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FAQ About The Chronicles of Narnia

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.

 

What other adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia existed before this film?
The story saw many incarnations in stage versions, as a British television series, as an animated film and even in a BBC version created almost entirely with puppets. But no one dared to attempt to bring Lewis’ land of Narnia to life with real actors and sets until this film version.


Why did it take so long to get a big-screen production of Narnia to theaters?
S ays director Andrew Adamson: “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe has taken millions of young minds into realms of fantasy—so the enormous challenge as a filmmaker was to try to recreate those worlds in a way that might live up to and even exceed people’s imaginations, that could truly transport you to another time and place. You couldn’t have made this film five years ago. You couldn’t have made a photo-realistic lion like Aslan five years ago, or joined animal legs unto a human body realistically as we did with centaurs and minotaurs five years ago. Now is the right time to be making this story.”


Who voiced the fantasy characters of Narnia?
To add life to the computer-generated creatures, Adamson recruited vocal talents, including Academy Award®-nominated Liam Neeson as Narnia’s noble ruler, Aslan the Lion; Rupert Everett as The Fox, another ally of the children; veteran British performers Ray Winstone and comedienne Dawn French as the kindly, bickering Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.


How were the Pevensie children chosen?
The filmmakers sought the services of veteran casting director Pippa Hall and then began a two-year hunt throughout England, during which Hall visited endless grade schools, youth clubs and drama groups, interviewing over 2,000 children for the four roles. “I took a video camera everywhere, sitting kids down to get them to talk about themselves, what their favorite books were, what films they liked,” Hall recalls. “I would then send Andrew loads of tapes and he’d watch them all and that’s how we cast the Pevensies.”