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It is the third film installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series. The film begins in England, where Lucy and Edmund are staying with their “personality deficient” Uncle, Aunt, and trouble-maker, cousin Eustace. Eustace is very snotty, spoiled, loud, and hates his cousins. Eustace’s hatred for his cousins causes him to torment them. None too soon, when a painting of a ship on the wall starts “moving,” suddenly water starts filling up the room and Edmund, Lucy, and Eustace are from that water, transported into the seas of Narnia. Upon arriving in Narnia, a very large, dragon shaped ship approaches...

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" debuted at the top of the box office this weekend. The third movie entry based on the beloved children novels by C.S. Lewis raked in $24.5 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters despite a weak start on Friday. In the latest Narnia movie, the two youngest Pevensies, Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) journey back to the magical Kingdom along with their bratty cousin Eustace (Will Pouter). Led by King Caspian (Ben Barnes), the crew set out on a quest on the Dawn Treader to battle new threats to the...

On Thursday's edition of The View, Joy Behar displayed how little she knows Sarah Palin's favorite authors. As they discussed Palin's answer to Barbara Walters asking what she reads, and Walters said Palin reads C.S. Lewis for "divine inspiration," Behar asked "Aren't those children's books?" She wasn't joking, but she obviously liked the idea that Palin wasn't smart enough to read "adult books." The Narnia books aren't exactly Dr. Seuss. Behar isn't educated enough to know about his classic works of nonfiction in Christian apologetics, like Mere Christianity and The Screwtape Letters.

Before this film, I think the cinematic Narnia series was a little like Lucy, looking enviously at big-sister Susan. Maybe it was trying too hard to be the next Lord of the Rings or aspire to Harry Potter-level success. It worked so hard to be literary and spectacular that, just maybe, it forgot what the Narnia books were at their core: children's stories. Meaningful stories, yes. Good stories, absolutely, filled with allegorical heft and layers of meaning … but at their core, they're meant to be fun. Dawn Treader found the fun. For two hours, I was engrossed in a...

The studios behind the new "Narnia" movie are walking a tightrope in their quest to promote the third film in the fantasy franchise to a Christian audience and to general moviegoers. But they also are going out of their way not to pigeonhole the film as something that will appeal just to the world's 2.2 billion Christians. Case in point is Liam Neeson, who voices Aslan, the resurrected lion in the upcoming film. The actor said at a news conference last week that his character doesn't necessarily represent Christ. That might be news to Lewis, though, who wrote the opposite...

The actor who voices the lion in the film adaptations of the books has angered some fans of the stories, who claim he is distorting Lewis’s intentions to be “politically correct”. Aslan the lion features in all seven Narnia books, guiding children away from evil and harm and encouraging them to do good. Lewis was clear that the Aslan was based on Christ, and once wrote of the character: “He is an invention giving an imaginary answer to the question: “What might Christ become like if there really were a world like Narnia?”.” ...But ahead of the release of The...

Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

The first official trailer for the third movie installment of the “Chronicles of Narnia” made its public debut Thursday morning, giving fans a peak at what some thought wasn't going to be after Walt Disney Pictures abandoned ship. Released at midnight, the two-minute trailer for "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" beckons Narnia fans to “Return to Hope,” “Return to Magic,” and “Return to Narnia” five years after the first film hit theaters to positive reviews and box office success. “You have returned for a reason. Your adventure begins now,” says the series’ central character, Aslan, in the trailer. Also...

Although it might seem unlikely that anyone would wonder whether the author of The Lord of the Rings was Jewish, the Nazis took no chances. When the publishing firm of Ruetten & Loening was negotiating with J. R. R. Tolkien over a German translation of The Hobbit in 1938, they demanded that Tolkien provide written assurance that he was an Aryan. Tolkien chastised the publishers for “impertinent and irrelevant inquiries,” and—ever the professor of philology— lectured them on the proper meaning of the term: “As far as I am aware none of my ancestors spoke Hindustani, Persian, Gypsy, or any...

A year from now, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" will be released in a theater near you. < break > In a recent interview posted on NarniaWeb.com, Douglas Gresham, stepson to C.S. Lewis and the man who's supposed to be holding the line on what his stepfather would have wanted, said he was "ambivalent" on changes made in "Voyage." But, he was presented with a choice of either accepting those changes or not having a film. < break > "Narrow-minded in a faith way"? That's going to rev up Christians to see this movie. Christian Web sites such as...

IT SEEMS Queensland is making as big an impression on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader’s cast and crew as the world of Narnia has made on us. Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace Scrubb and their friend King Caspian (played by Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter and Ben Barnes respectively) have begun filming the third Chronicles of Narnia movie at Warner Roadshow Studios at Movie World on the Gold Coast. And although official dates have not yet been released, locals can look forward to some big Narnia names coming to the area, when filming kicks...

Nearly every Christian with a liking toward fantasy has their favorite Narnia book, Narnia scene, or Narnia character. But so do many non-Christians. C.S. Lewis' classic children's books are a milestone of literary consciousness for young readers of every background and persuasion: for some, a passport through the wardrobe into the real, living Kingdom of Christ. For others, a painful journey from delight to dismay. That was the experience of Laura Miller, columnist for Salon.com and regular contributor to The New York Times. In her early teens, Miller was stunned to realize that the stories that enchanted her childhood were...

Twentieth Century Fox has agreed to co-finance the third movie in the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, pending approval of the final script and shooting budget. If all goes as planned, Fox and Walden Media, which controls the movie rights to C.S. Lewis’ classic children's books, hope to be begin production on "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" by late summer so it will be ready for holiday 2010 release.

Some time ago, writer Andrew Klavan wrote a compelling review of the movie "Batman," comparing the caped hero to George W. Bush. Both figures gave of themselves on behalf of good in a knock-down, drag-out battle against pure, unmitigated evil, and neither was appreciated -- quite the contrary, they were often viewed as the bad guys by an ungrateful public. Klavan's analogy was right on. My mind, however, for several years now, has raced back to another movie when I think about George W. Bush -- actually, a scene in the movie, based on a scene in a book by...

Los Angeles - Disney confirmed Wednesday that it would not be involved in the third film of "The Chronicles of Narnia" fantasy series, dealing a blow to the franchise based on CS Lewis's classic books. A spokesperson for Disney confirmed in an e-mail that the company had chosen not to exercise an option to co-produce and co-finance the next Narnia film with producers Walden Media. The Hollywood Reporter cited "budgetary and logistical reasons" for Disney's decision, which leaves the third film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader facing an uncertain future. The film was due to...

On Friday, Walden Media announced that Co-CEO and co-founder Cary Granat was exiting the company. One thing we noticed in the press release, however, was that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has not yet gotten the green light: Cary Granat, Co-CEO and co-founder of Walden Media, will transition from his Walden position to a consultant for the company effective December 1. Granat will be Walden's creative consultant on the third installment in "The Chronicles of Narnia" franchise – "Voyage of the Dawn Treader"- which the company hopes to greenlight soon. He will also provide consulting...

In C.S. Lewis's book The Silver Chair, the children Eustace and Jill are called into Narnia to find a lost Prince of Narnia, Prince Rillian. They find in a land deep under the surface of the earth, under a witch's terrible enchantment. The children succeed in freeing Rillian and killing the witch. They then have to leave her undergrond castle to battle her minions. They don their swords and their shields, their bows and their quivers, and they march forth. But before they leave to face what might be certain death, Rillian reminds them that, regardless of whether they live...

This is the "official" thread for discussing Disney/Walden's second installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series. This thread is primarily intended for people who have already seen the movie, as the following review contains some mild spoilers. Here is the review I wrote after seeing the film. The long-awaited Narnia sequel is here, and as promised, delivers a far more “savage” journey into C.S. Lewis’s Narnia. The two-and-a-half hour film doesn’t stop for long, featuring two heavy battle sequences and one intense duel. (As opposed to the one battle for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.) And as you...

The most recent Indiana Jones film more than recouped its big budget with an estimated $311 million in global box office sales through the long weekend, according to studio estimates Monday. Families went in droves to catch "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," a PG-13 adventure starring Harrison Ford as the whip-cracking archaeologist who took 19 years to return to the big screen. Paramount Pictures estimated the action sequel made $151.1 million in the U.S. and Canada from Thursday to the holiday Monday and $160 million overseas. It marked the second biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever,...

This is one movie that I have enjoyed as much as the trailer! As the end credits started to roll, my six-year-old (girl) popped up her head and loudly asked if I would buy the DVD. . . THE GUYS...ARE GUYS! They are not "juiced up" thirty-somethings with sculpted muscles and steroids to match, nor are they psychologically tortured, identity-challenged, oversexed teenagers. They are young males who are not afraid to spill some blood when necessary for the greater good. . . THE GIRLS...ARE GIRLS! . . . [T]he usual "girl empowerment" pomposity that almost universally plagues today's child actresses...

From the moment we walked into the Theatre I could feel the excitement in the air. The make up of the crowd spoke to both the extraordinary appeal of the writings of C.S. Lewis and, I would soon discover, the brilliance of this wonderful film. The Box Office results from the first weekend confirmed what I was about to experience. Prince Caspian Rules. The audience was an inter-generational sampling of every ethnic variety of family. There were grandfathers and grandmothers, mothers and fathers, children of every age, teenagers, and grandchildren. As the lights dimmed, many people were hurriedly trying to...

The second coming of Narnia had a less passionate opening reception than its predecessor and, being the sole new nationwide release of the weekend, led to one of the softest mid-May periods of the decade in terms of overall foot traffic at the movies. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian captured a sizable estimated $56.6 million on approximately 8,400 screens at 3,929 theaters to top the weekend, but the reportedly $200 million sequel heralded a theatrical lull for the franchise based on C.S. Lewis' series of religious fantasy novels. The previous adaptation, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch...

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" dethroned "Iron Man" as ruler at the box office, pulling down $56.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Walt Disney Co.'s action sequel took in less domestically in its opening weekend than "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," which sold $65.6 million in North America in its debut weekend in December 2005. "Caspian" also raked in $20.7 million overseas. But Disney expects the PG-rated movie, based on the C.S. Lewis fantasy series, to ride high through the coming Memorial Day weekend. The first "Narnia" tale grossed $745 million...

Walt Disney sequel "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" had no problem reigning over Friday's box office, grossing $19.3 million as it opened in 3,929 theaters. "Caspian's" opening day haul came in slightly lower than industry expectations and behind first Narnia installment, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which pulled in $23 million on its first day and $65.6 million for its final three-day in December 2005. Both pics are co-productions with Walden Media.

HOLLYWOOD seems to have concluded that war movies don't sell. But "Prince Caspian" seems likely to prove the opposite. "Caspian," the new Narnia film from Walden Media based on the CS Lewis classic, is expected to do quite well. The secret: It's not anti-war. Flicks like "Stop-Loss," "Lions for Lambs," "In the Valley of Elah" and "Rendition" have bombed because they're painfully anti-war - and the heavy-handed ideology makes for artistic as well as commercial failure. "Caspian" is a fantasy, of course - but also a war story. Indeed, it's the tale of a just war: Prince Caspian's fight to...

I still remember the day the “Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” was released; I was the first in line, with my adult son. It was a marvelous masterpiece of a movie. I know that Prince Caspian will be even better. I told Doug during our interview, that I am so excited about seeing this film that I feel like a child again. He laughed and told me I will be thrilled. He continued “...the enemy has tried to steal the film industry, but he has not succeeded. Many in our day seem to think that it is political leaders...

"Always winter, and never Christmas” are, perhaps, the most famous words C. S. Lewis wrote. The phrase comes four times in the opening Chronicle of Narnia, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. First, Tumnus informs Lucy of a White Witch who has made it “always winter and never Christmas.” Lucy passes on the grim news to Edmund and later Peter. Finally, Mr. Beaver announces, in great excitement, “Didn’t I tell you that she’d made it always winter and never Christmas? Didn’t I tell you? Well, just come and see!” The reason for his excitement is that he can see...

Like Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, "The Golden Compass" (an atheist's stealth attack on faith) was unleashed on December 7. Unlike Yamamoto's attempt to sink the U.S. Pacific Fleet, there isn't much bang to "The Golden Compass." The $150-million blockbuster is as flat as cola left in a glass overnight. The first in a planned cinematic trilogy intended to rival "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" and "The Lord of The Rings," "Compass" may turn out to be the "Heaven's Gate" of juvenile fantasy films. The movie is based on a series of children's books ("His Dark Materials"),...

NEW YORK, December 10, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - 'The Golden Compass", the atheist-inspired film which sought to replicate Narnia's success at the box office at Christmas two years ago has flopped by comparison. Based on the anti-Christian novel by Philip Pullman, Compass took in $26.1 million in its first weekend, whereas 'The Chronicles of Narnia' garnered $65.5 million on its weekend debut. The Catholic League, which organized a boycott of the controversial film, as it would lead children to reading the anti-Christian books, saw the poor box office showing as evidence of a successful boycott. League President Bill Donohue said, "Our...

The first official teaser for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian debuts tonight. Link will be posted at approximately 10:30 PM EST on NarniaWeb.com!

When parents look at the beautiful covers adorning the gift-boxed sets of Philip Pullman's fantasy series, His Dark Materials, they might be forgiven for believing that these books follow in the tradition of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. In fact, the publishers are counting on it. The display tables have arrived just in time for Christmas and the release of the screen adaptation of the first volume: The Golden Compass.What Pullman's promoters desperately hope is that parents will not get beyond the colorful covers, which appear to depict nothing more than an...

Anti-Christian Children's Novel Coming out as Time Warner Film in December starring Nicole Kidman By Elizabeth O'Brien LOS ANGELES, August 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The best selling novels of atheist author Philip Pullman, which were written specifically to indoctrinate children with anti-Christian values, have sparked the creation of a controversial new fantasy film to be released this December 7 by New Line Cinema - a Time Warner Company. Starring Nicole Kidman, "The Golden Compass," is based on Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy, which includes "Northern Lights" (re-titled "The Golden Compass" in the United States), "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber...

On Dec. 7, 2007, the movie "The Golden Compass," based on the first book in the fantasy trilogy entitled "His Dark Materials" by atheist Philip Pullman will be released in theaters throughout the world. Pullman wrote his fantasy trilogy because he was so upset by the Christian evangelism of C.S. Lewis in his wonderful series of Christian tales entitled "The Chronicles Of Narnia." Pullman is an avowed atheist who has dedicated his life to undermining Christianity and the Church among young readers. The film's release is only another example of a culture spiraling away from faith, a culture into which...

CathNews alerts us to the potential problem: Nicole Kidman has denied that a new film she's making is anti-Catholic. The movie features an organisation known as "The Magisterium", which kidnaps children to remove their souls.The Brisbane Times reports that Kidman told a US magazine that her Catholic faith affected her consideration of the script for the film, which is titled The Golden Compass.The fantasy film is based on a novel by Philip Pullman called Northern Lights. It is already attracting attention in the US for avoiding much of the book's perceived anti-Catholic rhetoric.Kidman said some of the religious elements...

LONDON – A debate over a movie’s anti-religious antagonism – or lack thereof – is heating up ahead of its upcoming release, with some accusing Hollywood of “castrating” the anti-Catholic themes present in the novel from which it is based. The expected blockbuster, “The Golden Compass,” is named after the American title of best-selling author Philip Pullman’s novel “Northern Lights” and will star actress Nicole Kidman and James Bond star Daniel Craig. The original children’s novel, part of Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series, rejects organized religion – in particular, the Catholic Church – and critics of the movie version say...

Two potential blockbusters, Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Wolf Man, starring Benicio Del Toro, have seen their respective release dates pushed back by six months in what appears to be one of the first signs of the impact of next summer's actors strike. Dawn Treader is moving from a May 1, 2009 date to May 7, 2010 ... The actor's strike looks set to take place in June next year and will in fact manifest itself as a combined strike by the Screen Actors Guild, the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild...

Over 6,000 visitors to Comic-Con joined the Pevensie children and stepped through the wardrobe to journey into Narnia, with never-before-seen footage from “Prince Caspian” at the Disney Panel. And, according to director Andrew Adamson and producer Mark Johnson, they’ll be doing it again every year for the next decade. “As long as you keep embracing these movies, we’ll make all seven,” Johnson told an appreciative audience. “We start the end of January on “Voyage of the Dawn Treader.’ Our goal is to give you [a new] one every May starting [next year].” The announcement came after a computer pre-visualization which...

The accelerated production schedule for The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader appears to be going ahead as planned. As we reported earlier, Walden Media and Disney are hoping to release Narnia films roughly one year apart from each other. Given the complexity of these big-budget, effects-laden films, that means overlapping production schedules. Dawn Treader is expected to begin filming soon after the Prince Caspian shoot ends, utilizing a separate crew and director. Sources have supplied additional confirmation of this to the NarniaWeb.com website, stating that a new director has already been chosen for the third film, and...

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," the second live-action/CGI motion picture adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ beloved series of literary classics, began principal photography on location in Auckland, New Zealand, on February 12, 2007. The production, once again a joint venture between the Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, continues the franchise which commenced with the spectacular, Oscar-winning 2005 release, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," which went on to earn over $745 million dollars in its worldwide theatrical release, making it one of the most successful movies ever made and one of the biggest successes...

Filming is close to beginning on the sequel to Walden Media's adaptation of C.S. Lewis's classic "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe." Because of that, all kinds of casting news has been trickling out. Prince Caspian Cast British actor Ben Barnes has been selected for the role of the youthful exiled Prince Caspian. Prince Caspian Audition Scenes - An actor that auditioned for the role of Caspian sent NarniaWeb these excerpts of audition scenes. Yes, they do hint that there is a little romantic spark between Caspain and Susan. Eugh. Alicia Borrachero Cast as Prunaprismia Fans might remember the...

C.S. Lewis may be best known for his Chronicles of Narnia series of books, but with the success of the first Narnia film, it seems Hollywood is ready to start adapting the author's other works as well. First up: a big screen version of Lewis' The Screwtape Letters. Ralph Winter Prods. is producing the film along with Walden Media, reports Variety. Walden is no stranger to Lewis' work, having already worked with Disney on the first Narnia, as well as its upcoming sequel Prince Caspian. Planned for a 2008 release, Screwtape Letters is described as follows: "[It] takes the form...

NarniaFans.com: At what stage is Prince Caspian right now? Douglas Gresham: We are pretty well advanced in pre-production with most conceptual realisation about done and a lot of pre-vis animatic being done. Location choices are about settled. Set design is under way and casting is well advanced; in other words we are pretty sure what the movie will look like. NarniaFans.com: When will you find out who is playing Caspian? Douglas Gresham: Well that is very hard to estimate, but we are down to a pretty short list now I am told. I am off to Prague tomorrow to attend...

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian promises to be an even bigger visual spectacle than The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was — if that's possible. However, in spite of the top-notch CG work done on LWW by companies like ILM, Rhythm + Hues, and Sony Imageworks, the producers of Caspian are apparently hiring different companies for the sequel, notably two British effects houses. Industry sources tell IGN Filmforce that Moving Picture Company and Framestore, both based in London, will be responsible for the bulk of the film's digital effects. The information, if accurate, could hint at where director...

The sequel to Disney's movie adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe is coming home to Ireland. A casting call for Prince Caspian, the next in the series of seven Narnia books, is seeking actors in Ireland and New Zealand. Shooting is expected to start on Prince Caspian in January next year and the producers say the location this time will most likely be "the forests of Europe". If the sequel to the phenomenally successful The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe is shot in Ireland, it will be a return to the very...

July 28, 2006 - The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe opens to the London bombing raids of the Second War War, with the Pevensie children fleeing to the countryside where they will have an even greater adventure. Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund in the movies, had a similar real-life scare this month — he and his mother were visiting Beirut, Lebanon when that city also came under deadly attack by bombers and fighter jets. Fortunately, the two made it out of the country safely a few days ago. The news was relayed by Mark Johnson,...

The official Narnia site has released details and images of the 4-disc limited edition DVD, which will become available on December 12th for only seven weeks. Although many of the special features are the same as the ones that appear in the 2-disc special edition, there are several new featurettes on discs 3 and 4. The new cut of the film contains 10 extra minutes of footage. UPDATE: According to ComingSoon.net, Disney presented a very brief extended edition scene of the final battle at Comic-Con which featured "new bat gargoyle-like creatures attacking." AWN reports that Producer Mark Johnson shared some...

EVERGREEN - When young Schylure Warner told his parents there was a mountain lion lurking in their yard and peering through his bedroom window, they were skeptical, believing their son's imagination was getting the best of him. The next day, a mountain lion snatched the family's cat virtually from beneath the legs of Schylure's mom, Carrie Ann Warner. She had stepped outside to investigate a noise on the porch. The cat ran through the open door and was grabbed by the mountain lion just feet from where the woman stood. The predator fled with the cat after she threw firewood...

The release date of the sequel to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has been postponed by several months. Prince Caspian is now scheduled for summer 2008, said a spokesman for Disney, which is behind the project. Director Andrew Adamson required more time to work on the special effects-laden project, he added. The first film in the series, based on CS Lewis's book, became a major hit at the international box office, where it was number one for several weeks. Jostled Prince Caspian was expected to follow the first film with a US release pencilled in for Christmas 2007....

Not too long ago, there was a lot of giggling on the right side of the blogosphere when it learned about a book called Why Mommy is a Democrat, which its publisher proudly boasts is “A Different Kind of Children’s Book.”  The book’s point is that, just as a child views Mommy in a saintly light, he should project that view onto Democrats because they share Mommy’s values.  For example, just as Mommies do, Democrats make sure people share.  And so that no one misses this message, the well-dressed, silver-haired, obviously Republican white folk in the background walk by a homeless...

SAN FRANCISCO, May 8, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - On the heels of the actor who played the Wizard Gandalf in Lord of the Rings advocating for homosexual marriage (see coverage: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/may/06050409.html), the actress who played the White Witch in the Chronicles of Narnia has suggested that C.S. Lewis' famous book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is "anti-religious."Speaking at the 49th San Francisco International Film Festival which concluded last week, Tilda Swinton, the Scottish actress who played the white witch described herself as a "red witch" alluding to her membership in the British Communist Party.Joking about the state of...