Cosmo/Winstone/Everett/Swinton : Chronicles Of Narnia-Lion Witch And Wardrobe

Original Release: 2005  DVD Released: 4/2006

Genre: Fantasy

DVD Coded for Region: 1 - North America

Screen Formats: Pan and Scan

Languages: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: French, Spanish

Sound options: Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS

This DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1

Studio: Walt Disney Video

MPAA Rated: PG

Length: 135

Category: Features

The All Music Guide rating for this work on a 1-9 scale (9=best) is 7

Four siblings -- Edmund ( Skandar Keynes ), Lucy ( Georgie Henley ), Peter ( William Moseley ), and Susan ( Anna Popplewell ) -- are sent from their London home to the country estate of an eccentric professor in order to ensure their safety during World War II. The house is very dull, except for a large, ornate wardrobe discovered by young Lucy during a game of hide-and-seek. Venturing inside of it in the hopes of finding a hiding place, Lucy is transported to a snowy alternate universe: a magical world called Narnia. The land is populated by talking animals and ruled over by the benevolent lion god Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson ), but sadly, the world is also in a state of perpetual winter. The white witch Jadis ( Tilda Swinton ), lustful for power and governed by narcissism, has cursed Narnia with a tyrannical decree that it will always be winter but never Christmas. Now, the children must fight alongside Aslan for the salvation of Narnia, but one of them, seduced by the charisma of the white witch, may choose to fight on the wrong side. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

This noble adaptation of C.S. Lewis ' classic novel is both graceful and fun, employing many of the epic themes of the Lord of the Rings trilogy with a simpler, more child-friendly story. The studio may have shot itself in the foot when it went on a PR trip, extolling the Christian symbolism of the film's script in order to avoid a fundamentalist backlash against all subject matter dealing with magic. Without being forced to bear this apparent intention of the author in mind, the audience is in no way obligated to interpret the events of the film this directly. There is obvious spiritual and perhaps even moral subtext, but this is not a heavy-handed movie and the ultimate meaning is left up to the viewer. What is undeniable about the film is the fantastic depth of its young characters, sometimes surpassing Lord of the Rings in this regard, as Narnia doesn't require the intense mythological and historical back story of Middle Earth, thus freeing up screen time for character development. Each of the film's young actors give performances that are real and organic, never relying on cuteness or sappiness for audience approval. This goes doubly for eight-year-old Georgie Henley , whose charm, talent, and ease could K.O. Dakota Fanning in a single round. Tilda Swinton surpasses already high expectations, playing the part of the evil White Witch with fascist sensibilities, narcissistic greed, and glam-rock style so that both children and adults alike are likely to feel a combination of fear and hatred every time she enters a scene. A film adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia seemed like a natural step after the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, since Hollywood loves to capitalize on a successful trend -- not to mention the fact that both works of literature were written around the same period of time, and that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were known to have been friends. The overall tone of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , however, is more suitable to younger viewers than the Lord of the Rings trilogy, containing far less violence and less generally dark material. The plot itself is also less complex, and the timeline is far simpler, but these changes do less to make the film unsuitable to adults, and more to simply invite children to join its viewership. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Experience the exploits of Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter, four siblings who find the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of 'hide-and-seek' at the country estate of a mysterious professor. Once there, the children discover a charming, once peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs, and giants that has been turned into a world of eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and magnificent lion Aslan, the children lead Narnia into a spectacular climactic battle to be free of the Witch's glacial powers forever!