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I wish I got this version the first time I was looking to buy lion, witch, and wardrobe. You get hours of watching how the filming process went, a feature I wish all DVDs came with. It's sad that there are two versions because I had to buy the simpler one before I found out about this one. This one also comes with extra features just for kids, those that haven't read the book series anyways, educating them on the notes that the movies mostly leave out. And those of you that have seen the deleted scenes in an extended version, I'm sorry to say that this one does not include the deleted scenes (such as the frozen fish that Lucy sees on the way to the beavers' dam). I say it's great for anyone that frowns at the few special features on the first disk, boy does the second disc ever make up for that lack!Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
CS Lewis' classic children's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe holds a special place in many readers' hearts, usually alongside Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The authors, in fact, were long-time friends who (as members of a literary group called the Inklings) even critiqued each others' work. The parallel between the two books continues in the fact that the narrative power and visual appeal of both these stories beg for them to be brought to the screen... and that the very nature of the stories made this difficult to do well. That is, until computer-generated animation came of age in moviemaking. Now we can have believable fauns, centaurs, giants, and lions inhabiting a gorgeous fantasy landscape; we can (if it's done well) have a Narnia (as we had a Middle Earth) that allows us to see it, at least to some degree, the way we have imagined it. The film does one other thing that warms my heart for its authenticity. It starts off the Narnia series as it should be: with the first book that Lewis wrote, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the past few years, it has become a new fad to re-order the seven Narnia books in internal chronological order rather than publication order, thus placing The Magician's Nephew, the next-to-last book, in first place. This is a really, truly dreadful thing to do, because The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the book that introduces us to the world of Narnia, just as the four children are introduced to it. In The Magician's Nephew, many of the mysterious magical elements of Narnia are explained... but unless you've experienced the preceding five stories, you don't know why these particular elements are special and interesting. Furthermore, this ordering of the books spoils some of the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Why did we all get put into such a mess? The official word is that this is Lewis' preferred order, but in fact it is not – and as a scholar of literature who did her dissertation on the fantasy novel, including Lewis' novels, I've done the research and I know where the problem arose. Years after the books were all published, one of Lewis' young fans wrote a letter to him suggesting that it was a good idea to put the books in internal order. Lewis wrote back saying he thought that was a fine idea. (And it is – if you've already read the books and want to re-read them in a different light.) But I don't think we should consider this one offhand comment as an indication that Lewis genuinely thought it was the best order; in fact, while Lewis was alive, it stayed as just that, an option that readers could take for themselves. (My 1970 printing of the series has the spines numbered correctly!) Only in recent years has the fad for reordering them taken over, much to my dismay. So I have to give a big thank-you to the filmmakers for proving my point, and the point of all the other devoted Narnia fans: the best way to start out experiencing Narnia is with this story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe! Please let us know if this review was helpful (click below) If you have any questions about this review please contact us at contact@ck-auctions.com Posted by CK-AuctionsRead full review
A Disney effort; their typically superb children's story. Up front, this is faithfully based on the series of children's stories by C.S. Lewis. He and Tolkien (The Hobbit) taught at the university of Oxford and were close friends. Both were Christians but the faith comes through more with C.S. Lewis. You won't see any Christianity in this film unless you are a Christian but it is popular enough to warrant a sequel so don't feel the story attempts to convert you. That was not Lewis's style. The blend of animation with the real world is first class and alone worth the admission ticket. It is an action film that should delight children from 5 up. The goodies and baddies are readily identifiable, and there is a moral that will work for everyone. Probably the most standout performance is by Tilda Swinton who plays the delightfully wicked white witch. If you want a brief, it is set in war torn, WWII England and a family of 4 children are sent to the country for protection from German bombs. They accidentally discover an old wardrobe that magically leads to the world of Narnia; a place of men and talking animals, ruled by the wicked white witch who blankets their world in a perpetual winter without Christmas. The coming of the children to Narnia fulfills a prophesy that foretells the overthrow of the witch. In the process, the children learn good values and life lessons. It is a typical fairytale with a few twists.Read full review
After watching the sequel (Prince Caspian), I remembered that I had seen this a while back, but could not find it on my shelves to refresh my memory. So I went searching to get a (possibly new) copy. This one was readily available, at a reasonable price. The movie is a good as I remembered, although possibly not quite as good as the sequel. The writing is good, and fairly faithful to the book, the acting by the kids is excellent, and the effects are marvelously done. All in all, a great movie experience for young and old. I can hardly wait for the 3rd one, coming out this winter, even though the writer/director of the first 2 is not involved. Of course, there are unanswered questions. Like how 2 young boys, who presumably have never held a sword before, become masters of the sword in a day, or even a week (time does not seem to be particularly linear in Narnia). But as entertainment, this movie is hard to beat. This particular edition is much better than standard. The case has a cardboard box around it which is nice, with 2 discs. One disc has the movie, and the other has a whole bunch of special features, showing much background into how the movie was made and some of the special effects. I would highly recommend this movie in general, and this particular edition in particular.Read full review
This movie is awesome. It is action packed, but also drips with emotion, love, courage, and character. The acting is incredible! Georgie Henley especially shines in the film. Andrew Adamson did an excellent job sticking to the book and keeping the movie quite accurate and Narnian. This DVD is especially cool because of all the hours of special features. "The Children's Magical Journey" is a combination of interviews with each of the child actors on their experience filming "Narnia." They all do an awesome job sharing what it was like being on set and working with one another. It really draws you into the film even more. There are other great features too, like the telling of how each type of creature was created, and some bloopers from the filming process. If you enjoyed watching "Narnia," you'll love all the bonus material on this DVD! Was this review helpful, informative, or interesting? Vote below!Read full review
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