The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Animated)
by Bill Melendez
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DVD details
Actor: Arthur Lowe, Rachel Warren, Sheila Hancock, Susan Sokol, Victor SpinettiDirector: Bill Melendez
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 95 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-08-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Alpha Omega Publications
DVD Reviews of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Animated)
DVD Review: On DVD at last!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This version is shown virtually every Christmas and/or easter in the UK and finally I have it on DVD (albeit Region 1)
Love it when i first saw it and still love to watch it all these years later!
DVD Review: The worst addaption of the LWW in the world
Summary: 1 Stars
This movie is horribble! I loathed it. This movie is a horrible addaption of the book and I think it is way, way, way too cartoony. I absoulutly loathed, hated, and despised this movie. And if I could I wouldn't even give it 1 star. I'd probally give it 1/1,000,000,000,000,000 of a star...DVD Review: Emmy-winning adaptation of a childhood favorite
Summary: 5 Stars
Winning a 1979 Emmy award for "Outstanding Animated Program" (executive producer David D. Connell and producer Steven Cuitlahuac Melendez) and being nominated for a second in Outstanding Individual Achievement - Animation Program" (writers Bill Melendez and Connell), this animated version of the C.S. Lewis book holds a special place in my heart - it was the adaptation that introduced me to Narnia.
Directed by Bill Melendez (the man who gave us the Charlie Brown and Peanuts movies) this cartoon is beautiful in its simplicity. Of course to am eight-year old the Christian imagery was not apparent, but what I do remember through the clouds of nostalgia is being entranced by the magic and the adventure. Made for television it was one of those movies tha tbecame a perennial favorite for British television during the movie-heavy Christmas period and was one that I eagerly awaited (this was after all the days before the mass ownership of VCR's.) So, it was with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation that I picked up my copy - and I was not disappointed.
Of course for big-screen spectacle nothing can really match the 2005 Disney blockbuster of the same name (which has become Disney's most successful live-action movie ever with grosses over $740 million and has a second movie PRINCE CASPIAN prepping for a summer 2008 release,) but for simple storytelling and involving characters this animated movie is successful in what it sets out to do.
Featuring clever narration by the leads, dead-on expression by the characters and lines taken from the Lewis book this movie succeeds in making a faithful, good adaptation in 95 minutes.
This version also features two of the most recognizable voices from British television of this era in Leslie Phillips as Mr. Timnus and Leo McKern as the professor, amongst a cast of largely unknowns.
The animation can appear inconsistent at times but the drawing style is both unique and enchanting. This is a far better work than the BBC production, which featured terrible production design and acting and perhaps the most fake-looking Aslan possible.
The story is well-known but for those who are unfamiliar with the novel or the adaptations the story revolves around four children who are sent to live with a professor. There they find a passage to a mysterious land known as Narnia through the back of a giant wardrobe. Narnia is a world in a state of perpetual winter due to the rule of the evil White Witch. But, the childrens arrival has been foretold and a determined group of magical creatures, led by the noble lion Aslan believe they are the ones predicted to deliver Narnia from the witch's iron grip.
This is a "kid-safe" production that parents need not worry about showing to their children, the action scenes are done just right and the dark moments are not taken too seriously, and yet there is enough intellect in the exposition to satisfy adults.
The music by Michael J. Lewis is also a highlight which is full of light and fits the scenes perfectly.
There are two versions of this movie available on DVD. In an unusual move the cheaper of the two is actually better. Whereas the more expensive version clocking in at just under $25 has only some trailers, the cheaper one (for about $14 or less) has information on Lewis and the Narnia books). Certainly the cover and menu's may be better on the more expensive one, but other than that the cheaper version is the easier one to recommend.
DVD Review: Just like I remember it!
Summary: 4 Stars
Now THIS is the original I remember from my childhood!! Great movie for adults who want to "go back" and great for kids to see before they see "Narnia" in the theater.DVD Review: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Animated) Review
Summary: 5 Stars
It was exactley what was promised. An excellent product.
Description of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Animated)
Imagine finding a secret passageway to a faraway land...a world full of mystery and enchantment. That fantasy becomes a thrilling adventure in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, the first tale of C.S. Lewis' acclaimed children's books, The Chronicles of Narnia. When four children pass through a special wardrobe closet, they discover the kingdom of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. But an evil witch's spell has cast Narnia into eternal winter. Fearing that an ancient prophecy has come true, and that the children are Narnia's chosen rulers, the witch tricks the youngest brother into betraying his family. Now, only Aslan, noble lion and King of the Woods, can help them defeat the witch , restore springtime to Narnia, and claim their rightful places on the throne.C.S. Lewis's beloved children's fantasy is as delicate as a Faberg? egg, and bringing it to film has tons of inherent risks. Faithfulness is not the problem in this live-action version from WonderWorks, but pacing most certainly is. This realization is poky at times when it should be absolutely riveting, and yet it manages to be diverting during sequences that are primarily set-up or exposition. Four young children travel through an attic wardrobe to the magical land of Narnia. There, the White Witch keeps it "always winter and never Christmas," but her rule is in jeopardy as the fabled lord of the land, a huge lion named Aslan, is rumored to have returned. Sadly, near the end of the film, it's almost possible to hear the production team debating just where to spend its cash. They gave it their all to create the lion Aslan but had to settle for rudimentary animation for many of the truly magical creatures of Narnia. Suffice it to say, it's a nice try. --Keith Simanton
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