Narnia Fans » Hasbro

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, releasing in December, made an impressive statement at Licensing Show 2005. Narnia is a long-term opportunity for The Walt Disney Company – with five of seven books in the Narnia series optioned by Disney. The incredible heritage of the Narnia Chronicles, and its loyal fanbase — combined with the potential of a film franchise to rival Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter — make Narnia a viable boys’ property for years to come.

The Chronicles of Narnia will feature a strong merchandising campaign across all categories. Key categories for Narnia include toys – action figures, role-play and construction – collectibles and interactive gaming.

*Hasbro: Deluxe Action Figures showcase the wonderful characters unique to the Narnia world, and Deluxe Battle Scale figures preview exciting battle scenes direct from the film. Hasbro sculptors collaborated with Disney to capture every detail
*MEGA BLOKS: construction sets include recreations of the White Witch Castle and the Stone Garden
*WETA and Master Replicas: collectibles
*Buena Vista Games: Buena Vista Games plans to release games across all platforms (scheduled for Fall 2005 release)

“The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” is scheduled for worldwide release in December 2005. C.S. Lewis’ literary classic is being brought to life by Andrew Adamson, the director of the Academy Award(r)-winning Shrek and Shrek 2. The classic award winning series of seven novels have sold more than 85 million copies worldwide in 29 languages.

Art fans will have the opportunity to purchase such memorable pieces from noted Star Wars artists — artwork created exclusively for Celebration III, and available in very limited quantities. Many of the artists at the show will also be available to create custom, one-of-a-kind works for fans by request.

When Star Wars first came out, Jerry Vanderstelt was nine years old. “It was magic!” he says. “Although I saw the movie on a crusty drive-in-movie screen through old AM radio speakers of my parents’ Buick, it had a wonder about it that has had me hooked ever since.” The artist also credits Tolkien and C.S. Lewis with inspiring his work. His current client list includes: Ace, Roc, Pocket and Scholastic books. He has also worked with Lucasfilm Ltd., the Franklin Mint, The Bradford Exchange, Vivendi/Universal Games, and Hasbro, as well as New Line Cinema on various Lord of the Rings projects. For more on Vanderstelt visit www.VandersteltStudio.com.

You can see some Narnia artwork under “Fantasy” on his site!

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe Game
(Ages: 8 & up; Players: 2 to 4;
Approximate Retail Price: $16.99; Available: September 2005)

Based on the exciting, new, live action film from Disney, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, this game lets players join Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy as they travel through the exciting world of Narnia. With Asian’s help, be the first player to reach the lamp post and get back to the wardrobe. But watch out for wolves, and beware of the White Witch who can turn players into stone.

The Chronicles of Narnia® The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 100-Piece
(Ages: 5 & up; 100 pieces; Approximate Retail Price: $2.99; Available: September 2005)

Put together your favorite scenes from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, anexciting new motion picture based on the award-winning book series by C.S. Lewis. Puzzles feature Aslan the Lion in the magical world of Narnia! This 100-piece puzzle is available in four different scenes.

The Chronicles of Narnia® The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe 200-Piece
(Ages 7 & up; 200 pieces; Approximate Retail Price: $7.99; Available: September 2005)

This challenging 200-piece puzzle features an exciting scene with popular characters from the The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, a new motion picture.

© 2005 Hasbro, Inc. All rights reserved.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA TOY LINE FROM HASBRO CAPTURES THE ENCHANTING FANTASY OF THE UPCOMING WALT DISNEY PICTURES FILM
Feb 18, 2005

This fall, Walt Disney Pictures will bring to the large screen The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the classic novel series by C.S. Lewis. Hasbro unveils its toy line based on the film at the American International Toy Fair in New York in February.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe tells the classic struggle between good and evil, pitting the magnificent lion Aslan against the forces of darkness in the magical world of Narnia. A White Witch has used her dark powers to keep Narnia in winter for 100 years, but it is foretold that four humans will be able to help Aslan break the spell. When the Pevensie siblings – Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter – discover the magic of Narnia by entering the enchanted world through a wardrobe, the stage is set for a classic battle of epic proportions. The live-action and CGI film is being directed by Andrew Adamson, who directed Shrek and Shrek 2. The film’s magical special effects are being created by WETA and Richard Taylor, Oscar winner for his work in Lord of the Rings.

Hasbro’s line of toys is slated to reach retail outlets nationwide in November and includes:

· Basic Action Figures
(Approximate retail price: $6.99)

· Deluxe Action Figures
(Approximate retail price: $14.99)

· Basic Battle Scale figures
(Approximate retail price: $6.99)

· Deluxe Battle Scale figures
(Approximate retail price: $14.99)

· Mini Plush
(Approximate retail price: $5.99)

· Basic Plush
(Approximate retail price: $9.99)

· Deluxe Plush
(Approximate retail price: $19.99)

See Pictures of the Action Figures from Toy Fair 2005
Action-Figure.com Pictures

Hasbro surprised us today, with their upcoming Chronicles of Narnia figures, which I think a lot of LOTR fans will go nuts over…

It’s unusual to hear me gush about a Hasbro product, not because of any issues with the company, it’s just very few of their items are comparable to the best out there.

However, that could all change as Hasbro will be releasing thier Chronicles of Narnia Toys 6 weeks before the movie.

Hasbro has the master toy license for the upcoming “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” movie adaption, and were showing a number of lines at the UK ToyFair.

And you know what… they have some really nice potential. Unfortunatley, we aren’t able to bring you photos just yet, but we’re hoping we can show you come the US ToyFair. I think if you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you should start paying attention to this line. The sculpting is superb, and whilst I have wondered all day who sculpted the figures (Nomad and I quizzed Hasbro and also tried to work it out whilst we were there), I now think they bear the hallmark of Gentle Giant. Still needs to be confirmed, but hopefully this will give you an idea of the quality.

We paid attention to 2 main lines. The Action Figure line and the PVC Miniature line

The action figure line comes in regular and deluxe, the deluxe containing figures like the Minotaur and Cyclops. Style-wise they reminded me a lot of the first Episode 2 figures… dynamically pre-posed with limited articulation. My biggest issue with the line is that I feel it needs to be slightly bigger to capture a lot of Lord of the Rings collectors. The Action Figure line seems to be more to a 5″ scale than 6″ and I think that could be a dealbreaker for some people.

The PVC Miniature line reminded me instantly of Armies of Middle Earth, and Hasbro had a number of figures on display from the final battle.

We hope to get more details at the US ToyFair, but so far, this has been the line Nomad and I have been most impressed with.

If anyone has pictures, please send them our way: webmaster@narniafans.com