Welcome to this week’s mailbag!  With all of the news and excitement from the last week, it’s hard to believe that the Dawn Treader is actually kicking into gear.  We’re getting our third Narnia film, folks, and that is very exciting.

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The last two weeks have been some of the busiest weeks I’ve had since re-launching the mailbag.  Last week, in fact, was so busy that I didn’t get a chance to do the mailbag.  I usually do it on Wednesdays, but there was something important that came up last week.  You see, there was a movie that came out that has made nearly a half of a billion dollars worldwide, so far.  Being a child of the 80s, I had to see it.  Twice.  On opening day.  Yes, I am a geek, and no, I don’t recommend this movie for children to see.  But I won’t be reviewing it entirely unless I am asked to write further on it, the film is Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and I loved it.  Not every minute, but I thought it was great overall.

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Here are two pieces of concept art from The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The first features the Dawn Treader itself, the second is when Lucy is exploring the Magician’s house. The images come from the Prince Caspian DVD and Blu-ray releasing next week.

We’ve got a gallery for Voyage of the Dawn Treader, where you can see any pictures and art that comes out until the movie hits, or we get a new gallery.

Thanks to FilmChatBlog for the images. There, you can also see a couple of videos with a dragon flying over the water and other such things. The dragon might have something to do with Eustace’s journey during the film, but you’ll have to read the book to find out more about that.

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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 Lucy’s Journey the second of two books in the “I Can Read Series”

Title: The I Can Read Series: Lucy’s Journey
Author: Jennifer Frantz ( adapted from the novel by CS Lewis)
Publisher: HarperTrophy (April 1, 2008)

ISBN-10: 0061231630

ISBN-13: 978-0061231636

Summary of the book:

Narnia is in danger and Lucy wants to help. She knows the only one who can do that is Aslan. On their journey to meet Caspian she claims to see him. No one believes her. As everyone prepared for battle Lucy had a different plan. She snuck away to the woods where she encountered Aslan. She asked him to help. He said that not only will he help save Narnia, but Lucy will too. She isn’t sure if she can, but Aslan assures her she can as she is just as brave as a lion.

Review:

Unlike with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe where there were four books in the “I can Read” series, focusing on each of the children, there are only two that tie into Prince Caspian. This is Narnia was the first book, this one: Lucy’s Journey is the second. Much like with the other book it is an easily written book meant for young readers.

All of the same elements from This is Narnia, are in place. The book is very easy to read, and in essence it is a brief summary of the chapters of Prince Caspian where Lucy encounters Aslan. The style is very quick paced and it contains plenty of verbs to keep the story moving. Dialogue is cut but the general point of this part of the story is in tact.

Jennifer Frantz has to be given credit for trying to do an adaptation of a few chapters of a book meant for older kids. She tries not to sacrifice much from the story but at the same time make it approachable for kids. A lot of the more difficult concepts are missing, and even a few of the allegorical aspects of Aslan are diminished.

Pictures are again taken from the movie. These pictures are essentially, much like with the other books, still shots. The scenery is beautiful, Aslan looks impressive, and Lucy is looking even more like the Lucy I envisioned when I heard the stories younger. Chances are if kids are raised on this, this Lucy will be the version in their minds.

While the message is cut down from the story, it does still have a “positive” message for kids. That message is that a child can be brave and do great things. For most readers they may find this to be an over-simplified message for kids to hear. However, Lucy’s unshakable faith in Aslan as Narnia’s only hope is still present in the book, just as much as it was in Lewis’ original novel.

The story also ends way too abruptly, and would probably even leave a young reader hanging. The story ends with Aslan telling her she can be as brave as a lion and her wondering if she can free Narnia. The readers never get any idea as to whether or not she and Aslan are able to save their beloved country. You end the story, with her only just having met up with Aslan, but Narnia is still in danger. It’s like pausing Star Wars right after Luke Skywalker says, “ I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father” or ending Lord of the Rings ( both the book, and the film) with Frodo saying, “ I will take the Ring to Mordor, though I do not know the way!” and neither of them heading out on their quest beyond that. One can only hope that the young readers will ask what happens next for Lucy and want to hear the full story.

With the truncated ending and the watered down message , this version of Lucy Pevensies journey isn’t as good as Lucy’s story from the book or the film. However, as a tool for getting kids to read by giving them an engaging story based on a classic, with clear, easy to understand words and concepts Lucy’s Journey serves it’s purposes.

4 out of 5 Shields.

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Stefan from Narnia-chroniken.de found a few new pics of the upcoming WETA collectibles and the German Magazine DER SPIEGEL published a new photo of the shooting, from behind the scenes shot of Lucy Pevensie and Susan Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

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The majestic lion doesn’t pal around with wacky sidekicks.

The haughty White Witch doesn’t cast a spell on a princess.

And the stately wardrobe, with a secret passageway that leads into an enchanted kingdom, doesn’t break into a jaunty chorus of Be Our Guest.

When the first trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe makes its U.S. premiere Saturday night during ABC’s showing of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ airing at the same time in 30-plus countries – viewers are apt to gaze in wonder. And be taken aback.

The TV audience may feel as disoriented as the tale’s four young siblings – curious Lucy, disgruntled Edmund, smart Susan and sensible Peter -after they enter the wooden closet and suddenly stumble into Narnia, a frozen paradise terrorized by a power-mad sorceress. Before their eyes, the snow-globe fantasy land of the most popular book in C.S. Lewis’ treasured literary collection comes to swirling life with mythic beasts, snarling wolves and white vistas punctuated by a thunderous roar.

No cutesy creatures. No anachronistic wisecracks. What rushes by is like flipping through a picture book full of rich images. Those who catch the preview of the epic adventure due out Dec. 9, either on TV or when a longer version is attached to the May 19 arrival of the Star Wars finale Revenge of the Sith, may ask themselves, “Can this be Disney?”

Yes, says Dick Cook, the studio chairman and 34-year Disney veteran, about the PG-rated co-production with Walden Media (Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie) whose cost has been estimated as high as $150 million. “This is, without question, one of the most ambitious projects we have been a part of,” he says. “Our desire is to raise our level of storytelling and filmmaking.”

The same Disney that wouldn’t foot the bill for its Miramax label to do three films based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy (New Line Cinema did it, instead) is hoping to launch a seven-part franchise culled from the vivid writings of one of Tolkien’s colleagues. As a result, Wardrobe is a lavish spectacle that aims to reach heights of sophistication and scope that haven’t been seen in non-animated Disney family films since Mary Poppins floated onto the big screen in 1964.

“This is mature family entertainment,” says Narnia producer Mark Johnson, who has overseen such films as The Alamo and The Notebook. He and director Andrew Adamson, responsible for much of the wit and heart found in the Shrek computer-animated comedies, insisted that the digitally rendered animals would push the limits of photo-realism. As Johnson says, “It would be a big mistake if the creatures appear to be cuddly stuffed animals on a little girl’s bed.”

Just as The Little Mermaid rescued Disney animation from going off the deep end in 1989, Narnia aspires to restore the studio’s legacy as the leading maker of all-ages, live-action escapism. And in the nick of time. With its house-brand animation in decline and its partnership with Pixar (The Incredibles) in disrepair, Disney’s family entertainment crown has lost its luster.

“Disney used to be the only game in town,” says Paul Dergarabedian of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. “They were the gold standard of family films, but the rest of the world has gotten more competitive. A big prestige picture could boost the entire studio.”

Narnia, which has sold 85 million copies in 29 languages since Wardrobe was published in 1950, carries a built-in core audience that crosses generations, much like The Lord of the Rings. But fervid fans tend to be sticklers. One sign of Disney’s commitment: the casting of such semi-famous but skillful actors as Tilda Swinton as the Witch. The Scottish actress known for her androgynous looks and offbeat screen roles (Constantine, The Deep End) is about as far as you can get from the music-hall warmth of Julie Andrews.

“I’ve never made a children’s film,” says Swinton, 44, about personifying the most famous wicked witch in literature since The Wizard of Oz. “I’ve never made a film my children can see. I’m not even sure if they’re going to see this one. I don’t want them backing away from me for the rest of my life.”

Lewis invested his adventures with more than such whimsical beings as Mr. Tumnus, a gentle faun forced to do the Witch’s bidding, and Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, talking animals that aid the children in their quest.

The tales also are infused with Christian allegory, and the heroic Aslan is meant as a Christ figure, a redeemer who resurrects in triumph. The challenge: to attract the spiritual-minded moviegoer without turning off the secular crowd.

Disney, along with other studios, has often courted the so-called faith community when the appropriate movie comes along, including such religious-themed comedies as Sister Act or uplifting sports dramas like The Rookie. But since the advent of box-office sensation The Passion of the Christ, such wooing has become a science. For that reason, Disney and Walden have hired Motive Marketing, the company that oversaw The Passion’s outreach program, to assist them.

“It is natural that the press will manufacture more importance about the religious significance than is our intent,” says Dennis Rice, the studio’s vice president of publicity. “We are not going to reach out to one group over the expense of another, but embrace and acknowledge the fans of a very important piece of literature.”

Yes, the filmmakers hosted representatives of more than 30 faith-based and educational groups at a preview held at Disney’s Burbank, Calif., headquarters earlier this year. But, Rice says, “we’re also at Comic-Con in July,” referring to the annual San Diego fantasy, sci-fi and comic-book convention.

Mixing commerce and religion could be risky. But David Koenig, author of Mouse Under Glass: Secrets of Disney Animation and Theme Parks,suggests otherwise. “Left Behind would have been risky,” he says, referring to the evangelical sci-fi book series. “Narnia isn’t risky. It’s the safest way for Disney to reconnect with a large section of its core audience that it has alienated over the last decade.” That includes religious boycotts over gay-friendly policies at theme parks, as well as the often-controversial content of Miramax films.

Faithfulness to the source will likely be of higher importance than faith itself. That is where Adamson comes in. Much as director and fellow New Zealander Peter Jackson used his own love of Tolkien as a guide to bring the Rings trilogy to the screen, Adamson, 38, is relying on the good-vs.-evil battle that unfolded in his imagination as he read the books as an 8-year-old.

“You ultimately can only make something that appeals to your own sensibilities,” says Auckland-born Adamson, whose parents were both associate missionaries in Papua New Guinea. “I am not making religion an issue one way or another. It’s a story about family. People should take from it what they want to take from it.”

Douglas Gresham, Lewis’ stepson who controls the estate and is a co-producer on the film, has wanted to make a movie of Narnia for decades. Lack of the technological tools relegated adaptations to TV versions up until now.

Still, Lewis himself had a love-hate relationship with Hollywood, says Terry Lindvall, who will teach a Christian theology and film course at the College of William & Mary this fall and is author of Surprised by Laughter: The Comic World of C.S. Lewis. “He believed there was death in the camera. Meaning, when you translate word to image, the imagination dies.”

But if anyone could do justice to Lewis’ words, Lindvall believes the man who injected such hilarity into a sour green ogre is the chosen one. “Adamson is the perfect director for this. Lewis was never as somber as Tolkien. He was playful.”

Besides, Lewis believed in translating faith into the vernacular. And, as Lindvall puts it, “The vernacular of our age is movies.”

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Sources in the production have confirmed that Rachael Henley, the older sister of Georgie (playing young Lucy) has been chosen to play the adult Lucy in film version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, being released December 9.

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Great scans of the four children from the English Daily Mail. You can read the original article at Baz Bamigboye’s daily gossip column.

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