that marks the entire operation." [64]

Accolades

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe won several awards including the Academy Award for Best Makeup; the BeliefNet Film Award for Best Spiritual film; the Movieguide Faith & Values Awards: Most Inspiring Movie of 2005 and Best Family Movie of 2005; and the CAMIE (Character and Morality In Entertainment) Award. Others include the British Academy Film Awards for Makeup and Hair, and Orange Rising Star (James McAvoy); Outstanding Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media; the Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role (Georgie Henley, Female); the Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Fantasy Film (Isis Mussenden); and the Saturn Award for Costumes (Isis Mussenden) and Make-up (Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, and Nikki Gooley).

Georgie Henley received critical acclaim for her performance as Lucy Pevensie. She won several awards, including the Phoenix Film Critics Society award for Best Actress in a Leading Role and Best Performance by a Youth. She also won other awards either for Best Young Performance or Best Actress in a Leading Role.

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2005Phoenix Film Critics Society AwardsBest Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role – Female Georgie Henley Won
Satellite Awards Outstanding Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed MediaWon
2006Best DVD ExtrasNominated
78th Academy Awards [66] Best Makeup Howard Berger and Tami Lane Won
Best Sound Mixing Terry Porter, Dean A. Zupancic and Tony Johnson Nominated
Best Visual Effects Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney and Scott Farrar Nominated
Annie AwardsBest Character Animation Matt Shumway Nominated
Australian Film InstituteExcellence in Filmmaking Roger Ford (Production design)Nominated
Donald McAlpine (Cinematography)Nominated
59th BAFTA Awards Best Makeup and Hair Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero and Nikki GooleyWon
Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney and Scott Farrar Nominated
Best Costume Design Isis MussendenNominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards Best Family Film (Live Action)Won
Best Young Actress Georgie Henley Nominated
CAMIE Awards Charlie Nelson (Walt Disney Pictures)
Brigham Taylor (Disney vice-president productions)
Mark Johnson (producer)
Philip Steuer (producer)
Douglas Gresham (co-producer)
Andrew Adamson (director)
Ann Peacock (screenwriter)
Christopher Markus (screenwriter)
Stephen McFeely (screenwriter)
Georgie Henley (actor)
William Moseley (actor)
Skandar Keynes (actor)
Anna Popplewell (actor)
(Walden Media)
Won
CFCA Awards Most Promising Performer Georgie Henley Nominated
Costume Designers Guild Awards Fantasy Film Isis MussendenWon
11th Empire Awards Best NewcomerGeorgie HenleyNominated
James McAvoy Nominated
Best Sci-Fi / FantasyNominated
63rd Golden Globe Awards Best Original Score Harry Gregson-Williams Nominated
Best Original Song Alanis Morissette, for "Wunderkind"Nominated
Hugo Awards Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation Nominated
Humanitas Prize Feature Film Category Ann Peacock, Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Nominated
London Film Critics Circle Awards 2005 British Supporting Actor of the Year James McAvoy Nominated
British Supporting Actress of the Year Tilda Swinton Nominated
MTV Movie Awards MTV Movie Award for Best Villain Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors Best Sound Editing in Feature Film – Dialogue and Automated Dialogue ReplacementGeorge Watters II (supervising sound editor)
Kimberly Harris (supervising adr editor)
Richard Beggs (sound designer)
David Bach (supervising dialogue editor)
David V. Butler (dialogue editor)
Laura Graham (adr editor)
Michele Perrone (adr editor)
Nominated
Best Sound Editing in Feature Film – Sound Effects & FoleyRichard Beggs (supervising sound editor)
George Watters II (supervising sound editor)
Victoria Martin (supervising foley editor)
F. Hudson Miller (sound editor)
R.J. Palmer (sound editor)
John Morris (sound editor)
Suhail Kafity (sound editor)
Chuck Michael (sound editor)
Todd Toon (sound editor)
Gary Wright (sound editor)
Heather Gross (sound editor)
Matthew Harrison (foley editor)
James Likowski (foley editor)
Dan O'Connell (foley artist)
John T. Cucci (foley artist)
Nominated
Movieguide Awards Best Film for FamiliesWon
Epiphany PrizeWon
Online Film Critics Society Awards Best Breakthrough Performance Georgie Henley Nominated
Saturn Awards Best Fantasy Film Nominated
Best Director Andrew Adamson Nominated
Best Writing Andrew Adamson, Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely Nominated
Best Actress Tilda SwintonNominated
Best Young Actor/Actress William Moseley Nominated
Best Costume Design Isis Mussenden Won
Best Make-up Howard Berger, Nikki Gooley and Greg NicoteroWon
Best Visual Effects Dean Wright, Bill Westenhofer, Jim Berney, Scott FarrarNominated
Visual Effects Society Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Motion Picture Richard Baneham, Erik-Jan de Boer, Matt Logue, Joe Ksander
For "Aslan"
Nominated
Outstanding Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture Dean Wright, Randy Starr, Bill Westenhofer and Jim BerneyNominated
World Soundtrack Awards Best Original Song Written Directly for a Film Harry Gregson-Williams (music), Imogen Heap (music/lyrics/performer)
For the song "Can't Take It In"
Nominated
27th Young Artist Awards Best Family Feature Film – DramaWon
Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger Georgie Henley Won
Best Performance in a Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) – Leading Young Actor William Moseley Nominated
2007Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USABest DVD Special Edition Release
For the "Extended Edition"
Nominated
49th Grammy Awards Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Harry Gregson-WilliamsNominated
Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media Imogen Heap
For the song "Can't Take It In"
Nominated

Home media release

The DVD for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released on 4 April 2006. It is available in a standard one-disc set (with separate full-screen and widescreen editions), and a deluxe widescreen two-disc boxed set with additional artwork and other materials from Disney and Walden Media. The DVD sold four million copies on its first day of release [67] and overtook Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire to become the top-selling DVD in North America for 2006. [68] As of December 2008 it has grossed $353.5 million in DVD sales, equivalent to 12,458,637 units sold. [69] [70]

Disney later issued a four-disc extended cut of the film on DVD. It was released on 12 December 2006, and was available commercially until 31 January 2007, after which Disney put the DVD on moratorium. [71] The extended cut of the film runs approximately 150 minutes. The set includes all of the features previously released on the two-disc special edition. The two additional discs include a segment called "The Dreamer of Narnia", a previously unreleased feature-length film about C. S. Lewis, and additional production featurettes. [72] Most of the extended footage, besides the extended battle sequence, is longer establishing shots of Narnia and footage of the Pevensies walking in Narnia. [73]

The high-definition Blu-ray Disc version was released on 13 May 2008, in the United States, and on 16 June 2008, in the United Kingdom. [74]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> Series of childrens fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, the series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy, the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by the lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.

<i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> 1950 childrens novel by C. S. Lewis

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a portal fantasy novel for children by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1950. It is the first published and best known of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956). Among all the author's books, it is also the most widely held in libraries. It was the first of The Chronicles of Narnia to be written and published, but is marked as volume two in recent editions that are sequenced according the stories' internal chronology. Like the other Chronicles, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes, and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mr. Tumnus</span> Narnia books character

Mr. Tumnus is a faun in The Chronicles of Narnia books written by C. S. Lewis, primarily in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe but also briefly in The Horse and His Boy and in The Last Battle. He is the first creature Lucy Pevensie meets in Narnia and becomes her first friend in the kingdom. Lewis wrote that the first Narnia story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, all came to him from a single picture he had in his head of a faun carrying an umbrella and parcels through a snowy wood. Tumnus thus became the initial inspiration for the entire Narnia series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan. Also, of all the humans who have visited Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one that believes in Narnia the most. She is ultimately crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, co-ruler of Narnia along with her two brothers and her sister. Lucy is the central character of the four siblings in the novels. Lucy is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a minor character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe

Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Last Battle. He is mentioned in The Horse and His Boy, in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants, and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Edmund Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a lesser character in two others.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian</i> 2008 film directed by Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is a 2008 high fantasy film directed by Andrew Adamson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the 1951 novel Prince Caspian, Produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, the second published and fourth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), it is the second installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Popplewell</span> English actress (born 1988)

Anna Popplewell is an English actress. She began acting with minor roles in television films and, notably, the drama films Mansfield Park (1999) and Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). Her breakthrough role was Susan Pevensie in the fantasy film series The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–2010), which grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide and earned her a number of awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georgie Henley</span> English actress (born 1995)

Georgina Helen Henley is an English actress. She began acting as a child, and became known for starring as Lucy Pevensie in the fantasy film series The Chronicles of Narnia (2005–2010), which grossed over US$1.5 billion worldwide and won her several accolades. This includes nods from several critic groups and an Empire Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone Table</span> Fictional location in The Chronicles of Narnia

In C. S. Lewis's fantasy novel series the Chronicles of Narnia, the hill of the Stone Table, or Aslan's How, is a high mound or cairn, located south of the Great River in Narnia next to the Great Woods. The How was built over the hill of the Stone Table. The word how derives from the Old Norse haugr, meaning hill or mound. In parts of England, it is a synonym for barrow.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> (TV series) British childrens television series (1988–1990)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a British BBC-produced television series that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first series aired was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988, the second series aired was Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989 and the third series aired was The Silver Chair in 1990. This television series was produced by Paul Stone, with the teleplay by Alan Seymour. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was directed by Marilyn Fox, while Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair were directed by Alex Kirby.

The Chronicles of Narnia is one fantasy film series and media franchise based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels by C. S. Lewis. The series revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia. The children heavily featured in the films are the Pevensie siblings, and a prominent antagonist is the White Witch. The franchise also includes short films, digital series, and video games.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> (video game) 2005 video game

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an action-adventure game released in 2005 by Traveller's Tales and Amaze Entertainment. The game is based on the novel-adapted movie of the same name. It was released in November before the movie for most major consoles including the GameCube, PC, Xbox, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, and Game Boy Advance, A version for the PlayStation Portable was planned, but was cancelled. Also in 2005, a role-playing game, a strategy game and a chess game were released for wireless phone systems by Disney Mobile. A significant feature has William Moseley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Elizabeth Hawthorne, and Jim Broadbent reprising their roles from the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aslan</span> Fictional lion, a deity in The Chronicles of Narnia

Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> 2010 film by Michael Apted

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is 2010 high fantasy adventure film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Michael Petroni, based on the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published and fifth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), it is the third and final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It is the only film in the series not to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which was replaced by 20th Century Fox. However, Disney would eventually own the rights to all the films in the series following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a British children's television drama first broadcast by the BBC in 1988. It was the first series of The Chronicles of Narnia that ran from 1988 to 1990.

<i>The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe</i> (1979 miniseries) 1979 animated TV film

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is an animated television program that was broadcast in two parts on CBS on April 1 and 2, 1979, based on the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. It was adapted by Snoopy and Charlie Brown animator Bill Melendez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maugrim</span> Fictional character, head wolf in the service of the White Witch (Narnia, book 1)

Maugrim is a fictional character in the 1950 novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis. A Narnian wolf, he is the Captain of the White Witch's Secret Police. In early American editions of the book, Lewis changed the name to Fenris Ulf, but when HarperCollins took over the books they took out Lewis' revisions, and the name Maugrim has been used in all editions since 1994.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:

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