The Chronicles of Narnia: Books vs. movies

The Chronicles of Narnia: Books vs. movies | Audible.ca

The Chronicles of Narnia is a seven-book series by the legendary C. S. Lewis. The fantasy novels are considered classics of children's literature and have sold more than 100 million copies worldwide in 47 languages. Initially published between 1950 and 1956, the series has since inspired movie adaptations, TV shows, stage productions, and computer games. To this day, The Chronicles of Narnia remains a highly influential and acclaimed work, leaving a lasting impression on not only fantasy literature but also pop culture as a whole.

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Chronicles of Narnia series.

What inspired The Chronicles of Narnia?

As author C.S. Lewis has stated, the idea for The Chronicles of Narnia came from an image of a faun with an umbrella carrying parcels in the snowy woods. In his essay "It All Began with a Picture," Lewis explains: "This picture had been in my mind since I was about sixteen. Then one day, when I was about forty, I said to myself: 'Let's try to make a story about it.'"

The children of Lewis's stories were inspired by real-life experiences. During World War II, children were being evacuated from London to protect them from anticipated military attacks on the city. At this time, Lewis was living in Risinghurst, three miles east of Oxford city centre, and opened his home to a family of three young girls, the Kilns.

Which book in the series should I listen to first?

While the books were not originally written or published in chronological order, the author's family and the publishers now insist that Lewis would want the books to be listened to in chronological order, starting with The Magician's Nephew. Meanwhile, some scholars and fans of the books argue that the world of Narnia is best introduced through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and so that book should be heard first, even though it is not the first book chronologically.

What is The Chronicles of Narnia about?

The Chronicles of Narnia envisions a world parallel to ours, and the series sees people from our world travelling over to that world, meeting characters there, exploring, and having adventures. While the series is not explicitly about Christianity, C.S. Lewis was an author of Christian apologetics before he wrote this series. The Chronicles of Narnia story is influenced by Christian theology. Faith, forgiveness, and salvation are major themes in all of the Narnia books.

Who are the main characters of The Chronicles of Narnia?

Aslan is a lion and a major character in all of audiobooks—he is widely believed to be a Christ-like figure. Wise and kind, Aslan acts as a guide to the characters from our world who journey to Narnia. He often appears in the story when characters need to be rescued or are in need of moral guidance.

Susan Pevensie is the second eldest Pevensie. She later becomes queen of Narnia. As an adult, she is courted by the scheming Prince Rabadash. When she refuses his proposal, Rabadash becomes angry and nearly incites a war.
Peter Pevensie is the eldest of the Pevensies and leads the Narnian army against the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Peter is brave and responsible, which is why Aslan counts on him to close the door to Narnia in The Last Battle.
Mr. Tumnus is a faun and the character who first introduces Lucy (and the listener!) to the magical world of Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Initially, Tumnus brings Lucy to his home in an effort to turn her over to Jadis—but after befriending her, he simply can't betray her. Having failed to do as she ordered, the White Witch turns him into stone.
Prince Caspian is the title character of Prince Caspian, the second book published in The Chronicles of Narnia. With the help of the Pevensies, Caspian must take back the throne from his evil uncle, King Miraz, and return Narnia to the magical, wonderful place it once was.
Eustace Scrubb is the Pevensies’ cousin. He is first introduced in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader as a bratty, selfish boy—but after his greed turns him into a dragon, he changes his perspective and helps save Prince Rilian in The Silver Chair and King Tirian in The Last Battle.
Jill Pole is Eustace's schoolmate who travels to Narnia to help find the lost Prince Rilian in The Silver Chair.
Digory Kirke is the titular character in The Magician's Nephew. He is also "the Professor" in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, who the Pevensies come to stay with after they're evacuated from London. Digory is the one who accidentally awakens Queen Jadis. To make up for that terrible mistake, Aslan asks Digory to find a magical apple with the power to heal his ailing mother and ultimately help to protect Narnia.
Polly Plummer is a friend of Digory's who ends up stranded in the Wood between the Worlds when Digory's wicked uncle tricks her into touching a magic ring.
Queen Jadis, also called the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is responsible for freezing Narnia, sending it into the Hundred Year Winter. She turns her enemies into statues. She's the only villain to return for more than one book. In The Magician's Nephew, the prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Digory awakens her.
King Miraz is the main villain in Prince Caspian. He murders Prince Caspian's father, Caspian the Ninth, and usurps the throne. Then when Miraz has a son of his own, he seeks to kill his nephew, the rightful heir, so that his own son can take the throne.
The Lady of the Green Kirtle is the main villain in The Silver Chair. She rules an underground kingdom using magical mind control. She is also known as Queen of the Underland or simply "the Witch."
Prince Rabadash is the arrogant eldest son of the Tisroc and the main villain in The Horse and His Boy. When Rabadash invades Archenland and is defeated, Aslan punishes him by turning him into a donkey.
Shift the Ape is the main antagonist in The Last Battle. Although the books never describe what kind of ape he is, Pauline Baynes's illustrations depict him as a chimpanzee. Shift is clever and greedy, and he convinces the naïve donkey Puzzle to impersonate Aslan so that he can overtake Narnia.

The final adaptation of the three probably makes the most changes, but overall the story of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader film remains faithful to the novel.
The biggest change is the quest for the seven swords. Apparently, these swords were all once owned by the Seven Lost Lords, and Caspian is looking for the swords to complete Aslan's table. All of this was made up for the movie. This storyline is not in the book.
In the book, Aslan changes Eustace back from a dragon, and then Eustace is able to follow the Dawn Treader. In the movie, however, Eustace remains a dragon until almost the very end.
The encounter with the Slave Trader is different in the book than in the movie as well. In the book, Caspian is sold as a slave and later recognized by one of the seven lords as the king. In the movie, the crew of the Dawn Treader rescues Caspian before anything happens.
In the book, Lucy is tempted by the Book of Incantations when she sees an image of herself as a beauty surpassing that of Susan. In the movie, however, she sees herself as an exact image of Susan.
In the movie, Eustace and Jill Pole are already friends. But in the books, they did not become friends until later. At first, Jill despises Eustace and considers him a bully. It isn't until after he changes during the events of the book that she sees him as a friend.
Edmund's character arc is changed for this movie, perhaps to be more in line with the Edmund viewers would recognize from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In The Voyager of the Dawn Treader movie, Edmund is tempted by the power of the water to turn objects into gold. In the book, however, Caspian is the one tempted to use the power. Meanwhile, Edmund tries to warn people to stay away from the waters.
The movie seems intent on preserving Caspian's image as a noble king with no temptations to do anything rash or irresponsible. In the film, Caspian decides not to go to The World's End because of his duty as a king. In the novel, however, Aslan forbids Caspian from going to The World's End, and this is the only reason Caspian doesn't go.
Last but not least, the dreaded White Witch makes an appearance in the film version of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. In the book, she's only briefly mentioned by Lucy.