"The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe" (1988) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

13 November 1988 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

4 kids travel to the magical land of Narnia where they must battle an evil queen with the direction of the Lion, Aslan.

Plot Keywords:

Narnia | Battle | Christmas | Witch | Wardrobe

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Richard Dempsey	...	Peter / ... (6 episodes, 1988)
Sophie Cook	...	Susan / ... (6 episodes, 1988)
Jonathan R. Scott	...	Edmund / ... (6 episodes, 1988)
Sophie Wilcox	...	Lucy / ... (6 episodes, 1988)
Barbara Kellerman	...	The White Witch (6 episodes, 1988)
Kerry Shale	...	Mr. Beaver (5 episodes, 1988)
Lesley Nicol	...	Mrs. Beaver (5 episodes, 1988)
Big Mick	...	Little Man (5 episodes, 1988)
Ailsa Berk	...	Aslan (4 episodes, 1988)
Martin Stone	...	Maugrim (4 episodes, 1988)
William Todd Jones	...	Aslan (4 episodes, 1988)
Keith Hodiak	...	Aslan's Satyr / ... (4 episodes, 1988)
Garfield Brown	...	Aslan's Satyr / ... (4 episodes, 1988)
Ronald Pickup	...	Aslan (3 episodes, 1988)
Irene Marot	...	Hag (3 episodes, 1988)
Kairen Kemp	...	Hag (3 episodes, 1988)
Jeffrey S. Perry	...	Mr. Tumnus (3 episodes, 1988)
Michael Aldridge	...	The Professor / ... (3 episodes, 1988)

Also Known As:

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

Runtime:

171 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | UK:U | USA:Unrated | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Crowcombe Heathfield station, West Somerset Railway, Somerset, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Peter is mad at Edmund for lying about being in Narnia before, his hair is moving free in the wind. In the next scene, that is at the same time period, his hair is gelled down and styled.

Quotes:

The White Witch: How do I know this promise will be kept?
Aslan: ROARRRRRRRR!

Movie Connections:

Version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (1967)

Brilliant, evocative, memorable, classic. A bit cheap.

The criticisms of this BBC adaption, made as the first in what proved to be a set of four of C.S. Lewis' books are largely unfair. The budget was small - by American standards, at the time in the UK it was positively lavish - and the effect achieved given these constraints and the fact that the show is now almost 15 years old is pretty impressive. The adaption is an even-handed one, the leads are relatively engaging the animals don't look at all bad with Aslan clearly having the majority of the budget for the whole show lavished on him. Only those drunk on the slick fantasy effects of the 90's could complain. Above all Barbara Kellerman is the standout, however, as the White Witch, sending a chill into the hearts of even the most confident of seven year olds; as I was when this was first shown on British television. As far as I'm concerned the whole series was seminal. They don't make them like this anymore - though some would say thank goodness.

Narnia requires a big-budget adaption for the big screen. But until that comes along this is easily the best screen version of C.S. Lewis' best known story out there. And the music is absolutely fantastic.