The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1979)
This Emmy Award winner for Best Animated Special is based on the first book of C.S. Lewis' acclaimed series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." Four children pass through a mystic portal in a wardrobe and discover the magical kingdom of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. There, an evil witch's spell has cast the land into eternal winter. Fearing that an ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and that the children are Narnia's rightful rulers, the White Witch tricks their youngest brother into betraying his family, enacting an ancient magic that she can use to halt the fulfillment of the prophecy. Now, only Aslan, noble lion and High King above all kings in Narnia, can help them defeat the witch, restore springtime to Narnia, and claim their rightful places on the throne.
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To me, this movie is perfection.
Beautiful, moving film.
As Good As It Gets
Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.
I was 7 when this film came on television so I was able to watch it when it first aired. I recall falling deeply in love with this fantasy story as a child and was given the entire 7 book collection as a gift. Needless to say, I read the entire collection because of my love for this made-for-TV Movie. I do not personally have the books but the are still in the family.This old TV film is a good watch but I will admit that it is not perfect yet it is a good classic TV film for kids and adults alike.If you liked the older animated dramas like "The Hobbit (TV Movie 1977)", "The Black Cauldron", "The Secret of NIMH" or "The Last Unicorn" then you might like this TV movie classic The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979).9/10
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, in my opinion, is an excellent film adaptation of C.S. Lewis' novel that was made for TV. One of the things I liked most about it was the setting, especially Narnia. If you ask me, it was touching when Lucy (voice of Rachel Warren) visited Mr. Tumnus (voice of Leslie Phillips). If you want to know why, you'll have to see the movie. Also, I though that everyone's performances were top-notch, the casting was terrific, and the scenery was beautiful. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that Bill Melendez did a superb job. In conclusion, I highly recommend this excellent animated adaptation of C.S. Lewis' novel that was made for TV to all of you who have read it.
While certainly the animation is a little dated, this is a wonderful version of the C.S. Lewis classic. My sister and I watched this over and over as kids on our Betamax, and I recently purchased it on DVD and watched it again with my four-year old. She was mesmerized by the trip to Narnia through the wardrobe and all of the adventures with "dear Mr. Tumnus", the White Witch and Aslan. And I must say that I, too, loved seeing it again for the first time in probably 20 years. The actress and actor who lent their voices to the White Witch and Aslan did a phenomenal job. And the action/battle scenes are intense enough to keep even the most squirmy child (or adult) on the edge of their seat but not so scary as to be unsuitable for young children. This movie has been playing almost non-stop in my house since Christmas Day, and I must say that I have enjoyed every showing. An absolute treasure.
If you appreciate the Narnia books, you should find a way to see this movie. Though very stylized, it is a solid adaptation of the classic story.In fact, this movie is only genuinely unfaithful to the book in one (inexplicable!) place: the "Father Christmas" scene is mostly omitted. Maybe they didn't have a clear idea of the look they should go for with him, who knows? At least they cover it well, later in the movie.Special note must be given to the sound in this film: the voice work (at least in the English version!) is quite good, with the exception of Lucy's crying, which is really, really terrible. And definitely pay attention to the musical score--it is one of the best I've ever heard in an animated film.If you can find it, give it a watch you won't be disappointed.