The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

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

Director:

Andrew Adamson

Writers:

Ann Peacock (screenplay), Andrew Adamson (screenplay),

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Georgie Henley, William Moseley

Won 1 Oscar. Another 14 wins & 39 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Georgie Henley	...	Lucy Pevensie
Skandar Keynes	...	Edmund Pevensie
William Moseley	...	Peter Pevensie
Anna Popplewell	...	Susan Pevensie
Tilda Swinton	...	White Witch
James McAvoy	...	Mr. Tumnus
Jim Broadbent	...	Professor Kirke
Kiran Shah	...	Ginarrbrik
James Cosmo	...	Father Christmas
Judy McIntosh	...	Mrs. Pevensie
Elizabeth Hawthorne	...	Mrs. Macready
Patrick Kake	...	Oreius
Shane Rangi	...	General Otmin
Brandon Cook	...	Boy on Train
Cassie Cook	...	Girl on Train

Storyline

When the Pevensie family are evacuated out to the country, they are unaware of the adventure they will encounter. During a game of hide and seek, the youngest daughter, Lucy (Henley) discovers a wardrobe which transports her to the land of Narnia. Covered in snow, Narnia is full of weird and wonderful creatures, but is watched over by the evil White Witch, Jadis (Swinton). When all four Pevensie children end up through the wardrobe, they discover that it was meant to be, as two daughters of Eve and two sons of Adam must join with the mighty lion, Aslan (Neeson) to defeat the evil White Witch.

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Plot Keywords:

lion | snow | professor | magic | hide and seek | 

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Taglines:

Some journeys take us far from home. Some adventures lead us to our destiny.

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Genres:

Adventure | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English German

Release Date:

9 December 2005 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Les chroniques de Narnia - L'armoire magique

Filming Locations:

Adrspach National Park, Trutnov, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$180,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$35,824 (Argentina) (3 March 2006)

Gross:

$291,709,845 (USA) (5 May 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

143 min 150 min (extended) 135 min (Blu-ray edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Cassie Cook, Brandon Cook:  In the scene on the train, the two children sharing a car are played by the children of actress Sophie Cook, who played Susan Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe (1988).

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Goofs

When Lucy is talking to Tumnus after entering Narnia for the first time, she touches the lamp post which is covered by snow. Her fingerprints in the post change positions many times.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mrs. Pevensie: Edmund! Get away from there! Peter!
[to Edmund]
Mrs. Pevensie: What do you think you're doing? Peter! Quickly, the shelter! Now!

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Crazy Credits

For Isabelle and Sylvie

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Connections

Referenced in Phineas and Ferb: The Mom Attractor/Cranius Maximus (2012)

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Soundtracks

Wunderkind
(2004)
Written and Performed by Alanis Morissette
Produced by Mike Elizondo and Alanis Morissette
Courtesy of Maverick Records
Orchestral Arrangement by Jennifer Hammond

User Reviews

Splendid!

With an appeal to both adults and children, the British author C. S. Lewis wrote seven books in his Chronicles of Narnia series. The stories are rich in mythology and religious symbolism, drawing upon archetypes from the Norse, Greco-Roman, Persian, medieval chivalric, and Judeo-Christian traditions.

Now comes this wonderful film of the first chronicle, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe." The beautiful cinematography and the terrific performances of the children make this film outstanding for family viewing. As integrated with the live actors, the colorful animal characters, especially the Lion (Jesus), reveal brilliant technical film-making as well.

Lewis's books are not overtly allegorical. Rather, the symbols and the messages are subtle. The four children in the story (Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy) were inspired by the actual children evacuated from London during World War II, who spent time in Lewis's home. Lewis wanted his books to be enjoyed by young people who would later in their lives draw the spiritual meanings from the stories. In this area, the film is enormously faithful to the original book and would have made the author extremely proud.