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Production art from the new Narnia film!

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Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
Ok, that looks fucking awesome. Especially the logo.

I was thinking Disney would gay it up and make it all cutesy. But this looks almost LotR-ish, which makes is so promising.

I will be all over these.

It would be wise for Disney to initially plan to release the first 3 books in movie form (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian, and The Voyage of the Dawn Treador) and then possibly consider the other books depending upon how well the first 3 do in theaters. It would be hard to push movies based on books 4-7 because they don't feature the same main characters as books 1-3 and the audience might feel alienated.
 
M

mattx5

Member
Some more news -



Tilda Swinton is set for the role of the White Witch.

Special Effects Notes: WETA Digital (Contact, the Lord of the Rings trilogy) (according to IGN FilmForce, by way of Dark Horizons) (8/10/03) On the subject of special effects, it's important to note that the production company plans on using a real, live lion for King Aslan (though I suspect they will probably use some sort of effects/CGI to move his mouth when he talks). (3/29/04) It turns out that WETA's involvement was only in doing initial character designs. Rhythm & Hues has signed on to handle the actual work, with 18 months to do hundreds of shots, on a schedule that is expected to stretch all the way until October, 2005


Release Date Note: (10/14/03) When this project was first announced, the target release date was sometime in the summer of 2004, but the production has now given itself another 15 months by shooting for December, 2005 instead. Another New Zealand/WETA Digital production is also aiming for that month: Peter Jackson's King Kong.


Edit-

I've heard that while they've optioned all 7 books, they most likely won't make The Magician's Nephew and A Horse And His Boy, unless the first 5 films are hugely succesful, because those 2 books don't fit into the main story arc.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
mattx5 said:
Some more news -



Tilda Swinton is set for the role of the White Witch.

Special Effects Notes: WETA Digital (Contact, the Lord of the Rings trilogy) (according to IGN FilmForce, by way of Dark Horizons) (8/10/03) On the subject of special effects, it's important to note that the production company plans on using a real, live lion for King Atlan (though I suspect they will probably use some sort of effects/CGI to move his mouth when he talks). (3/29/04) It turns out that WETA's involvement was only in doing initial character designs. Rhythm & Hues has signed on to handle the actual work, with 18 months to do hundreds of shots, on a schedule that is expected to stretch all the way until October, 2005


Release Date Note: (10/14/03) When this project was first announced, the target release date was sometime in the summer of 2004, but the production has now given itself another 15 months by shooting for December, 2005 instead. Another New Zealand/WETA Digital production is also aiming for that month: Peter Jackson's King Kong.
Click to expand...

It's ASLAN you bastards! ASLAN!

They're making the right decision going with a real lion for this one. The previous live action Narnia movies used a puppet lion and god was it bad. It worked for certain moments, but overall it looked way too fake.

I've heard that while they've optioned all 7 books, they most likely won't make The Magician's Nephew and A Horse And His Boy, unless the first 5 films a re hugely succesful, because those 2 books don't fit into the main story arc.
Click to expand...

Well book 6 does (The Magician's Nephew), since it deals with the creation of Narnia, the first humans to visit it, and the origins of the White Witch. Recent publications of the Narnia series have begun altering the order in which the books are set as a matter of fact, putting The Magician's Nephew as Book 1 in the set and shifting everything else down.

The Horse and his Boy however would not fit, I agree. That book is pretty much uneventful as well. It was quite a boring read. I never really understood why Lewis chose to write that one. :\
 
S

sprsk

force push the doodoo rock
Dreamfixx said:
C'mon, bro. This is Disney we're talking about here.
Click to expand...



oh-no.jpg
 
S

StrikerObi

Member
They're already fucked up enough by starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I understand it's the first written and published in the series, but they really should be starting with The Magician's Newphew.

With that said, the art looks awesome, the logo is too colorful.

Don't fuck this up Disney, I loved those books as a child, all of them. I'll kill you if you ruin them.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
StrikerObi said:
They're already fucked up enough by starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I understand it's the first written and published in the series, but they really should be starting with The Magician's Newphew.

With that said, the art looks awesome, the logo is too colorful.

Don't fuck this up Disney, I loved those books as a child, all of them. I'll kill you if you ruin them.
Click to expand...
I disagree.

While it makes more sense to start with Book 6, since it explains the beginning of everything, it isn't necessarily the right kind of story to draw in the crowds. The Magician's Nephew is even more 'out there' than Book 7 in my opinion, especially with the warping between the worlds early in the story. It doesn't really contain the sort of heart-warming/charming elements that made Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe so popular. (I also personally like the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy much more than the story of Digory and Polly, but that's just me. :p )

There's also the fact that most people are going to recognize the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe whereas most would not recognize The Magician's Nephew. Disney choosing to start with the original book is very wise since that's the one book that the rest of the series is usually associated with. You always hear, "From the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe series...", or "...continues the story of the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe..." etc.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
StrikerObi said:
It's going to look weird when the story jumps around towards the end though. That is, if they even make all the movies.
Click to expand...
Well true. I guess if they toss in a decent prologue, similar to how Galadriel handeled the opening of FotR and mid-point of TTT, explaining that movie 6 actually takes place before Peter is crowned High King it could work.

btw, here's the official site: http://www.narnia.com/index.htm

EDIT: The site has a 'History of Narnia' quiz in it that is actually pretty difficult. I had forgotten a lot of this stuff. :\
 
S

SD-Ness

Member
Looks nice, in my opinion. Tis better than the BBC version!

QUOTE=StrikerObi]They're already fucked up enough by starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I understand it's the first written and published in the series, but they really should be starting with The Magician's Newphew.[/quote]
Magician's Nephew is a prequel just like the Hobbit is a prequel. LOTR is out, The Hobbit is being filmed. I think Narnia should follow the same pattern.
 
C

COCKLES

being watched
This should put to rest the memories of that awful BBC version of the early 90's and the laughable animatronic Aslan.

I've read all the books, so I'll be rooting for this one.

Although no matter who they cast, they'll never get a better Ice Queen then the actress who played her on the American Children's foundation animated version - the definitive portrayal.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
COCKLES said:
This should put to rest the memories of that awful BBC version of the early 90's and the laughable animatronic Aslan.

I've read all the books, so I'll be rooting for this one.

Although no matter who they cast, they'll never get a better Ice Queen then the actress who played her on the American Children's foundation animated version - the definitive portrayal.
Click to expand...
You mean this one?

lww-anim.jpg
 
C

COCKLES

being watched
Tritroid said:
You mean this one?

lww-anim.jpg
Click to expand...

Yeah that's the one. The end theme music over credits is so perfect. It's a cheaply made one that takes liberties, but I like it for same reason I preferred animated LOTR - captures the charm that I didn't really see in the live action ones.
 
S

StoOgE

First tragedy, then farce.
In C.S. Lewis' life he never saw fit to reorder the books.. just because his stupid family decided that they would reorder the books into chronological order does not mean it should be done..

for a number of reasons this is smart.. alot of people may not know what the chronicles of narnia is, but they will know what the lion the with and the wardrobe is... the first book probably has the most recognizable title of the entire series, its also a great first book.. the magicians nephew takes liberties that we allready know who the charachters are when it explains their origins, while the lion the witch and the wardrobe is where the charachters are introducedd.

The fact that they are going in this order gives me confidence that they are doing it right.
 
J

Jonnyboy117

Member
Magician's Nephew is my favorite book in the series. I'll be tres pissed if they don't film it. But it should come in the proper order...I think one of the best things about it is how much nostalgia it evokes of the first book, and that effect is lost if you place it at the beginning. Prequels are, by definition, released after the original work.
 
N

nitewulf

Member
loved the cartoon series, i always heard good reviews of the BBC TV series as well. hopefully the movies will be great.
 
L

Lathentar

Looking for Pants
Oni Jazar said:
So are the going to keep the Christian themes in the movies?
Click to expand...

How could they do the movie and not have the Christian Themes? The whole story basically revolves around them.
 
C

COCKLES

being watched
Lathentar said:
How could they do the movie and not have the Christian Themes? The whole story basically revolves around them.
Click to expand...

"Well you see in our new version. Aslan is this cybernetic Lion from the future, and get this...gee, well the White Witch is actually Osama Bin Laden in drag".

"Erm. No."
 
W

Willco

Hollywood Square
Lathentar said:
How could they do the movie and not have the Christian Themes? The whole story basically revolves around them.
Click to expand...

By Christian themes, do you mean like, "Jews are evil! Adam and Eve, NOT ADAM AND STEVE! ETC.!"
 
S

Semjaza Azazel

Member
The site specifically asks you to not direct link to these pictures, so you go ahead and do it anyway?

Anyway, I'm really excited. I prefer this series to LotR even and I hope they are pulled off justly.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
Willco said:
By Christian themes, do you mean like, "Jews are evil! Adam and Eve, NOT ADAM AND STEVE! ETC.!"
Click to expand...
Not quite.

Aslan is basically the heaviest Christian theme in the series. He's presented as a Christ figure, and goes through multiple Christ-like events that are evident of the Christian faith.
He is sacrificed on a stone table in a way very similar to how Christ was crucified on the cross. He is resurrected after this event, and essentially performs 'miracles' throughout the rest of the series. In the 3rd book, Voyage of the Dawn Treador, he appears to Lucy and Edmund as a lamb instead of a lion, making the connection to Christ as he is often refered to as a lamb. The 7th book, The Last Battle, is the "secrets revealed" book in which Narnia is conquered and corrupted (which represents Earth as in Revelation) and Aslan establishes a 'new' Narnia that is more or less Heaven, or the New Jerusalem in a biblical sense. The interesting part about book 7, is that all of the children except Susan are granted admittance into the New Narnia. It's later revealed that the children were on board a train that crashed in London, where they were all killed. Thus, them being in the New Narnia is basically the same as being in Heaven. (It's kind of a morbid ending for a childrens' series, but I still hope they plan to implement this if they make a movie out of Book 7.)
 
M

MetatronM

Unconfirmed Member
Man, I really don't remember much from the Chronicles of Narnia. All I remember is that I loved Voyage of the Dawn Treador the most as a kid. I don't remember what happened in the book or why I liked it so much, but I have the fondest memory of that book (as in, hearing the title makes me happy).

I hope these movies are good, though. The Narnia stories are strange enough that I wonder how well they'll be able to translate it to film.
 
M

mattx5

Member
Damn, I don't remember the last book at all. Could someone explain to me
why Susan wasn't admitted into New Narnia?
 
F

Felidae_Khrall

Member
mattx5 said:
Damn, I don't remember the last book at all. Could someone explain to me
why Susan wasn't admitted into New Narnia?
Click to expand...

I can't remember myself... I know I know it... but it's sitting right in the back of my head teasing. me.. I want to say
that she was A: too old. or B: IT was something she did, maybe what she did with the ice queen. There was a couple of times that she screwed over the Wardrobe Gang.
But i can't remember.. it's been too long.
 
Tritroid

Tritroid

Member
mattx5 said:
Damn, I don't remember the last book at all. Could someone explain to me
why Susan wasn't admitted into New Narnia?
Click to expand...
It was more or less her own decision.
From what I remember, Jill and Eustace had already been summoned to Narnia by Aslan because of the pending last battle that was about to take place, and he needed them there to help defend the country. Somehow though, Jill and Eustace return to London and inform Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan of Narnia's pending doom. Being adults by now, 3 of the 4 original children decide to aide Narnia and thus they end up being on the train that crashes. Susan however chooses not to help. I don't really remember if the book tells of specific reasons for Susan not going...I think it had to deal with her lack of belief in Narnia or something similar. It's pretty obvious that Lewis was still trying to use Christian themes when he decided to have Susan stay behind though; It's very similar to how Peter(biblical) denied Christ.
 
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