THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE

On December 21, Walt Disney's long-awaited Christmas film The Horns of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released, directed by New Zealand director Andrew Adamson, the same as Shrek. The fantasy is taken from the first of seven volumes of "The Chronicles of Narnia" written by Clive Staples Lewis, contemporary and friend of JR R Tolkien (the author of "The Lord of the Rings") with whom he shared in addition to the passion for Nordic mythology and Christian ideals themselves, even the tragedy of World War II.

In fact, the story is set in London at the time of the Nazi bombings. The protagonists are the four Pevensie brothers: Lucy (Georgie Henley), Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Susan (Anna Popplewell) and Peter (William Moseley) who to escape the bombs are hosted in the country house of the elderly Professor Kirke. One day while the boys pass time and fear, playing hide and seek, they are intrigued by a strange wardrobe. Once inside they discover that this is the gateway to a fantastic and magical world populated by talking animals, fauns, centaurs, minotaurs, cyclops and mythological creatures of all kinds. This enchanted place, however, is the victim of a spell by the White Witch Jadis (masterfully interpreted by Tilda Swinton) who imprisoned it in her grip of ice. Opposing the evil witch are the fantastic creatures of the kingdom of Narnia led by the charismatic lion Aslan, whose throne has been usurped. The arrival of the four boys restores hope, as an ancient prophecy tells of four descendants of Adam and Eve who will arrive to free the people of Narnia. The boys immediately show strong well-defined personalities, which despite being very different from each other, will be able to complement each other by forming a group that will be decisive for the fate of Narnia, in particular with little Lucy. After a succession of events, among which there will be the betrayal of Edmund, we will arrive at the spectacular final battle (where the bloody scenes will be spared), between the people of the lion Aslan and the white witch Jadis. Will Aslan succeed in regaining the lost kingdom and returning spring to his people. The surprise ending is certainly one of the most successful parts of the film, which we don't want to reveal to you. The skillful direction of Andrew Adamson, given his experience in the direction of films in 3d graphics (Shrek), manages to give credibility and realism to the talking and fantastic animals that move almost naturally in the boundless and beautiful landscapes of New Zealand (place where the shots were shot).

ORIGINAL TITLE: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe REGIA: Andrew Adamson PRODUCER: Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Lamp Post Productions Ltd. DISTRIBUTION: Buena Vista SITE:www.narnia.com GENRES: Adventure - Fantasy NATIONALITY: USA, New Zealand DURATION: 125 ' EXIT: DECEMBER 21, 2005 (cinema)

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