# The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
**The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe** is a 2005 fantasy adventure film directed by [Andrew Adamson](https://www.edgepedia.org/andrew-adamson), adapting C.S. Lewis's 1950 novel of the same name, the first of the seven-volume *Chronicles of Narnia* series. Produced by [Walt Disney Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/walt-disney-pictures) and [Walden Media](https://www.edgepedia.org/walden-media), it follows four Pevensie siblings sent out of London during the World War II bombings who enter the frozen land of Narnia through a wardrobe and, guided by the lion Aslan, fight to free it from the White Witch, Jadis.[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia) • [2](https://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/2005/pdfs/20051209.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | December 9, 2005 (wide), after a world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall in London on December 7[3](https://d23.com/a-to-z/chronicles-of-narnia-the-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-film/) |
| Director / writers | Andrew Adamson; screenplay by Ann Peacock, Adamson, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely, from C.S. Lewis's novel[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia) • [4](https://movies.disney.com/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe) |
| Principal cast | Georgie Henley (Lucy), William Moseley (Peter), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), Anna Popplewell (Susan), Tilda Swinton (Jadis), Liam Neeson (voice of Aslan), James McAvoy (Mr. Tumnus)[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia) • [5](https://www.disney.co.jp/studio/liveaction/0824) |
| Box office | $291,710,957 domestic, $428,828,615 international, $720,539,572 worldwide[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe-The) |
| Critical scores | 76% Tomatometer (216 reviews) and 61% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes; Metascore 75 from 39 reviews[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe) • [8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/critic-reviews/) |
| Award | Academy Award for Makeup at the 78th Academy Awards, to Howard Berger and Tami Lane[9](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/019449) |
| Runtime / rating | 2h 23m; rated PG for frightening moments and battle sequences[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe) |
## Spoilers
### Story
During the World War II bombings of London, the four Pevensie children are sent to the country house of an elderly professor. Playing hide-and-seek, Lucy finds a wardrobe that transports her to Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythological creatures cursed by the White Witch Jadis to a winter that never ends. Lucy returns with her siblings Peter, Edmund, and Susan, and the four, aided by the lion Aslan, lead Narnia into a climactic battle to free it from the Witch's rule.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe) • [6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe-The)
### Franchise aftermath
The film launched a series: Disney and Walden adapted the second book, *Prince Caspian*, in 2008, followed by *The Voyage of the Dawn Treader* in 2010.[17](https://time.com/4445587/chronicles-of-narnia-silver-chair-reboot/) After poor reviews and financial difficulties for *Prince Caspian*, Disney left the franchise.[15](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v45/2011-01-26_v45-073.pdf) In 2018, Netflix acquired the global rights to the book series, and [Greta Gerwig](https://www.edgepedia.org/greta-gerwig)'s adaptation of *The Magician's Nephew*, the sixth book and a prequel, is set for a wide theatrical release beginning February 12, 2027, before streaming on April 2.[18](https://apnews.com/article/332d7329e51d69d08ec1ca5cce96bf20) The 2005 film remains available on Disney+.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe)
## Production
The film was a Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media production, made in the United States with locations in New Zealand and the Czech Republic, and released in 2005.[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia) • [10](https://theses.cz/id/hb3srp/Bakal_sk_prce_Anna_Machov.pdf) Adamson, previously known for the *Shrek* films, directed from a screenplay credited to Ann Peacock, Adamson, Christopher Markus, and Stephen McFeely.[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia) The production carried a blockbuster-oriented budget of $180 million.[11](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10007385/7/Hamer%2C%20Naomi%20Elana_Redacted.pdf) Producers included Mark Johnson, Douglas Gresham, Philip Steuer, Adamson, and Perry Moore.[1](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia)
The novel had earlier screen versions, including a stage production, two British television series, and an Emmy Award-winning animated feature that aired on American television in 1979.[2](https://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/2005/pdfs/20051209.pdf) Although an international co-production, the film was perceived in the British industry as closely tied to British story material; the UK Film Council's Statistical Yearbook for 2005 to 2006 described it as based on UK story material with a distinctive local flavor.[12](https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/53406/1/2014RickardsCHPhD.pdf.pdf)
## Reception
Critics responded favorably. The film scored 76 percent on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 216 reviews, with a critics consensus crediting its first-rate special effects and faithful storytelling, and 61 percent on the audience Popcornmeter from more than 250,000 ratings.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe) On Metacritic it received a Metascore of 75 from 39 reviews, with 31 positive, 7 mixed, and 1 negative.[8](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/critic-reviews/) Reviewers singled out different strengths: Kirk Honeycutt of *The Hollywood Reporter* praised how lightly sketched elements of the novel blossomed into richly detailed life on screen, while Anthony Lane of *The New Yorker* and the *Chicago Tribune* objected that the story's Christian allegory, particularly Aslan's sacrifice and resurrection, weighed on the storytelling.[13](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363771/criticreviews/)
The film won the Academy Award for Makeup at the 78th Academy Awards, awarded to Howard Berger and Tami Lane.[9](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/019449)
## Box office
The film earned $291,710,957 in the United States and Canada and $428,828,615 internationally, for a worldwide total of $720,539,572, with the domestic share at 40.5 percent.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe-The) Estimated domestic physical disc sales added $370,047,127.[6](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe-The) *Christianity Today* reported the opening combined more than $1 billion in box office ($745 million) and DVD sales ($332 million), figures that differ from the the-numbers.com totals.[14](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2011/04/lionwitchboxoffice/) The film's audience included a large faith-based constituency; Narnia supporters enthusiastically embraced its faithfulness to Lewis, and the series has reported sales of 120 million books worldwide since 1950.[15](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v45/2011-01-26_v45-073.pdf) • [16](https://apnews.com/article/1ce88b978f0d423776dd0fe62535e7cc)
## References
1. [The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Walden Media](https://www.walden.com/filmtv/thechroniclesofnarnia)
2. [David DiCerto, review, Office for Film and Broadcasting (Archdiocese of Indianapolis), December 9, 2005](https://www.archindy.org/criterion/files/2005/pdfs/20051209.pdf)
3. [Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (film), D23](https://d23.com/a-to-z/chronicles-of-narnia-the-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-film/)
4. [The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Disney Movies](https://movies.disney.com/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe)
5. [ナルニア国物語／第1章：ライオンと魔女｜ディズニー公式](https://www.disney.co.jp/studio/liveaction/0824)
6. [The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Chronicles-of-Narnia-The-Lion-the-Witch-and-the-Wardrobe-The)
7. [The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/chronicles_of_narnia_lion_witch_wardrobe)
8. [Critic Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-chronicles-of-narnia-the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe/critic-reviews/)
9. [ナルニア国物語／第1章：ライオンと魔女, WOWOWオンライン](https://www.wowow.co.jp/detail/019449)
10. [Anna Machovská, Film adaptation of the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, bachelor thesis](https://theses.cz/id/hb3srp/Bakal_sk_prce_Anna_Machov.pdf)
11. [Naomi Elana Hamer, Reading Tween Franchises, UCL thesis](https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10007385/7/Hamer%2C%20Naomi%20Elana_Redacted.pdf)
12. [C. Rickards, PhD thesis on British fantasy film, University of East Anglia](https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/53406/1/2014RickardsCHPhD.pdf.pdf)
13. [Metacritic reviews via IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363771/criticreviews/)
14. [The Lion, the Witch, and the Box Office, Christianity Today](https://www.christianitytoday.com/2011/04/lionwitchboxoffice/)
15. [The Observer (University of Notre Dame), January 26, 2011](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/v45/2011-01-26_v45-073.pdf)
16. [Meryl Streep's Aslan stirs gender debate over Gerwig's 'Narnia', AP News](https://apnews.com/article/1ce88b978f0d423776dd0fe62535e7cc)
17. [Prepare to Return to Narnia With a Silver Chair Movie, Time](https://time.com/4445587/chronicles-of-narnia-silver-chair-reboot/)
18. [Greta Gerwig debuts first look at 'Narnia' for Netflix, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/332d7329e51d69d08ec1ca5cce96bf20)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Adaptations of literature, stage, and other media › Contemporary literary and YA film franchises*
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