The Chronicles of Narnia Movies are on Disney+
As of today, all three of Walden Media’s Chronicles of Narnia movies are on Disney Plus:
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (added today)
Dawn Treader is being presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, instead of 1.78:1 as it appeared on Blu-ray.
Disney Plus adding Dawn Treader today completes a circle for the franchise. Walt Disney Pictures distributed the first two Narnia movies before departing and being replaced by Fox for Dawn Treader. Last year Fox was acquired by Disney, enabling all the Narnia movies to be brought together.
What happened to Narnia 4?
After Dawn Treader‘s box office sank below expectations, Walden Media pitched The Magician’s Nephew as the next movie, but negotiations fell through and they lost the rights.
The Mark Gordon Company began developing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair in 2013, but that production was abandoned due to creative differences.
Now, Netflix is preparing Narnia movies and series with Matthew Aldrich at the helm.
Netflix acquired the Narnia rights 2 years ago and it is still in pre-production. Narnia is just not a priority and we are in no better position than with Sony. And with the “Cuties” controversy I would prefer the C.S. Lewis legacy cut all ties with Netflix.
Does the 2.39:1 theatrical aspect ratio mean that the 1.78:1 blu ray version was chopped? Or is the Disney+ version chopped in the top and bottom of the screen? I’m just interested.
The Blu-ray extends the top and bottom.
BUT, the movie definitely appears to have been shot with the intention of cropping in post. The framing of shots on the Blu-ray occasionally feels wrong. And then there is this major mistake where Aslan’s shadow leads to nothing (in the theatrical version, the top of the screen was cut off, so they had no reason to put the CG Aslan model in): https://www.narniaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/vdt-dvd-aslan.jpg
The Blu-ray extends the top and bottom. BUT, that’s not necessarily better…
It seems clear that they shot the movie with the intention of cropping the image in post. Many shots on the Blu-ray feel awkwardly framed. And there’s this major mistake in which Aslan’s shadow leads to nothing (in the theatrical version, the feet were cropped out so there was no reason to insert the CG Aslan model): https://www.narniaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/vdt-dvd-aslan.jpg
Okay, thanks Glum! At the very least Disney+ is giving us the “theatrical” version.
NOW WE’VE GOT GOT TO DO A NARNIA MARATHON DECEMBER 9’th-10th.
Hearing nothing in 2 years is not necessarily a problem. Walden held the rights for 3 or 4 years before LWW came out. I think there is a lot of organizing to do to get to the principal photography stage. You may be interested to follow this link and note that in May 2020, Netflix confirmed with a fan on Twitter that the production is still going ahead.
https://www.narniaweb.com/2020/05/with-narnia-trending-worldwide-netflix-says-adaptation-is-still-happening/
When I first saw Dawn Treader in the theaters, I was highly disappointed. I only rewatched it once that year and never saw it again until today. I’m surprised to say my strong aversion to the film has lessened. I actually found myself crying at a couple key points.
As to Narnia’s long production delay… I mean, part of it could be because of 2020. Waiting on a film doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll be bad, like Dr. Strange 2 has been in the works for what feels like forever, but now the announcements keep coming and it sounds amazing (admittedly there is a difference from adapting a book vs using comic books as inspiration but mostly creating a story from scratch)
Yes, the shadow by itself really stands out in the dvd/blu-ray version. Every time I watch it I find it impossible to ignore.
Is this a problem with lots of movies generally?
If I get Disney plus I will have to watch DT through it even though I already own it just to see if the theatrical frame choice really is better.
This is great news.
Thanks this is fantastic.
Wait, it’s being presented in the original theatrical format?????? Could they sell that on DVD? Please????? I want that DVD so badly! Some of us are willing to pay for physical media but are unwilling to pay for streaming. #physicalmediaforever
The problem with streaming is that you don’t know for certain if the movie or TV show will always be available. So I would rather own my favorite movies and programs on DVD or blu-ray. The streaming services will sometimes have what I want but not always. If you like the Narnia films and the old BBC productions I would recommend buying them on the physical media. Disney Plus and Netflix may not always have the Narnia related films and TV series.
I’m not a fan of streaming either. But it’s hard for me to get DVDs from the library right now so I’ve been reduced it. 🙁
Whilst it can be frustrating when you want to watch a movie that isn’t available on streaming, the fact that these movies are on on Disney’s own platform, and not a third party platform which will be subject to short term licensing agreements, means you can be fairly certain that they aren’t going to disappear on you.
Secondly, i have an extensive back catalogue of DVDs at home, yet i find that they are now virtually unwatchable on my 52 inch OLED 4K TV, because DVDs simply weren’t designed to be viewed on such a high quality display. Therefore unless you want to have to constantly upgrade your physical media with every new generation of media, streaming services represent your best bet to stay current.
I solve that problem by not constantly getting new TVs. 😉
DVD’s are fine to watch on a 40 inch TV screen like mine. I don’t see much difference between them and blu ray discs. One advantage of a smaller screen is that the old TV shows and movies look great on it and the flaws are not so noticeable. 🙂
Tbh it’s clear we’re not getting a perfect series. So at this point I would love for the rights to go back to Disney. Since Eustace is a bit older in Silver they could locate a doppelgänger and pick up from Dawn Treader. If these were lower budget straight to Disney + movies. Disney might be willing to take it back under its wing.
The thing that frustrates me about Disneys abandonment of the franchise is that they should have expected less revenue from future films.
LWW has a wider audience.
750mil for LWW and 500mil for everything following is still lucrative, but I guess not if you’re greedy or afraid of perceived risks.