Narnia DVD, Special Edition

Yes, we realize that EVERYONE has review of the Special Editon DVD up. But we've got one, too, so check it out by following the link below. Here's a snip:

Narnia's extended footage is being pretty jealously guarded, still locked away in some editing room. This release contains very little hint of what may have been filmed but not included in the theatrical version. But the new featurettes produced for Disc 2 are indeed genuinely new. Even those who have been thoroughly saturated in Narnia's media hype will find things to enjoy and discover.

MORE HERE
Hollywood Jesus, 08.04.06

Child Stars on Caspian

The four children who starred as the Pevensies in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe have been doing press interviews in support of last week's release of the movie on DVD. USA Today ran a great review of the DVD, and with it ran the following comments from the children regarding their involvement in Prince Caspian, scheduled for release at the end of next year:

"I found out the sequel (Prince Caspian) was happening through a teacher," says Skandar Keynes, 14, who portrays Edmund, one of the four Pevensie siblings in the film, which is new on DVD this week. He jokes, "She had the inside knowledge."

Adds Georgie Henley, 10, who plays Lucy: "My teacher did the same thing to me because she saw it in the newspaper that I said yes (I was going to be in the sequel). I haven't said no, but I haven't said yes."

As for their status on appearing in the second Narnia film, "to be honest, it's really a verbal contract," says William Moseley, 18, who plays Peter. "We have been told the sequel is happening, but we have no idea when, we don't know where and we have no idea how. We just have to sort of sit back and let the big guys work it
out."

MORE HERE
USA Today, 05.04.06

Beyond Narnia DVD Release

Originally produced for Hallmark Channel and the BBC by Faith and Values Media, C. S. Lewis: Beyond Narnia is now available in a repackaged format on DVD. Read Jenn Wright's review of the DVD version by clicking on the link below!

MORE HERE
Hollywood Jesus, 28.03.06

New Exclusives at Narniafans

First, Paul Martin records his notes from a discussion with Oscar-winning special effects man Howard Berger. Later in the week, Narniafans' moderator "Rogue" had a (very informal and non-snooty) talk with Skandar Keynes.

MORE HERE and HERE
Narniafans, 23-25.03.06

Mark Johnson on Sequels

"You know, we have a tentative lineup. The question is, How soon do we start them? Do we do them — this going to sound wrong — in a factory assembly line sort of thing, sort of the way the Harry Potters are done? And I don't mean that in any critical sense. ... 'The problem with The Chronicles — it's both its strength and its problem — is that each book is so different from the other. And with the exception of Aslan, there's no one character who repeats in all of them."

MORE HERE
Entertainment Weekly, 17.03.06

March HJ Feature

The March Hollywood Jesus Narnia Feature Article has been posted: " Cleaning Our Windows." TheOneRing.net contributor Maureen Stewart has graciously written a guest analysis for us, explaining how the supposed flaws that we might find in Andrew Adamson's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe can help us gain a new appreciation for the things which Narnia represents.

Here's a snip:

It is, in fact a good thing that the children do not cease being children in a big scary battle. Our customary conventions for modern tales make men and women the primary movers of the plot. Heroism today is defined as effectiveness and superior power. But in this tale it is Magic at work moving the story and enlarging its characters, and a Magician behind it all (to borrow from Chesterton again).

Narnia Opens on Chinese Screens

A Chinese website is carrying a report on the movie's opening in China, where it is expected to gross in the neighborhood of $8 million.

Oddly, the Chinese government last week outlawed the exhibition of films that mix animated characters with live action. I guess they didn't realize that Aslan is just really good-looking Roger Rabbit. Maybe it's just traditional animation that they find offensive...

MORE HERE
CRIEnglish.com, 08.03.06

Kiss and Makeup

Well, Ted Baehr's Movieguide Faith and Values Awards followed the money and dished out the "Most Inspiring Movie" and "Best Family Movie" prizes to the Narnia film, which earned a $50,000 prize in the process for its producers. I guess they'll be able to buy a few more cigars with that!

Hollywood, on the other hand, failed to grant its top-grossing best-picture nominee the top award, giving the nod to Crash instead of Brokeback Mountain. The Narnia film picked up an Oscar for Best Makeup.

In other news, the Narnia flick opened to boffo boxoffice in Japan this last weekend, pushing the film back into the number one slot for international grosses.

MORE HERE
Cinematical, 03.03.06

A Lifetime of Narnia

The franchise is not only real, it's taking over the world.

In a very interesting article, my colleague Terry Mattingly discusses the future of The Chronicles of Narnia on film. The piece includes some juicy details about production plans, based on an interview Mattingly did with Bob Beltz, "director of special media projects for the billionaire media entrepreneur Philip Anschutz" (the gentleman financier for Walden Media).

MORE HERE
Scripps Howard, 01.03.06

Narnia Wins Single BAFTA

The final decisions for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards have been announced. Nominated for three awards, the Narnia film's lone nod was for Hair and Makeup.

MORE HERE
Newswire, 20.02.06

New Word on Caspian (Sort of)

The folks at IGN Film Force had lunch at an Oscars-related function the other day, and sat down to chat with the Narnia effects wizards (nominated for the upcoming awards). They basically said, "Well, we don't really know anything, but here's what we know." Nothing new, really, but you might find it interesting...

(UPDATE: SciFi Wire has some additional comments from the same session.)

MORE HERE and HERE
IFN Film Force, 15.02.06 and SciFi Wire, 16.02.06

Skandar Keynes Speaks

Nancy Churnin at The Dallas Morning News scored what appears to be an old interview with Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He responds to questions from another teen who played Edmund in a stage production last April in Arlington. So nothing new here, probably, but it's new to me—and might be to you, too!

MORE HERE
Kid News, 12.22.05
Obsolete Link: Monterey County Herald, 12.02.06