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Narnia Follows In The Footsteps of Lord of the Rings

What does Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe have in common with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy? A lot more than people may realize.

by: Joe Tracy, Publisher of Hollywood Lot Magazine

Disney is hurting from initially passing on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which found a massive fan base and now ranks amongst the highest grossing trilogies of all time. So when given the opportunity, Disney latched onto The Chronicles of Narnia and is following closely in the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings in order to mimic its success.


Here is a preliminary comparison of the two films:

  • New Zealand native Peter Jackson directed The Lord of the Rings.
  • New Zealand native Andrew Adamson directed The Chronicles of Narnia.

 

  • The Lord of the Rings was primarily filmed in New Zealand.
  • The Chronicles of Narnia was primarily filmed in New Zealand.

 

  • The Lord of the Rings used WETA as its primary visual effects provider.
  • The Chronicles of Narnia used WETA as its primary visual effects provider.

Interestingly enough, neither Disney or Adamson seem to hide their love affair with Lord of the Rings. When Andrew Adamson was scouting locations for Narnia, he told The Dominion Post the following:

"The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe offers some of what The Lord of the Rings offers as far as being a classic story, having a big appeal to a huge audience." But also being a very location-based film, as Wellington became Middle-earth, there's a good possibility that locations in New Zealand will become Narnia."

But the similarities go beyond Disney and Adamson’s fascination with The Lord of the Rings. Narnia and The Lord of the Rings carry many similarities when the were written:

  • Both authors (JRR Tolkien – Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis – The Chronicles of Narnia) were Christians and have Christian undertones in their books.
  • Both Tolkien and Lewis incorporate fantasy creatures, magic, tree people, and dwarves into their stories.
  • Both Tolkien and Lewis were good friends.
  • Both Tolkien and Lewis lost their mothers while they were children.

So perhaps it is fitting that Disney’s Narnia is so closely mimicking The Lord of the Rings. After all, Disney wouldn’t mind to get the same type of gross at the U.S. Box Office. And chances are that it will.