WithThe Chronicles of Narniaabout to receive a redo, it is the perfect time to look back on the Disney movies and observe some harsh realities.Greta Gerwig’sChronicles of Narniarebootis around the corner, and it is a mystery what approach the dramedy director will take to the two-part movie plan. The original movies were released between 2005 and 2010, adapting the famous novels by English writer C.S. Lewis. However, they did not always adapt them faithfully, and even when they did, they did not always adapt them well.
The Chronicles of Narniabookswere written in the 1950s, and they exhibit the attitudes of the era. Lewis' Narnia series is his masterpiece, and the books are a classic for a reason. And yet, they do present studios and would-be adapters with the issue of transforming an archaic text for a modern audience. The difficulties of adapting Lewis' ’50s Christian story were evident in the Disney movies and their Fox follow-up. But with any luck, through studying these challenges, they can be avoided in the upcoming movies.
10The Child Actors' Performances Vary In Chronicles Of Narnia
The Pevensies Are Inconsistent In The Narnia Movies
The performances of the Pevensies varied throughout theNarniamovies, with some standouts and slight lagging between them. William Moseley played Peter Pevensie, Anna Popplewell played Susan Pevensie, Skandar Keynes played Edmund Pevensie, and Georgie Henley played Lucy Pevensie. Interestingly,the youngest Pevensie seemed to have the most consistent performance.
Some of the joy and darkness could occasionally feel quite flat.
Georgie Henley’s petulant but bold Lucy was normally brilliant, but it didn’t seem like any of the Pevensie actors quite captured the full scope of the roles. James McAvoy wasthe perfect Mr. Tumnus for theNarniamovie, gelling excellently with Henley’s Lucy. Butthere was potential for much more humorfrom the script, and it didn’t come through. Likewise, some of the joy and darkness could occasionally feel quite flat.
9It’s Hard To Recapture The Magic Of Movie One
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe Was The Best Movie
It was hard forThe Chronicles of Narniamoviesto recapture the magic of their first outing. Disney’sThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobewas a great movie, butthe franchise got progressively worsefrom there on out. WhileThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobehas a 75% score on Rotten Tomatoes,The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspiangot 66%.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderreflected Disney’s exit from the franchise with its drop in quality and critical reception.
Meanwhile,The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderamassed 49%. These were the only three movies that were made in the most recent set ofNarniapictures, with the first two produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media.The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderreflected Disney’s exit from the franchise with its drop in quality and critical reception. But also,follow-ups to the first movie struggled with challenging source material.
8Perhaps The Series Should Have Started With The Magician’s Nephew
The Movies May Have Been Better Off Chronologically
There is a very real chance that it would have been better for theNarniamovies to begin differently. Anintriguing timeline tease for the newNarniaadaptationsuggests that it may start the way the movies always should have done. Although C.S. Lewis publishedThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobefirst, in 1950,The Magician’s Nephewis the first novel in the series, chronologically.
Release date
1955
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
1950
The Horse and His Boy
1954
1951
1952
1953
The Last Battle
1956
TheNarniamovies struggled to bounce back after the success ofThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was, in many ways, the easiest adaptation to make.The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobeis the best bookin Lewis' series, and it is probably the most adaptation-friendly. Perhapsthe Disney movies should have saved this movie for later, building up to it, starting withThe Magician’s Nephew. This may have kept audiences committed for longer.
7The Movies Couldn’t Decide How Seriously To Take The Books' Christianity
The Narnia Movies Dabbled In Christian Allegory
Lewis was always upfront about the thoroughly Christian symbolism of his work, but the movies weren’t quite sure how to adapt that.The movies all carried a healthy symbolismthat ranged from subtle to obvious. However, Lewis' novels really ranged in tone, from totally allegorical to very event-focused. This didn’t always work well in the context of the movies' scripts.
10 Best Movies & TV Shows Featuring The Cast Of The Narnia Movies
The Chronicles of Narnia featured child actors and major movie stars who have had countless other incredible roles across film and television.
TheNarniamovies were certainly adapted for a modern audience. For instance,The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderedited out a lot of the allegory that Lewis wrote into his book, in order to make the narrative more conflict-driven and logical. This did make sense, but left the movie feeling thematically empty. This was symptomatic of a wider issue across all the movies, proving thatthe franchise hadn’t quite decided what to do with the books' Christianity.
6The Susan & Caspian Romance Complicated The Story
Prince Caspian’s Romance With Susan Felt Forced
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspianforced a romance between Susan Pevensie and Prince Caspian, and it didn’t totally work.This romance wasn’t present in the books, so the movie had none of Lewis' genius to guide it. However, it wasn’t because it was unfaithful that this change didn’t work. Adaptations are meant to add their own flavor to a story. The romance didn’t work because it hadn’t been thought through.
Prince Caspian’s future wife was called Lilliandil in the movie but was unnamed in the book.
Susan and Caspian barely knew each other, so their love didn’t seem realistic. Also,The Voyage of the Dawn Treaderintroduced Lilliandil, who book readers know is Caspian’s future wife. As such, thisstrange tension was felt in the movie, and it didn’t seem like the scriptwriters had really considered it. The movie did not acknowledge the clash of Caspian’s love interests.
5Peter Wasn’t That Likable In Prince Caspian
It Was Hard To Gauge Peter In The Movies
Peter was arguably the main character ofThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,but he wasn’t entirely lovable.Peter was credibleand relatable, but he never seemed to fully grow into a hero. His character and the movie would both have benefitted from this. Peter seemed desperate to be heard as he stood up to Prince Caspian and anyone else who questioned him.
Peter was the rightful king, so it did make sense for him to be frustrated when his authority was queried. Peter genuinely seemed to be mature and responsible in the book, appearing as a good leader, even despite his young age. Butthe Peter of the movie seemed arrogantwithout the nuance that sold him in as a king. A stronger script and perhaps more complex acting could have helped here.
4The Series Would Have Found Later Books Even Harder To Adapt
The Narnia Movies Would Probably Have Gotten Worse
TheNarniamovies were all a lot of fun, but they did steadily get worse, and one harsh reality of the franchise is definitely that this trend would likely have continued, had the franchise continued. C.S. Lewis’Narniabooks are iconic for good reason, but they jumped around a lot and do not present adapters with an easy task.The books don’t maintain the same protagonists, which theNarniamovies were already starting to suffer from.
This would have got worse, with following editions becoming even less recognizable in terms of lead characters. The books didn’t just jump from protagonist to protagonist, but they jumped around in the timeline. This would not have helped the continuity of upcomingNarniamovies. The Disney movies andThe Voyage of the Dawn Treadermay not have got the balance of faithfulness to originality quite right, and subsequentmovies would probably have had to make further changes to Lewis' narrativeto work well on screen.
3The Movies Are Better With All The Pevensies
The Pevensies Were A Key Ingredient Of Narnia’s Fun
The Pevensies were what madeThe Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobeso good, and the movie franchise petered off - no pun intended - as they did. This is a reflection of C.S. Lewis' novels, and faithfulness is a good thing in most adaptations. However,TheVoyage of the Dawn Treadersuffered from losing the presence of half the Pevensies. It wasn’t as compelling and didn’t draw as big of an audience.
Lucy and Edmund were actually a great team inThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Edmund was delightfully insufferable. This strong double act could have been the highlight of the franchise had it been revived in future movies. However, adaptingLewis' complex novels had the movies headed in a more anthologized direction, which the majority of viewers probably hadn’t been ready for, not having read the books.
2Narnia Adaptations Have An Aslan Problem
The Narnia Movies Couldn’t Decide How To Treat Aslan
AllThe Chronicles of Narniamovies had an Aslan problem, which is one of their harshest realities. Liam Neeson was brilliant voicing Aslan, and the lion was a powerful and memorable aspect of the movies, as he should have been. But Lewis' concept was too much for Disney. Ultimately,Disney balked at committing fully to adapting Aslan. The movies were stuck between accepting his symbolic power and dumbing it down.
Aslan had a spiritual tone and commanded respect. This, in and of itself, was effective. However, the rest of the movies weren’t made to fit around it. As such, the other characters' motivations didn’t quite seem to match up to Aslan’s strength or make sense next to it. The children apparently accepted his words at face value, although he never really explained himself.The movies should have eased into Aslan as a symbol, giving him more approachable dialogue to begin with.
1The Narnia Movies Feel Too Serious
The Narnia Movies Didn’t Capture The Joy Of The Books
TheNarniamovies are epic, which works for the big screen, but they do lack some of the joie de vivre of the books. The books were full of joy, with the children running amok in the countryside of Narnia, frolicking and playing with Aslan and each other. The movies, by contrast, felt incredibly serious. This did help connect the children’s stories to an adult audience.
However, it also left the movies feeling a little hollow. Some sparkle would have done the franchise good.A little more comedy in the script would not have hurt, and a cast who could have carried it better might have helped. However, by and large, the movies are treasured by many fans ofThe Chronicles of Narnia. The cast did well and provided Greta Gerwig an amazing jumping-off point from which to launch the new movies.
The Chronicles of Narnia
The Chronicles of Narniais a fantasy franchise based on the seven-book series written by C.S. Lewis between 1950 and 1956. The series is set in the magical world of Narnia, where children from our world are transported to fulfill prophecies, battle evil forces, and restore peace under the guidance of Aslan, a mystical lion. The franchise has seen multiple adaptations, including a BBC television series in the late 1980s, three major Hollywood films between 2005 and 2010, and an upcoming reboot by Netflix, which has generated significant anticipation. The franchise is beloved for its rich allegorical storytelling, blending Christian themes with epic fantasy elements.
