The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

C.S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" will forever remain one of the most timeless allegories, and stories in fiction, and lessons ever written. It was inevitable that this gem of a story be done for the sake of media, and no better a way to have been done as so in 1979. Featuring the voices of unknowns, this animated version, done by the "Peanuts" gang, put together drawn sequences, and still frames to piece together a wonderfully told version.

The story revolves around young Lucy, who enters the land of Narnia through an old wardrobe at the house of a professor which they are staying at during the war. Naturally, she shows this world to her siblings, exciting and dangerous adventures follow. Great story kids are able to follow but even more fun for older people as well. The story is told to perfection, as most every line is directly from the book, and given in such realism, it is hard to believe you are watching a small television program, and not something more. The action scenes are just right for the kiddies and the exposition scenes are full of enough intellect for adults to boot.

Music score is beautiful, and full of life, like "Narnia." I am an adult and I still love this film, cannot get enough of it. Great especially for film buffs or those like myself who enjoy talking about films to that level.

10/10

This version is by far the best and most faithful to the original books, including the new one Disney just put out. Though a few things are missing and one or two changed, it is 90% true to the book with a good portion of the dialogue. True, the animation is from the 70s but that makes it even safer for younger kids and I still find it enjoyable. The voice characterizations were incredibly on the money. The witch seemed to come straight off of the pages of the book as did Aslan. The musical score for this production is absolutely beautiful and captures the feeling of Narnia, and should not be overlooked. The scene beginning with the girls following Aslan to the stone table and culminating with his death was portrayed very tastefully yet powerfully. I can never watch it without crying. My children and I have seen all of the versions (including Disney's latest) and this one is by far the favorite. A classic.

I was 7 when this film came on television so I was able to watch it when it first aired. I recall falling deeply in love with this fantasy story as a child and was given the entire 7 book collection as a gift. Needless to say, I read the entire collection because of my love for this made-for-TV Movie. I do not personally have the books but the are still in the family.

This old TV film is a good watch but I will admit that it is not perfect yet it is a good classic TV film for kids and adults alike.

If you liked the older animated dramas like "The Hobbit (TV Movie 1977)", "The Black Cauldron", "The Secret of NIMH" or "The Last Unicorn" then you might like this TV movie classic The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979).

9/10

This cartoon has impressive credentials. It is a co-production of Bill Melendez (Charlie Brown) and the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street and The Electric Company).

It is simply and economically animated. The draughtsmanship may be rudimentary, but that is not a serious drawback. The music is very good. The humiliation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Aslan, the lion, are handled movingly. The parallels with Christ are clear.

This is the first novel, in publication order, in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. The books have most recently been reissued in internal chronological order, according to the author's posthumous wishes. Franz Kafka's posthumous wish to have all of his works destroyed was ignored by his literary executor, Max Brod. If only Lewis's nonsensical request had also been ignored. This book unfortunately and regrettably now appears as Volume 2 in the current series.

I recently saw this programme in French, not English, under the title "Le lion, la sorcière et l'armoire". If there was a shortcoming to the French version, it was in the actor cast to portray Aslan. His voice was too gruff and did not have the majesty necessary for a Messiah, as English-language Aslans can normally be counted upon to have.

The excellent live-action BBC series from 1988 based on the Narnia books improves even on this praiseworthy cartoon.

From the director of the Charlie Brown and Peanuts movies, comes this funny, delightful little cartoon adaptation of the classic C.S. Lewis novel. Although made for television, it still holds a bright candle to the book itself. With such clever narration by the lead voices, and the expressions given to the characters, this one delivers a gold trophy. Every line, and action is directly from the book, and portrayed well. Beth Porter certainly supplies the most fun as the voice of the desperate white witch. All other character voices are pleasant and appropriate. Maestro Michael J. Lewis serves us an impressive and, at times, tear-jerkingly powerful musical score to energize the senses. Truly on par with Jerry Goldsmith and John Williams. The running time is not three hours, so they managed to fit an entire story into the cartoon. You are actually watching the novel, and all things that C.S. Lewis may have written in the novel, that cannot be stated by the characters, is well implied. This TV special is probably the only version that could possibly work as well as it did. The voices fit the actions as dead on as perfection, and the dark moments are not taken too seriously. This make for a good animated adaptation!