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The Lion, the Witch, and the Great Insult by James Tonkowich Last week, the movie Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe opened to critical acclaim. Needless to say, though, not every critic loved the film. At least one was, let's just say, less than enthusiastic about it: "Narnia represents everything that is most hateful about religion," ran the headline of an article in the British newspaper The Guardian. The author, Polly Toynbee, warns her readers that "adults who wince at the worst elements of Christian belief may need a sickbag handy for the most religiose scenes."...

LOS ANGELES — "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" snatched the box office crown from "King Kong" during another fierce four-day holiday battle for the top spot. Less than $2 million separated "Kong" and "Narnia" each of the past two weekends. "We edged out `Kong.' It's been neck-and-neck," Buena Vista's Dennis Rice said Monday. "These are two great movies in the marketplace that are doing great business." "Narnia" took in an estimated $32.8 million from Friday through Monday, nudging Universal's "King Kong" out of the No. 1 spot and into second with a New Year's...

. . .My kids were grade-school fans of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." In recent years, however, they have come to appreciate its deeper lessons. So they wanted to see the new film version to start the Christmas season. Yet we approached the theater with some trepidation. Would Hollywood turn the noble Pevensie children into self-absorbed brats, as it tends to do when it gets its hands on classic tales? Fortunately, we weren't disappointed. My children left the theater with a noticeable light in their eyes. In the parking lot, my son paused and said, "That's the kind...

CS Lewis on "Xmas and Christmas"    CHARLES J. CHAPUT, O.F.M. CAP. Fifty years ago C.S. Lewis published an ironic little essay called, "Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus." In it, he reverses the letters of his home country, "Britain." Then he writes about the strange winter customs of a barbarian nation called Niatirb. It's worth reading, as we get deeper into Advent. I'll share with you just one passage. "In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound, (the Niatirbians) have a great festival called Exmas, and for 50 days they prepare for it (in...

The Chronicles of Narnia has done the unthinkable - it's put Christianity smack-bang in the middle of a pop-cultural debate. Stephanie Bunbury spoke with Tilda Swinton and the Kiwi director Andrew Adamson about the film's "hidden" meaning. If anyone still requires proof of the gulf of difference between the US and everywhere else, look no further than the current storm-in-a-cappuccino about The Chronicles of Narnia. For weeks, it seems, there have been spats in the papers about C.S. Lewis' classic children's fantasy series, the first instalment of which has just been adapted as a lush blockbuster by Andrew Adamson, who...

April 29, 2006 St. Edward’s University The Fellows of the Hill Country Institute for Contemporary Christianity and volunteers organizing this conference invite you to join us for a glorious time of stimulating thought, artistic beauty, and fellowship with others who are friends on the journey. The Third Austin C.S. Lewis Conference will feature internationally known speakers, artistic interludes, meals accompanied by live music, a panel discussion featuring the speakers, and a play about the life of C.S. Lewis. C.S. Lewis is our guide and friend as we move forward to walk by faith. He set a tone of thought provoking...

God sent the human race what I call good dreams: I mean those queer stories scattered all through the heathen religions about a god who dies and comes to life again and, by his death, has somehow given new life to men. He also selected one particular people and spent several centuries hammering into their heads the sort of God He was — that there was only one of Him and that He cared about right conduct. Those people were the Jews, and the Old Testament gives an account of the hammering process. Then comes the real shock. Among these...

One of my favorite stories is of famished Samaria under siege. "Hear the word of the Lord," Elisha said in 2 Kings 7, "Tomorrow about this time a seah of fine flour shall be sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, at the gate of Samaria." He was announcing imminent bargain prices on a starvation day when "a donkey's head was sold for eighty shekels of silver" and some dove's dung for five shekels (2 Kings 6:25). Sure. No way. Who will not pity Saul? Nothing was happening. The brave hero, having waited seven days...

Narnia characters will appear in McDonalds happy meals from December 16 to January 12. Each McDonald’s Happy Meal includes an articulated action figure and interactive pop-up book that provides a richly detailed play environment to bring the film to life. 1. Lucy Pevensie and the Wardrobe features a charming Lucy action figure. The door of Lucy’s wardrobe diorama opens so she can enter the mystical world of Narnia on the reverse side. 2. Mr. Tumnus and his Home includes Tumnus, who sports a scarf that doubles as a whistle, and a detailed pop-up book depicting his wintry home. 3. Edmund...

According to a source at Disney who requested anonymity Prince Caspian, the second story in the Chronicles of Narnia, has been greenlit for a December 2007 theatrical release. Disney was hoping for a $60 million opening weekend for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and since the film’s opening exceeded their expectation they are moving forward. Don’t expect an official announcement until later in the week or possibly as late as January. Adamson hasn’t decided whether he will direct the new film, but most think he will be back. The script is very nearly finished, and the general feeling...

The latest children's favourite to be given the Hollywood treatment, CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia has been dismissed as sexist, racist, Christian propaganda. Alison Lurie on the fairytale that has divided children and adults alike Most enormously successful children's books, like Harry Potter, become successful films within a few years of their publication. But there is one odd exception: CS Lewis's The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe has taken 55 years to reach the screen. Or maybe it is not so odd. On first reading, this story and the six other Chronicles of Narnia that followed it seem simple,...

Children won't get the Christian subtext, but unbelievers should keep a sickbag handy during Disney's new epic, writes Polly Toynbee Monday December 5, 2005 The Guardian Aslan the lion shakes his mighty mane and roars out across Narnia and eternity. Christ is risen! However, not many British children these days will get the message. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opens this week to take up the mantle left by The Lord of the Rings. CS Lewis's seven children's books, The Chronicles of Narnia, will be with us now and for many Christmases to come. Only Harry Potter has...

If the White Witch had understood the meaning of sacrifice... —Aslan Rarely do I view a movie in the theater, but I made an exception for the adaptation of CS Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" the first in the Chronicle of Narnia series. As a movie, it's one of the best produced film I've seen. Rarely does a film have so much going for it. During the opening credits, when the heroes (four English Children) are on a train, I could tell I was going to witness a cinematic masterpiece and Disney didn't disappoint in Lewis' fantasy...

The DUmmies are upset over the fact that there might be a (GASP! SHOCK!) message in the recently released Narnia movie as you can see in this THREAD titled, "Is anyone esle annoyed with the proselytizing of the Narnia movie?" Yeah, this is soooooo unique in a movie. As if "Bareback Mountain," "Syriana," or "Good Night and Good Luck" have no messages. The truth is that almost ALL movies have some sort of message. Often people might not even agree with the message to enjoy the movie. An example is "Doctor Strangelove" and its message that the U.S. military...

...(GD=The Great Divorce; LM=Letters to Malcolm, M=Miracles, MC=Mere Christianity; PP=the Problem of Pain; RPO=Reflections on the Psalms, SJ=Suprised by Joy, SL= The Screwtape Letters: ...Theology Proper On Creation: Lewis believed that evolution was true to an extent in the past, but that it will be superseded in the future (MC, p.169). "...for we have good reason to believe that animals existed long before men...For long centuries God pefected the animal form which was to become the vehicle of humanity and the image of Himself...[Eventually,] God caused a new kind of consciousness to descend upon this organism" (PP,pp. 137,77). "...Man, the...

THIS WEEKEND Just days ahead of a giant ape's mighty yell, a ferocious lion roared into North American theaters as Disney's big-budget epic The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe generated an explosive opening weekend at number one fueling what should become a gargantuan end-of-year box office surge. Meanwhile, adult audiences flocked to the political thriller Syriana which expanded nationwide while in limited release Brokeback Mountain and Memoirs of a Geisha debuted to eye-popping results kicking off what is sure to be another exciting awards season. Delivering the third biggest opening of the year, Narnia attracted...

<p>They were chuckling over how blatant and outrageous what they perceived as C.S. Lewis’ attack on the papacy in the Chronicles of Narnia was.They were referring to “The Final Battle,” specifically, wherein Donkey is dressed up as a Lion and presented as Aslan, the God-King of Narnia.</p>

There has for several days been a tremendous fluttering in the dovecotes of the liberal intelligentsia; this twittering and squawking has been caused by the dramatic appearance of Aslan, the Christ-like lion in CS Lewis’s children’s story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; the multi-million-dollar Disney film of the book was released here last week to huge publicity. Several prominent members of the commentariat have felt moved to express their contempt and indignation at something that will give huge pleasure to millions of children. If it were not so repressive and censorious, this would be comic. The problem for...

My wife and I watched the movie, it was mostly a packed theatre at 4PM this afternoon and was on 3 other screens in the same theater. I would recommend it highly, if you go out and support movies like this maybe someone else will produce the next C.S. Lewis book or at least something your family can watch. Movie was very good, good life lessons. Rated PG for a couple of semi violent scenes but had no sexual content or foul language. You can take your kids to this movie if they watched Brother Bear with no problem. Liam...

Okay, everyone, you've had a chance to see the film! Currently, it is at the top of the box office, per Drudge. Some reviews and discussion have entered the board, but I thought I'd create an "official" thread for feedback, and ping the Narnia list so we can all discuss our thoughts, excitement, enjoyment, etc. about the film. I have to warn you! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. This is for folks who have ALREADY SEEN THE FILM. If you haven't, and don't want spoilers....hit the little X on the top-right of this window. I have written two reviews, one for...

I went into this one thinking that it looked too clean, that Liam Neeson’s voice coming out of Aslan was going to be as distracting as Sean Connery coming out of Draco, that Andrew Adamson was the completely wrong director, that James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus was tragic miscasting with a design that was incredibly uninspired and that I would walk out of the film thinking that this was going to be the first nail in the coffin of fantasy, that LORD OF THE RINGS and the HARRY POTTER movies had brought back to life. I was way wrong. THE...

In the 42 years since his death, the prolific C.S. Lewis has never failed to lure hordes of fans through his writings - and to irritate religious skeptics. Yesterday's opening in cinemas of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on one of Lewis's seven children's novels, is creating a new round of Lewis mania. New editions of his works have been published, as have numerous books and articles about him and the film. There are new study guides, lectures, Internet chatter, audiotapes, music CDs, games - and one legal threat. Americans United for Separation...

Last night, my wife, two parents and I took nine senior high youth to see the first installment on screen of the Chronicles of Narnia movies. But, first, we had a meal at our house patterned on that which the Pevensie children had with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver in the Beaver's House. In the book, it was fried fish (which Mr. Beaver pulled out of the ice with his paws), boiled potatoes, scones, and tea. Last night, we had a wonderful broiled salmon, boiled potatoes, freshly baked bread from our oven, apricot scones, devon cream, lemon curd, cider, and turkish...

You won't understand the genius of C. S. Lewis's literary criticism, satire, science fiction, and theological essays until you spend time in Narnia.by Alan Jacobs | posted 12/09/2005 11:30 a.m. In March of 1949, C. S. Lewis invited a friend named Roger Lancelyn Green to dinner at Magdalen College of Oxford University, where Lewis was a tutor. Green had attended Lewis's lectures a decade earlier, and their friendship had grown over the years. It must have been especially refreshing for Lewis to contemplate an evening of food, wine, and conversation, for his life was miserable at that moment.He lived with...

Narnia came out this Friday. Why not post a review or mini-review after you have seen it?

I was one of select group to have the honor of hearing Aslan roar from the big screen last weekend during a pre-screening of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. And mind you, his roar was loud and clear as a tale of wonder and majesty unfolded throughout the film. There was a rumble of excited voices as a steady stream of anxious viewers wearing everything from cowboy hats to wool toboggans made their way into a theater designed for about 300 people. It appeared to be filled to capacity as viewers readied themselves for...

Disney's holiday season release of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is set for this weekend -– and some Christians are worried the media giant is more intent in cashing in on the faithful, rather then sharing the film's Christian message. The Disney backed film is based on one of C.S. Lewis' "Narnia" books. Lewis was a noted Christian apologist, and his Narnia books have been viewed as religious allegory about the life of Christ. While Disney clearly hopes to tap into the same audience that made Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" a...

Newly Discovered Letter Reveals Narnia Story is About Christ Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005 Posted: 8:51:21PM EST This Friday, when tens of thousands head to the theaters for the motion picture release of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” church groups will have with them a new piece of evidence that the children's story tells a Christian message. This Friday, when tens of thousands head to the theaters for the release of ''Narnia,'' churchgoers will have with them a new piece of evidence that the children's story tells a Christian message. No More Christian Nice Guy...

C.S. Lewis on ‘Xmas and Christmas’ Some lessons from the barbarian mists of Niatirb Fifty years ago C.S. Lewis published an ironic little essay called, “Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus.” In it, he reverses the letters of his home country, “Britain.” Then he writes about the strange winter customs of a barbarian nation called Niatirb. It’s worth reading, as we get deeper into Advent. I’ll share with you just one passage. “In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound, (the Niatirbians) have a great festival called Exmas, and for 50 days they prepare for...

After nearly 13 years in the making, one of the most beloved pieces of children's literature comes to life using technology unimaginable by its author when first published in 1950. Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media bring C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the big screen later this week, opening on Friday, December 9. Authentic costumes, computer-generated animation, cutting-edge software and astounding special effects transport viewers into the breathtaking land of Narnia. There audiences become one with the classic tale, in which good triumphs over evil. "The story follows the exploits of...

Aslan the lion shakes his mighty mane and roars out across Narnia and eternity. Christ is risen! However, not many British children these days will get the message. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opens this week to take up the mantle left by The Lord of the Rings. CS Lewis's seven children's books, The Chronicles of Narnia, will be with us now and for many Christmases to come. .... US born-agains are using the movie. .... children may puzzle over the lion and ask embarrassing questions. .... The sins of this "son of Adam" can only be redeemed...

The Sunday Times December 04, 2005 Narnia's lion really is Jesus Christopher Morgan AN unpublished letter from the novelist C S Lewis has provided conclusive proof of the Christian message in his Narnia children’s books. In the letter, sent to a child fan in 1961, Lewis writes: “The whole Narnian story is about Christ.” It has been found by Walter Hooper, literary adviser to the Lewis estate. It has emerged ahead of this week’s release of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The film, starring Tilda Swinton and Jim Broadbent, cost £75m to make and...

Key players are downplaying the Christian aspects of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" less than two weeks before the opening of the expected blockbuster movie. Douglas Gresham, stepson of the late C.S. Lewis -- the Oxford professor who authored the top-rated children's book -- called the religious emphasis "an American disease." "The Brits don't give two figs about that aspect," Mr. Gresham said in an interview from his home near Dublin. Even the film's resurrection theme does not mean it's a Christian story, he added. "That idea is informed by the religious training of...

TheOneNetwork.com has posted six new clips from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Scenes include Lucy stepping through the wardrobe (little new material there), the Pevensies finding "a TALKING beaver!", Edmund with the White Witch, the beavers and the three Pevensies eluding murderous wolves, and the White Witch declaring victory (either before or after killing Aslan). I'm blown away by the performance of Tilda Swinton. Her behavior with Edmund is so motherly, so seemingly kind and sincere...entirely believable and congruent with the book.

This somewhat blurry article about the author of Narnia, one of many that I'm sure is coming, the vanguard of a certain CSL demolition I begin to detect, seems to miss CSL entirely.  For example, Narnia is not Earth, Alsan is not Jesus, and the "spiritual needs" of Narnia are of a different order and type than those of our world. CSL wasn't rewriting the Gospels, but doing something else.  If we have to personalize CSL's work (something he would have detested), it's more interesting to consider how brilliant images-the lampost in the forest, the floating islands, the well in...

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- John Ryan Duncan was a C.S. Lewis fan before it was cool to be a C.S. Lewis fan. Lewis has always had fans -- none of the prolific Christian writer's books has ever gone out of print -- but a bandwagon for him has begun to roll in anticipation of the Dec. 9 release of the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," based on a Lewis novel. Duncan filmed a documentary and wrote a companion book, both titled "The Magic Never Ends: The Life and Work of C.S. Lewis" and released...

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- C.S. Lewis, author of the classic children's "Narnia" books which are about to make their big screen debut, was "absolutely opposed" to a live action version of his stories, a newly published letter shows. Walt Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" is expected to be a big box office hit this Christmas season, thanks to its blend of magical fantasy themes and a strong Christian slant.

A Swedish television website has made the nine-minute super-trailer for Narnia available to the public by clicking here. Some of you do not want the spoilers. The trailer sums up the movie, almost, although not necessarily giving everything away. Trained Narnia fans/devotees will probably recognize almost everything, but then again, if you're a trained Narnia devotee, not much will surprise you anyway. I have watched the trailer. It's amazing. Incredible. For anyone with doubts about attending the film, I'm sure this will quell those doubts. After viewing the trailer, prepare for a midnight viewing on Thursday of next week. Like...

In an article posted October 3, 2005, Time magazine put forth a test for discerning if the upcoming Disney film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is "Christian" or not: whether four key sentences from the C.S. Lewis classic fantasy book by the same name are left intact. The issue? No less than the biblical doctrine of blood-bought redemption—by a Christ-figure lion character named Aslan. The importance of such a literary litmus test is not lost on Disney. Father Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things, writes that Disney is "putting on a full-court press...

NEW YORK — In a Nov. 13 New York Times Magazine story about the movie "Left Behind: World at War" — based on the best-selling book series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye — Peter Lalonde, co-CEO of Cloud Ten Pictures, which produced the film, had this to say about the forthcoming film "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" (TLTWTW): "Great film, but there's nothing Christian about it." Hallelujah! Perhaps not since the 1981 best picture "Chariots of Fire" has there been a film that so subtly and wonderfully appeals to the spirit and...

When news came through that a film of CS Lewis's The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe was planned, many must have dismissed the idea as eccentric. In this age of Harry Potter, and the distinctly atheist children's author Philip Pullman, surely CS Lewis was a little quaint, old-fashioned - and just too Christian - to work in this present climate? How could a tale involving London wartime evacuee children, a magical wardrobe, a terrifying witch and a lion who serves as a metaphor for Christ translate to an epic film that would take on all the other major franchises?...

LONDON (Reuters) - For Christian church leaders, Disney's "Narnia" blockbuster film could be the ideal way to pack the pews. Evangelical publishers have sent out special packs to churches, Methodists prepared themed sermons and one Anglican church is giving out free tickets to single parents for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe". For Walt Disney Co. the film based on the C.S. Lewis classic offers a chance to recover at the box office after its latest quarterly losses. For churches, the movie being given its world premiere in London on December 7 is a golden...

What does the Chronicles of Narnia mean to Christians and why are these books by C.S. Lewis important to our society. The books delve into the crossing from childhood into an age of accountibility and how one is to conport oneself as a man or woman. Where did Lewis get the idea for his masterpiece of children's literature? From the literature of Knighthood. Knights rarely lived up to the idea of the perfect knight but the idea existed of the Christian Crusader who fought in the name of christ against the evils of the world. Who was able to uphold...

“I should like balls infinitely better,” said Caroline Bingley, “if they were carried on in a different manner … It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of dancing made the order of the day.”“Much more rational, I dare say,” replied her brother, “but it would not be near so much like a Ball.” We are told that the lady was silenced: yet it could be maintained that Jane Austen has not allowed Bingley to put forward the full strength of his position. He ought to have replied with a distinguo. In one sense, conversation is more rational,...

Moviefone.com has released a new scene from the upcoming Chronicles of Narnia film; the build-up to battle. The following is the description of the scene, for those who cannot access the clip. First, we see the director. He is sitting in a chair, with a snowy forest background behind him. "Hi, I’m Andrew Adamson, director of The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Over the past year, we’ve taken you behind the magic of Narnia as we brought this classic story to life. As production wraps, we thought we’d share an exclusive scene I’ve chosen from...

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Faced with promoting its movie version of C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe," a book that many readers consider a contemporary classic, the Walt Disney Co. decided to tread carefully with a "classy" promotional program that highlights the book's literary heritage. The movie, which opens December 9, will be linked to about 80 different brands ranging from Honey Nut Cheerios to Quilted Northern bath tissue to McDonald's Happy Meals, but Disney and its promotional partners say they have made a concerted effort to do what they can to...

The fourth Harry Potter film, The Goblet of Fire, is confidently expected to break box-office records when it opens in the UK on 18 November. Directed by Mike Newell of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame, it will be the fourth hit in a row for its young stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint. All three have been signed up for the fifth film, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, due out in summer 2007. By then, however, the series' status as Hollywood's pre-eminent fantasy franchise may be under threat from another blockbuster saga looming on...

The secret of the wardrobe By Steve Tomkins Aslan, as depicted in the new Disney film, is said to represent Jesus It took CS Lewis just three months to knock out the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but the work had one major critic... his friend JRR Tolkien. Yet the book went on to be one of the all time great fantasy novels. What makes it so outstanding? JRR Tolkien was among the close friends to whom CS Lewis read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as he was writing it. Tolkien hated it. "It really won't do,"...

There can be few films more eagerly awaited than The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. It has been 30 years since Hollywood first toyed with the idea of bringing CS Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia to the screen. But the wait has been absolutely worth it. This re-telling of the story manages to be enthralling and, at the same time, sweet and gentle. I saw the first screening in America and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lewis's stepson, Douglas Gresham, who has carefully guarded the rights to the much-loved stories, finally entrusted them to the billionaire Christian financier and film producer Philip...

Starz Entertainment Group (SEG), Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media announced today that they will partner to bring Starz and Encore viewers an exclusive sneak peek at Walt Disney Pictures' and Walden Media's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe prior to its nationwide theatrical release on December 9. Starz, Starz Kids & Family and Encore viewers will be taken behind the wardrobe door to experience a 30-minute original Starz Original production and a 9-minute sneak peek of the film beginning on Thursday, November 24. "Kids and adults alike will delight in this opportunity to get...