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The comparison is inevitable.  J.R.R. Tolkien was a Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford.  C.S. Lewis taught as a fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.  Tolkien spent well over a decade writing and perfecting an epic tale of the struggle of good versus evil and the ascent of man.  Lewis wrote the first three books of the Narnia series, an epic tale of the struggle of good versus evil with undisguised Christian themes, in a rapid, almost stream of consciousness method that took far less time.  Tolkien created highly original cultures and races of creatures to populate an early Earth when magic still had great influence.  Lewis tapped into Celtic, English, Irish, Scottish, ancient Greek, and ancient Roman mythologies and threw in a healthy mix of familiar animals with the power of speech and reason in a now extinct land of a thousand years ago when magic still had great influence.  Each had their epic series published in the mid-‘50s.  The men were friends.  Tolkien influenced his atheist friend to return to Christianity, only to be disappointed when Lewis turned away from Catholicism and became a devout member of the Church of England.  Lewis admired Tolkien’s work.  Tolkien was less than enthusiastic about Lewis’; he thought the mixing of cultural myths inappropriate and Lewis’ Christian themes entirely too overt. 

I found no reference to that last controversial subject in the extensive supplements of this terrific 2- disc DVD release, but there is no denying that one of the principal characters is a Christ-figure.  He has the ability to bring the dead back to life, sacrifices himself for the greater good, is bound and executed dying for another’s sins, is resurrected, inspires the struggle against evil, and leaves behind (four) disciples to organize his kingdom on Earth, chief among them a man named Peter.  I still have a lump on the back of my head where Lewis struck me with a two-by-four.  Regardless of the shamefully obvious symbolism, Narnia proves to be an emotionally satisfying tale, perhaps even more so than Tolkien’s Ring epic.  That’s very likely due to the vulnerability of its principal protagonists.

The four Pevensie children are being evacuated from London during the Blitz.  There’s teenage Peter (William Moseley, who alternately reminds me of Richard Thomas and Prince William); he’s the oldest of the four and the quintessential responsible older brother who looks after his siblings.  Next is Susan (Anna Popplewell, who looks remarkably like an adolescent Janeane Garofalo); perhaps a year younger than Peter, she’s sensitive but unceasingly sensible.  Edmund (Skandar Keynes, who bears a resemblance to a young Hank Azaria) is the next youngest.  He’s angry and pensive, upset over his father’s going off to war; he frequently acts out, resentful of his older brother’s scolding and criticism.  And last is Lucy (Georgie Henley, who reminds me of - okay, this is a stretch, but I’ve written myself into a corner - a very young Jeanne Tripplehorn); she’s the youngest, still at an age when imagination dominates and all things are possible. 

They are sequestered at the country estate of one Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent), where the stern, autocratic Mrs. MacReady (Elizabeth Hawthorne) dominates.  The good professor is more than he seems.  He knows a bit about the wardrobe Lucy is about to discover, perhaps more than he’s willing to say.  Wink, wink, nod, nod. 

During a game of hide-and-seek, Lucy ducks into that huge ornately carved wooden wardrobe, and as she backs away from the closed cabinet door, burying herself behind racks of coats, she inexplicably discovers a vast snowy forest.  She wanders into a clearing, utterly bewildered and enchanted.  It’s there that she’s shocked by the appearance of a creature she’s never encountered before, a faun.  Half goat, half man, his temperament is akin to a Hobbit’s; he’s more of a hedonist than a warrior.  His name is Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy) and he seems pleasant enough as he asks Lucy back to his home for tea and biscuits.  But like most of the creatures of Narnia, he lives in fear and feels compelled to betray this little human to the White Witch (Tilda Swinton). 

The White Witch has been ruling Narnia for a hundred years, during which there has been unceasing winter.  She is evil incarnate, and will stop at nothing to attain permanent dominion.  She’s aware of a prophecy that foretells the coming of four humans who will facilitate her destruction, returning Narnia to its former state.  The four will precipitate the return of Aslan (Liam Neeson), a powerful and spiritual lion that has earned the respect and loyalty of Narnians by virtue of his tireless concern for the welfare of others.  And the presence of the four humans and Aslan in Narnia will finally trigger a change of seasons for the first time in a century.  So finding and destroying any human interlopers is the White Witch’s highest priority.  Fortunately, the conflicted Tumnus thinks better of his plans to turn Lucy over; instead he rushes her back to where she came.

In fact, it’s only after the White Witch can destroy all four humans that she can feel secure, so this initial incursion is meaningless.  But circumstances change, and when the Pevensie children find themselves in a wee bit of trouble on the estate, they run to hide, finding their way into - yes, you guessed it - the wardrobe.  They stumble into Narnia.  The older children are as shocked at the impossibility of their situation as they are fascinated by this foreign and captivating land.  They soon become protectorates of two clever beavers (Ray Winstone and Dawn French).  In their cozy den, the beavers explain the significance of the human’s presence and what’s at stake for the land of Narnia.  And Peter, the most responsible of the four siblings, determines to stay and help fight for good. 

Neither Susan nor Lucy is willing to leave him.  But there is a Judas among them (another allusion to the new testament), Edmund has been charmed by the White Witch and slinks off to betray the other three.  Peter and his two sisters flee, aided by the beavers, as the Witch’s secret police, vicious wolves, attempt to track them down.  This is merely the setup for an epic adventure that will ultimately climax with the forces of good meeting the forces of evil on the battlefield.  And just as in The Lord of the Rings, that battle will be of biblical proportions (no pun intended).  Thousands of creatures will clash and slash with pikes, spears, arrows, and swords.  But this battle will not be decided by the powerful influence of a mighty sorcerer; it will rest on the pluck and wit of children.

Those children, and Peter in particular, may be the catalyst for the ultimate confrontation, but the heart of rebellion is Aslan.  This spiritual being has knowledge of the deep magic, knowledge that exceeds even that of the White Witch.  It is he who will inspire the forces of good to rise up against the Witch.  And it is Aslan who is the most remarkable CGI creation I’ve yet seen on film.  The visual density and flow of his mane, his natural movements, his expressive eyes, his musculature, and the skillful way he’s blended into the live action, all set new standards for artificially created photo- realism. 

This is Andrew Adamson’s first live action directorial effort; his previous two efforts were the Shrek films, which undoubtedly influenced the gentle wit found here.  He helped write the screenplay with Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely.  I cannot testify as to their faithfulness to Lewis’ work; I may have read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I was completely unaware of this series until I watched this film.  Adamson drew emotionally involving performances from his young principals, and since this was to be a long shoot of approximately a year, cleverly filmed the story chronologically, so that the children’s visible growth and noticeable maturing would organically fit within the flow of the storyline. 

The film is surprisingly bloodless despite considerable carnage.  I suspect that was to procure a target rating of PG.  It treads lightly on the fine boundary between a children’s film and a rousing action-adventure, and in the process, transcends age.  Grossing over $700 million worldwide, this is the auspicious birth of a new franchise.   The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is currently in pre- production for a 2007 release.

The Video: How Does The Disc Look?

The film’s theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 is presented in anamorphic video.  There are so many digital effects in this film that a direct digital transfer should have been possible.  Assuming that was the case, there is no excuse for the slight softness and moderate halos found within this transfer.  The Toy Story DVD releases, Chicken Little, and some animated titles that have come out of Buena Vista are a testament to its ability to produce sharp, highly detailed, essentially halo free transfers.  Alas, that is not what you’ll find here.  Small object detail is reasonable, without being outstanding.  Fine textures are somewhat suppressed, but not sufficiently to mask Aslan’s impressive mane.  Color accuracy is quite good based on natural skin tones that have that slightly pale, pink British look.  I will mention that the early part of the film, during the Nazi bombardment of London and during the initially wintry scenes in Narnia, the palette is somewhat subdued.  Colors aren’t vivid.  But as the story heats up and as spring returns to Narnia, colors become more vibrant.  Shadow detail is also quite nice.  I didn’t notice any macroblocking or mosquito noise. 

The Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?

There are two English 5.1 tracks on this disc, one in Dolby Digital remixed for home theater, and the other in DTS.  Even though the balance among all the channels may have been optimized for the home on the Dolby track, I opted for the DTS track for better timbre and tighter bass.  From the opening sequence, it becomes immediately clear that this is a superb mix.  It’s a German air raid over London that begins from within a Nazi bomber.  Engine noises, flack, mechanical noises . . . the viewer is immersed.  Exceptionally deep bass sweeps over me.  The dramatic use of the surrounds is placed perfectly with EX decoding enabled.  The track is consistently outstanding throughout.  Sound effects exhibit an impressive dynamic range and great attack times.  The sweeping score by Harry Gregson-Williams is presented with a palpable sense of acoustic space and with satisfying fidelity.  The dialog is crystal clear throughout; Liam Neeson’s Aslan in particularly has a fine in-the-room presence.  Nicely done.  If only the visual presentation were as good.

The alternate languages are in French and Spanish, both in Dolby Surround 2.0.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

The disc opens with non-anamorphic previews for The Little Mermaid 2-Disc Special Edition (DVD), Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man’s Chest (theatrical), and Glory Road (DVD).  They may be skipped and saved for viewing from the Sneak Peeks feature.  There you will also find Eight Below, Cars, Brother Bear 2, Airbuddies, Lost, and Expedition Everest.

The supplements are divided between two discs.  The first extra on this feature film disc is The Bloopers of Narnia (4:35).  These are a blend of flubs, gags, and general horsing around.  I’m a fan of bloopers, but I didn’t find this collection to be that fauny - uh, funny.

Discover Narnia Fun Facts is a text-based feature that you should activate while listening to one or the other of the two commentaries.  The factoids pop onto the screen randomly to offer historical background, information about the books and author, his relationship with Tolkien, and details about the film.

And that leaves this disc’s two feature-length commentaries.  The first is by director Andrew Adamson, and his four principal actors: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, and Georgie Henley.  This is a series of reminiscences about the shoot, with the children competing for attention in inverse order of age.  Most of the discussion centers on how Adamson cleverly evoked the emotional responses from the children in various scenes.  For example, Georgie wasn’t permitted to see either the snowy Narnia forest set until she backed out of the wardrobe for the first time.  Adamson wanted to capture a genuine reaction.  Similarly, she wasn’t permitted to see James McAvoy’s Tumnus until the cameras were rolling.  The young actors enjoyed telling tales from the set, from their experiences in the dump tank to the swear jar.  It’s a lively discussion that sometimes gets a little unruly.

The next commentary is a little more controlled; director Andrew Adamson is joined by producer Mark Johnson and, by phone from New Zealand, production designer Roger Ford.  This is a predominantly technical commentary.  They discuss many aspect of the shoot from integrating special effects with live footage to the design and fabrication of the imaginative sets and how that affected Adamson’s ability to set up shots.  It’s here that I first learned of the chronological shooting and the identity of various locations.  I’m grateful that there is little description of character motivation or the regurgitation of plotlines.  Instead, we have a pleasant and informative discussion of how the film was created.

The rest of the supplements are found on the second disc, and it’s a genuinely generous array of high quality extras.  It is organized into two general sections: Creating Narnia and Creatures, Lands & Legends.  The first covers virtually every aspect of the making of the film as conveyed through the specialist responsible for each craft.  The other is a collection of narrated descriptive explanations of the places and creatures found in Narnia.

The initial menu screen in the Creating Narnia section provides access to an impressive array of featurettes and offers the choices of Chronicles of a Director, The Children’s Magical Journey, and Evolution of an Epic. Chronicles of a Director (37:59) is a revealing behind the scenes look at the film from Adamson’s point of view.  It begins with executive producer Perry Moore explaining how the rights were acquired for the novels and how Adamson was brought in as the director.  As the history of the show is revealed, we’re introduced to various specialists with whom we’ll spend more concentrated time in other supplements.  Adamson shares his artistic approach and how he intended to convey the material from within the children’s emotion journey. 

The Children’s Magical Journey (26:23) offers the four principal actors the chance to describe their reactions to the experiences of being selected for their roles and the filming of the epic.  I continue to be impressed with the poise of such young performers; perhaps that’s a natural consequence of their ability to act onscreen.  This is a pleasant, light supplement that charms more than it informs.

Selecting Evolution of an Epic brings you to a submenu.  Here you’ll have the choice of From One Man’s Mind, Cinematic Storytellers, Creating Creatures, and Anatomy of a Scene: The Melting River. 

As you might expect, From One Man’s Mind (4:15) is a discussion about the author, C.S. Lewis and his creation of the series.  I welcomed the background information since, as I’ve explained, I was not familiar with the work.  Don’t expect great depth; I had to research Lewis and Tolkien on my own before starting to write this review.

Selecting Cinematic Storytellers opens another submenu.  Here you’ll find a collection of eight featurettes, each focusing on a craft: Richard Taylor - Weta Workshop; Howard Berger - KNB Creature Shop; Isis Mussenden - Costumes; Roger Ford - Production Designer; Don McAlpine - Director of Photography; Sim Evan-Jones - Editor; Harry Gregson-Williams - Music Composer; and, Mark Johnson - Producer.  Just select the “Play All” option and sit back for the next fifty-five minutes and six seconds and be enthralled by the depth and breadth of the information.  These are highly informative and revealing shorts that highlight the efforts that went into this nearly $200 million production.

Creating Creatures also opens another submenu.  Here you’ll find eleven shorts that describe the creation of the White Witch and ten of the Narnian creatures (53:30): Aslan; Tumnus; Wolves; Centaurs; Minotaurs; Ankle Slicers; Ginarrbrik; Beavers; Satyrs; and Goblins.  Once again, I’d recommend choosing the “Play All” option.  There is an easter egg associated with this feature.  Select the wardrobe on the bottom of the left list and you can change the background graphic.  And when that happens, the supplements change.  Select the “Play All” option and now you’ll find a series of stills narrated with a voiceover that describe the characters (14:16) in the context of the books and film.

In Anatomy of a Scene: The Melting River (11:31), we learn how the river sequence was created, from pneumatic platforms that simulated individual pieces of floating ice to the dump tank that inundated the young actors with thousands of pounds of water.  We once again are given insights into how the director motivated his young performers to draw out of them the performances he needed for the sequence.

It’s time to move on to the Creatures, Lands, & Legends section.  The first selection is Creatures of the World.  This is identical to the Creating Creatures feature in the Creating Narnia section.  The only difference between them is that for one the submenu defaults to featurettes and for the other it defaults to the narrated stills.  And again, you can navigate back and forth between these two sets of supplements with the wardrobe easter egg. 

Explore Narnia offers a selection of locations accessible on a map of Narnia: White Witch’s Castle; The Lantern Waste; Cair Paravel; Battlefield; and The Stone Table.  Select any for a blend of GCI and stills accompanied by a voiceover describing the location and its significance to the story.  Selecting the Lion Shield returns you to the previous menu.

And finally, there is Legends in Time.  This is a clever timeline describes the events in the film and relates them to the timeline in England.  Of particular interest is the description of a fifteen-year period that was not covered in the film.  Navigating up the timeline (forward in time) plays the sequences.  Navigating down (back in time) simply returns the viewer to a specific point in time without playing content.  Once again, selecting the lion’s head shield returns the viewer to the previous menu.

This exhausting collection of supplements will take hours and hours to take in, but the level of detail and the substantive nature of the extras make this a worthwhile investment, both in time and money.  This film is available in a 1-disc DVD edition that has a street price of about $3 less than this splendid 2-disc edition.  I’d strongly recommend the 2-disc edition.

The 135-minute film is organized into twenty-four chapters.

Exclusive DVD-ROM Features: What happens when you pop the disc into your PC?

There are no DVD-ROM features on this DVD.

Easter Eggs

From the first disc’s main menu, select the lion’s head on the shield or click on it and the menu will vanish, leaving the CGI animation backed by some of Harry Gregson- Williams’ fine orchestral score.  Press the enter key on your remote or click on the animation and the menu returns.