Skeptics Wary of Walden

The Guardian is running a very lengthy and interesting (if paranoid) article about Walden Media. The basic tenet of the article is: how can you trust educational materials produced by a film company? Doesn't it just amount to the ultimate form of crass marketing?

I've been paying attention to what Walden is doing for a long time, and it seems to me that no other studio would dream of producing films the way they do. It requires paying far too much attention to the source materials, and it's costly. I personally think Walden should be commended for their approach to education and filmmaking.

But then I generally don't get too paranoid about the politics of the people behind film studios. And that's The Guardian's real agenda. They just don't like the idea of Philip Anschutz.

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The Guardian, 30.06.05

New White Witch Interview

The June interview running in the Scottish Highland and Islands Arts Journal is with Tilda Swinton, the actress playing The White Witch in this December's release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Unlike other Swinton interviews, this one is less a sound-bite for the movie than a real, full-length interview about a star's body of work. It's a good one!

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Hi-Arts, 28.06.05

Narnia and Education

Over at the Financial Times, Tim Burt has written an article discussing the educational programs being prepared and promoted in connection with the December release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It's easy, when reading articles like this, to assess the marketing strategies for the movie and attribute far too much to Disney and far too little to Walden Media.

Walden's pattern of development and promotion has been the same for Narnia as it has been for their other films, such as Holes. Their interest is in taking popular children's literature and translating it faithfully to the screen (with the cooperation and involvement of the original authors when possible), faithfully translating the literary experience into a cinematic one in conjunction with the classroom.

It's to Walden's credit that their deal with Disney doesn't force them to change their modus operandii. And it's to Disney's credit that they're willing to let Walden operate with non-Hollywood interests.

But we should be clear that the education angle (not to mention the use of Christian publicists) is not a marketing strategy purely attributable to Disney. Narnia has been Walden's baby a lot longer than it has been Disney's.

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Financial Times, 28.06.05

Narnia in the Conservative Vanguard?

The New York Times is running a detailed, interesting article by James Ulmer titled, "On the Right Side of the Theatre Aisle." It's an analysis of recent trends toward more "conservative" artistic visions coming out of Hollywood. Like us, Ulmer read the sea-change occuring around the 2004 Oscars as significant and has a similar concern: conservatives may be able to generate the funds to back Hollywood-style entertainment, and are now motivated to do so; but where are the talented conservative artists to make the preachy films they'd want to finance?

If you're interested in a stimulating and educational analysis, well beyond anything you'll find on this blog, it's worth the time for the free registration at nytimes.com.

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New York Times, 26.06.05

Narnia and the SBC Disney Boycott

The American Familiy Association announced last month that it had ended its 8-year long boycott of Disney, citing, among other things, the upcoming production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as evidence that the boycott had been effective. Now the governing body of the Southern Baptist Convention has likewise overwhelmingly voted to end its own long-running Disney boycott. A spokesman for the SBC did note that the denomination will continue to keep a close eye on Disney, particularly watching to see if Disney has messed with C.S. Lewis' seminal children's story.

I guess the Narnia film is just going to be this year's must-see for Christian conservatives.

Our detailed comments on the boycott and Disney have already appeared on this blog.

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Baptist Press, 22.06.05

The Latest Poster

Several websites have posted the latest promotional poster for this December's release of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

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IGN Film Force, 21.06.05

Production Photos Galore

Hollywood Jesus has just posted an enormous collection of promotional images from Disney and Walden Media. 87 photos and pieces of artwork. No kidding! Has to be seen to be believed.



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Hollywood Jesus, 17.06.05

Promoting the Unknown

As reported by The Christian Post, yet another grassroots effort is throwing its weight behind promotion of the upcoming film version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This time, the effort appears tied into the music publishing industry. "A website called The Movement," reports the Post "is issuing an invitation for all C.S. Lewis fans to get involved in 'Team Narnia,' a special task force designed to help spread awareness for the upcoming film."

Team Narnia, like the 'Narniacs' being recruited by the Ground Force Network, will be made up of volunteer recruits. Naturally, these volunteers are expected to be huge Narnia fans; equally naturally, they are also being lured with promotional giveaways tied to the December, 2005, Disney / Walden Media release.

The objective of these efforts, apparently, is to help guarantee the box-office success of the film. Is this such a good idea?

Now, I understand that the Narnia films will be another salvo in the ongoing 'Hollywood vs. America' cultural pseudo-war. And I truly understand that many families would love to send a message, loud and clear, to movie producers that family-friendly fare actually sells.

But shouldn't we actually wait to see if the movie is worth supporting before we support it? Or are we convinced that it's worth supporting on principle alone?

I'm beginning to suspect that movie studios are figuring out that they can market films to the flock simply by making their products look like fields of clover. And I fear that, in our over-eagerness to support what promises to be good, wholesome cinema (and may yet turn out to be just another dog) , we're allowing ourselves to merely become extended promotional and merchandizing arms for big business.

How about this for a change: Why don't we let the artists do what artists do best, publicists do what publicists do best, and the church do what the church does best? And that's not film promotions.

Really got a hankering to volunteer for something meaningful, something that will actually change lives? Check with your local church nursery, local Habitat for Humanity chapter, soup kitchen, nursing home, hospital or food bank.

Narnia on the Radio

With very little advance fanfare, Focus on the Family Radio yesterday unveiled a daily Narnia radio drama broadcast of the seven books in The Chronicles of Narnia. They've started with The Magician's Nephew, and will wind up The Last Battle at the end of August.

The series is being carried (as of press time) on some 300 stations across the country, mostly in smaller markets. Check out the link below to see if it's playing in your area.

We'll be covering this story in more depth as more information becomes available.

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iNewsWire, 13.06.05

Grassroots Narnia Marketing

Our colleagues Peter Chattaway and Jeffrey Overstreet have reported that a grassroots volunteer organization is partnering with promotional marketeers to push this winter's Narnia film, due out from Disney and Walden Media.

Okay, this is all still marketing; but the twist is this: these folks want to get YOU involved, and you get to be a production "insider" in return. They'll call you a "Narniac."

Check out the link for the full story and links to more details.

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Christianity Today, 13.06.05

New Zealand Narnia Tours

The Lord of the Rings tours in New Zealand have been so popular that the company responsible for those touring bonanzas has secured the rights to conduct Narnia tours beginning this fall. Anyone up for a trip down under?

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Stuff, 14.06.05

Hollywood and Religion

The Chicago Sun Times' religion page is running a very good article by the reverend Robert A. Sirico about the current trend of family- and religion-friendly cinema. The pastor says, among other things:

The religious right has decried Hollywood for many years without understanding the core motivation behind filmmaking, which is not to corrupt but to make movies people want to see. This drive is neither moral nor immoral; it only means that the film market is a moral blank slate.

Today, the message has been sent. Handsome profits draw new producers and new products into the field. This is the result one would expect whether a movie promotes God or the devil. And it is a sad commentary that many businesses would serve either depending on where the profits are.

For now, it seems that the smart money is with faith and family, which is all to the good. May we appreciate the moment and all that it will do to channel the tremendous talents of Hollywood toward the kind treatment of religion.

The real challenge comes when the profits dry up and capitalists again face the temptation to profit from people's desire to flee the good. The market is a remarkable institution that serves society precisely what it wants. Love or hate what Disney and others have done, the success of family films reflects the values that animate our culture.

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Chicago Sun Times, 11.06.05

Documentary DVD Scrapped

Ultimate Disney reports that a planned Narnia documentary has been scrapped. The film, apparently originally scheduled for release just prior to the December 9 debut of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, has now been postponed indefinitely. If we hear more about why, we'll be sure to let you know.

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Ultimate Disney, 07.06.05

June Feature at Hollywood Jesus

"Prince Caspian

"With Prince Caspian, C.S. Lewis ventures into the broader world of Narnia. Yes, we visited Calormen in The Horse and His Boy—so learning that Telmar, the land from which Caspian's people once hailed, is yet another of Narnia's neighbors is perhaps no great surprise.

"But the world of Narnia becomes broader not just due to geography. It grows because the lines between the White Hats and Black Hats becomes just a little fuzzier. The titular hero of the story, it turns out, is really the most chief of the Black Hats. And more than just one of the folks in the camp of the White Hats turns out to be a villain. So, in our own twisted way, and in more ways than one, Narnia starts looking more and more like our own world.

"This month, in addition to a rather tongue-in-cheek story synopsis that Jenn and I intend as a nod to the story structure of Prince Caspian itself, George Rosok offers up a critique of the novel against the very standards which Lewis himself set for the genre of “children's stories.” Also, Kathy Bledsoe takes a look at the spiritual significance of yet another (seemingly) warped aspect of the story: Aslan's “holiday” with Bacchus and the boys—and girls!"

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Hollywood Jesus, 08.06.05

Narnia XBox Game Preview

The new Narnia XBox game was previewed at the recent E3 conference. Team XBox has posted a very lengthy and detailed review of what was shown at E3.

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Team XBox, 06.06.05