Narnia Fans » Chronicles of Narnia

Dark Horizons has posted a list of the “notable films” that will be released in 2010.  “Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is included on that list.  They write:

Best of all is the story, which lifts much of its basic outline from the best bits of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, is widely considered the best of all the ‘Narnia’ adventures. The script has been adapted by Richard LaGravenese (“A Little Princess,” “The Fisher King”) and Michael Petroni (“Til Human Voices Wake Us,” “Queen of the Damned”) and shooting went smoothly in Queensland, Australia throughout much of the last few months of 2009.

The only downside here could be Walden itself which has been keeping production rather quiet and didn’t have any set visits to the film, even for locally based journalists like myself which has surprised more than a few people. A decently updated production blog is online which is a nice start, but the buzz needs to begin early to make sure this doesn’t go the way of ‘Caspian’. Lets hope the film becomes the hit it could be, because the next book ‘The Silver Chair’ is also one of the best of the series and deserves a big-budget adaptation.

I, for one, couldn’t agree more about “The Silver Chair.”  Read what else Dark Horizons had to say about VDT and the Narnia films by clicking here.

Website MundoNarnia unveiled some 33 new photos from the set of Voyage of the Dawn Treader. They include Dinian, a minotaur, some fauns, Will Poulter as Eustace, and a very Strider-esque Ben Barnes as King Caspian.

Amazon.com has today announced the release of their new edition of Kindle. With that announcement comes new additions to the library of books available for Kindle, including many works written by C.S. Lewis.

Read the rest of this entry »

We recently had the opportunity of interviewing Matthew Peterson, whose debut young adult novel, Paraworld Zero, shares some similarities to Narnia.  Fans of the Chronicles of Narnia should enjoy this book, as evidenced by the interview below.  I hope that you enjoy it!

NarniaFans.com: Tell us a bit about yourself, for our readers that might not know much about you.
Mathew Peterson: I live in Arizona with my wonderful wife, five boys, and our giant African tortoise. In addition to being an author, I have a little acting experience and now some audiobook narration experience. I won the first writing contest I entered as a young teenager and again as an adult. My debut YA novel, Paraworld Zero, came out this year and placed in five book/audiobook contests and hit two bestseller lists.

NarniaFans.com: Can you give us a quick teaser for Paraworld Zero that will give us an idea of what we’re in for?
Mathew Peterson: Twelve-year-old earthling, Simon Kent, stumbles upon a secret that thrusts him into a bizarre adventure filled with magic, technology and deadly out-of-this-world creatures. He discovers a true friend, confronts his inner demons and becomes the savior to a peculiar race of people, when all he truly wants is to find his way back home. Parallel to Simon’s adventures is a mystery involving a catlike spy and a magical swordsman who both struggle to maintain peace among the paraworlds. But evil lurks in unexpected places, and few people can be trusted. Their paths ultimately lead them to Simon: the one boy who might be able to prevent the biggest assassination attempt in the known paraverse. Read the rest of this entry »

Return to the magical world of Narnia in the second installment of C.S. Lewis’ timeless epic, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, coming to market on December 2, 2008 from Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. Packed with exclusive featurettes, interviews and deleted scenes, the entertainment title of the year is available on DVD and Blu-ray Hi-Def, as well as a special two-disc Collectors Edition perfect for holiday giving. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian packaging also includes a special DisneyFile, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on a variety of portable devices for the whole family to enjoy anytime, anywhere.

From the creators of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian features even more groundbreaking special effects and breathtaking action than its predecessor. William Moseley, Georgie Henley, Anna Popplewell and Skandar Keynes return as Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, the Pevensie siblings, along with Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson (1993 nominee for Best Actor, Schindler’s List) as Aslan the Lion and Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton (2008 winner for Best Supporting Actress, Michael Clayton) as the White Witch. They are joined by Ben Barnes (Stardust) as Caspian, heir to the Narnian throne, with Sergio Castellitto (Arthur and the Invisibles), Eddie Izzard (FX: The Riches), Warwick Davis (the Harry Potter films) and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) appearing as new residents of Narnia. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is fantasy adventure that will delight the entire family.

Lewis’ seven-book Chronicles of Narnia series is regarded as one of literature’s most enduring classics, selling over 100,000,000 copies in more than 35 languages, making it the second biggest book series the world over.

In The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children face a perilous mission and a greater test of their faith and courage. They find a world in which 1,300 years have passed. The White Witch is gone, the realm is ruled by a cruel tyrant and Aslan has been missing for over a thousand years.

The four children embark on a remarkable journey to restore magic and glory to the land. Accompanied by Trumpkin, a valiant dwarf, Reepicheep the talking mouse and a suspicious Black Dwarf named Nikabrik, they raise an army of Narnians to rise up against the evil king Miraz.

BONUS FEATURES:

DVD

• Special audio commentary by director and actors

Collector’s Edition DVD

All of the above, plus:

• Special audio commentary by director and actors, a behind-the-scenes interview with the cast and crew, a tour of the film’s locations and sets, inside view of the technology and production behind the movie, bloopers, deleted scenes and much, much more!

Blu-ray Hi-Def Exclusives

All of the above, plus:

• Enhanced Disney’s BD-Live Network exclusives, interactive Narnia game, downloadable features and much, much more!

• Circle-Vision Interactive: Creating the Castle Raid – Walt Disney’s famous Imagineers introduced the world to Circle-Vision in the 50’s and 60’s, which immersed Disneyland visitors in 360-degree film tours of America, and later, China and Canada. Now, through HDRI camera technology and the rapidly-evolving interactive capabilities of Blu-ray, the Disney team has taken the first step towards advancing this unique and memorable experience. Only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc can fans take a 360-degree look behind the scenes of the castle raid sequence and get unique access to the secrets of how this latest adventure to Narnia was pulled off. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID. First, start off in the CIRCLE-VISION preview lobby, and choose to get a private tour of the castle raid from Director Andrew Adamson, Producer Mark Johnson, or a number of other key filmmakers and artists who brought the latest adventure to NARNIA to life. Then, select one of the exclusive CIRCLE-VISION experiences to be virtually transported to the set in the Czech Republic. The moment you enter these panoramic worlds, you will be able to turn in any direction, and fully-explore how this compelling sequence was painstakingly created. Discover a myriad of progression reels, developmental animatics, 13 audio commentaries, pop-up facts, slide shows, and a treasure trove of behind-the-scenes footage with cast and crew that is revealing, interesting, compelling, funny and exclusively accessed through this new-reimagining of a classic idea. It’s all a part of CIRCLE-VISION INTERACTIVE: CREATING THE CASTLE RAID, only on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN on Blu-ray Disc.

The DVD of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has a suggested retail price of $29.99 (U.S.) and $35.99 (Canada). The Two Disc Collector’s Edition is $39.99 (U.S.) and $46.99 (Canada). The Blu-ray disc is priced at $35.99 (U.S.) and $45.99 (Canada).

We’ve just received the sad news that the original illustrator of The Chronicles of Narnia has just passed away:

Wayne Hammond reports the death of Baynes at her home in Surrey. Pauline Baynes was the original illustrator of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, as well as of Tolkien’s Farmer Giles of Ham (1948), The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book (1962), and Smith of Wootton Major (1967).

Read more .. Wikipedia Entry

Narnia expert Brian Sibley has written a blog entry about Pauline Baynes that you can read here:

Brian Sibley’s Blog on Pauline Baynes: Queen of Narnia and Middle-Earth

And note that obituaries will be appearing in The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent and The Guardian later in the week.

Kind regards,

Brian Sibley

Update 2:

Rem, from the Philippine Order of Narnians, sent us an update with links to the articles posted athe both the Independent and the Guardian:

I thought you’d like to know that, as Mr Sibley said they would, Pauline Baynes’ obituaries have already shown up at the Independent and the Guardian.

Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian has hit the theaters and the film has sold more than 19 million dollars worth of tickets during its first day out alone.

So what really goes into making a film this epic?

To discuss some behind the scenes secrets is Ernie Malik, author of the Official Illustrated Movie companion of the film.

When English Professor Devin Brown started writing a literary analysis of C.S. Lewis’s timeless Chronicles of Narnia in 2003, he soon realized how the incredible depth of each book warranted invididual attention. Thus, the idea of having an “inside” for each book was birthed.

Brown says devoting an entire book to each of the Chronicles has worked well for him. To date, Inside The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, and Inside Prince Caspian have been published prior to the big screen releases of these films. Currently, Brown is in the process of writing Inside The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which he says will come out in advance of the third film in 2010.

When CBN.com contacted Brown recently about his insight into Narnia, he was delighted to share the spiritiual lessons he observed in Prince Caspian, particularly how we all expericence the battle within.

HEDLUND: What is it about Prince Caspian that makes it unique to the series?

BROWN: Prince Caspian corresponds to an older time in the Pevensies’ lives and in ours as well, a time when the world is more complicated and less black and white, a time when it is not always easy to know what is the best thing to do. For a good part of the book, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are unsure of where they are. After they realize they are back in Narnia, they next have to figure out what they should do and what is the best way to do it.

I think many people will be able to identify with the Christian parallels here. I think that for many mature Christians, the question of what God wants them to do is often more of a struggle than the question of whether they will do it or not.

HEDLUND: What surprises you the most about Prince Caspian?

BROWN: Lewis had a difficult task in writing this sequel. He had to make it different from the first book but not too different, familiar but not too familiar. People who liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe will be pleased to find the same four heroes, but they will find them one step further along in their spiritual journey. In this sense, we as readers get to grow up along with them and share in their development.

There is a certain innocence that is lost here in the second book. And while, in our own lives, we all regret this loss, there comes a time when we all must leave our childhood world and enter the real world a bit more.

HEDLUND: Do you think there are some lessons in Prince Caspian that perhaps only children will understand and others that make more sense to adults? Why?

BROWN: Children will easily relate to the idea that we all, big and small, have a responsibility to stand up to evil where ever and however we can. Caspian’s wicked uncle has seized power unlawfully, he has mercilessly driven all the Old Narnians into hiding, and he must be stopped. Even the diminutive Reepicheep and his band of merry mice have a role to play.

I hope adults will understand that Lewis choose to have Bacchus and Silenus return with Aslan to emphasize that happiness and celebration are supposed to be part of our everyday life, not just something reserved for holidays and vacations. If we can’t be filled with joy in our ordinary daily life, then we are choosing to live in a world that is a little like Narnia under Miraz.

Read the Rest at CBN.com

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 Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on CS Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia

Book Title: Through the Wardrobe: Your Favorite Authors on C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia
Author (Editor): Herbie Brennan
Publisher: Teen Libris (Produced by BenBella Books, Inc., for Borders, Inc.)
ISBN-10#: 0979233135
ISBN-13#: 9780979233135

Summary of the book:

For over fifty years, CS Lewis’ beloved Chronicles of Narnia have inspired, thrilled and enchanted millions. For some they have even lead others to following the same path as CS Lewis and enter into the world of writing. Edited by Herbie Brennan, Through the Wardrobe is a collection of essays by sixteen different authors celebrating the magical world of CS Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia.

Review of the book:

In CS Lewis’s The Last Battle there is a rather haunting scene. As the creatures are called to the door in the stable, they are divided right and left. Then one of two things happen. For those who look at Aslan with fear and hatred are swallowed up in his shadow never to be scene again. For those who look on him with love they are allowed to enter into his kingdom. In my humble opinion, this book is collection of essays written by those who would look on Aslan with love.

Through the Wardrobe is one of those few books that does not look at Narnia from a devotional standpoint but instead look at some of the other themes present in Narnia. And there are a great deal of them. From Lewis’s love of nature, to growing up, to simply the magic of stories, there are many wonderful themes in the stories to be gleaned. All these themes and more are dealt with in this new book.

Teenagers are the primary audience for this book, but that does not mean it is poorly written. To often when writers try to write a series of essays written for teens, they tend to try and pander to the lowest common denominator. Not so here. Great love and care goes into every single essay. This book ends up being well written, well crafted, and insightful; and at the same time witty enough to engage the reader. I would even be so bold to venture that they would make excellent secondary sources for term papers in high school and college on CS Lewis and the Narnian Chronicles.

Don’t let any of the essay titles fool you! Diana Peterfreund’s essay “ King Edmund the Cute” may seem like it’s about one of those raving fan girl crushes on a literary character of Edmund Pevensie, but instead it ends up being in the end a thoughtful, insightful analysis of the character. Herbie Brennan’s “The War of Light and Darkness” is an eerie examination of how the White Witch parallels Hitler, and not just Satan. “Waking up the Trees” by Susan Juby looks at Lewis’ love of nature and how humans play a big role in our world. “Minding the Gap” by Zu Vincent and Kiara Koenig is a great examination of Susan and Lucy and how they compare to each other and what they tell us about them as characters and allow us to wonder about ourselves which one we’d rather be more like, Susan: the one who only sees things at face value, or Lucy the one who goes beyond appearances.

The essayists are not afraid to address some of the controversies of the Narnian Chronicles such as the charge of sexism. This is not only dealt with but refuted. The essay, “ Serious Action Figures” looks at how Lucy, Jill, Polly and Aravis are good role models for girls and how they play an unconventional role in Lewis’ fiction in contrast to the role of women in other books written around that time and gives a great analysis of each of the female characters.

The only essay which readers might not enjoy much is “The Kingdom of Colormen” which addresses the charge of racism with the Colormen characters. Readers may find a bit of frustration with it as it may seem that as soon as the writer of that particular essay constructs the argument against the charge, the argument is later deconstructed and you’re left wondering “so is it or isn’t it?” However the goal of the essay, much like with the book, isn’t to make readers think one way or another about the books but rather foster discussion about these topics.

A few readers may find it off putting that the book is not written from a strict Christian perspective. That’s fine! There are plenty of books that look at that. This book shows that Narnia belongs to every one and that it is in fact a well loved series not just by Christians. Narnia is not a “Christian” book in the same sense as Left Behind. Specific patterns of salvation are never given and every single aspect of Christian doctrine and the Bible is not dealt with or symbolized. Narnia is, first and foremost, a magical fantasy word, and an epic myth that speaks to every one if they let it.

For Narnia fans young and old this is a welcome edition to their library. The book is exclusive only to Borders Bookstore and should be available on their website, and it is well worth the purchase. If ever you’re in a Borders bookstore this is definitely one worth picking up. You’ll enjoy it. I know I did.

Five out of Five Shields.

Hey, NarniaFans! Below is a brief excerpt from an interview with Herbie Brennan on his new book Through the Wardrobe from the Teen Libris web site. Special thanks to Leah Wilson for allowing us to post these excerpts. Click the source link if you wish to view more of the interview.

Q: How old were you when you first read the Chronicles of Narnia?

A: Getting on a bit, actually—late teens or early twenties, as I recall. The thing was I read Lewis’s science fiction first: Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength. Absolutely adored them and went hunting for more. When there weren’t any more, I turned to Narnia in desperation. With a title like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, I thought I might be buying something for tiny tots, but instead I found a new Lewis love.

Q: Is there a character in Narnia that you particularly take to?

A: Oooh yes—I really fancy Jadis, the White Witch. I’ve always liked bossy women (you don’t have to think when you’re with them) and villains are far more interesting than heroes. Besides, she’s tall, which is very attractive in a girl, and I heard somewhere that she was descended from Lilith, Adam’s first wife. Rabbinical lore has it that Lilith was a hairy demoness. With an ancestry like that, how could I not be fascinated?

Q: There are countless stories of good vs. evil in our culture. What makes the Chronicles of Narnia special?

A: We’re back to your second question here. The story of Good versus Evil is one of those great archetypal themes I was talking about that reach directly into the human soul. It’s not that Narnia is especially special—it really makes no sense to compare, say, Lewis with Tolkien, who dealt with the same theme. If you can write anyway well (and Lewis certainly could) then the choice of theme automatically makes your work special.