The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
This Emmy Award winner for Best Animated Special is based on the first book of C.S. Lewis' acclaimed series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." Four children pass through a mystic portal in a wardrobe and discover the magical kingdom of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. There, an evil witch's spell has cast the land into eternal winter. Fearing that an ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and that the children are Narnia's rightful rulers, the White Witch tricks their youngest brother into betraying his family, enacting an ancient magic that she can use to halt the fulfillment of the prophecy. Now, only Aslan, noble lion and High King above all kings in Narnia, can help them defeat the witch, restore springtime to Narnia, and claim their rightful places on the throne.
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- Cast:
- Victor Spinetti
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Reviews
Please don't spend money on this.
I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.
Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.
Many applaud the efforts of the BBC in Narnia, and while they are admirable they do not approach the perfection with this animated classic. Only through animation can the wonder of this story be told. You are not distracted by actors in suits or morphing technology. This film is far more encompassing of Lewis's story and is not hindered by the budget limitations the BBC faced with live action.If only they could have done the complete series!!!
This animated version of the first of C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia is unsuccessful in that its script does not follow the original book, its animation is crude and more reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons than of the artistic masterpiece it could (and should) have been, and its voice characterizations, which were done by American actors, sound very odd whenever they declaim British-flavored lines scripted directly from the book. These faults removed much of the magic that was the original selling point of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Also, the book's underlying religious theme was completely ignored, although I imagine this was more to protect the broadcaster from criticism than due to any actual neglect on the part of the producers.On the positive side, this show was useful in introducing the land of Narnia to viewers unfamiliar to the story. It is to be hoped that those viewers, enjoying the premise, sought out the written chronicles, and later watched the 1988 live-action version, which is far superior to this.
If you appreciate the Narnia books, you should find a way to see this movie. Though very stylized, it is a solid adaptation of the classic story.In fact, this movie is only genuinely unfaithful to the book in one (inexplicable!) place: the "Father Christmas" scene is mostly omitted. Maybe they didn't have a clear idea of the look they should go for with him, who knows? At least they cover it well, later in the movie.Special note must be given to the sound in this film: the voice work (at least in the English version!) is quite good, with the exception of Lucy's crying, which is really, really terrible. And definitely pay attention to the musical score--it is one of the best I've ever heard in an animated film.If you can find it, give it a watch you won't be disappointed.
This cartoon has impressive credentials. It is a co-production of Bill Melendez (Charlie Brown) and the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street and The Electric Company).It is simply and economically animated. The draughtsmanship may be rudimentary, but that is not a serious drawback. The music is very good. The humiliation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Aslan, the lion, are handled movingly. The parallels with Christ are clear.This is the first novel, in publication order, in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. The books have most recently been reissued in internal chronological order, according to the author's posthumous wishes. Franz Kafka's posthumous wish to have all of his works destroyed was ignored by his literary executor, Max Brod. If only Lewis's nonsensical request had also been ignored. This book unfortunately and regrettably now appears as Volume 2 in the current series.I recently saw this programme in French, not English, under the title "Le lion, la sorcière et l'armoire". If there was a shortcoming to the French version, it was in the actor cast to portray Aslan. His voice was too gruff and did not have the majesty necessary for a Messiah, as English-language Aslans can normally be counted upon to have.The excellent live-action BBC series from 1988 based on the Narnia books improves even on this praiseworthy cartoon.