Thanks to Disney+, I've had access to the first two Chronicles of Narnia movies. No "Voyage of the Dawn Treader" much to my disappointment, but I did get to watch the other two, and so now I start with the first: "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe"!
This movie starts out with what could've potentially been one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen, however if they'd done that, I probably would've disliked the entire movie. The magic of the Chronicles of Narnia series (or, at least, the first movie) is the child-like wonder as you step into a mysterious world. So, instead of breaking your heart, the story starts off with a mother and her children hiding from World War I bombers in a bunker, and then afterwards, it shows these children being separated from their mother.
A combination of the music and what actually always gave me a mystified experience when I was younger. (I used to watch this series with my grandparents all the time, especially "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", which I especially liked.) I never quite understood what was happening, though I simultaneously did. Thanks to nostalgia, when I rewatched this scene recently, I found that, while I could understand exactly what was going on, I still felt mystified. The children, at this point in the story, now embark on a journey that I presume is across the country, or to another country. (I suppose reading the books would be a good way to find out.)
They stay in what appears to be a mansion (...yeah, again, reading the books would be helpful. I'm going to have to consult my "Fan of Narnia" friend about these facts) and the youngest (Lucy) discovers a secret while playing Hide and Seek. She finds herself in what is essentially a winter wonderland, and explores. She finds a lamppost, which is where she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus. The faun then takes her to his place, where after hesitation, regrets to tell Lucy that he meant to kidnap her, as were the White Witch's orders for if anyone came across a son of Adam or daughter of Eve. The faun then takes her back home, where she tells her brothers and sister (Peter, Susan, and Edmund, in age order), who refuse to believe her.
By night, Lucy stubbornly makes another trip back to Narnia, and this time, Edmund follows her. To his surprise, he finds the same world, except he's found by the White Witch, who promises him every reward he can imagine if he can bring his siblings to her "house", which is really a castle. Lucy then finds Edmund, and becomes excited at his presence. She confronts the eldest two siblings again, and says even Edmund went this time. Edmund betrays Lucy's trust by telling them that he was just playing along, and that he shouldn't have encouraged her.
But then, they all find their way to Narnia, and Edmund's lie is exposed. They journey to meet Lucy's friend, Mr. Tumnus, but his house is ransacked, by order of the White Witch. Lucy's adamant that they save him, but Peter takes the group's safety to be most important, and insists they leave Narnia. Before they can really go anywhere, though, they encounter a beaver, who takes them to his home and tells them about Aslan and his gathering army, who can help stop the White Witch. Peter again refuses to stay, but when he realizes Edmund's gone, and likely to the White Witch, he decides it's time to enlist help. Edmund, conveniently, regrets his choice, because the White Witch chains him up for coming back to her empty-handed.
Peter, Susan, and Lucy make the trek to Aslan's encampment, where the White Witch visits and bargains with Aslan, who seeks to save Edmund's life. In the still of night, Aslan makes a trip to the Stone Table with Susan and Lucy, though before reaching it, he tells them he must make the remainder of the journey along. Susan and Lucy hide in the bushes and watch Aslan as he's scorned, mocked, humiliated, and eventually killed by the White Witch and her troops. After they all leave, Susan and Luck go to Aslan's side and stay there.
Meanwhile, Peter and Edmund make battle plans against the White Witch, and the two forces meet in battle. Despite her superiority in both weapons and numbers, Aslan's army manages to match the army in similar ferocity under Peter's leadership. The battle ultimately turns downhill for our heroes, however, and Peter orders Edmund to find Susan and Lucy and get them home safely, while he finishes what he started. Edumund reluctantly obeys, running away from the battle.
But this is my favorite scene: Edmund turns, sees the White Witch stalking towards Peter, and realizes his older brother stands no chance. He charges the White Witch, and before she can react, shatters her scepter, which holds the source of her power. The White Witch proceeds to stab Edmund.
But Peter isn't the one to defeat the White Witch. Susan and Lucy, who were with Aslan, were the first to discover he had resurrected. The three journey to the White Witch's castle (there's seriously a lot of running around in this movie), where Aslan frees all the poor souls who were frozen in stone by the White Witch, and Aslan's new army moves to assist his original army. That is when Aslan pounces on the White Witch and finishes her.
Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are crowned queens and king of Narnia, and Peter is crowned as High King. For years, they...well...I'm not sure what they do. But years in the future, they're chasing a deer, when Edmund's horse, Philip, stopped, explaining he was not as young as he once was. Edmund grins and takes in the sights, and frowns when he sees a lamppost. His siblings gather around, and one (I forget which) comments on how it's familiar, like a dream...or a dream in a dream. Then Lucy bursts into a sprint, and the others chase her, telling her to slow down. They push through heavy shrubs and land in the floor of the professor's manor, not a moment after having left in the first place. And, to their surprise, they are just as young as they once were, too.
Like I said, the magic of this movie is the child-like wonder of simply everything. The animals talk, the trees dance, there's the epic clash of good versus evil, and there's just something about the way the eternal winter fades to spring that just makes me want to jump to my feet and celebrate, despite the fact I'm no longer an actual child. But what makes this movie unique and special to me is that, while it has an amazing story (which is a Christian allegory, if any of you were wondering; I think all of you who care, though, already know) and while the story's always my favorite part in movies and books, the story is not my favorite thing about this. The music is astonishing, how realistic the animals look is mind-blowing (especially considering this movie is reaching its 14th anniversary), and the characters are so well done that I actually had to remind myself once that it wasn't a true story.
I've always held this movie close to my heart, though the reasons have changed, now. Instead of savoring the epic combat scenes, I now cherish the conflicts of the characters. Instead of enjoying the scenery, I know cheer for the characters themselves. And instead of cheering for the comebacks and redemption arcs, I...well...kept celebrating them, though in a manner that would not disturb my family.
This movie starts out with what could've potentially been one of the most heartbreaking scenes I've ever seen, however if they'd done that, I probably would've disliked the entire movie. The magic of the Chronicles of Narnia series (or, at least, the first movie) is the child-like wonder as you step into a mysterious world. So, instead of breaking your heart, the story starts off with a mother and her children hiding from World War I bombers in a bunker, and then afterwards, it shows these children being separated from their mother.
A combination of the music and what actually always gave me a mystified experience when I was younger. (I used to watch this series with my grandparents all the time, especially "Voyage of the Dawn Treader", which I especially liked.) I never quite understood what was happening, though I simultaneously did. Thanks to nostalgia, when I rewatched this scene recently, I found that, while I could understand exactly what was going on, I still felt mystified. The children, at this point in the story, now embark on a journey that I presume is across the country, or to another country. (I suppose reading the books would be a good way to find out.)
They stay in what appears to be a mansion (...yeah, again, reading the books would be helpful. I'm going to have to consult my "Fan of Narnia" friend about these facts) and the youngest (Lucy) discovers a secret while playing Hide and Seek. She finds herself in what is essentially a winter wonderland, and explores. She finds a lamppost, which is where she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus. The faun then takes her to his place, where after hesitation, regrets to tell Lucy that he meant to kidnap her, as were the White Witch's orders for if anyone came across a son of Adam or daughter of Eve. The faun then takes her back home, where she tells her brothers and sister (Peter, Susan, and Edmund, in age order), who refuse to believe her.
By night, Lucy stubbornly makes another trip back to Narnia, and this time, Edmund follows her. To his surprise, he finds the same world, except he's found by the White Witch, who promises him every reward he can imagine if he can bring his siblings to her "house", which is really a castle. Lucy then finds Edmund, and becomes excited at his presence. She confronts the eldest two siblings again, and says even Edmund went this time. Edmund betrays Lucy's trust by telling them that he was just playing along, and that he shouldn't have encouraged her.
But then, they all find their way to Narnia, and Edmund's lie is exposed. They journey to meet Lucy's friend, Mr. Tumnus, but his house is ransacked, by order of the White Witch. Lucy's adamant that they save him, but Peter takes the group's safety to be most important, and insists they leave Narnia. Before they can really go anywhere, though, they encounter a beaver, who takes them to his home and tells them about Aslan and his gathering army, who can help stop the White Witch. Peter again refuses to stay, but when he realizes Edmund's gone, and likely to the White Witch, he decides it's time to enlist help. Edmund, conveniently, regrets his choice, because the White Witch chains him up for coming back to her empty-handed.
Peter, Susan, and Lucy make the trek to Aslan's encampment, where the White Witch visits and bargains with Aslan, who seeks to save Edmund's life. In the still of night, Aslan makes a trip to the Stone Table with Susan and Lucy, though before reaching it, he tells them he must make the remainder of the journey along. Susan and Lucy hide in the bushes and watch Aslan as he's scorned, mocked, humiliated, and eventually killed by the White Witch and her troops. After they all leave, Susan and Luck go to Aslan's side and stay there.
Meanwhile, Peter and Edmund make battle plans against the White Witch, and the two forces meet in battle. Despite her superiority in both weapons and numbers, Aslan's army manages to match the army in similar ferocity under Peter's leadership. The battle ultimately turns downhill for our heroes, however, and Peter orders Edmund to find Susan and Lucy and get them home safely, while he finishes what he started. Edumund reluctantly obeys, running away from the battle.
But this is my favorite scene: Edmund turns, sees the White Witch stalking towards Peter, and realizes his older brother stands no chance. He charges the White Witch, and before she can react, shatters her scepter, which holds the source of her power. The White Witch proceeds to stab Edmund.
But Peter isn't the one to defeat the White Witch. Susan and Lucy, who were with Aslan, were the first to discover he had resurrected. The three journey to the White Witch's castle (there's seriously a lot of running around in this movie), where Aslan frees all the poor souls who were frozen in stone by the White Witch, and Aslan's new army moves to assist his original army. That is when Aslan pounces on the White Witch and finishes her.
Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are crowned queens and king of Narnia, and Peter is crowned as High King. For years, they...well...I'm not sure what they do. But years in the future, they're chasing a deer, when Edmund's horse, Philip, stopped, explaining he was not as young as he once was. Edmund grins and takes in the sights, and frowns when he sees a lamppost. His siblings gather around, and one (I forget which) comments on how it's familiar, like a dream...or a dream in a dream. Then Lucy bursts into a sprint, and the others chase her, telling her to slow down. They push through heavy shrubs and land in the floor of the professor's manor, not a moment after having left in the first place. And, to their surprise, they are just as young as they once were, too.
Like I said, the magic of this movie is the child-like wonder of simply everything. The animals talk, the trees dance, there's the epic clash of good versus evil, and there's just something about the way the eternal winter fades to spring that just makes me want to jump to my feet and celebrate, despite the fact I'm no longer an actual child. But what makes this movie unique and special to me is that, while it has an amazing story (which is a Christian allegory, if any of you were wondering; I think all of you who care, though, already know) and while the story's always my favorite part in movies and books, the story is not my favorite thing about this. The music is astonishing, how realistic the animals look is mind-blowing (especially considering this movie is reaching its 14th anniversary), and the characters are so well done that I actually had to remind myself once that it wasn't a true story.
I've always held this movie close to my heart, though the reasons have changed, now. Instead of savoring the epic combat scenes, I now cherish the conflicts of the characters. Instead of enjoying the scenery, I know cheer for the characters themselves. And instead of cheering for the comebacks and redemption arcs, I...well...kept celebrating them, though in a manner that would not disturb my family.
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