We’ve been asked to comment on an article that appeared in the Washington Times last week. I didn’t really know quite what to say, as every single paragraph in the article begs an entire article on its’ own. There’s a lot to be said about it, and it is a very manipulative article, leading you to believe certain things that the article says without giving the context for when quotes were said. People have a tendency to use quotes from authors and things how they want, and based on needs to prove things. I have a specific example regarding Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings, but we’ll get to that later.
In recent years, there have been two different fantasy series that share similarities. They have the same basic plots, the same basic creatures, and so on. Looking at the posters, cases, and trailers, you would think they were very alike, but when you look deeper, you see that they are very different indeed. This fact shows itself through the success of the books and films of their names. Read the rest of this entry »
After moving to 20th Century Fox, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film will be released (as though nothing might change between now and then) on December 10th, 2010. Michael Apted will direct, and we’ve got our same actors serving in the roles of Edmund, Lucy, and Caspian.
As we all know, Disney dumped the franchise mid-film once Prince Caspian lost money domestically. It ended up down something like $60 million on that score, but doubled its budget and then some worldwide.
Alright, Narnia fans. If you’ve seen Prince Caspian, please go and see it again. Now that you have seen it once, you know what’s been changed from the book to the screen, so there’s no surprise there anymore. You can now sit back and enjoy it as a film, and a great one.
I have seen it four times, and trust me on this, it never lost it’s luster. In fact, it maintained the excitement and I liked it more with each viewing. This is something that is very difficult to achieve, but when there is so much depth to the story, you notice more with each screening.
In all honesty, I am a pretty big movie fan. I have seen close to 700 movies that I know of, and my DVD collection is big enough that my friends constantly ask me if I have this movie or that for movie nights, and I usually do. I’ve seen Iron Man. I’ve also seen Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull twice. I’ve even seen Speed Racer.
Now, you can’t really compare Iron Man to Prince Caspian any more than you can Indiana Jones. I enjoyed Iron Man well enough. Thought it was good, but I wasn’t all that impressed with the effects. When comparing it to Transformers, Iron Man could have been more realistic looking. Giant transforming robots from another world were more realistic on screen, matching the world much better than some of the shots of Iron Man. Specifically the Mach One suit that Tony Stark built. There were times it looked awesome, and times it looked CG, pulling me out of the story.
Indiana Jones, I wasn’t planning on seeing a second time, but I wasn’t opposed when a few more friends wanted to see it. It was ridiculous fun. Ridiculous and fun, and that’s about all I asked from it, because all of the Indiana Jones movies are like that. I really enjoyed the cheesiness of it. It was part of it’s charm.
That being said, Prince Caspian has many moments that I love. It’s a fun movie to watch with a darkness to the story that aids in the building momentum. Arguably the weakest of the seven Narnia stories, it has become one incredible adventure.
For those that haven’t yet seen the film, you may want to stop reading now.
The castle raid, I thought, was a brilliant addition, and the end of it, when the remaining Narnians are caught by the gate, it heightens the emotional core of the film to a level that would not have been achieved otherwise. King Peter has a failure there, as does Caspian. Sure, it adds some tension between the two that isn’t in the books, but that tension also builds up their relationship with regard for one another. They later realize that they failed together before, and it makes it more important when they start to work together.
Another of those moments happens during the battle at Aslan’s How. The Narnian army is retreating, trying to get back into the How, when one of the trebuchets hits the doorway, blocking them off. Caspian and Peter turn around, watching the battle happening all over. It’s sinking in that it’s do or die time. There’s nothing left to do, now, but fight, because they cannot retreat. The others join them: Susan, Trumpkin and Edmund. And together they regroup and attack with their final push against the Telmarine armies.
Those scenes, I think, are two of my favorite scenes that aren’t necessarily in the book, but are a credit to the filmmakers for developing them, adding to the emotional core of the film.
If you’ve seen the movie and enjoyed it, if you loved it, see it again. If you haven’t seen it because you don’t want to see something different from the book: it’s not terribly different from the book anyway. It does, indeed, capture the spirit and the essence of the book, and even enhances some of the messages of the book that don’t really stand out when you read it.
If you hated the movie because you love the book and are unforgiving of it because it is different: realize that movies can never really be exactly like books. Take The Lord of the Rings. As a film, if they did it as the book was written, it would have been nearly 30 hours long. Perhaps longer. As it stands, it is a 12 hour epic that had to change things and make it their own. And it excels at it. Not only that, but if you want to read the Lord of the Rings, you still can. It’s almost like you’re reading the deleted scenes as well, which are fun to learn about.
Harry Potter is another book series that fans have had outcries about. I’ve never read any of the Harry Potter books, and the only movies that I’ve liked in that series are Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of the Phoenix. (I did listen to the seventh book on CD, skipping book six entirely, ha!)
There are also books that make better movies. Big Fish, for example. I saw the movie and then I read the book. The movie is better. The Shawshank Redemption, I feel is better than the novella that it is based on, as well.
Now that you know that Prince Caspian is different from the book, understand that it is what it is. If you want the book to film version identical: watch the BBC version. There’s still that. Plus, you still have the book! Now that there is the movie, perhaps more will read the book, and I suggest that you do. Just understand that the movie is different with good reasons. No decision was made without much thought and consideration on part of the writers. I know this, as I have personally spoken to them about this. Check out my NYC series of articles for the interview with the writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They’re awesome guys that really know their Narnia.
Plus, we want them to continue making Narnia films, do we not? We know they’re making Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and they’re looking for a director for The Silver Chair. But that’s as far as the BBC took their Narnia series. Let’s help this series go all the way to The Last Battle!
As the lights went up in the theatre, after the first time I saw “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” I didn’t even know what to say. The one thing that I could think was that I had just seen one amazing motion picture, and it made me very well pleased.
The film has achieved everything that I had hoped it would. I give full credit to Andrew Adamson, Steven McFeeley and Christopher Markus for capturing the spirit of the story, and capturing it well.
You see, the book “Prince Caspian” was never my favorite of the Chronicles. To me, it always seemed more like the prelude to the epic “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” The film version, however, has brought out the many things that Prince Caspian has to offer. The subtleties in the characters, how Prince Caspian doesn’t yet feel prepared to take on his role, the growth in character through both failure and victory for each of the Pevensies and Caspian.
When it comes to the adaptation of the book to the screen, Prince Caspian is a pretty difficult one to get absolutely perfect without being overly drawn out. The book features a character called Trumpkin telling the story of Caspian to the Pevensies for chapter after chapter of flashbacks.
For this, the flashbacks have been left behind, adding a sense of immediacy to the story that would have been missing. The writers made the right call, there, as the film now moves at a solid and steady pace.
The film begins with the quick introduction of new heroes and villains. The start is huge, and captures everything that you need to know to understand what is at stake. The music soars, bringing you a sense of adventure and excitement as Caspian rides.
Caspian is perfectly cast in the actor of Ben Barnes. Many have thought that his age would be to his detriment, but I must agree with the filmmakers on this point. Reading the book, you never find his age really set in stone. The BBC version attempts to get it right, but I immediately thought that it wasn’t all that believable for a child to be so feared, to be able to lead an army, and to be as strong as Caspian needs to be.
Ben Barnes has a bright future ahead of him, his acting is incredible and more importantly: you believe that he is Caspian, and that he can accomplish everything that he needs to.
Vincent Grass is terrific in the role of Doctor Cornelius, Caspian’s teacher. In fact, the entire supporting cast does a remarkable job. Cornell John (Glenstorm), Pierfrancesco Favino (Glozelle), Ken Stott (Trufflehunter), Damián Alcázar (Sopespian), and Alicia Borrachero (Prunaprismia) all turn in wonderful performances. Even composer Harry Gregson-Williams has a turn in this film with the role of Pattertwig.
Sergio Castellitto truly captures the conflict in the evil King Miraz. Warwick Davis is excellent in the role of Nikabrik.
Trumpkin is one character that I’m more than pleased that we’ll see more of. Peter Dinklage practically steals every scene that he’s in. His one liners help to lighten the mood of an otherwise dark film. The same is true of Eddie Izzard’s turn as Reepicheep. Both characters are welcome additions to the cast and help to fill the void left by the beavers and Mr. Tumnus. Both are well loved, and I’m sure that Trumpkin will be more endeared to people’s hearts after this film.
But how can you talk about the film without mentioning the Pevensies? They have grown up a bit since we last saw them, and their acting has only improved. They truly are the Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy of Narnia. You believe that they are a family. They’re a great group of kids and well suited to the task.
Harry Gregson-Williams turns in a fantastic score once again. The music soars from the start, as we hear reprises of themes to remind us of events from the first film. There are also many new themes throughout. The music is just as epic as before, though the themes are more pronounced this time around. The last film had many wonderful and different themes, but the story called for it. This time around, there aren’t as many varying characters, such as Father Christmas, to write music for. As such, the film’s music is beautiful, and really enhances what is on the screen.
From here on out, there may be spoilers
This time around, the Pevensies are more conflicted, the film is darker and the action has become more fierce. The Pevensies have lived for a year in our world, and have had to deal with the reality of being young again, after being kings and queens for at least fifteen years. They were once highly respected and honored royalty, now seen as mere children once again.
Caspian is dealing with a different sort of identity crisis. The heir to the throne of a race of invaders, he is conflicted by the hidden past of his people, and his desire to free the Narnians and to take up his throne. He feels unworthy of that position, and it shows as his character grows throughout the film.
The addition of the raid on Miraz’s Castle was a masterstroke as it becomes the catalyst for one of the most emotionally driven sequences in the film. My heart broke as the scene was ending. It really struck a chord with me. It showcased the growing acting chops of William Moseley, in the role of King Peter.
The other change that I am sure wasn’t that big of a deal: the White Witch. That scene is in the book, folks. The writers just take the scene a little bit further than Lewis did in the book. Not a big deal, and the payoff shows just how much Edmund has grown since the first film.
As for the controversial kiss: I have no problem with it at all, and here’s why: if you’ve read the books, then you should know the path that Susan takes. It’s definitely in line with where her character is going, and in that way it makes sense. Sure, it wasn’t in the book, but I have a feeling that Lewis himself would have agreed with the change.
Prince Caspian is a wonder to behold, true in spirit and in story. Fans will love it!
A, 10 out of a possible 10
See my individual scores here, where you can also submit your own review
Going to New York City for the first time can be pretty overwhelming. Going to New York City to see Prince Caspian for the first time is another thing entirely. Friday started out with a stroll through the city, learning where things were, which way it is to the cinema and figuring out where to go in the meantime.
It was all very surreal, as I was excited to see the film, but still overwhelmed by the size of the city.
We arrived to the film about an hour before the scheduled showtime. I wasn’t scheduled to check-in until 6:30, so we waited around a while. I met a bunch of people while we waited, including Barbara Vancheri: the Arts & Entertainment Writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. She was easy to talk to, and not at all like most of the critics that I had met previous to this.
After a short while, we were able to check-in, and were given our passes. Up a couple of escalators, we found our way into a huge screening room. There had to be nearly 1000 seats in that auditorium. The entire middle section of the screening was taped off for us to sit, and I found a spot toward the center of a row at eye level.
It was there that I met Fantasia-kitty from NarniaWeb, sitting one row in front of me. We started talking, which was cool, because my friends went up to sit with the crowd from TRL. She was really nice, and easy to talk to. She pulled out a notepad, but never wrote a thing. A little while later, someone asked if I’d be willing to move up, as they needed the row that I was sitting in for something. I moved up, and a little while later, something incredible happened.
In walked Peter Dinklage. Trumpkin, himself! But that’s not all. Many more members of the cast started to file into the row behind. Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell… it seemed to never end.
Looking to the left, there was Mark Johnson: the producer.
A few minutes later, director Andrew Adamson walked to the front with Mark Johnson to introduce the film. I had expected, perhaps, a video introduction, but the man himself was standing before us. And he announced that he only finished the film two days before, and it would be the first time that the cast has seen it. He said that they were pretty apprehensive about it, as this was the first real test of the film in its’ final form.
He sat down and the lights went out and the film began. Two and a half hours later, the lights came up and I sat there, trying to figure out what I had just seen. I knew that I loved it, but that’s all that I knew.
I took a stroll down to introduce myself to the director. I don’t know it if I was starstruck or what, but after I introduced myself to him, he asked me what I thought and I could say nothing. I was so impressed with what he had created that I could barely figure out the vocabulary to express my thoughts.
He was clearly delighted. You’ll have to read my full review on Friday.
Talking to him for a while, he was a very genuine man, and very kind. I also met Mark Johnson and by then I was finally starting to figure out my thoughts. Next, we made our way out of the auditorium, where we met none other than writer Christopher Markus. A true gentleman and a very hilarious man, he quipped: “You’re not supposed to know who I am!”
We talked a bit about the film and then Andrew walked over and said that a shot was missing from one of the reels, and it was the only reel that was missing that single shot. When I asked what that shot had, we joked about how Andrew was trying to be a bit more edgy as a director, and it really was a good thing the shot was missing. It involved a waterfall and the cast, and that’s all that I’ll say here. Needless to say, the shot turned out to actually be an establishing shot or some such. Not nearly as exciting as our own imaginations.
After this, it was back to the hotel to get some sleep before press interviews would start at around 9am.
The opening words in the film trailer for Prince Caspian declare: “The time has come to journey back to Narnia.” And truly the time has arrived for a number of reasons.
Certainly for Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the time has come to take the next step on their spiritual journey, to enroll for a second term in Aslan’s special school for the soul. For the young Prince Caspian, who has been leading a losing battle against the forces of his evil uncle, the time has come to finally receive the help he so desperately needs. And for us, as well, the time has come to journey back to Narnia—where we will once again be encouraged and inspired and once again will come to see our world and our role in it in new and different ways.
The children are warned, “You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember.” Narnia will be more savage this time, but it will also be more joyous. In fact, because our heroes are older and have a greater capacity for understanding, you could say it will be more everything. The trailer words remind us “One year later for them.” But the first adventure in Narnia has given the four Pevensies a maturity greater than one year normally would. Chronologically, due to a delay in production, the actors who portray the four Pevensies actually have aged two years since the first film. But this will be an asset rather than a liability as it will help communicate this greater maturity. Georgie Henley, who plays Lucy, seems especially grown up.
Yes, confession, the breaking news stories yesterday were in fact April Fools Day Jokes. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s responses to the jokes both on the message board for NarniaFans and NarniaWeb. I almost busted a gut laughing at some of your responses! Some of you caught on really well! I was impressed. I hope none of you were too alarmed by any of the news and apologize if you were. Thank you all for being such great sports. As a bonus, I hope some of you checked my source link on Wikipedia as it would have led to a page on April Fools.
So yes, there will not be a new Narnia book focusing on the legend of Queen Swanwhite ( though there are some well written fan fictions on-line if you can find them). Lindsey Lohan will not be in Narnia as Ramandu’s daughter. Zac Ephron won’t be playing Eustace. The “powers that be” have wisely chosen unknowns for the principles thus far and surround them with great top-notch actors and actresses as apposed to celebrities, for the supporting roles. No doubt they will repeat this formula.
When actual news of the cast for Voyage of the Dawn Treader does surface, you can count on us to have the news. And rest assured, I think we all will be “presently surprised” when the news hits and amazed when the next installment of our beloved fantasy series comes to life .
Though remember when April 1st comes around I think we all have the tendency to behave a bit like Edmund ( or maybe Eustace.) ESPECIALLY here at NarniaFans.
For those who missed out on the fun and excitement ( and the possible heart failures, seizures, strokes, Near Death Experiences, nausea, throwing up in the mouth, rage, and other symptoms associated with believing the jokes) here they are.
Harper Collins announces release of “Lost” Narnian Chronicle: “The Legend of Queen Swanwhite.”
Long time fans of the Chronicles of Narnia who were saddened by the end of the series in 1956 may rejoice at some news from publisher Harper Collins. With the help of Walter Hooper, Colin Duriez, and other Lewis scholars, Harper Collins is posthumously publishing the book that existed in various fragments. Lewis scholars had found these fragments and pieced them together, resulting in a coherent story.
“Parts of it were in old notebooks. A page or two had been written on a couple of cocktail napkins. The opening page had been scribbled on a student’s test booklet that he was grading. A few other bits and pieces were found in other places,” said Hooper, a long time editor and collaborator with Lewis.
“A few fragments were even found on an old chewing gum wrapper from a stick of gum that Tolkien gave to Lewis,” he added.
“We are very excited about this new release,” said a representative of Harper Collins. “ We were a little leery at first about releasing it as we weren’t sure if it would sell. The only fantasy books that seem to sell now a days are Harry Potter books. You can’t bank on the success of some old dead guy.”
However another CEO, who wished to remain anonymous, expects the book to do well considering the success of Tolkien’s Children of Hurin last summer.
“Children of Hurin was number 1 on the New York Times Best-Seller list. It knocked a Harry Potter book off of it’s spot and out sold the final Left Behind book. A rare feat for a book by a deceased writer. This has shown it could work.”
Narnia has it’s own built in fan base. Readers young and old have been hoping for more Narnia books since the release of the Last Battle,” said Colin Duriz, a noted Lewis scholar and author of various handbooks devoted to CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and their various works. “Now they have their wish.”
Hardcore fans will remember that Queen Swanwhite was mentioned by Jewel the unicorn in the Last Battle as an important figure in Narnian history. Her name is featured on countless Narnia Timelines. There does appear to be some discrepancy between when Jewel says the events happened ( the year 1500 in Narnia time), and the official timeline compiled by Lewis. ( 900. Approximately before Jadis came to rule Narnia.)
“This book will definitely shed some light on those questions,” said Hooper. “Fans have been wondering about her for years. Now they will discover her rich story.”
We have yet to receive any details on the full plot or what other characters will appear in the story. Early rumors indicate that it may also deal with the Jadis’s return to Narnia, the beginning of the 100 year winter and how Tumnus came under her employment.
The book is expected to be released sometime this Christmas. We have not yet been able to reach Douglas Gresham for comment on this book.
Casting Announcement : HSM Star joins the Voyage.
Word on the street indicates that a choice has been made on a crucial member of the cast of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That role is Eustace Scrubb. It is none other than High School Musical star, Zac Efron.
“They were hesitant on casting him at first,” the insider reported. “ As he is such a high profile star. But he gave the best audition.”
Other finalists on the very short list included Dylan and Cole Spraus from the Disney Channels Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Ricky Ulman from Phil of the Future, Jake Lloyd ( Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace), and Haley Joel Osment.
“Our preferences were for either Efron, Ulman or one of the Spraus twins to get a role in this franchise,” said a Disney insider. “Narnia is one of our most bankable franchises, and these are some of our biggest stars. Efron, especially has a lot of street credence with our target audiences.”
“They’ve cast plenty no-names in the series, such as that guy from Schindler’s List ( JS: Liam Neeson) as the voice of Aslan,” said a member of the filming crew. “While he’s a great actor, what we need is a big star to carry the franchise. No one is bigger than Zac Efron right now. It was a perfect fit.”
Efron has already been training for his role and is meeting with his dialect coach to prefect a British accent. Reports indicate he is getting along well with the cast already. It has also been reported that Partick Stewart ( X-Men, Star Trek: TNG), and Christopher Lee ( Lord of the Rings, Star Wars Episode II&III) have also been seen on set. Could they also be filling in roles for the film, perhaps as Coriakin and Ramandu?
Check back with NarniaFans tomorrow for more news on these casting choices!
Lindsey Lohan enters Narnia!
One of the biggest names in Hollywood is getting to become part of one of the biggest fantasy franchises. Sources indicate that child star Lindsey Lohan has received a role in the next installment of the Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She has been tapped to play the small, but memorable character of the daughter of Ramandu.
Fans of the series will remember that Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Eustace meet the character at the last island they landed on before they reached the edge of the world of Narnia. The character is the daughter of the wizard Ramandu, a retried star. She and Caspian fall in love and get married. The two of them become the parents of Prince Rillian, one of the main figures in The Silver Chair.
The character is never named, but expect the screen writers to amend that situation. The star’s agent says that this will be a great way for her to repair her image following her legal problems that were the subject of tabloids for weeks, as well as the box office failures of her recent films.
An executive from Disney said, “We are honored to have her coming back. She has had a great record with us.”
The actress has gone on to say, “I really like the books. They’re my favorite. Goblet of Fire is my favorite out of all of them. Wait, this isn’t Harry Potter? Oh well, a jobs a job.”
Better late than never, it’s Into the Wardrobe’s bit Comic-Con Report, talking about the Disney presentation and the adventure there at the 2007 San Diego Comic-Con. Let’s get to it!
Expect the unexpected: that would be advice to offer someone before they ventured into Narnia, and this was also the case for Comic Con 2007. Yet, in meeting other Narnia fans I’ve talked to online was like coming home, despite the number of strange people surrounding us all day. I flew in to San Diego Thursday and stayed with the wonderful TDL/NW member, Ninaruth. First thing Friday, I was whisked off to Comic Con by Jen, and met up with Kristi from thelionscall.com immediately. We headed straight for the Disney booth, dodging people in strange costumes all the way, and we noticed a wall on part of the booth dedicated to Prince Caspian. The display had the concept art picture of Caspian on Destrier, a large screen TV playing director, Andrew Adamson’s original blog entry and the trailer for the Prince Caspian video game. Disney was also giving away Prince Caspian gift bags with the Telmarine Castle on the front and back and then more concept art on the sides. It was a wonderful day of spending time with other Narnia fans. Gymfan15 from NarniaWeb joined with us later and we spent the rest of the day scouting out where we would have to go for the Narnia panel on Saturday. By the end of the day you would have thought that we had known each other for years.
Saturday Kristi, Gymfan, Nina, Jen and I all met in Hall H to make sure we’d get a seat for the Narnia panel. With six hours to kill before the Narnia feature would be shown, Kristi, Gymfan and I spent the morning putting together goodie bags for the panel members with items that the admins of thelionscall, narniafans, and narniaweb contributed. We also brainstormed extra questions to ask the Narnia panel. When the panel was about to start, Nina and Jen were planted close to the front to take pictures and notes and Kristi, Gymfan15, and I all went to ask questions and were the first 3 in line. Richard Taylor from WETA led the panel, followed by producer Mark Johnson, creature supervisor Howard Berger, costume designer Isis Mussenden, and producer Dean Wright. Director Andrew Adamson joined via satellite and the surprise of the day, Ben Barnes, joined with Andrew. It was the middle of the night for them, but they got up for the panel anyway. Bless them all! They are still trying to finish the last three weeks of filming on Prince Caspian. At first there were problems with the audio where Andrew could hear us but we couldn’t hear him. Andrew proceeded in mock-sign language gestures till his audio came through, which was only a minute later, but it was funny. When we could hear him, his first plea was to the panel members to come back and all would be forgiven them.
They first showed some pre-viz footage, which is basically animation of what they want the live footage to look like, not all of which will be in the film, seeing as they were paying some tribute to Lord of the Rings, Mission Impossible, and maybe the Matrix. But it gave the gist of what was going to happen. It was of a midnight raid on the Telmarine castle. Gryphons carried everyone in, starting with Edmund. Ed then used his flashlight in some kind of morse code to signal to the others and they were killing off Telmarines all over the place. Lucy came in with her bow ready. Susan was fully armed as were Peter, Caspian, and Trumpkin. Three mice went in the castle as well, one of which I’m sure is Reepicheep. He was lighter than the other two. Their first order of business for the mice was to tie up the yellow tabby cat that looked sort of like Puss in Boots so that they would be unencumbered when fighting Telmarines. Trumpkin started falling off the battlement tower and Susan caught him by the beard which was apparently the Lord of the Rings tribute. The mice were opening doors and dropping from the ceiling with ropes tied around them. Peter and Edmund were in their standard Narnian armor and Caspian’s armor resembled that of the Telmarines for the most part.
The second video was next and it included pre-viz, I think Andrew said some on set footage, and of course movie footage. Several scenes were featured, including the kids exploring Cair Paravel in their school clothes, a boat ride with Trumpkin the dwarf, a dwarf tied up and roughed up(we’re not sure if it’s Trumpkin or Cornelius), a Telmarine charge, battles…and so much more. The kids’ school clothes were like what was seen in spoiler pictures before, but the boys had blue sweaters and the girls had bright red ones. There was a shot of Peter finding a large medallion with Aslan’s face on it. In some battle scenes we see Peter fighting in his old leather jerkin outfit rather than the armor and Susan had a sword and was wailing on the Telmarines. Her bow and arrow were on her back, but it was strange to see Susan fighting like that. The last shot was of the four kids with Lucy in front, Susan to her left and a bit behind, Peter to the right and a bit behind, and then Edmund in the back in Narnian clothes in a darker shot and their expressions said something like, “Don’t mess with me.” In that shot the girls were in dresses, Susan’s was I think purple, and Lucy’s was bright red on the sleeves and collar and then the bodice was gray. It wasn’t a rusty red color at all so I’m not sure if it’s the same dress she was caught riding in months ago or not. Caspian was not seen in the footage that we saw. There was a concept art flash of Reepicheep. He looked white on his tummy, and golden to a brown color on his back and head. Aslan will be bigger in this film. We were in awe when it finished and it was amazing. I tend to be a bit harsh as a critic, but it was incredible. At the end of it Andrew asked if the screams he heard were a positive response which brought him an emphatic yes from Mark.
After this it was time to ask questions. Each person could only ask one. Kristi was first up and she greeted them on behalf of thelionscall.com, then she asked what the most challenging creatures were for them to create and work on. Aslan was the first mentioned, as getting the emotional expressions right for him were difficult. Reepicheep was also mentioned. Also, the scene of the Gryphons carrying the kids was tough to make look realistic. The Telmarines and dwarves were also mentioned by Howard and Isis for their departments. Dean and Howard talked a bit later about how they created the creatures in the last film and have more room to experiment now, they’ll have dwarves, fawns, and centaurs that are young and old, fat and skinny, male and female, different colors. There were between 50 to 100 creature types that had to be created.
I got to ask the next question on behalf of narniafans.com in front of 5,000 people with a camera on me plastering my face on about 10 huge screens…frightening…but I asked, “Now that you’ve done LWW, PC, and have VDT ready to start in January, are you going to do the last four books, what’s the timetable for that, and do you all want to be involved? Andrew replied first, even with the two second delay. He said he did want to be involved in all the films even if not directing. Mark responded to the rest. He said that if they all get the response LWW did, they would proceed to make one a year each May till they were done making all seven! He said that VDT would start filming in late January or early February. Isis talked later about how they all want to be involved and how they’re a close family group.
Gymfan15 got to ask her question on behalf of NarniaWeb and she asked if there were any funny stories or memories from the filming that they had to tell. Andrew replied that they still had 3 weeks left and that they weren’t done yet, but then changed his mind and told stories anyway. He said that greeting the 5-7 Telmar Lords in the morning was interesting, since he had to do it in languages from Spain, Italy, Czech, Kiwi, and French just to name a few. Andrew also talked about filming the scene where Aslan tells Peter and Susan they’re not coming back. Shane Rangi had to stand in for Aslan in an all blue suit that covers the face which Andrew said made him look like “The Tick,” and he was told to talk about what the experience had meant to him and how he would miss everyone..stuff like that. Well, after a little bit Andrew looked over at Shane in the blue suit and saw these dark streaks in it where Shane had been crying too which made the suit look funny. Richard then talked about bringing his 5 year-old son to the set. The little boy didn’t grasp the fact that they were actors. He thought he was going to Narnia for real. He met the Pevensie rulers and he met Prince Caspian. Richard said that Ben never broke character and made it a special day for his little boy and publicly thanked Ben for that. They were all very wonderful and gracious with the child. Isis talked about how the kids were siblings in every sense and said that the last fittings with Will and Anna were emotional ones. They were a family group. All who worked on LWW were invited back for PC. They’ve learned from each movie and expect each to get better as they go along.
Two other people got to ask questions and that was it. The next was about the continuity of the books with the movies and the movies with each other seeing as they’ll have different directors. The panelists said they’d stay true to the books and embellish here and there. They want and are aiming to stay faithful to the stories and have a great love for the stories. The stories are so different from each other, so it won’t be too tough with different directors to keep a Narnian feel to them. The panel was expecting Ben to get a lot of questions and he wasn’t asked anything. But then, no one knew he was coming so they didn’t naturally prepare any. At about that time, Andrew said their signal was going to run out and that they were going to get to bed. Richard piped up and told Andrew that he was going to bed and Ben was going clubbing. He looked at Ben and said, “It’s past Ben’s bedtime.” While Andrew was speaking Ben was sarcastically making gestures to Richard and the rest of us that yeah he was going out clubbing. Andrew replied to Ben with, “But you need your beauty sleep.”
The panel talked about a lot of things after that. It was said that the plan was for Georgie, Skandar, Anna, and Will to play any future roles in HHB or LB when they come up since they’ll be old enough by then. Howard snuck a head of the good satyr, Tyrus, in with him. He plugged the head in and played with the animatronics. When he had Tyrus at the table, there was a point where the bust of Tyrus replaces Isis as far as the screen shot was concerned. It was funny since the bottom of the bust was yellow and Isis was wearing a yellow shirt, they just blended in together. They brought out a Telmarine soldier as well with a sword that I think was bigger than me. The helmet was very conquistador like and there’s a face mask. Dean, Isis,and Howard discussed the 330 person army that they had to outfit. The inspirations for the outfit were from Tibet, Greek Mass, Byzantine, Pirate and other cultures. They made 2500 swords most were water-jet cut and others were hand ground by Richard I think. Miraz’s costume is said to be rich bronze, emblazoned with pictographs telling the history of Telmar. They talked about the kids coming back into Narnia with an overwhelming sense of entitlement. The film is described as darker, more mature, and with more action. The footage we saw lived up to that description. Isis said it is four times the scope of LWW.
Howard closed things out with the act of throwing out t-shirts to fans that only the cast had previously. There was a blue one with a stick figure Prince Caspian on it and then there was a brown one with a 70’s style faun with a huge afro on it. When he did this mass hysteria started and security was going nuts. Gymfan15 caught a blue shirt. When microphones started falling over, they wrapped things up pretty quickly.
We booked it back to the Disney booth where the guys there promised to get the goodie bags to the panel members, and I’m glad that they did receive them. Andrew and Ben will be sent their goodies soon. It was a blast to get to spend time with the members from the various Narnia sites where we could work together and have a common goal, helping each other out. There was no us and them we were one big team. Hwin from NarniaWeb and her family also stopped by the table to say hi as well after the panel. I didn’t expect to make so many new friends or have so much fun with the Narnia panel, considering the insanity surrounding us that was Comic Con. However, I did and was truly blessed.
I think I understand why so many people have difficulty simply saying “Aslan IS Jesus, period.”
Persons hostile to Christianity have a plain, up-front reason for wanting to change Aslan’s identity: they don’t want to owe anything to the orthodox Biblical Jesus, and they want to hijack Aslan (or perhaps, in their minds, liberate Him), making Him a small-g pagan god in an ultimately humanistic fantasy. (As I wrote elsewhere, it’s actually understandable why some want Aslan to be less than omnipotent, precisely so that He can be seen as MORE heroic when opposing evil that MIGHT be able to defeat Him.) But the case of Christians disliking the idea is more subtle. Every Christian (except for those pharisaic types who call all fantasies uniformly demonic) is willing to recognize Aslan at least as embodying the personality traits of Jesus; but in spite of such powerful narrative clues as Aslan taking the form of a LAMB in addition to that of a lion, many balk at agreeing that Mr. Lewis meant Aslan unequivocally to BE Jesus, none other than the same Jesus Who is found in the New Testament.
I believe I have grasped the cause. These Christians resist calling Aslan Jesus for the same reason as even well-intentioned people at the fringes of Christendom resist calling Jesus God.
If you don’t understand the Trinity, the claim of Jesus to be God can sound like blasphemy–the presumptious attempt of a man, who started out as a man, to elevate himself to Godhood. This, in fact, was the very charge brought by Our Lord’s enemies. But when you do understand the Trinity, you realize that Jesus didn’t CLIMB UP to “become” God; he already WAS one of the three co-existing aspects of God, and He CAME DOWN to become human.
If you don’t understand the conscious intent that Mr. Lewis formed after God’s mental suggestion to him for the character of Aslan took hold, the claim that Aslan is Jesus can sound like blasphemy–the attempt of an author to take a character he happened to enjoy inventing, and endow this character with the dignity of the Savior. This, in fact, is exactly what the malicious Philip Pullman has accused Mr. Lewis of doing with Aslan. But when you do understand the intent of Mr. Lewis, you realize that Mr. Lewis wasn’t indulging in turning a talking lion into a Christ-figure at the expense of Biblical doctrine; instead, he was imagining what form THE ACTUAL CHRIST might assume if ENTERING such a mythic world as the Narnian world.
Mr. Lewis asserted in his essays that there is not, and cannot ever be, ANY being ANYWHERE, other than God, who is eternal from eternity-past, uncreated, omnipotent and absolutely self-sufficient. Therefore, when Aslan is described in “The Magician’s Nephew” displaying the attributes of Almighty God, creating something out of nothing, and on top of that being seen doing the creating by persons from the real world, Mr. Lewis CANNOT be inviting the reader to conclude, “Okay, there IS someone omnipotent besides God after all.” Mr. Lewis took God’s exclusive Godhood too seriously to blur it.
Jesus being God does not wrongly exalt mankind to Godhood, because Jesus WAS God first. Aslan being Jesus does not wrongly exalt fantasy characters, because the whole point about Aslan is Jesus Himself ENTERING a world purposely modelled upon myths and fairytales.
Ut fidem praestem in difficultate!
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