The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
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Four siblings evacuated during World War II discover a magical land hidden within a wardrobe.
The story
In 1940, during World War II, the Pevensie children are evacuated from London to the countryside. While playing, Lucy discovers a wardrobe that leads to the magical land of Narnia. There, she meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus and learns of the White Witch, Jadis, who has cursed the land to an eternal winter. When the rest of the siblings eventually join her in Narnia, they must navigate this magical realm and confront the forces of the White Witch while preparing for the return of the true King, Aslan.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1940, siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are evacuated to the countryside. Lucy finds a wardrobe leading to Narnia, where she meets Mr. Tumnus. After Edmund is tempted by the White Witch's gifts and eventually joins his siblings in Narnia, they meet talking beavers and learn of the prophecy regarding the thrones of Cair Paravel. They receive gifts from Father Christmas to defend against the Witch's forces. Aslan, the lion and true King, returns and sacrifices himself to save Edmund from a blood contract. He is later resurrected and leads an army of Narnians to defeat Jadis. The siblings are crowned monarchs of Narnia. Years later, they return through the wardrobe as adults, only to find that in the real world, almost no time has passed.
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 143
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Andrew Adamson
- Writers
- Ann Peacock · screenplay; Andrew Adamson · screenplay; Christopher Markus · screenplay; Stephen McFeely · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Georgie Henley · Lucy Pevensie; Skandar Keynes · Edmund Pevensie; William Moseley · Peter Pevensie; Anna Popplewell · Susan Pevensie; Tilda Swinton · Jadis, the White Witch; Liam Neeson · Aslan; James McAvoy · Mr. Tumnus; Jim Broadbent · Professor Digory Kirke
- Genres
- high fantasy
- Themes
- bravery; sacrifice; good vs evil
- Tone and mood
- fantasy; epic
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; adventure; children's literature; war
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
- Franchise connections
- The Chronicles of Narnia
- Reception
- The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews and high audience ratings.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 216; Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 39
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Makeup · win; Academy Award · Best Sound Mixing · nomination; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Makeup and Hair · win; BAFTA Award · Best Costume Design · nomination; BAFTA Award · Best Special Visual Effects · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Score · nomination; Golden Globe Award · Best Original Song · nomination; Grammy Award · Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media · nomination; Grammy Award · Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media · nomination; BeliefNet Film Award · Best Spiritual film · win; Movieguide Faith & Values Awards · Most Inspiring Movie of 2005 · 2005 · win; Movieguide Faith & Values Awards · Best Family Movie of 2005 · 2005 · win; CAMIE Award · Character and Morality In Entertainment · win; British Academy Film Awards · Makeup and Hair · win; Orange Rising Star · James McAvoy · win; Phoenix Film Critics Society Award · Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role (Georgie Henley, Female) · win; Costume Designers Guild Award · Excellence in Fantasy Film (Isis Mussenden) · win; Saturn Award · Costumes (Isis Mussenden) · win; Saturn Award · Make-up (Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, and Nikki Gooley) · win
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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