Movies Coming Soon: The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian

Only a year has passed for the four children who discovered the secret world of Narnia through the back of that infamous wardrobe, but 1,300 years have gone by in the world of Narnia. The civilization and its inhabitants are all distant memories; Narnia is in ruins. The tyrannical Miraz is ruling Narnia with an iron fist and an evil heart.  He has driven Prince Caspian (his nephew and the rightful heir to the throne) into hiding. It is up to the plucky heroes of the first film, along with an assortment of dwarves and talking animals, to set things straight in this troubled, magical world. 

Disney, the studio behind “Prince Caspian,” is hoping that this film will do as well as “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe” which grossed nearly $750 million worldwide, and they have the marketing budget to make it happen. Their Web site for this film features downloads, links to Narnia books, music and games, plus a complete production blog containing interviews and examples of the work of all of the design teams along with behind-the-scenes footage.  To get back to the homepage from the blog site, click on “Back to Narnia site” on the left side of the screen, then “Enter Narnia” in the center.

British actor Ben Barnes plays the charming Prince Caspian in this film and will reprise his role in the third film in the series, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” While he’s still relatively unknown to American audiences, he’s sure to be this summer’s teenage heartthrob when his face is splashed across the screen of every Cineplex in every mall this summer.

C.S. Lewis, the author of “Prince Caspian” and the other six books that make up the Narnia series didn’t start out to be a children’s book writer.  In fact, Lewis, who studied philosophy and literature at Oxford, was very interested in religion and he considered the Narnia series to be a religious allegory, told through fantasy to keep kids involved. There is a succinct bio of Lewis on Factmonster.com, you can read more detailed information on specific areas of his life by clicking on the links in the red box at the bottom of the page.

Andrew Adamson, a New Zealander who directed “Prince Caspian” and “The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe,” shot much of both Narnia films on location in his homeland. New Zealand sprang into prominence as a film location when the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy was filmed there.  This coincidence of location might have pleased both Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein, as they were friends at Oxford and consulted with each other regularly on their work.  An interview with Adamson conducted on New Zealand television provides some interesting glimpses of New Zealand as a film location from the perspective of New Zealanders. (Note: a plug-in may be required to view the clip.) 

If you still can’t get enough of all things Narnia, visit this very complete Narnia fan site, which has compiled press releases and cast and crew lists of both Narnia films, as well as plot synopses of all seven Narnia books and a host of Narnia trivia and fun facts.