The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979) (TV)

Director:

Bill Melendez

Writers:

C.S. Lewis (written by)
David D. Connell (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 April 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Animation | Fantasy

Plot:

Four kids travel through a wardrobe to the land of Narnia and learn of their destiny to free it with the guidance of a lion messiah.

Plot Keywords:

Narnia | Wardrobe | Lion | Christmas | Witchcraft

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Simon Adams	...	Edmund (voice)
Nicholas Barnes	...	Edmund (voice)
Sheila Hancock	...	Jadis - The White Witch (voice: English version)
Arthur Lowe	...	Mr. Beaver (voice: English version)
Leo McKern	...	Professor (voice: English version)
Don Parker	...	Mr. Beaver (voice)
Leslie Phillips	...	Mr. Tumnus (voice: English version)
Beth Porter	...	Jadis, The White Witch (voice)
Liz Proud	...	Mrs. Beaver (voice)
Susan Sokol	...	Susan (voice)
Victor Spinetti	...	Mr. Tumnus (voice)
Stephen Thorne	...	Aslan (voice)
Dick Vosburgh	...	Professor (voice)
Rachel Warren	...	Lucy (voice)
June Whitfield	...	Mrs. Beaver (voice: English version)
Reg Williams	...	Peter (voice)

Directed by
Bill Melendez

Writing credits
C.S. Lewis		(written by)
David D. Connell		(story adaptation) and
Bill Melendez		(story adaptation)

Produced by
David D. Connell	....	executive producer
Steven Cuitlahuac Melendez	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael J. Lewis

Film Editing by
Michael Crane
Mick Manning		(as Mike Manning)
José Pallejá

Production Design by
Alan Shean

Production Management
John Coates	....	production supervisor
Luis García	....	production supervisor
Graeme Spurway	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jim Duffy	....	assistant director
Carol Leith	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Doug E. Turner	....	dubbing mixer (as Doug Turner)

Camera and Electrical Department
Nick Boisson	....	camera operator
Chris King	....	camera operator
Gary Knowelden	....	camera operator (as Gary Knowldon)
Elvira Leon	....	camera operator
Peter Turner	....	camera operator

Animation Department
Alan Andrews	....	trace and paint artist
Eva Arpi	....	trace and paint artist
Hilary Audus	....	animator
Rodolfo Azaro	....	color artist
Vicente Badenes	....	color artist
Tancy Baran	....	animator
Vincent Bassols	....	animator (as Vicente Bassols)
Isabel Belio	....	animator
Concha Belzunegui	....	trace and paint artist (as Conchita Pelzunegui)
Ruth Beni	....	checking
Beatrice Blot	....	trace and paint artist (as Betrice Blot)
Bob Carlson	....	animator
Chris Caunter	....	animator
Bobby Clennell	....	animator (as Bobby Clennel)
Ian Cook	....	trace and paint artist
Melanie Davies	....	trace and paint artist
Valentín Doménech	....	animator
Chris Evans	....	animator
Maite Garcia	....	trace and paint artist
Craig Goldie	....	animator
Galma Grosby	....	trace and paint artist
Joanna Harrison	....	animator (as Joanna Fryer)
Lee Hill	....	checking
Sandy Houston	....	checking
Arthur Humberstone	....	animator
Ángel Izquierdo	....	animator
George Jackson	....	animator
Doug Jensen	....	animator
Angela Kovacs	....	trace and paint artist (as Angela Covacs)
Maruja León	....	trace and paint artist
Jordie Maseras	....	trace and paint artist
Dave McFall	....	trace and paint artist
John Miller	....	animator (as Jonathan Miller)
Nieves Miró	....	trace and paint artist
Carmen Moliné	....	checking
Chrissy Morgan	....	trace and paint artist
Lynn Newman	....	trace and paint artist
Pepita Pardell	....	animator
Ted Percival	....	animator
David Perez Dolz	....	trace and paint artist
Ricardo Perez Dolz	....	trace and paint artist
John Perkins	....	animator
Mike Pocock	....	layout artist
Robert Poulter	....	trace and paint artist
Miquel Pujol	....	color artist (as Miguel Pujol)
Isabel Radage	....	trace and paint artist (as Isobel Radage)
Chris Randall	....	layout artist
Charlotte Richardson	....	production artist
Alma Sachs	....	trace and paint artist
Ian Sachs	....	trace and paint artist
Anna Saura	....	trace and paint artist
June Scott	....	trace and paint artist
Christina Simo	....	trace and paint artist
Alan Simpson	....	animator
José Solís	....	layout artist
April Spencer	....	animator
Dean Spille	....	color artist
Bridget Sweeney	....	trace and paint artist
Gary Sycamore	....	color artist
Marie Szmichowska	....	animator
Barbara Todeschini	....	trace and paint artist
José Luis Torres	....	animator
Carolina Vidal	....	trace and paint artist
Rosemary Welch	....	animator

Music Department
Michael J. Lewis	....	conductor

Other crew
Robert Balser	....	sequence director
Sandy Claxton Arnold	....	production assistant (as Sandy Claxton-Arnold)
Corona Esterhazy	....	production coordinator (as Corona Maher)
Michael Hayes	....	production coordinator
Edric Radage	....	sequence director
Lora Sackett	....	production assistant (as Lora Sacket)
Nicholas Spargo	....	sequence director
Victor Spinetti	....	voice director
Julio Taltavull	....	production coordinator
Wendy Ward	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• Children's Television Workshop (CTW)
• Bill Melendez Productions
• TV Cartoons
• Pegbar Productions
• Episcopal Radio-TV Foundation (produced in co-operation with)
• Distinguished Productions (as DPI)

Distributors

• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
• Future Film (2006) (Finland) (DVD)
• Public Media (video)
• Republic Pictures (198?) (USA) (video)
• Vestron Video (video)

Other Companies

• Delta Sound Services  dubbing
• National Education Association  recommended by

Also Known As:

The First Book of the Chronicles of Narnia (UK) (subtitle)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Certification:

Australia:G | Iceland:L | Finland:K-7 (2006) | UK:U

Company:

Children's Television Workshop (CTW)

Quotes:

Peter: Aslan, we've come.
Aslan: WELCOME Peter, son of Adam! Welcome Susan and Lucy, daughters of Eve! Welcome He-beaver and She-beaver! But where is the fourth?
Mr. Beaver: He has betrayed us, oh Aslan.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "The Young Ones: Flood (#1.6)" (1982)

This best captures the feel of the novels

To the reviewer who argued that this animated feature does not capture the essence of the novel, I must say I am astounded at such a claim. I must say I have never seen a better translation of spirit from page to screen, and it is a shame this film was not theatrically released, and more well-known. When I saw the BBC production, I was horrified. Not because of the production value (I rather prefer lower-budget, more theatrical presentations), but due to the poor and often outright terrible acting, as well as the very bad choices in handling the material.

Case in point was the six-foot tall man, and five-foot tall woman, in beaver costumes with the faces cut out! Why not be more realistic by having actual beavers in the shots? I am not saying they should have pulled a "Mr. Ed" and inserted footage of animals eating, with looped dialogue, but just to show the real animals, and have their voices spoken almost by telepathy would be much preferred, if not more faithful to the novel's depictions. I must say as it was, I could not help but be half-disgusted, half rolling in the floor laughing at that choice of production design.

Also, why did the filmmakers go out on a limb to invent new scenes for the film that were not in the novel? Those additions only served to water down the source material, and give it a plodding, dull feeling. Did the screenwriter really feel it necessary to take an hour-and-a-half long story, and double it to three hours running length? That must have been a mandate from the BBC, just so they could use up an extra hour-and-a-half worth of airtime they know would be heavily watched. And as for the lack of Christian allegory the other reviewer mentioned, I must say again I am shocked. In my opinion the BBC version was the one that glossed over this aspect, while the animated one almost hits you over the head with it. Not that I am complaining, because I find this particular allegory the best ever produced in a narrative form, excepting maybe The Green Mile, but I am just arguing that due to the inflections of speech, compositions of shots, et cetera, this animated film definitely delivered allegorically. Even at the age of 10 when I first viewed this, I could not miss this point. I hope that everyone looking to give this story a try in screen form will look to the animated version first and foremost. The BBC versions are a curiosity at best. Now, if only the 1960's television version would surface somewhere...