There have been three adaptations ofThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobefor the screen.
The story was also adapted in 1967.
The British and American versions had two voice casts for each role.
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The exception to this was Aslan, whoStephen Thorne voicedin both versions.
The animated medium allows the story to lean into its magical components particularly well.
Narnia is a magical land filled with magical creatures.
Image via CBS
This version of the story captures this whimsy, and how engaging it has been to generations of children.
The overall visual style of this version of the story is both sweet and horrifying.
In particular, The White Witch and her henchman, the Wolf captain, are deeply terrifying.
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The way she moves and grabs at the children makes her a particularly alarming villain.
There is no stated reason for the Pevensies to be staying at the Professor’s large house.
Unfortunately, the different voice casts are also quite jarring.
The American voices in particular are out of place and fall flat.
In the end, the American voices ended up being out of place.
The British voice cast fit better with the story overall.
These movies aired between 1988 and 1990.
This adaptation also featuredRonald Pickupas the voice of Aslan.
There are six episodes in total, which compriseThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobein this series.
This version ofThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobearguably remains the most faithful to the source material.
This adaptation is also an interesting time capsule and a close-up look at filmmaking at the time.
There is a cartoon-like quality to this adaptation that doesn’t feel too campy.
The movie starredWilliam Moseleyas Peter,Anna Popplewellas Susan,Skandar Keynesas Edmund, andGeorgie Henleyas Lucy.
The movie also featuresTilda Swintonas the White Witch, andLiam Neesonas the voice of Aslan.
One key element that the movie expands on effectively is Peter’s characterization.
Peter often comes across as one-dimensional, and is an unexciting protagonist to follow in the book.
Lucy and Mr. Tumnus and their respective character developments are essential in moving the story forward.
The effects in this version ofThe Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobemake the story immersive.
Additionally, Aslan seems to be so real, and is also animated to appear larger than life.
This makes it easier to appreciate just how powerful he is.
Finally, this adaptation led to two future projects.
Many of the actors reprised their roles in the subsequent projects.
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