Becker Group Announces International Narnia Museum Exhibit
BALTIMORE, Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ — Re-creating scenes of author C.S. Lewis’s famed literary fantasy world of “Narnia,” Becker Group, in partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walden Media will bring to worldwide audiences “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition,” a fantastical state-of-the-art educational exhibit. The massive interactive experience will premiere June 2008, to coincide with the opening of the new film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” the second installment of the blockbuster film series based on Lewis’s beloved fictional books.
The 10,000-square-foot educational exhibit will appear at internationally renowned museums and learning institutions in a minimum of 10 cities around the world over a five-year span, escorting guests of all ages on a tour of myth, magic and adventure that so embodied Lewis’s fantasy world. Incorporating the movies’ original props with newly created interactive elements, “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” will allow visitors to enter three-dimensional settings of both fantasy and reality, including a recreation of Lewis’s personal study. Visitors will also be immersed in environments such as the famous attic and wardrobe that serve as the portal into the Narnia adventures. Once inside, guests will be transported into a wintry Narnia world complete with falling snow and cold wind, as seen in the series’ first film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The tour then continues through other spectacles from the series including the White Witch’s ice palace, Cair Paravel, an actual trebuchet that was used as a catapulting weapon in medieval days, and additional sets and environments from the upcoming film, “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.”
First published in 1950, over 100 million copies of “The Chronicles of Narnia” series have been sold in over 48 languages. The series’ first big screen adaptation, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe,” grossed over $745 million worldwide. Since the book series has long been a regarded source of reading inspiration, merging fantasy and historic knowledge, a special teacher’s guide that also includes information on weather and climate will be available to academic communities in each of the exhibit’s touring cities.
“This truly is a multi-faceted, educational exhibit that stimulates the senses, and illuminates the mind,” said Glenn Tilley, president of Becker Group. “This immersive experience promises to leave audiences young and old with lasting memories.”
“Walden Media is pleased to be partnering with Disney and the Becker Group to create what we know will be a faithful adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s original story,” said Micheal Flaherty, co-founder and president of Walden Media. “The ‘Narnia’ exhibition is a natural extension of the world that C.S Lewis created, and we’re thrilled that we’ve helped to take Narnia from books to films and now to interactive experiences.”
The new touring experience will appear throughout the theatrical and video runs of “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” as well as the scheduled third film in the series, “The Chronicles of Narnia: the Voyage of the Dawn Treader.” Becker Group is currently in discussions with venues in markets worldwide such as, but not limited to:
London — Chicago — Sydney, Australia
Los Angeles — Tampa — Quebec
Boston — Denver — Philadelphia
Columbus — Minneapolis/St. Paul — Dallas/Ft. Worth
Phoenix — St. Louis — New York
Produced in partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures and Walden Media, “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” is Becker Group’s sixth partnership with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, the most recent of which was “The Big Cheese Tour,” which appeared at food and cultural festivals throughout the country to promote last summer’s Disney- Pixar animated smash film, “Ratatouille.”
About Becker Group:
A subsidiary of Viad Corp (NYSE: VVI), Becker Group is an experiential marketing company with over fifty years of experience creating immersive, entertaining attractions and brand-based experiences for a wide variety of clients and venues including top consumer brands, movie studios, retail centers, television networks, theme parks, museums and casinos. The award-winning company is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, and has operations in Los Angeles, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, Miami, Mexico City, Mexico and Sao Paulo, Brazil. For more information about venues for “The Chronicles of Narnia: International Museum Exhibition” inquiries should be made to Lisa O’Keefe, director of venue partnerships at 201-594-0582, or, lokeefe@beckergroup.com
About Walden Media LLC:
Walden Media specializes in entertainment that sparks imagination and engages young people in the learning process. Walden Media creates films, books and interactive media for the whole family to enjoy together. By working closely with the best talent in film and publishing and by collaborating with educators and parents, Walden Media develops stories that delight and enlighten audiences young and old. Founded by Cary Granat, former president of Miramax Films’ Dimension label, and education reformer Micheal Flaherty, Walden Media is a subsidiary of Anschutz Film Group.
About Walt Disney Studios:
The Walt Disney Studios is a unit of The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) and distributes motion pictures under Walt Disney Pictures — which includes Walt Disney Feature Animation and DisneyToon Studios — Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures and Miramax Films. Buena Vista International serves as the studio’s international distribution arm. Buena Vista Home Entertainment and Buena Vista Home Entertainment International together distribute Disney and other film titles to the rental and sell-through home entertainment markets worldwide. Buena Vista Theatrical Productions is one of the largest producers of Broadway musicals, and the Buena Vista Music Group distributes original music and motion picture soundtracks under its four record labels: Walt Disney Records, Buena Vista Records, Hollywood Records and Lyric Street Records.
