I have read through the Chronicles of Narnia three times and the well-worn first volume more often than that! Every time I have been enchanted and charmed by the vivid themes and imagery or this C.S. Lewis classic.
As a Christian I have also enjoyed the many Christian themes of sin, evil, goodness, beauty, courage, sacrifice, atonement, resurrection, redemption, salvation, pilgrimage, and even the creation of a new heaven and a new earth that Lewis has so deftly and creatively woven into the stories of Narnia.
With my now-grown children my wife and I watched and were wondrously impressed with the imaginative and faithful translation of these books into visual reality by means of the creative genius of WonderWorks, which produced the first three books as a BBC mini-series back in the late 1980s.
On December 9 the new movie, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," will be released by Disney. I trust that this version will also be true to the original. If it is it will be a wonderful addition to the legacy of C.S. Lewis and Narnia.
Unfortunately, along with a major movie release comes all the commercial tie-ins that will make a lot of money but will, ultimately, also have the potential to cheapen the substance and compromise the character of the movie and the book that inspired it.
Consider this list of Narnia-related products being sold at Christian Book Distributors:
-The WonderWorks Chronicles of Narnia DVD Set;
-The World of Narnia Collection (children's illustratedabridgmentt);
-The Chronicles of Narnia CDs (a British-made audio set complete with Sir Anthony Quail, Claire Bloom, Michael York and Ian Richardson);
-The Narnian: The Life and Imagination of C.S. Lewis, by Alan Jacobs;
-The Chronicles of Narnia, 7 volume set (both a movie tie-in set with photos from the new movie and a set without the tie-in);
-a One-Volume edition of the entire Chronicles of Narnia;
-The Official Illustrated Movie Companion (for The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe);
-Inside Narnia: A Guide to Exploring The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe;
-Knowing Aslan (an evangelism booklet to help interpret the movie to non-Christians);
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--2006 Wall Calendar;
-The Chronicles of Narnia, Limited Edition: Focus on the Family Radio Theatre--CDs;
-The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe Board Game;
-Stratego, Chronicles of Narnia Edition;
-The Chronicles of Narnia Activity Books (for children ages 4-8);
-Music Inspired by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe--CD;
-The Chronicles of Narnia soundtrack;
-Narnia Book Covers, including: "Long Live the True King," "Aslan Duotone Bible Cover," "Narnia Map Bible Cover," and the "Narnia Bible Cover."
Article comments
1 - Greg Schoppe
Political Apathy:
C. S. Lewis was a christian theologian. The Narnia books are a metaphor to teach christian theology to children.
although I enjoy (some) fantasy books, and am christian, Narnia is nothing like (for example) Harry Potter. There are deep and serious religious arguments made in Narnia.
I am not against Harry Potter, but I doubt those that are would be against Narnia.
2 - Ken Edwards
Not to mention the video game "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" released for: GBA, GameCube, Nintendo DS, PC, PS2, and Xbox. They had a PSP version but it got canned.
It looks like an average game, getting anywhere from a 6/10 to a 8.3/10. Not that I am going to go pick it up, but it probably isn't a bad game.
But I agree, WAY too much Narnia.
3 - Political Apathy
Greg:
C.S. Lewis was a Christian, as was J.R.R. Tolkien. However, I am just pleasantly surprised that there is a fantasy film/novel/etc. that is well accepted by other Christians. Even though the themes in Narnia are very pronounced for adult Christians, the children reading Narnia or Harry Potter are most likely too young to distinguish between the two. Hence, I don't understand how the parents can say that one is any more evil than the other but they should raise their children as they see fit.