Union Station’s newest exhibit and summer sensation for families opens Friday, May 22. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition is produced by the Becker Group, Ltd., which recently combined operations with Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, in partnership with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. 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 experience offers visitors the opportunity to tour scenes from the famed literary world of Narnia. Through authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the magical Narnia films, visitors will enter a three dimensional world that combines the wonders of science with aspects of fantasy. Tickets are on sale now at unionstation.org.
| May 22, 2009 | to | August 23, 2009 |
Here is the official news release about the Exhibition, in full for those who wanted more information. Thank you to Mark Sommer for reminding me that this was available!
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition will open Memorial Day weekend at Union Station Kansas City. The Station becomes the third museum and first in the Midwest to host this exhibition. The Becker Group, Ltd., which recently combined operations with Exhibitgroup/Giltspur, produced the exhibition in partnership with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media. 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 experience offers visitors the opportunity to tour scenes from the famed literary world of Narnia. Through authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the magical Narnia films, visitors will enter a three dimensional world that combines the wonders of science with aspects of fantasy. Tickets are on sale now at unionstation.org.
The brilliant Narnia: The Exhibition is opening this spring in Kansas City at the Union Station. Tickets are on sale now at the Union Station’s Narnia Exhibition website.
The Exhibition was created by the Becker Group in association with Walden Media and Walt Disney Pictures. Union Station is attempting to put a greater emphasis on mixing theatricality with education, and this exhibit is a big piece of that with it’s emphasis on the science behind Narnia. Officials at Union Station, including CEO George Guastello, want to put more emphasis on families and education. They hope for 70-80,000 visitors to the attraction, which runs from May 22 – August 23.
by Kellie Hwang – Jun. 3, 2008 12:39 PM
The Arizona Republic
Travel through the wardrobe to the magical world of Narnia. Defend against enemies by building an arch on King Miraz’s castle. Sit on the White Witch’s icy throne.
The Arizona Science Center’s newest exhibit, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” lets visitors do all of these things and more. The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will feature the Disney films’ props, which guests will have a chance to walk through and at times even touch.
“The planning for this project started over two years ago with the release of the first film . . . and we wondered what to do with all the great artifacts from the film,” said Eddie Newquist, executive producer of the exhibit from the Becker Group. “It’s a hugely popular best-selling book series that has spanned generations and is often required reading in schools. . . . When we pitched our idea, Disney really embraced it because they look at the films the same way we do.”
The exhibit premieres at the Science Center; the plan is to send it to science museums around the world for the next five years.
“We have a strong relationship with the Becker Group that brought us the robots exhibition here,” said Kristin Priscella, a representative for the center. “This is a fantastic honor for the Science Center to bring in new educational, immersive exhibits. It absolutely fits in with our mission to bring cutting-edge and new technology to our visitors.
More importantly, it is not just a prop display but also a learning experience that combines many scientific topics. One of the primary themes interspersed within the fantasy series is global warming.
“We started looking at all of subject matters and realized it is so relevant with what is going on today,” Newquist said. “People are really pushing now to be good stewards of nature.”
Through several interactive elements, videos with commentary from scientists and a downloadable teacher’s guide, the exhibit allows young people to connect a fictional land to the real world.
Climate change is introduced because Jadis, the White Witch keeps Narnia in a permanent state of winter. Questions arise, such as the possibility of a waterfall freezing. Other topics include deforestation, petrified forests and architecture.
“While some of the conclusions of the lessons are obvious . . . we don’t preach or go into details and rather just bring the concerns to the forefront,” Newquist said. “The neat thing is that in Narnia, kids are empowered to help the Narnians, and at the end of the exhibition, we want kids and their families to be empowered to change the world, too.”
According to Newquist, visitors will come face to face with a full-scale centaur, check out a real catapult and lift an actual sword.
Priscella said the exhibit has something for everyone.
“It’s for anyone who has a love of fantasy and love of science combined,” she said. “Many adults grew up with the C.S. Lewis novels, and their kids are seeing the Disney movies. It’s a shared experience through generations, and everyone can learn together.”
She sums up the experience simply.
“It’s a little bit of magic and a little bit of science,” she said. “Most of all, it’s fun.”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 7 through Oct. 26.
Where: Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St.
Admission: $16-$20.
Details: 602-716-2000, azscience.org.
“THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE EXHIBITION” TO PREMIERE IN ARIZONA THIS SUMMER
PHOENIX, April 18, 2008 — “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” a state-of-the-art entertainment and educational exhibition based on the blockbuster film series and C.S. Lewis’ beloved fictional books, will premiere June 7, 2008, at Arizona Science Center. The excitement of the story adored by all generations is now being brought to life with an exhibition that will offer visitors the opportunity to view authentic costumes, props and set dressings from the films portraying the famed literary fantasy world of Narnia. Coinciding with the opening of the new film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the 10,000-square-foot educational exhibition will escort guests of all ages on a learning tour of myth, magic and adventure.
Member tickets to “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” which is being created and produced by The Becker Group, Inc. in association with Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, go on sale today, Friday, April 18. Tickets for the general public will go on sale Monday, April 28.
“This exhibition will bring the excitement of the films together with complementary educational aspects to create an experience that stimulates the senses and the mind,” said Glenn Tilley, president and chief executive officer of Becker Group. “We anticipate that this exhibition will captivate the nation and leave audiences with lasting memories.”
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 upcoming films.
“We are honored to be the first institution to host ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,’” said Chevy Humphrey, president and chief executive officer, Arizona Science Center. “The hands-on science education lessons embodied within this exhibition will offer our visitors the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the unique items used in the films and to take home a powerful message about the stewardship of the environment. We know this exhibition will engage people of all ages by bridging entertainment with education.
Incorporating the movies’ original props with newly created interactive elements, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition” will allow visitors to enter three-dimensional settings that combine both fantasy and reality.
Brought to life for the first time, the exhibition will include several interactive elements, including:
• A replica of the Witch’s Throne that will bring the film to life in a unique sensory experience where visitors will have the opportunity to sit on the iconic, icy throne and feel the chill. A nearby display will describe the impact of climate change on our planet and investigate whether our planet could be frozen
for 100 years like the world of Narnia.
• An area featuring King Miraz’ Castle from the upcoming film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” where visitors will have the opportunity to build an arch, learning about the architectural structure and strategy involved in the design. Starting from the ground up, visitors will place pieces of the arch in their correct positions, complete the structure by putting the keystone at the top, and finally, step back to marvel at the architectural wonder.
• An area highlighting conflicts in Narnia that will feature an authentic chain-mail suit that can be touched and lifted with the assistance of a museum attendant. Visitors will be invited to hold the chain-mail armor, feeling the tremendous weight and imagining what it would have been like to fight in the suit. This element will be located in the area of the exhibition that features suits of armor worn in the “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” film.
First published in 1950, more than 100 million copies of “The Chronicles of Narnia” series have been sold in more than 48 languages. The series’ first big-screen adaptation, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” grossed more than $745 million worldwide. Since the book series has long been a regarded source of reading inspiration that merges fantasy and historic knowledge, a special teacher’s guide that includes information on weather and climate will be available to academic communities in each of the
exhibition’s touring cities.
For venue sales: (800) 777-9627 or for more information about the exhibition: narniaexhibition.com
© DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. and WALDEN MEDIA, LLC. All rights reserved. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA, NARNIA, and all book titles, characters and locales original thereto are trademarks of C.S. Lewis Pte Ltd. and are used with permission.
The licensed contents of this Exhibition is on loan from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, LLC.
Will Sears e-mailed us to help inform you all of something important. Unfortunately, Disney has informed us that the super-trailer will not be finished in time for Narnia Night at Asbury College on April 24, 2008, at 7:30 p.m. Guests are certainly still in for a treat with presentations from Narnia experts, the special Narnia exhibit preview from Clayton Ferguson, and other surprises!
This is very unfortunate, however: please don’t let that be contingent on whether or not you go. You should be in for something spectacular there.
More information:
On Friday, April 25, audiences can attend Asbury College’s second ‘Narnia Night’ to explore the newest addition to C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia films, Prince Caspian. The event begins at 7 p.m. in Hughes Memorial Auditorium.
Narnia Night provides the audience an opportunity to enter the world of Narnia through media and Lewis scholars. The evening includes a presentation by Lewis scholar, author, and Asbury College professor Dr. Devin Brown. Also, Clayton Ferguson, formerly of Walden Media and currently with The Becker Group, will share exclusive sneak peaks into the upcoming Narnia Museum Exhibit that will be traveling internationally for the next five years.
During the event, participants may purchase a limited number of discounted tickets for a local showing of Disney’s movie.
As fans enter the auditorium, which will be transformed into the realm of Narnia, actors in costume will play roles of characters from the film to entertain guests. Narnia fans are invited to a reception immediately following the presentations in the Student Center to purchase Narnia books and a special Aslan art exhibit by Christian Aylor.
Admission is free and open to the general public.
Narnia night is part of Asbury’s Engaging Culture Weekend, which is made possible through the Lilly Grant and a number of other generous sponsors. Professor Greg Bandy and Asbury College Communications Department students are producing the events for the weekend.
Free of cost and open to the general public, Narnia Night is an exciting exploration of Disney’s newest installment to its films based on C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian.
Hughes Memorial Auditorium will be transformed into C. S. Lewis’s magical realm of Narnia as the sequence of the evening begins.
In addition to special presentations by Lewis scholar, author, and professor, Dr. Devin Brown, unseen clips from the new film and a super-trailer, including rare footage of the making of Prince Caspian, will be shown. Furthermore, Asbury’s Hughes Auditorium will feature actors in costume, and guests may buy discounted Narnia books and t-shirts.
Clayton Ferguson will also make a special presentation from the Becker Group. The Becker Group, in partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walden Media will bring C.S. Lewis’s famed literary fantasy world of “Narnia,” to worldwide audiences with “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition,” a fantastical state-of-the-art educational exhibit. The massive interactive experience will premiere June 2008, to coincide with the opening of the new film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the second installment of the blockbuster film series based on Lewis’s beloved fictional books. Ferguson was formerly with The Anschutz Film Group and worked extensively with Asbury College in the production of the award-winning educational resource DVD for “Amazing Grace: The William Wilberforce Story” motion picture.
A limited number of discounted tickets to the national premier of Disney’s movie at a local theater will also be available. An enchanting reception will follow in the Student Center.
Re-creating scenes of author C.S. Lewis’s famed literary fantasy world of “Narnia,” Becker Group, in partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walden Media will bring to worldwide audiences “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition,” a fantastical state-of-the-art educational exhibit. The massive interactive experience will premiere June 2008, to coincide with the opening of the new film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the second installment of the blockbuster film series based on Lewis’s beloved fictional books.
The 10,000-square-foot educational exhibit will appear at internationally renowned museums and learning institutions in a minimum of 10 cities around the world over a five-year span, escorting guests of all ages on a tour of myth, magic and adventure that so embodied Lewis’s fantasy world. Incorporating the movies’ original props with newly created interactive elements, “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” will allow visitors to enter three-dimensional settings of both fantasy and reality, including a recreation of Lewis’s personal study. Visitors will also be immersed in environments such as the famous attic and wardrobe that serve as the portal into the Narnia adventures. Once inside, guests will be transported into 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 series including the White Witch’s ice palace, Cair Paravel, an actual trebuchet that was used as a catapulting weapon in medieval days, and additional sets and environments from the upcoming film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”
First published in 1950, over 100 million copies of “The Chronicles of Narnia” series have been sold in over 48 languages. The series’ first big screen adaptation, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” grossed over $745 million worldwide. Since the book series has long been a regarded source of reading inspiration, merging fantasy and historic knowledge, a special teacher’s guide that also includes information on weather and climate will be available to academic communities in each of the exhibit’s touring cities.
“This truly is a multi-faceted, educational exhibit that stimulates the senses, and illuminates the mind,” said Glenn Tilley, president of Becker Group. “This immersive experience promises to leave audiences young and old with lasting memories.”
“Walden Media is pleased to be partnering with Disney and the Becker Group to create what we know will be a faithful adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s original story,” said Micheal Flaherty, co-founder and president of Walden Media. “The ‘Narnia’ exhibition is a natural extension of the world that C.S Lewis created, and we are thrilled that we have helped to take Narnia from books to films and now to interactive experiences.”
The new touring experience will appear throughout the theatrical and video runs of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” as well as the scheduled third film in the series, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” Becker Group is currently in discussions with venues in markets worldwide such as, but not limited to:
London, Chicago, Sydney, Australia, Los Angeles, Tampa, Quebec, Boston, Denver, Philadelphia, Columbus, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Phoenix, St. Louis, New York
Produced in partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walden Media, “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” is Becker Group’s sixth partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the most recent of which was “The Big Cheese Tour,” which appeared at food and cultural festivals throughout the country to promote last summer’s Disney- Pixar animated smash film, “Ratatouille.”
About Becker Group
A subsidiary of Viad Corp , Becker Group is an experiential marketing company with over 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, Maryland, and has operations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Miami, Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil. For more information about venues for “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” inquiries should be made to Lisa O’Keefe, director of venue partnerships at 201-594-0582, or, lokeefe@beckergroup.com
About Walden Media LLC
Walden Media specializes in entertainment that sparks imagination and engages young people in the learning process. Walden Media creates films, books and interactive media for the whole family to enjoy together. By working closely with the best talent in film and publishing and by collaborating with educators and parents, Walden Media develops stories that delight and enlighten audiences young and old. Founded by Cary Granat, former president of Miramax Films’ Dimension label, and education reformer Micheal Flaherty, Walden Media is a subsidiary of Anschutz Film Group.
About Walt Disney Studios
The Walt Disney Studios is a unit of The Walt Disney Company and distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures — which includes Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios — Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films. Buena Vista International serves as the studio’s international distribution arm. Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment International together distribute Disney and other film titles to the rental and sell-through home entertainment markets worldwide. Buena Vista Theatrical Productions is one of the largest producers of Broadway musicals, and the Buena Vista Music Group distributes original music and motion picture soundtracks under its four record labels: Walt Disney Records, Buena Vista Records, Hollywood Records and Lyric Street Records.
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