Update II (1/20): I discovered a blog about the “lost genre” of Christian speculative fiction. Check it out.
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I rarely push products at LBC, but I’m making an exception today. If you’re a fan of C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia and the movie, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” you’ll want to know all about this piece of news.
I’m glad I resisted the temptation to buy the DVD of The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe last year. When it came out, I rented it from Blockbuster Online to see what else was on it. There were the usual commentaries, and the blooper reel alone was worth the price.
But I held out. I’m glad I did.
Last month, Disney issued a four-disc special edition collection of the
The Chronicles of Narnia – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which it will discontinue on January 31, 2007.
Extras in this four-disc collection include two featurettes called “Creating Narnia” and “Creatures, Lands and Legends,” a documentary about the film’s production, a 75-minute documentary on C.S. Lewis, author of the fabulous stories, additional scenes, and a 10-page companion guide. All of that and more for a mere $30.
I just ordered my set, and if you’re a fan of the movie, you should, too. I’ll confess: I love the movie. I loved the choice of actors, the CGI effects, and almost everything else. I wrote a brief review on my Fantasy Fiction for Christians blog. A second Narnia movie, based on the fourth book in the series, “Prince Caspian,” is in production. The child actors from the first movie will return.
The movie’s soundtrack is good, too. I rarely buy soundtracks, but I invested in this one. My favorite songs include “Evacuating London” (opening score), “Can’t Take It In” (first closing score), and “Lucy Meets Mr. Tumnus.”
If you have no idea what Narnia is all about, I won’t reinvent the microchip. Buy a copy of the bound seven-book volume The Chronicles of Narnia Movie Tie-in Edition and/or see the following posts:
- “Christian” Elements in Fiction
- Temptation, Disobedience, Forgiveness, and Redemption in Narnia
- “Magic” in Harry Potter and Narnia
A crusading Christian named Laura Mallory believes the Harry Potter books are evil and encourage children to flirt with the dark side. But she approves of the Narnia books, which also contain a witch and elements of magic.
[Update (11:49 a.m.): Laura Mallory, spurned by the Gwinnett County Board of Education and the Georgia Board of Education, is taking her case to court.]
1) If you’re a Christian and you agree with Mallory (hates Potter; loves Narnia), why do you believe Harry Potter is evil or dangerous but Narnia is not?
2) For everyone else, which series do you like better and why: Harry Potter or Narnia?
Narnia resources:
- Redemptive Rendition of Narnia: Briefly discusses differences between magic in Harry Potter and Narnia; my response
- Narnia Resouces (with PDF downloads and movie info)
- Narnia Academy
- Teach Narnia
