With The Chronicles of Narnia about to receive a redo, it is the perfect time to look back on the Disney movies and observe some harsh realities. Greta Gerwig’s Chronicles of Narnia reboot is around the corner, and it is a mystery what approach the dramedy director will take to the two-part movie plan. The original movies were released between 2005 and 2010, adapting the famous novels by English writer C.S. Lewis. However, they did not always adapt them faithfully, and even when they did, they did not always adapt them well.
The Chronicles of Narnia books were written in the 1950s, and they exhibit the attitudes of the era. Lewis’ Narnia series is his masterpiece, and the books are a classic for a reason. And yet, they do present studios and would-be adapters with the issue of transforming an archaic text for a modern audience. The difficulties of adapting Lewis’ ’50s Christian story were evident in the Disney movies and their Fox follow-up. But with any luck, through studying these challenges, they can be avoided in the upcoming movies.
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10
The Child Actors’ Performances Vary In Chronicles Of Narnia
The Pevensies Are Inconsistent In The Narnia Movies
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The performances of the Pevensies varied throughout the Narnia movies, with some standouts and slight lagging between them. William Moseley played Peter Pevensie, Anna Popplewell played Susan Pevensie, Skandar Keynes played Edmund Pevensie, and Georgie Henley played Lucy Pevensie. Interestingly, the youngest Pevensie seemed to have the most consistent performance.
Some of the joy and darkness could occasionally feel quite flat.
Georgie Henley’s petulant but bold Lucy was normally brilliant, but it didn’t seem like any of the Pevensie actors quite captured the full scope of the roles. James McAvoy was the perfect Mr. Tumnus for the Narnia movie, gelling excellently with Henley’s Lucy. But there was potential for much more humor from the script, and it didn’t come through. Likewise, some of the joy and darkness could occasionally feel quite flat.
9
It’s Hard To Recapture The Magic Of Movie One
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe Was The Best Movie
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It was hard for The Chronicles of Narnia movies to recapture the magic of their first outing. Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a great movie, but the franchise got progressively worse from there on out. While The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian got 66%.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader reflected Disney’s exit from the franchise with its drop in quality and critical reception.
Meanwhile, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader amassed 49%. These were the only three movies that were made in the most recent set of Narnia pictures, with the first two produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader reflected Disney’s exit from the franchise with its drop in quality and critical reception. But also, follow-ups to the first movie struggled with challenging source material.
8
Perhaps The Series Should Have Started With The Magician’s Nephew
The Movies May Have Been Better Off Chronologically
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There is a very real chance that it would have been better for the Narnia movies to begin differently. An intriguing timeline tease for the new Narnia adaptation suggests that it may start the way the movies always should have done. Although C.S. Lewis published The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first, in 1950, The Magician’s Nephew is the first novel in the series, chronologically.
|
Narnia Book (Chronological Order) |
Release date |
|---|---|
|
The Magician’s Nephew |
1955 |
|
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe |
1950 |
|
The Horse and His Boy |
1954 |
|
Prince Caspian |
1951 |
|
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader |
1952 |
|
The Silver Chair |
1953 |
|
The Last Battle |
1956 |
The Narnia movies struggled to bounce back after the success of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was, in many ways, the easiest adaptation to make. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe is the best book in Lewis’ series, and it is probably the most adaptation-friendly. Perhaps the Disney movies should have saved this movie for later, building up to it, starting with The Magician’s Nephew. This may have kept audiences committed for longer.
7
The Movies Couldn’t Decide How Seriously To Take The Books’ Christianity
The Narnia Movies Dabbled In Christian Allegory
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Lewis was always upfront about the thoroughly Christian symbolism of his work, but the movies weren’t quite sure how to adapt that. The movies all carried a healthy symbolism that ranged from subtle to obvious. However, Lewis’ novels really ranged in tone, from totally allegorical to very event-focused. This didn’t always work well in the context of the movies’ scripts.
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The Narnia movies were certainly adapted for a modern audience. For instance, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader edited out a lot of the allegory that Lewis wrote into his book, in order to make the narrative more conflict-driven and logical. This did make sense, but left the movie feeling thematically empty. This was symptomatic of a wider issue across all the movies, proving that the franchise hadn’t quite decided what to do with the books’ Christianity.
6
The Susan & Caspian Romance Complicated The Story
Prince Caspian’s Romance With Susan Felt Forced
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian forced a romance between Susan Pevensie and Prince Caspian, and it didn’t totally work. This romance wasn’t present in the books, so the movie had none of Lewis’ genius to guide it. However, it wasn’t because it was unfaithful that this change didn’t work. Adaptations are meant to add their own flavor to a story. The romance didn’t work because it hadn’t been thought through.
Prince Caspian’s future wife was called Lilliandil in the movie but was unnamed in the book.
Susan and Caspian barely knew each other, so their love didn’t seem realistic. Also, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader introduced Lilliandil, who book readers know is Caspian’s future wife. As such, this strange tension was felt in the movie, and it didn’t seem like the scriptwriters had really considered it. The movie did not acknowledge the clash of Caspian’s love interests.
5
Peter Wasn’t That Likable In Prince Caspian
It Was Hard To Gauge Peter In The Movies
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Peter was arguably the main character of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, but he wasn’t entirely lovable. Peter was credible and relatable, but he never seemed to fully grow into a hero. His character and the movie would both have benefitted from this. Peter seemed desperate to be heard as he stood up to Prince Caspian and anyone else who questioned him.
Peter was the rightful king, so it did make sense for him to be frustrated when his authority was queried. Peter genuinely seemed to be mature and responsible in the book, appearing as a good leader, even despite his young age. But the Peter of the movie seemed arrogant without the nuance that sold him in as a king. A stronger script and perhaps more complex acting could have helped here.
4
The Series Would Have Found Later Books Even Harder To Adapt
The Narnia Movies Would Probably Have Gotten Worse
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The Narnia movies were all a lot of fun, but they did steadily get worse, and one harsh reality of the franchise is definitely that this trend would likely have continued, had the franchise continued. C.S. Lewis’ Narnia books are iconic for good reason, but they jumped around a lot and do not present adapters with an easy task. The books don’t maintain the same protagonists, which the Narnia movies were already starting to suffer from.
This would have got worse, with following editions becoming even less recognizable in terms of lead characters. The books didn’t just jump from protagonist to protagonist, but they jumped around in the timeline. This would not have helped the continuity of upcoming Narnia movies. The Disney movies and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader may not have got the balance of faithfulness to originality quite right, and subsequent movies would probably have had to make further changes to Lewis’ narrative to work well on screen.
3
The Movies Are Better With All The Pevensies
The Pevensies Were A Key Ingredient Of Narnia’s Fun
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The Pevensies were what made The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe so good, and the movie franchise petered off – no pun intended – as they did. This is a reflection of C.S. Lewis’ novels, and faithfulness is a good thing in most adaptations. However, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader suffered from losing the presence of half the Pevensies. It wasn’t as compelling and didn’t draw as big of an audience.
Lucy and Edmund were actually a great team in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Edmund was delightfully insufferable. This strong double act could have been the highlight of the franchise had it been revived in future movies. However, adapting Lewis’ complex novels had the movies headed in a more anthologized direction, which the majority of viewers probably hadn’t been ready for, not having read the books.
2
Narnia Adaptations Have An Aslan Problem
The Narnia Movies Couldn’t Decide How To Treat Aslan
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All The Chronicles of Narnia movies had an Aslan problem, which is one of their harshest realities. Liam Neeson was brilliant voicing Aslan, and the lion was a powerful and memorable aspect of the movies, as he should have been. But Lewis’ concept was too much for Disney. Ultimately, Disney balked at committing fully to adapting Aslan. The movies were stuck between accepting his symbolic power and dumbing it down.
Aslan had a spiritual tone and commanded respect. This, in and of itself, was effective. However, the rest of the movies weren’t made to fit around it. As such, the other characters’ motivations didn’t quite seem to match up to Aslan’s strength or make sense next to it. The children apparently accepted his words at face value, although he never really explained himself. The movies should have eased into Aslan as a symbol, giving him more approachable dialogue to begin with.
1
The Narnia Movies Feel Too Serious
The Narnia Movies Didn’t Capture The Joy Of The Books
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The Narnia movies are epic, which works for the big screen, but they do lack some of the joie de vivre of the books. The books were full of joy, with the children running amok in the countryside of Narnia, frolicking and playing with Aslan and each other. The movies, by contrast, felt incredibly serious. This did help connect the children’s stories to an adult audience.
However, it also left the movies feeling a little hollow. Some sparkle would have done the franchise good. A little more comedy in the script would not have hurt, and a cast who could have carried it better might have helped. However, by and large, the movies are treasured by many fans of The Chronicles of Narnia. The cast did well and provided Greta Gerwig an amazing jumping-off point from which to launch the new movies.
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The Chronicles of Narnia is a fantasy franchise based on the seven-book series written by C.S. Lewis between 1950 and 1956. The series is set in the magical world of Narnia, where children from our world are transported to fulfill prophecies, battle evil forces, and restore peace under the guidance of Aslan, a mystical lion. The franchise has seen multiple adaptations, including a BBC television series in the late 1980s, three major Hollywood films between 2005 and 2010, and an upcoming reboot by Netflix, which has generated significant anticipation. The franchise is beloved for its rich allegorical storytelling, blending Christian themes with epic fantasy elements.
Created by
C.S. Lewis
First Film
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Latest Film
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
First TV Show
The Chronicles of Narnia
Cast
Georgie Henley
, William Moseley
, Skandar Keynes
, Anna Popplewell
, Ben Barnes
, Liam Neeson
, Tilda Swinton
, James McAvoy
, Will Poulter
, Simon Pegg
TV Show(s)
The Chronicles of Narnia
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Source: https://www.phonggdkrongpac.edu.vn
Category: Entertainment