It looks like the Blu-ray Disc for Prince Caspian is going to be the disc to own, for fans and non-fans alike. Why would non-fans want it? It is a showcase for a technology that you’ll only find here, at least for now. That technology is Circlevision:

Prince Caspian’s BD release will push the extras and interactivity including a clever new feature called Circlevision.

In the demo we saw, Circlevision let us use the remote to spin around a scene in 360 degrees. It’s done by using footage from an array of cameras positioned around a 360 degree set.

Circlevision was originally developed in the 60s, but it has been revived by Disney with the latest Blu-ray technology. When you highlight specific points in the panorama, you can call up text, video and sound that relate to it. We spent ages wading through all the extras and barely scratched the surface of what’s on there. Prince Caspian looks set to be the most advanced Blu-ray release so far.

[via Electric Pig]

UK: Order Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray
US: Order Prince Caspian on DVD and Blu-ray

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Iron Man 2 has apparently been pushed back a week to a new release date of May 7, 2010. This puts it head-to-head with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.

This brings up a few questions:

Is this just a typo, or has Iron Man 2 truly been moved to that date?
Has Dawn Treader been pushed to a new release date, opening that spot up for Iron Man 2?
If so, when will Dawn Treader be released? Is it now due at Christmas?

We’ll get to the bottom of this!

[via /film]

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Welcome to Tumnus’s Book Shelf where we review any and all books related to Narnia and CS Lewis! For this weeks review, we will be looking at Miracles by CS Lewis

Title: Miracles.
Author: CS Lewis
Publisher: HarperOne

ISBN-10: 0060653019
ISBN-13: 978-0060653019

Summary of the Book

In an age where skepticism rules, and everything has to be rationally reasoned away with logic, CS Lewis’s book Miracles seeks to reinstall a sense of belief in the unbelievable in a world that looks only for reasons. From examining the place of miracles in the laws of nature, to miracles in the Old Testament, to examining the Great miracle that is the Life of Christ, Lewis makes a case to believe in that which cannot be explained.

Review:

The word miracle is probably one of the most over-used expressions both in and out of religious circles. Everything from cures to diseases, to a modern convenience like the indoor toilet, to winning the lottery, to falling in love, is referred to in some from or another as a “miracle.” Even the triumph of the 1980 USA Men’s Olympic Hockey Team over the Soviet Union is referred to as the Miracle on Ice.

What is a “Miracle” exactly? Webster defines it as an event that appears to be contrary to the laws of nature but comes about through supernatural means. In Miracles, CS Lewis sought to examine just what is a miracle exactly in terms of scripture.

To his credit Lewis does not examine any claims of miracles that could have occurred in the 1930s and seek to either support such claims or debunk them. Lewis seeks to properly define what a miracle is in accordance to the scriptures and more importantly understand the greatest miracle of them all, the incarnation and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

As he is versed in mythology, folklore and stories he is able to help distinguish true miracles from the ones that would occur in Greek Mythology. One thing that he points out that so many fail to realize is that the miracles of the New Testament largely still follow the “natural order of things” such as a divine conception will still be followed by a nine month gestation or divinely created wine will still cause drunkenness.

As usual, Lewis not only writes very analytically and scholarly, but he writes with a very generous does of wit, a trait that is so often missing in such books as these that are written today. His arguments are fairly well founded, and ,most readers will have little problem grasping the gist of it. Even someone with no knowledge of the examples from Greek Mythology or Classical Literature that Lewis uses will get the point.

The only “flaw” to the book, if it can even be called that, is mostly in a small stylistic manner. Unlike Mere Christianity, which was originally a series of broadcast talks, Miracles has a much less “conversational” tone and more of the tone of a lecture. However in that regards, it is more like hearing a lecture from a well polished and professional sounding speaker who does not talk down at you.

Do miracles happen every day? That will always be up for debate based on what we perceive a “true” miracle to be. However after reading Miracles, it is much easier to believe in the Greatest Miracle of all, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If anything can be gained form this work, that is the most important treasure to take from it.

5 out of 5 shields.

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Perelandra Project writes: The Oxford C.S. Lewis Society and the Donald Swann Estate are planning a production of PERELANDRA the Opera.

Music: Donald Swann
Libretto: David Marsh
Based on the book by C.S. Lewis

To be performed in its original, three-act version as a ‘theatrical oratorio’.

Place: Oxford, England
Dates: June 2009 (exact dates to be confirmed)

The performance run will be accompanied by a two-day international colloquium on PERELANDRA (book and opera).

Please visit this website regularly for news about the production and the colloquium, and for the announcement of a PERELANDRA art competition.

Join the Facebook Group The Perelandra Project for discussion and updates.

For more information, or to discuss ways of getting involved in the project, please contact the production team.

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The Early Childhood Parenting section of Chicago’s Examiner.com has chosen the name “Caspian” as the Baby Name of the day. It’s not really a name you hear all that much, but I guess it is gaining in popularity.

I can see plenty of NarniaFans naming their children after characters. However if they do, there are two things two keep in mind. If you name a child ” Eustace Clarence Scrubb” they better deserve it, and if you name a child Reepicheep, well, ” You people have no imagination.”

You can read the rest of the article by clicking the source link. There really isn’t much to the article past the mention of Narnia and the meaning behind the name. However, it is still nice to have the name Caspian get noticed.

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THE FRANKLIN to Welcome “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition” TO PHILADELPHIA ON November 28
Tickets to the East Coast Debut of the Exhibition to go on Sale September 23

Philadelphia (September 23, 2008) – “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition” will make its East Coast debut at The Franklin in Philadelphia on November 28, 2008, one of the biggest family weekends of the year. Based on the blockbuster film series and C.S. Lewis’ beloved fictional books, the 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art entertainment and educational exhibition will offer visitors the opportunity to tour scenes from the famed literary fantasy world of Narnia. Through authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the magical Narnia films, visitors will enter three-dimensional settings that combine the wonders of science with aspects of fantasy.

Tickets are on now on sale to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” which is presented by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media and produced by the Becker Group, and are available for purchase at www.fi.edu/Narnia or by calling 215-448-1254.

“The scene displays and props from the Narnia films, coupled with the scientific and educational aspects of the exhibition, create an immersive experience that stimulates the senses and the mind,” said Glenn Tilley, president and chief executive officer of Becker Group. “It captivated audiences when it opened at the Arizona Science Center earlier this summer, and we are thrilled to now be able to share this exhibition with the people of Philadelphia.”

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition” premiered at the Arizona Science Center (ASC) in Phoenix in June 2008, where it was one of the highest-rated guest experiences the ASC had ever hosted, receiving nearly perfect scores, according to a survey conducted by Jacobs Media. Philadelphia marks the second stop on the multi-city tour, which will include eight additional domestic and international cities during the next five years.

As the book series has long been a regarded source of reading inspiration that merges fantasy and history, a special teacher’s guide that includes information on weather and climate also will be available to academic communities and school groups.

“We are honored to host the East Coast premiere of this exhibition,” said Dennis M. Wint, president and chief executive officer of The Franklin. “We know that people are drawn to our institution because of our dynamic approach to science and education, and we feel that ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition’ offers the perfect mix of education and entertainment.”

To help create the science portions of the exhibition, scientists from the California Institute of Technology and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory were brought on board to review label copy for the exhibition text panels. Two of the scientists also appear in video presentations that play in corresponding areas within the exhibition in support of the science aspects, including a video that highlights how animals communicate. The video aims to teach visitors how and why animals choose their homes and how they use eye contact, color and sound, among other things, to communicate. Real world animals, such as chimpanzees, apes and dolphins, can be seen communicating with each other and with humans in a video in the forest section of the exhibition, accompanied by an interview with animal communications expert David Mizejewski, host of Animal Planet’s “Backyard Habitats.”

Visitors to the exhibition will view artifacts from C.S. Lewis’ personal study and experience exciting, iconic environments such as the famous attic and wardrobe that served as the portal into the Narnia adventures.

Once passing through the portal, guests will explore immersive, themed scenes, beginning with a wintry Narnia world, complete with falling snow and cold wind, as seen in the series’ first film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The tour then continues through other spectacles from the films, including the White Witch’s ice palace, Cair Paravel and additional displays and environments from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”

Incorporating the movies’ original props with newly created engaging and educational elements, the exhibition allows visitors to enter three-dimensional settings that combine both fantasy and reality. Some of these interactive and instructive elements include:

· A replica of the Witch’s Throne that delivers a unique sensory experience, where visitors have the opportunity to sit on the iconic, icy throne and feel the chill. A nearby display describes the impact of climate change on our planet and investigates whether our planet could be frozen for 100 years, like the world of Narnia.

· An area featuring King Miraz’s Castle from the most recent film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” where visitors have the opportunity to build an arch, learning about the architectural structure and strategy involved in the design. Starting from the ground, visitors place pieces of the arch in their correct positions, complete the structure by placing the keystone at the top, and finally, step back to marvel at the architectural wonder.

· An area highlighting the mythical creatures of Narnia allows visitors to create their own creatures featured in the film. Three stacks of rotating, square blocks stand in 3-, 4- and 6-foot configurations, each level featuring different aspects of a creature – the lower level features creature legs, the center the torsos and the upper level the faces. By rearranging the different levels, visitors can create well-known characters from the Narnia films or mix and match the squares to create new characters.

· In an area of the White Witch’s castle, visitors have the opportunity to see and touch pieces of petrified history. Petrified specimens from around the world are featured in the exhibition, including a 5 million-year-old petrified cave bear tooth from Romania and a 45 million-year-old fish from Frontier, WY.

First published in 1950, more than 100 million copies of “The Chronicles of Narnia” series have been sold in more than 50 languages. The series’ first big-screen adaptation, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” grossed more than $745 million worldwide. The second installment in the series, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” was released this past summer and already has grossed more than $410 million.

About Becker Group

Becker Group, a subsidiary of Viad Corp (NYSE:VVI), is an experiential marketing company with more than fifty years of experience creating immersive, entertaining attractions and brand-based experiences for a wide variety of clients and venues including top consumer brands, movie studios, retail centers, television networks, theme parks, museums and casinos. The award-winning company is headquartered in Baltimore, and has operations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Miami, Mexico City, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. For more information about venues for “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” please contact Lisa O’Keefe, director of venue partnerships, at 201-594-0582 or lokeefe@beckergroup.com.

About The Franklin

Founded in honor of America’s first scientist, Benjamin Franklin, The Franklin is a renowned and innovative leader in the field of science and technology learning, as well as a dynamic center of activity. It is dedicated to creating a passion for science by offering new and exciting access to science and technology in ways that would dazzle and delight its namesake. For more information, please visit www.fi.edu.

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The Screenwriting Expo, held by Creative Screenwriting Magazine, is the largest international meeting of screenwriters (both professional and aspiring), producers, agents, directors, and industry professionals in the world. The cost to register for all four days is $144.95. For additional information and registration details, please go to http://screenwritingexpo.com.

The Expo will also continue its Guest of Honor series, in which today´s most successful screenwriters are interviewed on stage. Members of the registrant audience will also have the opportunity to ask questions. This year´s Guests of Honor include:

Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, best known for their current work on Disney’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian from The Chronicles of Narnia franchise.

“The Screenwriting Expo is the most thorough and intensive screenwriting education available in a brief immersion anywhere,” said Bill Donovan, publisher of Creative Screenwriting Magazine and executive manager of the Expo. “It´s also networking – you could meet a producer or your next writing partner at a networking party or at lunch – and it´s an ideal opportunity to pitch your work.”

Working and aspiring screenwriters merge with producers, directors and agents for the international Screenwriting Expo on November 12-16.

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Regina Spektor is the songwriter whose music was heard over the final moments of Prince Caspian. I had the opportunity to meet her at the premiere, and she told me, then, what she wrote here. That she was shaking when the movie was ending. She wrote in her MySpace Blog about her experiences writing for Prince Caspian:

i had an amazing spring last spring. i got called up and asked if i wanted to see an unfinished Disney movie called “Narnia: Prince Caspian”. I said of course, i love movies. So me and my manager went to a movie theater all by ourselves, and were shown the movie by Monica (who ended up being my Disney fairy godmother, but i didn’t know it at the time) and it was incredible on all kinds of levels… actually some of its magic was from being unfinished- one minute there’s an animal, the next it’s just a pencil drawing… all the centaurs were just guys pacing around in funny pants… i loved everything about it, but then it was over, and i was supposed to have drinks with my very good friends. Who canceled on me. So i went home. And wrote a song for the movie, and i was sure no one would let it actually be in the movie. But they did. And 3 days later i was in London, at Abbey Road studios, listening to Harry Gregson Williams, the composer of the score, and very talented and lovely human, record an 80 person choir… and i was meeting Andrew Adamson the wonderful director, and all the amazing people who work on movies, and then going into Studio B, the one and only, and recording “The Call” into Beatles gear… in their room… with Strings and a horn and a harp… yes, i know. it sounds like my own Disney movie… but it was real, and it was awesome, and i still can’t believe it happened… at the premier i had to hold it together when i heard the song come on, for the next 15 minutes my knees were shaking… movies are intense… i’m so happy i had this experience…

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I had the opportunity of visiting the Narnia Exhibition a few months ago. While I’ve not had the opportunity to write about it yet (sorry, folks!), someone else has. I will say this, though. It’s every bit as exciting as you’d expect, and even more so. It’s a wonderful experience, and when it comes to a city near you, make the trip to see it. It’s truly beautiful.

Here’s what one fan said:

You walk into the wardrobe and see the fur coats with evergreen branches sticking out. You get snowed on as you walk into the world of Narnia. Then you get to see all of the movie props and costumes from the movie. He got to touch the wall of ice and it was REAL ice! And sit on the Queen of Narnia’s throne which was cold. He was able to pick up Peter’s sword and used the computer to make a shield of his own. We saw the beaver’s tree house and Mr. Tumnus’ house.

They demonstrated how to use a catapult and the science of how it works. They discussed the time when it was the most powerful weapon and how long it took to build.

Get Tickets to the Narnia Exhibition

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If you have ever read The Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe then you know how brilliant C.S. Lewis was. Clive Staples Lewis wrote so many great works that it is hard to compare him to other authors. He wrote both fiction and great logical works to show the greatness of God and his writings did just that.

This conference features speakers that have studied his work as well as a few who knew the man. They delve into his mind to talk about his love for God and his desire to proclaim God’s grandeur.

Session 1: Walter Hooper (Literary Adviser)

Session 2: Bruce Edwards (Editor of: C.S. Lewis, his life, work, and ministry)

Session 3:Walter Hooper (Literary Adviser)

Session 4: James Como (Author of Remembering C.S. Lewis)

Download the Talks

The audio comes from the “C. S. Lewis: The Man and His Work” Conference held at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary last October.

Thanks to Mark Sommer from Hollywood Jesus for the information about the source of the audio.

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