THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: EVERY MOVIE IN THE FRANCHISE, RANKED

*Will be posting my full reflections on each movie soon :)

  Welcome Back to Disney! I hope you enjoyed my last post, my FIRST POST OF 2024, on A Definitive Ranking of Every First Song/Opening Number from DCOM Musicals.😊🎉🎶 For my second post of the year, and my last post for January, I wanted to talk about one of the GREATEST, MOST ICONIC, UNFORGETTABLE, VERY NOSTALGIC movies from Disney. That movie being The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.📺👦👦👧👧🚉🚪🦁❆🏔⚔💓 And, YES, I couldn't just talk about the first movie without also talking about the other two movies from the franchise. So, I watched all THREE of the movies from The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, and let me tell you...I'm so GLAD that I did because I have come to LOVE this franchise (Yes, not just the first movie, but ALL THREE OF THEM) more than I ever did before.👏👏👏 Hence, why I wanted to share this post with you.💓

Okay, for those of you who for some reason were not constantly watching Disney Channel in the mid-2000s as a kid like I was, and therefore have no idea what a lion or a witch have to do with a wardrobe or even have no clue what Narnia is, well I got you covered. Basically, The Chronicles of Narnia is a fantasy, action-adventure film series based on the series of novels of the same name, by C.S. Lewis. There are SEVEN books, but only THREE were adapted into movies.📚🎥 Those being the movies that I will be mentioning shortly - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), Prince Caspian (2008), and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010), each continuing the story and introducing new characters and themes.

All three films collectively grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide.👏 However, did you also know that apparently C.S. Lewis never sold the film rights to the Narnia series during his lifetime? He was skeptical that any cinematic adaptation could render the more fantastical elements and characters of the story realistically, and it was only after Lewis's stepson (Douglas Gresham) saw a demo reel of CGI animals that he gave approval for a film adaptation. And boy, am I glad that he did. The original plan was to produce the films in the same order as the book series' original publication, but it was reported that The Magician's Nephew, which tells the story of the creation of Narnia, would be the fourth feature film in the series, instead of The Silver Chair. It was also rumored that The Magician's Nephew was chosen as an attempt to reboot the series, after the release of the third film, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, grossed less when compared to the two previous films. It wasn't until October 1, 2013, after many negotiations, that The C.S. Lewis Company announced a partnership with The Mark Gordon Company, making The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair officially in pre-production. Although, things changed even after that, when on October 3, 2018, it was announced that The C.S. Lewis Company and Netflix had made a multi-year agreement to develop a new series of film and TV adaptations of The Chronicles of Narnia. Therefore, with that announcement, all previously announced plans for The Silver Chair were displaced. However, it is now 2024, and none of those new series of film or TV adaptations from Netflix have seen the light of day.😞 But we still have the THREE WONDERFUL films that did release and will forever live on, which, again, I will be talking about shortly.👏😊🎉 

The Chronicles of Narnia is a classic coming-of-age story that, since its initial book release in 1950, has sold over 120 million copies and continues to be a staple in children's literature.📚😊 Even I, as an adult, would LOVE to read the books. According to my research, the seven Narnia books also helped lay the groundwork for other young adult epics such as the Harry Potter franchise (which, I also LOVE).🤓🦉🧹🏰🔮✨ So, the cultural impact of The Chronicles of Narnia can't be overstated. In fact, according to my research, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings (which, I've never seen, but was coincidently created by C.S. Lewis's close friend, J.R.R. Tolkien) both made the fantasy genre what it is today.👏👏 As, again, what started as a children's fantasy series grew to become a franchise that has been adapted for TV, radio, video games, etc. but most notably, for the cinema. Disney's live-action of The Chronicles of Narnia being the most popular of the adaptations that brought in an entirely new generation of fans. One of those fans, of course, being myself.💓😊

The series of books and films revolves around the adventures of the Pevensie siblings (Peter (the eldest sibling, played by William Moseley), Susan (the second eldest sibling, played by Anna Popplewell), Edmund (the younger brother, played by Skandar Keynes), and Lucy (the youngest sibling, played by Georgie Henley)) as they wander into the mystical world of Narnia, a place that exists outside of their reality.🚪❆🏔 While there, they are guided by a wise and powerful lion, Aslan, who can speak and is the true king of Narnia.🦁 Other main characters throughout the film series include, a prominent antagonist in the films, the White Witch (aka Jadis, played by Tilda Swinton), Reepicheep (the noble and courageous mouse), Mr. Tumnus (played by James McAvoy), Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, and Trumpkin. And I just gotta say, they couldn't have casted the characters for these films better. I think they all play their part so well.👏👍

Along the way, they must fight to save Narnia while also making their own self-discoveries, which allows them to mature and grow throughout the franchise. In other words, The Chronicles of Narnia is not only about one's fleeting childhood but it's also, in many ways, a story about escape. As it's about four kids struggling to hold onto their childhood in the middle of a war and the fantastical place that lets them be something more than scared. Like I mentioned before, each film continues the story of the Pevensie siblings, whether it's all four of them, or by the last film, just two of the four siblings, while also introducing new themes and characters such as Prince Caspian (aka Caspian X, played by Ben Barnes) who makes appearances in the second and third film, and Eustace (the Pevensie children's cousin, played by Will Poulter), who makes appearances in only the last film. But all The Chronicles of Narnia films have that same magical, imaginative, fairy-tale, adventurous sense of wonder with great messages/lessons, and even some biblical parallels.💓🞥

Speaking of biblical parallels, I LOVE these movies even more for their use of Christian symbolism and themes. Things that I honestly didn't notice or pay much attention to as a kid watching the first movie from this franchise, but really noticed this time around while watching these movies. 'Cause it's pretty evident in all three of these films. For example, the four Pevensie children parallel the four apostles of Jesus, those called by him to carry out his mission. As throughout these movies, the children are even referred to as the sons of Adam and the daughters of Eve. Aslan, the lion, represents Jesus. As he's called the King of the Wood, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, who offers his life to save Edmund in the first movie. Aslan is also mocked, beaten, and killed in the first movie, only to then rise again. The Turkish delight mentioned in the first movie is like the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. As one gets a taste and the need for more is insatiable. It provides the taste of sin and represents man's inability to stop sinning. And then there's Narnia itself, which to me, everything good about Narnia when it comes to the scenery and just overall magical fairy-tale vibes, is what I see to believe Heaven will be like. So, yeah, there's so many biblical parallels in these movies but those are just some that stood out to me this time around while watching it without having to go into too much detail.

Overall, anyone can enjoy these movies because there's something for everyone in them. Honestly, I feel like you can enjoy and understand them even more as an adult than as a kid watching them. At least, I did. I've always LOVED the first movie of this franchise, which is initially what made me want to even create this post. But now that I've watched all three films from this franchise, I just couldn't wait to talk about ALL THREE of them. So, what are we waiting for, let's get into the ranking!📺🤴🤴👸👸🚉🚪🦁❆🏔⚔💓 

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 (from least to most favorite)...

#3 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

#2 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008)

#1 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) 

 

 

Well, that concludes The Chronicles of Narnia: Every Movie in the Franchise, Ranked!💓🎉I had the BEST time watching these movies (well, for the first movie, re-watching). In fact, I couldn't have chosen a better time to watch these movies and post this, it being winter and all.🤍💙❆❄❅These movies fit the vibes of this month perfectly (again, especially the first movie). Speaking of vibes, I really do LOVE the vibes of all three of the Narnia movies. And now I'm actually quite sad that my time of watching these movies and creating this post for you guys is over.😞'Cause, like I mentioned before, I really didn't expect to LOVE these movies so much. I mean, I have always LOVED the first Narnia movie but the other two (even more so the second one), I was pleasantly surprised about. So, I LOVE all the Narnia movies not only for the vibes and what they make me feel, but also for the sibling dynamics, for many of the GREAT characters in general, and just for the fact that it's about one's fleeting childhood, imagination, wonder, magic, fairy-tale, adventure, and SO MUCH MORE. The Chronicles of Narnia franchise literally has it all.📺🤴🤴👸👸🚉🚪🦁❆🏔⚔💓

All that to say, that I hope you had just as much FUN reading this post as much as I had creating it. And if you did enjoy this post and have never seen any of these movies, or maybe you have seen them but just haven't re-watched them in a while, I HIGHLY suggest you go watch them NOW on Disney Plus. No promo here, just a suggestion.😊 But, before you go, let me know in the comments below (again, if you've seen these movies) what you're favorite Narnia movie from the franchise is or who you're favorite character(s) are? And come Back to Disney soon for more NOSTALGIC, FUN content!!✌🤍😊😉🎉

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