Chronicles of Narnia

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Trent DeWhite
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

MSNBC recently had an article on "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" film coming out this December. Here's what Jeff Giles had to say:

May 9 Issue - Exclusive: Welcome to 'Narnia'

Image

An exclusive look at the cast: William Moseley (from right) as Peter, Anna Popplewell as Susan, Georgie Henley as Lucy and Skandar Keynes as Edmund

Georgie Henley turned 9 while playing Lucy in "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," so nobody needed to teach her about wonderment.

The movie, of course, is the first in a potential franchise based on C. S. Lewis's fantasy classic.

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Wonderment: Tilda Swinton in character

In case you don't remember the books' making you levitate with joy when you were a kid, "Lion" concerns British siblings who pass through an armoire into Narnia, where they battle the White Witch in the name of the noble lion Aslan. "We built the set for Narnia and we took Georgie up there blindfolded," says director Andrew Adamson ("Shrek"). "Then we just let her go.

What we got was not 'acting.' She was literally trembling with excitement." That's Georgie to your lower left, part of an exclusive first look at the cast.

Image


"Lion" opens Dec. 9. Expect a PG smash that neither enhances nor ignores the book's Christian overtones—and is light on gore. Disney, teaming with Walden Media, will air a TV teaser simultaneously in more than 30 countries on May 7.

Narnia, here we come.
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Larry The Pickle
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Post by Larry The Pickle »

Trent DeWhite wrote: Image
Aren't they supposed to be older?! :shock: In the old videos Lucy (?) is alot older than 9!!!!
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

Jman 009 wrote:Aren't they supposed to be older?! :shock: In the old videos Lucy (?) is alot older than 9!!!!
I don't think she was that much older than 9. If I'm not mistaken, the Lucy portrayed in the movie was probably 10 or 11. :-k In the actual book, she started off as a nine or ten-year-old.
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Post by MDB17 »

i love the books and the dramas
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

USA Today had an extensive article about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in their May 3 issue along with six new pictures. New pictures, plus a brand-new Narnia map from production, have been posted below for your viewing pleasure. :)

--------

Image
She who holds the reins: Tilda Swinton
as the White Witch, who has cast a
frozen spell over Narnia, hastens her
team of polar bears.


Image
A new lion king: Digital Aslan
epitomizes the best of his
breed, with humanized eyes.


Image
Taking aim: Susan (Anna
Popplewell, 16, who was in Girl
With a Pearl Earring) turns warrior
princess. Unlike the book, both Susan
and sister Lucy take part in battle.


Image
Enter here: During
a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy
(played by Georgie Henley, 9)
discovers a hidden passage to
another world inside an old wardrobe.


Image
Cast in stone:
Edmund (Skandar Keynes, 13)
pokes at a Narnian turned into
a statue. About 70 statues were
carved in New Zealand.


Image
No beauty this beast:
This minotaur — half man, half bull
— is one of 50 species designed
by Weta Workshop.


--------

Image
Click image to download Hi-Res version of map.

Click here for a larger version (800 x 603). Click here to view the high resolution version (2244 x 1692).
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Larry The Pickle
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Post by Larry The Pickle »

Those look sooooo good!
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Post by Bennett »

I'm still undecided about the cast... :-k


However, JMan is correct--It looks superb.

BC
Chandler

Post by Chandler »

Thanks for the updates Trent! You’re the greatest! \:D/
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
She who holds the reins: Tilda Swinton
as the White Witch, who has cast a
frozen spell over Narnia, hastens her
team of polar bears.
Polar bears? :-k I don't recall that from the book. I don't think the White Witch drove anyway. (She didn't have a license. :- )
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
A new lion king: Digital Aslan
epitomizes the best of his
breed, with humanized eyes.
Beautiful! =D> =D>
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
Taking aim: Susan (Anna
Popplewell, 16, who was in Girl
With a Pearl Earring) turns warrior
princess. Unlike the book, both Susan
and sister Lucy take part in battle.
Is Anna the oldest actress? I don't think Susan in the book was any older than 12. :-k
I’m disappointed to hear the girls are part of the battle... I dislike changes from the original story. :|
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
Cast in stone:
Edmund (Skandar Keynes, 13)
One year apart in age in the book with Lucy but the actors are 4 years apart in real life. Are they making Lucy appear a lot younger than the rest?
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Post by Me »

Polar bears. I'm not sure why it happened, but I do know that the New Zealand Department of Conservation wouldn't let the film making company import reindeer. WETA Digital to the rescue. Perhaps they found polar bears easier to animate.

Anna is not the oldest actress. The guy who plays Peter is 17.
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

I've read the Chronicles of Narnia dozens of times, and I don't think any movie will ever compare to Lewis' books. :noway: Yet, I really don't want to question the cast until I actually see them. Of course, the fact the girls will be fighting is a disappointment. #-o In the book, they do aid in the aftermath battle . . . but aren't directly involved in the actual combat. :shame:

The following is an excerpt from the aforementioned article. Read the complete article here.

--------

The tales also are infused with Christian allegory, and the heroic Aslan is meant as a Christ figure, a redeemer who resurrects in triumph. The challenge: to attract the spiritual-minded moviegoer without turning off the secular crowd.

Disney, along with other studios, has often courted the so-called faith community when the appropriate movie comes along, including such religious-themed comedies as Sister Act or uplifting sports dramas like The Rookie. But since the advent of box-office sensation The Passion of the Christ, such wooing has become a science. For that reason, Disney and Walden have hired Motive Marketing, the company that oversaw The Passion's outreach program, to assist them.

"It is natural that the press will manufacture more importance about the religious significance than is our intent," says Dennis Rice, the studio's vice president of publicity. "We are not going to reach out to one group over the expense of another, but embrace and acknowledge the fans of a very important piece of literature."

Yes, the filmmakers hosted representatives of more than 30 faith-based and educational groups at a preview held at Disney's Burbank, Calif., headquarters earlier this year. But, Rice says, "we're also at Comic-Con in July," referring to the annual San Diego fantasy, sci-fi and comic-book convention.

Faithfulness to the source will likely be of higher importance than faith itself. That is where Adamson comes in. Much as director and fellow New Zealander Peter Jackson used his own love of Tolkien as a guide to bring the Rings trilogy to the screen, Adamson, 38, is relying on the good-vs.-evil battle that unfolded in his imagination as he read the books as an 8-year-old.

"You ultimately can only make something that appeals to your own sensibilities," says Auckland-born Adamson, whose parents were both associate missionaries in Papua New Guinea. "I am not making religion an issue one way or another. It's a story about family. People should take from it what they want to take from it."

Douglas Gresham, Lewis' stepson who controls the estate and is a co-producer on the film, has wanted to make a movie of Narnia for decades. Lack of the technological tools relegated adaptations to TV versions up until now.

Still, Lewis himself had a love-hate relationship with Hollywood, says Terry Lindvall, who will teach a Christian theology and film course at the College of William & Mary this fall and is author of Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis. "He believed there was death in the camera. Meaning, when you translate word to image, the imagination dies."

But if anyone could do justice to Lewis' words, Lindvall believes the man who injected such hilarity into a sour green ogre is the chosen one. "Adamson is the perfect director for this. Lewis was never as somber as Tolkien. He was playful."

Besides, Lewis believed in translating faith into the vernacular. And, as Lindvall puts it, "The vernacular of our age is movies."
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Post by Larry The Pickle »

Chandler wrote:
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
She who holds the reins: Tilda Swinton
as the White Witch, who has cast a
frozen spell over Narnia, hastens her
team of polar bears.
Polar bears? :-k I don't recall that from the book. I don't think the White Witch drove anyway. (She didn't have a license. :- )
She drove a sleigh with reindeer.
Chandler wrote:
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
Taking aim: Susan (Anna
Popplewell, 16, who was in Girl
With a Pearl Earring) turns warrior
princess. Unlike the book, both Susan
and sister Lucy take part in battle.
Is Anna the oldest actress? I don't think Susan in the book was any older than 12. :-k
I’m disappointed to hear the girls are part of the battle... I dislike changes from the original story. :|
I also don't like the fact that they're fighting! :noway: Too feministic!! :shame:
Evolution is a faith, not a science!
Chandler

Post by Chandler »

Jman 009 wrote:
Chandler wrote:
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
She who holds the reins: Tilda Swinton
as the White Witch, who has cast a
frozen spell over Narnia, hastens her
team of polar bears.
Polar bears? :-k I don't recall that from the book. I don't think the White Witch drove anyway. (She didn't have a license. :- )
She drove a sleigh with reindeer.
I thought a dwarf drove it. :-k
Jman 009 wrote:
Chandler wrote:
Trent DeWhite wrote:Image
Taking aim: Susan (Anna
Popplewell, 16, who was in Girl
With a Pearl Earring) turns warrior
princess. Unlike the book, both Susan
and sister Lucy take part in battle.
Is Anna the oldest actress? I don't think Susan in the book was any older than 12. :-k
I’m disappointed to hear the girls are part of the battle... I dislike changes from the original story. :|
I also don't like the fact that they're fighting! :noway: Too feministic!! :shame:
You should consider what their motive was for changing it. :-s
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Trent DeWhite
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

Oh my goodness.

:shock:

NarniaWeb.com recently posted the following:

-----

The French trailer for the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is now online!

For those of you who can understand French, the trailer is currently available from French cinema site www.allocine.fr. It’s embedded video, so you can’t download it, but it’s exciting nonetheless! It runs a total of 2 minutes and 18 seconds, and is now available for viewing. We also have a mirror now at potterworldonline and an english version of the trailer with French subtitles. All links are listed below:

More to come, especially as the trailer in English becomes available online.
Thanks to all who emailed in links!

French Trailer at Allocine.fr
English Trailer w/ French Subtitles at Allocine.fr

Mirrors:
French Trailer at Potterworldonline.com (thanks to Winky)

-----

Check out the English trailer. :thud:
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Post by Me »

I've been waiting for this! I'll have to look at it later though. I'll post thoughts when I watch it.
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

Me wrote:I've been waiting for this! I'll have to look at it later though. I'll post thoughts when I watch it.
I'm impressed with what they've shown in the trailer. I must admit, the scene where Lucy unveils the wardrobe overplayed. But other than that, the movie looks like it's shaping up to be a real five-star film. I just hope they don't change too much of the story. :pray:
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Post by J-man »

Wow, it looks awsome. I also hope they don't change it.
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Post by Me »

Argh. Firefox crashes every time I try to play it on that site. I guess I'll have to wait until next week when the English version is released.
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Post by Ferder »

The English version is already up. Just head over to www.comingsoon.net and they'll give you the link to it.
cool trailer, BTW. The last half was the best part. It was exciting to be able to first see the first trailers for two movies I've been really looking forward too in the same day (if you're wondering what other movie I'm talking about then go to commingsoon.net)
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Post by Trent DeWhite »

Comingsoon.net directs you AOL's Narnia page, where you can see the x-large trailer. :o But it's only in QuickTime, with which my laptop has a problem. ](*,) However, if you click on "View Trailer," you can see the movie . . . but you'll have to download the AOL player codec. :anxious:

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[Click on thumbnail to enlarge]

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Post by Chandler »

That French trailer didn't look very impressive to me (nothing to do with it's being French). :-k It's better than nothing I guess! :lol:
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