Summary
The upcoming NetflixChronicles of Narniareboot garnered a lot of attention after it was announced thatBarbiedirector Greta Gerwigwas tapped to create two movies for the franchise.Netflixis no stranger to adapting existing IP – nowadays, that is one of the genres the streaming platform is most known for – but no one would have expected the streaming giant to take a stab at theChronicles of Narniaseries after Disney dropped the ball with the properties less than 20 years ago.
That was until it was announced that Greta Gerwig would be in charge of the property. Ever since the July 2nd announcement confirming her involvement, fans of Gerwig, Narnia, and children’s literature across the board have beenopenly discussing the good she will do for the franchise.Now thatNarniais back in the public conversation, revisiting the sins of the 2000s Disney adaptation is the best thing Netflix can do for this reboot before moving forward.
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Disney’sNarniatrilogy received mixed reviews
The last time that C.S. Lewis’ acclaimed series was adapted for the screen was in the late aughts whenDisneyreleased three feature films to coincide with the first three novels in theNarniaseries: 2005’sThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, 2008’sPrince Caspian, and 2010’sVoyage of the Dawn Treader. The first installment of Disney’sNarniatrilogy is widely regarded as the most beloved of the films, withPrince CaspianandDawn Treaderprogressively falling out of favor with audiences upon initial release. While this did not stopPrince Caspianfrom finding its audience over the years, the sequels undoubtedly fell flat compared to the first film.
The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobehad all the markings of a successful fantasy film while maintaining solid storytelling methods for a younger target audience. It wonderfully crafted an air of whimsy and excitement in the construction of this magical world. The childlike wonder that existed in each thread ofThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobewas so fundamental to its impact on its audience that the film was regarded as an instant classic in the children’s fantasy genre. With such a positive reception to the final product, its sequel was anticipated to be what launched aHarry Potter-level franchise for the series.
Prince Caspian, while more widely loved by audiences now, was not initially well-received by audiences following its release. What fans loved about the magical world of Narnia after seeing the first film fell to the wayside inPrince Caspian. Though the film did stay faithful to its source material,Prince Caspiandelivered a story that risked being too mature for its target audience.
Set one year after the events of the first movie, while also being 1,300 Narnia years after the Pevensie family accidentally abandoned their kingdom (C.S. Lewis put his readers through the wringer in trying to follow the timelines of this series),Prince Caspiandepicts Narnians as the near-extinct victims of a brutal usurping of the throne. When the Pevensie family is called back to help free the Narnians by Prince Caspian, they are thrown into a devastating war with high casualties on both sides. WhilePrince Caspiandid have a lot of good qualities (Ben Barnes being cast in the titular rolebeing the most well-received aspect of the film), it effectively killed any anticipation for futureNarniamovies, withDawn Treaderacting as the final send-off for the franchise.
Religious themes in theNarniastories
Arguably the most polarizing aspect ofThe Chronicles of Narniaseries is its deep-rooted Christian theological themes. C.S. Lewis is known as one of the great Christian apologists of his time, so it is not surprising that his magnum opus is a Christian allegory expanded across seven books. The symbolic representations of the characters, settings, and story arcs in the series make the connection to Christianity undeniable – and the only way to not seeNarniaas a long-form pseudo-Biblefanfiction is if the reader is actively ignoring the text.
Here is whereGerwig and Netflixcould run into issues when developing this new adaptation. Aslan is written as Lion Jesus, and the Disney movies did not try to shy away from this characterization because of how integral the fantastical retelling ofBiblestories is to the source material. The emotional crux ofThe Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobeis when Aslan sacrifices himself for Edmund’s “sins” and is reborn afterward. WhilePrince Caspianshied away from the religious allegories more than the first film did, they were still present in some imagery used in the final battle.Dawn Treadercame back full-force with this iconography, with Aslan describing his “country” as a perfect, peaceful country that no one can come back from after entering it and telling Lucy that he will always watch over her in the real world, but that he “goes by a different name there” and that she “needed to learn to know [him] by it”.
Even when one removes the “Aslan Is Jesus” angle from the interpretation of this story, Christian themes are still ever-present in the books and are shown through the primary characters’ motivations, actions, and endings (this is most apparent in Susan’s ending in the books, as she is not welcome back in Narnia with the rest of her siblings after living her life for herself and not for the belief in a world that dismissed her when she was a child). An adaptation ofNarniawithout this deeply religious backing is difficult to picture, but not impossible when the proper care is given to the characters that move the story forward – interestingly, a new angle to explore could be one that questions Aslan as the manipulative figure that many non-religious readers view him as.
What could Gerwig take away from these films?
IfBarbieandLittle Womenhas taught moviegoers anything, it’s that Greta Gerwig is the filmmaker to go to when talking about adapting existing IP.Gerwig is a powerhouse auteur whose heart and soul can be felt in every one of her projects. She can take an existing property and lean into its history while still finding the right modernization to revolutionize its original story. She is whatNarnianeeds because she can take the emotional drive of the books, the 1980s adaptation, and the Disney films and provide a fresh take.
For all of the Disney trilogy’s faults, there is still a breadth of positive aspects that Gerwig can take inspiration from. Should she choose to adapt the same stories, paying homage to the films would guarantee streams from fans of the originals. Whether it is bringing principal actors back in cameo roles, picking aspects of the visual design of this Narnia, or building on the larger-than-life world and characters that Disney introduced to a whole new generation, Greta Gerwig has more than enough to inspire her own Narnia.
