Overview: C.S. Lewis’s enchanting tale comes to life in this classic BBC adaptation from 1988. When young Second World War evacuee Lucy Pevensie hides in an old wardrobe during a game of hide and seek, she finds herself transported to the magical land of Narnia, locked in eternal winter by the evil White Witch.

DVD Verdict: Yes, the visual effects are primitive, but the production is so thoughtful and earnest that it hardly matters. I mean the BBC in the late '80's didn't have the technology for good visual effects. What did you expect?

Also, what's not to like about the casting? The only character I can think of who was arguably better cast in the new movie was Lucy, but BOTH Lucys were extraordinary child actresses. There are people saying Lucy doesn't look the part in this adaptation... true, she's not movie-star cute, but does she have to be? I think she looks a little too grown up, but she acts the part so well you almost don't notice. The other children are superbly cast. They chose a perfect Susan, better cast than the Susan in the new version (although she wasn't bad). Peter is also a lot better in this. I don't think the 2005 filmmakers got a handle on his quite uniquely British character.

But enough of defending this TV adaptation. The makers of the new movie should be the ones on the defensive. There are aspects of this series that the new movie can't even come near. The acting is brilliant and nuanced; all the more impressive coming from children. The White Witch may have over-acted a bit in this TV version, but Tilda Swinton has such a pared-down part in the new movie, it's hard to argue with any certainty that her understated performance was any better.

The pacing is perfect in the BBC version. You don't see any of the maudlin crap that Disney puts into the new version, like the ten-minute scene of the kids boarding the train in London and crying as they leave their mummy. It's faithful to the books, not omitting or (what's more annoying) ADDING anything in the plot. At over two hours, the Disney movie could have included most of the book's dialog and dispensed with the overdone, overlong CGI battle scenes, and with adding its own minor characters (ie: the fox).

The music in this adaptation is also SUPERB. It's some of the best theme music I've ever heard for a small or big screen production.

You can say the battle scenes were more believeable in the new one, and that the witch's CGI army beats the embarrassing cut-and-paste animations, and costumed actor animals seen in the BBC adaptation. But NOWHERE does the movie create the level of suspense you see in Peter's fight with the wolf in the BBC adaptation. Yes, the wolf was obviously an actor in a costume. But seeing him toss Peter around, and with Peter looking like he was really getting hurt and genuinely scared, it was an incredibly frightening and well-directed scene.

Also, I have nothing bad to say about Liam Neeson, but I couldn't bring myself to believe an Aslan with an American accent in the new version. Neeson has been in the U.S. a long time, and he does an American accent better than an Englih one. I guess the filmmakers thought it would be too ridiculous to have an Irish-sounding Aslan, so they directed him to sound American, and frankly, it doesnt' work. Ronald Pickup's voice makes much more sense for this part.

I suppose if you didn't know what to expect, the shoddy special effects in this version might ruin it for you. But if you appreciate the ways this adaptation beats the movie, you'll be able to see past the visual effects, and you'll be glad you took the time. Makes me wish the BBC directors had just had the same CGI technology to use when they made this.. For, with better visuals, it would be perfect! [KMB] This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:

Past Watchful Dragons - Oxford Historian Humphrey Carpenter describes how C.S. Lewis came to write The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first Narnia book
Interviews from the 2003 cast reunion
Historic interviews from the series premiere
Special Effects footage
Outtakes
Photo Galleries