The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe (DVD, 2006, 2-Disc Collector's Edition)

This movie is too long. There are poor effects and incredibly poor casting. I read from other reviews that "The Chronicles of Narnia joins the ranks of other fantasy classics like The Wizard of Oz and The Lord of the Rings”. But I think that’s a very overstatement. For a movie that is supposed to take place in a world that is nothing but overwhelmed with strange creatures, there were only a handful of total characters & creatures in the entire film.

CS Lewis' classic children's book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe holds a special place in many readers' hearts, usually alongside Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The authors, in fact, were long-time friends who (as members of a literary group called the Inklings) even critiqued each others' work. The parallel between the two books continues in the fact that the narrative power and visual appeal of both these stories beg for them to be brought to the screen... and that the very nature of the stories made this difficult to do well. That is, until computer-generated animation came of age in moviemaking. Now we can have believable fauns, centaurs, giants, and lions inhabiting a gorgeous fantasy landscape; we can (if it's done well) have a Narnia (as we had a Middle Earth) that allows us to see it, at least to some degree, the way we have imagined it.

The film does one other thing that warms my heart for its authenticity. It starts off the Narnia series as it should be: with the first book that Lewis wrote, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In the past few years, it has become a new fad to re-order the seven Narnia books in internal chronological order rather than publication order, thus placing The Magician's Nephew, the next-to-last book, in first place. This is a really, truly dreadful thing to do, because The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the book that introduces us to the world of Narnia, just as the four children are introduced to it. In The Magician's Nephew, many of the mysterious magical elements of Narnia are explained... but unless you've experienced the preceding five stories, you don't know why these particular elements are special and interesting. Furthermore, this ordering of the books spoils some of the events in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Why did we all get put into such a mess? The official word is that this is Lewis' preferred order, but in fact it is not – and as a scholar of literature who did her dissertation on the fantasy novel, including Lewis' novels, I've done the research and I know where the problem arose. Years after the books were all published, one of Lewis' young fans wrote a letter to him suggesting that it was a good idea to put the books in internal order. Lewis wrote back saying he thought that was a fine idea. (And it is – if you've already read the books and want to re-read them in a different light.) But I don't think we should consider this one offhand comment as an indication that Lewis genuinely thought it was the best order; in fact, while Lewis was alive, it stayed as just that, an option that readers could take for themselves. (My 1970 printing of the series has the spines numbered correctly!) Only in recent years has the fad for reordering them taken over, much to my dismay.

So I have to give a big thank-you to the filmmakers for proving my point, and the point of all the other devoted Narnia fans: the best way to start out experiencing Narnia is with this story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe!

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This is a great movie! It follows so good with C.S Lewis' book. With great acting, special effects, and fight sequences, this is a movie for the collection folks!

This film compares not only very well with other films of the same time period in so far as beautiful cinamatography, CGI and integration of realistic dialogue but it also compares very nicely with CS Lewis's book of the same title! As a lover of fantasy and large cats I found this movie to be one I could watch over and over again!

This was a great movie that followed the book practically perfectly. The DVD offers insight into the actors, actresses, and director, and how it was made. Great family friendly movie.

This movie was as brilliant as the book itself and When I first saw it, it made me feel like a child who has just woken up on Christmas morning to a tree full of presents. The Cinematography is excellent and the storyline remains true to the original. When it came out for sale I had to have it. Especilly at the bargain rate I was getting on Ebay and the excellent service from the seller.

I liked how it was in the origional package, with the velcro outer package as well. the disc is in great comdition. Shipping was fast. Thanks a lot.

I. Absolutely. Love. This. Movie. Amazing books, amazing movies. Great acting, flawless special effects. Nuff said.

A first-rate movie, great for children and adults, a real family treat!!
The movie is well-made and the acting is superb.

This will be another Disney Classic for sure. It is a great children's movie but it can be enjoyed by adults as well.

Good sound and special effects! Unusual plot that keeps you guessing(unless you read the book). Fantasy and reality mixed to bring real life lessons.
Even if you've read the book you won't want to miss this!
We watched it and wanted to own this classic for ourselves!!!! 12 thumbs up!!!

I love the fanasy movies. This movie has good stories and good animation. It's a must-have for fantasy movie lovers.

I love this movie, 2-disc included with all paperwork. Seller described it well had a great starting price and fast shipping!

I swear that I have never experienced such speed in delivery of a dvd in my life. It was here within days, exactly as it was described as in the auction. The emails were perfect and very friendly. All round, it was one of the most positive experiences I have had on ebay. Thanks so much for making my day!

Great product, timely shipping, and answered questions about date of shipping when asked! Will buy again from this company again if need arises!

I was very pleased after watching this film. It is an excellent adaptation of the book. This is a movie that is perfect for all ages. My wife and I enjoyed it very much, and our 4 and 1/2 year old was enthralled with it as well. Nothing too scary for him, but still had enough action to keep his attention. All in all a great family film.

I'd rather shoot for the 4-disc Extended Edition DVD rather than the 2 Disc collector's edition. The 2-disc dvd has some great features but nothing compared to the 4-disc. But its great for a collection.

The box had a bit of wear and tear, but the dvd was new and sealed. I'm bummed there aren't deleted scenes but that is certainly not the seller's fault. lol. It was one of the best prices for the dvd. Thanks!

Unlike the newly released sequel, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe remains remarkably faithful to C.S. Lewis' book, and this fact, along with good acting, beautiful design and cinematography and just the right duration, makes this one of my favorite movies. I bought the collector's edition because the case is so much prettier, not for special features.

This is one of the best movies to escape into. I enjoyed the play version of it too in Oregon. I highly recommend this to all ages provided that they can grasp the meaning of this delightful movie.

This is a great classic movie with awsome effects. A must have for the movie collecter. We really love this movie and there is nothing we dont like about it.

I have seen the movie and I really was delighted to be able to buy it so easily on ebay and to recieve it so quickly. It was a quality product and it came in a nice colorful case.

A Disney effort; their typically superb children's story.
Up front, this is faithfully based on the series of children's stories by C.S. Lewis. He and Tolkien (The Hobbit) taught at the university of Oxford and were close friends. Both were Christians but the faith comes through more with C.S. Lewis.

You won't see any Christianity in this film unless you are a Christian but it is popular enough to warrant a sequel so don't feel the story attempts to convert you. That was not Lewis's style. The blend of animation with the real world is first class and alone worth the admission ticket.

It is an action film that should delight children from 5 up. The goodies and baddies are readily identifiable, and there is a moral that will work for everyone.

Probably the most standout performance is by Tilda Swinton who plays the delightfully wicked white witch.

If you want a brief, it is set in war torn, WWII England and a family of 4 children are sent to the country for protection from German bombs. They accidentally discover an old wardrobe that magically leads to the world of Narnia; a place of men and talking animals, ruled by the wicked white witch who blankets their world in a perpetual winter without Christmas.

The coming of the children to Narnia fulfills a prophesy that foretells the overthrow of the witch. In the process, the children learn good values and life lessons. It is a typical fairytale with a few twists.