Support NeoGAF

[mattx5]

I'm about to check it out, reactions so far have been great.

Judge for yourself -

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=18980

http://bvbp-qt.vitalstream.com/LionWitchWardrobe/LionWitchWardrobe_BehindMagic_1500.mov

 

[Dan]

Lame. It's all design leftovers from LOTR. Is Narnia going to be exactly the same as Middle Earth?

Anticipation -1

 

[3phemeral]

Man, look at the amount of detail they put into that. That's incredible -- I'd see it for that alone.

 

[Gorey]

Definate LOTR influence, but that's to be expected. Looking good.

The minotaurs are great.

 

[ManaByte]

Stupid Disney is doing what they wanted to do to LOTR to Narnia. Instead of turning each book into a movie, they are compressing them into just a couple of movies.

 

[Sriram]

Where did you hear this?

 

[ManaByte]

Where did you hear this?

Apparently they are skipping A Horse and His Boy and going directly to Prince Caspian for the 2nd movie.

 

[Sriram]

Making the movies in a different order is not the same as merging them into one. Besides the films stand well as single stories so its not the same as, say, if they skipped a book in the LotR trilogy.

 

[ManaByte]

Making the movies in a different order is not the same as merging them into one. Besides the films stand well as single stories so its not the same as, say, if they skipped a book in the LotR trilogy.

No, they apparently aren't going to do A Horse and his Boy at all.

It's like what happened with Master & Commander sort of.

 

[Sriram]

Well, Im sure if all the films they do make are hugely successful then Disney will go ahead and make a horse and his boy.

Im not that familia with the whole series but isnt a horse and his boy the least connected one?

 

[snaildog]

Apparently they are skipping A Horse and His Boy and going directly to Prince Caspian for the 2nd movie.

Uh that's the order that they were written in. They "skipped" Magician's Nephew too.

 

[Sriram]

Thats what I thought but wasnt sure of. I remember hearing that the movies would be made in the order that they were written instea of the chronological order.

 

[Alucard]

Nice. I really hope they don't screw it up. I've been waiting for this movie since I was 11 years old. That's over a decade. Whoa...

 

[Manabanana]

The minotaur looks awesome! Some of the other creatures are kinda plastic-y looking, but I doubt they're done.

 

[Flynn]

One of the guys at Weta is a Jak cosplayer!

 

[ohamsie]

I've wanted to buy these books forever to read them again, but they always come in chronological order and I want them to be in the order they are written in.

 

[StrikerObi]

This is looking good. I'm a little upset that they're not doing The Magician's Nephew first. It's the first in the series, chronologically.

I'll be there on day one though. I'll probably re-read LWW next year to amp myself up for it. The Chronicles of Narnia were my absolute favorite books as a child. I feel in love with the world Lewis had created. The rest of you may have been into LotR but I was all up on CoN as a kid.

 

[StrikerObi]

Uh that's the order that they were written in. They "skipped" Magician's Nephew too.

No, Nephew was written last. It takes place first in the series though. It's a pre-quel.

I'll be pissed if they end up skipping A Horse and his Boy, it's one of my favorites.

 

[capslock]

Sucks about the Nephew, that was my favourite book of the series. Not really feeling the movie from what I saw in that video though...


As for Horse and His Boy, I think that some of the racial themes might be a bit much in the post 9/11 world, this might be one of the reasons they chose not to do it.

 

[olimario]

Blegh... After reading the book I want a better style and atmosphere for the movie than this. It's so gritty cut and paste LOTR it isn't even funny.

 

[Flynn]

So far all we've seen is 99% behind-the-scenes and production footage. It's much too early to bitch about how the movie looks for the sole reason that we haven't really seen anything.

 

[olimario]

Do I always have to put "BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN"?
Obviously my opinion can change when more is seen.

 

[Coen]

God, I hate listening to that Weta guy. He talks so slow and boring, it's not even funny. I always skipped his parts in the appendecis from Lord of the Rings.

 

[Flynn]

Do I always have to put "BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN"?
Obviously my opinion can change when more is seen.

Well, based on what I've seen of the surface of Jupiter I think it's a nice place for spring break.

 

[Fusebox]

So someone tell me me the correct order to read the books?

 

[capslock]

So someone tell me me the correct order to read the books?

Left to right.

 

[Mama Smurf]

Dear Mr. Voice Over,

It's Narnia, not Nannia.

Thinking of you always,

Mama Smurf

 

[geogaddi]

C. S. Lewis was a genius. He was a good friend of J.R.R. Tolkien.

 

[geogaddi]

So someone tell me me the correct order to read the books?

The order in which they were chronologically published.

1. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe;
2. Prince Caspian;
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader;
4. The Silver Chair;
5. The Horse and His Boy;
6. The Magician's Nephew;
7. The Last Battle.

The original order when first published was not in this order, though.

 

[Liono]

The comments about LOTR are no joke, what the hell is this? I imagined narnia to be much more kid-friendly and creative, with a look maybe like the polar express. But i'll reserve my criticism until I see more, at the very least the art is quality.

 

[nfreakct]

The order in which they were chronologically published.

1. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe;
2. Prince Caspian;
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader;
4. The Silver Chair;
5. The Horse and His Boy;
6. The Magician's Nephew;
7. The Last Battle.

The original order when first published was not in this order, though.

This is the order in which they are making the films also.

 

[Tritroid]

The new publication has the books rearranged, with The Magician's Nephew as #1, then the Horse and his Boy at #2, and the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at #3. It actually makes more sense to have the books arranged in this order, the problem is that the books that take place earlier in the saga (Namely Magician and Horse) are really boring imo, and don't exactly set the 'tone' of Narnia as well as Lion/Witch/Wadrobe does. Frankly, I think the series would have been better off had The Horse and his Boy not been included at all. It's really the black sheep of the series, and focuses on nothing involving the on-going plot of the other 6 books.

But anyway, I think this looks excellent, especially the costumes. It'll definitely be a step up from the first attempts at the Narnia movies.

 

[teiresias]

I imagined narnia to be much more kid-friendly and creative

Meh, kid-friendly does not necessarily equate with more creative. Middle-Earth is one of the most complex and "real" fantasy environments ever created in literature, it can't get more creative than that - and Tolkien didn't have to unabashedly wrap his in christian allegory to get his point across either. Not to bad mouth Lewis or Narnia of course, hell, I loved the crappy BBC live-action adaptions for crying out loud (though I've never read any of the books except for TLW&W).

 

[StrikerObi]

The order in which they were chronologically published.

1. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe;
2. Prince Caspian;
3. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader;
4. The Silver Chair;
5. The Horse and His Boy;
6. The Magician's Nephew;
7. The Last Battle.

The original order when first published was not in this order, though.

Or, if you like, the order in which they take place.

1. The Magicians's Nephew
2. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
3. A Horse and His Boy
4. Prince Caspian
5. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
6. The Silver Chair
7. The Last Battle

I read them in that order. I don't see how it would honestly matter which order you read them in. If you want to stay "true to the story" or some bullshit I guess you should read them in the order they were written. I'd say is easier to read them in story order because everything will make more sense that way.

 

[Dan]

Meh, kid-friendly does not necessarily equate with more creative. Middle-Earth is one of the most complex and "real" fantasy environments ever created in literature, it can't get more creative than that - and Tolkien didn't have to unabashedly wrap his in christian allegory to get his point across either. Not to bad mouth Lewis or Narnia of course, hell, I loved the crappy BBC live-action adaptions for crying out loud (though I've never read any of the books except for TLW&W).

I wish there was a roll-eyes image for this post.

What are you talking about? Even if we bought into your exaggerated and godlike view of Middle Earth's complexity and creativity, what does that have to do with Narnia? How does transplanting one world's look and "creativity" into another serve the latter best? Christian allegory has absolutely nothing to do with this! (And for the record, Tolkien's books, nor the films, were exactly subtle either.) If you think LOTR's world is the only way to create a diverse fantasy world, well, that's just stupid.

Seems like most of you just want more LOTR from Narnia. I want NARNIA from Narnia. Middle Earth should stay in Middle Earth, I'm not sure why anyone wants it to spread.

The last thing I imagined for that world was a dirty world with subdued colors, and I certainly never imagined that the real world would be more vivid and alive than Narnia, but that's exactly what it looks like from the pieces of concept art we've seen and this footage. I don't know, I don't see how making the fantasy world of Narnia more dark, ugly and dreary than the real world is helping the story at all. It's like reversing the Wizard of Oz and having the real world be in color and Oz in black and white.

 

[Tritroid]

I wish there was a roll-eyes image for this post.

What are you talking about? Even if we bought into your exaggerated and godlike view of Middle Earth's complexity and creativity, what does that have to do with Narnia? How does transplanting one world's look and "creativity" into another serve the latter best? Christian allegory has absolutely nothing to do with this! (And for the record, Tolkien's books, nor the films, were exactly subtle either.) If you think LOTR's world is the only way to create a diverse fantasy world, well, that's just stupid.

Seems like most of you just want more LOTR from Narnia. I want NARNIA from Narnia. Middle Earth should stay in Middle Earth, I'm not sure why anyone wants it to spread.

The last thing I imagined for that world was a dirty world with subdued colors, and I certainly never imagined that the real world would be more vivid and alive than Narnia, but that's exactly what it looks like from the pieces of concept art we've seen and this footage. I don't know, I don't see how making the fantasy world of Narnia more dark, ugly and dreary than the real world is helping the story at all. It's like reversing the Wizard of Oz and having the real world be in color and Oz in black and white.

Ok well first of all you have to consider that when the 4 children first enter Narnia in LW&W, Narnia is dark, ugly, and dreary due to the spell of constant winter. There are also multiple monsters and beasts because of the White Witch's presence. With that said, you can't exactly expect to see a 'colorful and vivid' Narnia until the very end, or Prince Caspian.

 

[Dan]

Ok well first of all you have to consider that when the 4 children first enter Narnia in LW&W, Narnia is dark, ugly, and dreary due to the spell of constant winter. There are also multiple monsters and beasts because of the White Witch's presence. With that said, you can't exactly expect to see a 'colorful and vivid' Narnia until the very end, or Prince Caspian.

I never imagined even the constant winter to be like this. It was far from bright and lively, but it also wasn't the dark, dreary and ugly that was Middle Earth.

Monsters and beasts don't automatically have to look like LOTR leftovers.

 

[SKluck]

I always thought of it as just pure bland white all over. Kind of desolate.

 

[Drozmight]

Wasn't Lewis friends with Tolkien... in fact I think Treebeard was somewhat of a representation of Lewis (talking slow and what not). If so, I'd think it kinda cool if both movies had the same kinda feel, as they no doubt influenced eachother, like the movies.

 

[TheQueen'sOwn]

crappy BBC live-action adaptions for crying out loud (though I've never read any of the books except for TLW&W).

I loved those too! Still have them on VHS.

 

[teiresias]

I wish there was a roll-eyes image for this post.

What are you talking about? Even if we bought into your exaggerated and godlike view of Middle Earth's complexity and creativity, what does that have to do with Narnia? How does transplanting one world's look and "creativity" into another serve the latter best? Christian allegory has absolutely nothing to do with this! (And for the record, Tolkien's books, nor the films, were exactly subtle either.) If you think LOTR's world is the only way to create a diverse fantasy world, well, that's just stupid.

I think you misunderstood my post. It just seemed to me like you were saying since Narnia was written more "kid friendly" than it was more creative. If not, then sorry.

And I didn't give my opinion of the featurette here so I don't see how you think I want LOTR transplanted to Narnia, because I've complained about that very feeling in another forum I visit. I believe a quote from my post at that forum was:

It's like someone at WETA looked at all the leftover LOTR stuff and said, "Let's slap some lion insignias on it and use it in Narnia."

Which is the feeling I get from the featurette. There is one piece of footage showing the minotaurs talking that looks almost like it's post-processed because it's VERY white and monochromatic, but if that's going to be the whole "look" of Narnia through the film it's going to get old pretty damn fast, because any color was washed out.

I always felt Narnia would do better to be more highly stylized than Middle-Earth was in the LOTR films, more fantastical (thinking along the lines of Dark Crystal or something, just more modern and refined).

 

[Dan]

Okay, fair enough. I wasn't the one that made the original kid-friendly comment, I just thought that you might have been saying LOTR's style of world or whatever was inherently better than Narnia's. I guess we're pretty much on the same page though.

Yeah, that processed minotaur footage doesn't do much for me...

 

[Liono]

Meh, kid-friendly does not necessarily equate with more creative. Middle-Earth is one of the most complex and "real" fantasy environments ever created in literature, it can't get more creative than that - and Tolkien didn't have to unabashedly wrap his in christian allegory to get his point across either. Not to bad mouth Lewis or Narnia of course, hell, I loved the crappy BBC live-action adaptions for crying out loud (though I've never read any of the books except for TLW&W).

Not sure what you're trying to say here. By creative I meant not being a duplicate of LOTR, and by kid-friendly I meant being more accessible to younger audiences-- because personally, the lion the witch and the wardrobe was one of my favorite stories growing up.

 

[lexbubble]

Sucks about the Nephew, that was my favourite book of the series. Not really feeling the movie from what I saw in that video though...


As for Horse and His Boy, I think that some of the racial themes might be a bit much in the post 9/11 world, this might be one of the reasons they chose not to do it.

As others have said, you have to remember that LWW was really the first written book. the magicians nephew didn't come until much much later and while it does explain the creation of narnia its not necessary to have it to understand whats going on in the movie.

cause the books jump around in Time (narnia time is weird) its not like skipping a book will totally screw things up. I actually read that they are not planning on skipping, but rather combining some of the shorter sequential books together...isn't Horse and his boy Really short. and couldn't it merge with the other desert type one. i kinda forget..but thats my two thoughts.

to the footage- that stuff looks awesome. i don't think its going to be too LOTRy. Afterall Narnia is not Middle Earth at all and rather a magical and beautiful mystical place. I am very excited.

 

[geogaddi]

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien (1937) Moot 1 (KK)

Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) Moot 2
The Two Towers (1954) Moot 3
Return of the King (1955) Moot 4

Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis [chronology of events in parens after pub. date]
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950--2) Moot 5
Prince Caspian (1951--4) Moot 6
The Voyage of the "Dawn Treader" (1952--5) Moot 7
The Silver Chair (1953--6) Moot 8
The Horse and His Boy (1954--3) Moot 9
The Magician's Nephew [optional] (1955--1)
The Last Battle [optional] (1956--7)

 

[geogaddi]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1587680262/ref=ase_christianitytoda/104-1071776-5327160?v=glance&s=books

Reviews of the book seem pretty good.

 

[Manics]

I only ever read the Screwtape Letters from Lewis which I really enjoyed. I'm planning on going through the Narnia set if I ever pick them up.

 

[radioheadrule83]

We saw absolutely no footage of locales there.. I'm not getting a LOTR vibe at all. In fact, I'm quite glad I'm not. The trailer for the new Legend of Zelda made me pig sick with its likeness in some parts, largely because I've always thought of a more out of this world Zelda... something either like a cartoon, or more like Ridley Scott's Legend / Dark Crystal / Labrynth - things like that. It seemed like a cop out.

Some of the miniatures of character designs there were quite promising.. some of the weapons and creature make up did look like it had Weta's mark, but I'm confident this will have it's own look and feel when it's done.

This is probably my most anticipated series of films once Star Wars is over, and now that LOTR is over with.

 

[lexbubble]

I am bumping with new concept art for the film...it looks really cool..i just wish that there was more of it:

http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=6326

(sorry not posting pics....its not working for me)

 

[=W=]

Looks great. Can't wait to see these. I think The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is my favorite.