I guess the Dawn Treader movie could have been made into something like The Little Mermaid cartoon of the 1980’s. Then it would have been even more like a Disney film.  You have to admit there are certain parts of it that were appealing to children in that way. Maybe the creators of the film were hoping it would sell more tickets to a younger audience.  The film didn’t turn out to be a box office success probably because it was a bit artificial, although the special effects were quite real looking.  The story adaptation of the movie was not something unique and believable like the book.  The book made you feel like you were taking a real sea voyage, which is something that the movie didn’t convey fully even though it was quite good looking on the screen.

A new movie based on Dawn Treader could draw a new interest in the books with a better story adaptation.  It shouldn’t matter how old the Narnia books are, and since there has been a strong interest in them for over 70 years it should be possible for a film to attract a similar interest. The renaissance should be intimately connected with the original stories. A new film that is more like the original story would help to achieve that purpose.

Sorry for the double posting.  I did it by accident.  I deleted one of the posts to save space.

Just pulling this thread back on topic to the original.question - which is whether there would be a reappraisal in the public consciousness of the 2010 Walden Media version of VDT specifically - I think the only way that happens is if they released an extended "Directors cut" of the film (appreciating that the director is no longer around to necessarily author a new cut himself).

If they had enough spare material left on the cutting room floor to give some of the scenes a bit more room to breathe, and to even out the pace of the movie a little bit so that it doesn't feel so rushed, I think it might give the film a little bit more scope to stand on its own feet as a movie in its own right (i.e. independent of it's degree of authenticity to the book).

As it is though, I feel like it's far too sloppily made of a film to really be able to get to that point.

I would genuinely be interested though to hear if people do have specific ideas about exactly how and why the film might turn it's public image around - there are plenty of films from cinema history that have done just that, so it's not impossible, I'm just struggling to see it for VDT right now.

While I think the release of Greta Gerwig's adaptation might spark some renewed interest in the old Narnia films, I’m not sure Voyage of the Dawn Treader is poised for any kind of real "renaissance." It’s not just a bad adaptation of the book, it also doesn’t stand well on its own as a film. The emotional depth and mythic tone of the source material were replaced with a bland, generic plot, and the pacing feels disjointed even for viewers unfamiliar with the novel. 

Unlike The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, Dawn Treader doesn’t have the same nostalgic pull. It came later, had less impact culturally, and lacked the cinematic quality and stakes of its predecessors. I just don’t think there’s enough goodwill or memorable filmmaking to spark a meaningful reevaluation, even if there was a director's cut. It’s not misunderstood, it’s just not very good - in my opinion.

That said, the one thing that might spark a flicker of renewed interest is Will Poulter’s performance as Eustace. He was easily the standout in an otherwise messy film; funny, sharp, and nuanced. Now that Poulter’s gained a lot of respect as an actor, people might look back and say, “Wait, he was in that?” But even then, I think it would be more of a curiosity than a full-on redemption arc for the movie itself.

But in many ways, I think that lack of a strong renaissance or lasting fanbase might actually work in Netflix’s favour if they end up adapting it (fingers crossed). Since the film wasn’t beloved or overly iconic, Netflix has a clean slate to reimagine the story without having to compete with strong nostalgic expectations or passionate fans defending the old version, like they do with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Posted by: @icarus

Just pulling this thread back on topic to the original.question - which is whether there would be a reappraisal in the public consciousness of the 2010 Walden Media version of VDT specifically - I think the only way that happens is if they released an extended "Directors cut" of the film (appreciating that the director is no longer around to necessarily author a new cut himself).

If they had enough spare material left on the cutting room floor to give some of the scenes a bit more room to breathe, and to even out the pace of the movie a little bit so that it doesn't feel so rushed, I think it might give the film a little bit more scope to stand on its own feet as a movie in its own right (i.e. independent of it's degree of authenticity to the book).

FWIW, I watched the deleted scenes that were included on the DVD, and I didn't think any of them were that great. (Of course, I made this thread to speculate about other people liking the VDT movie, not necessarily whether I like it. There are plenty of cases where others think a movie is great and I don't, or I think a movie is great and they don't.) 

@narnian78    The film didn’t turn out to be a box office success probably because it was a bit artificial, although the special effects were quite real looking.

I should hope that you found the special effects were quite real looking, when the Walden VDT was made for 3D technology, all the fad in 2010, but which soon petered out, once streaming services, such as Netflix, itself, became such players in delivering films, especially during the Pandemic, a decade later, when cinemas were sometimes closed down. I daresay it could be made into a cartoon version, but maybe the same might also apply to BBC's Silver Chair. Providing Magician's Nephew measures up, Netflix is said to complete the rest of the series. That might be LWW, obviously needing to be looked at, for Netflix's own version, but then, the as yet never filmed HHB should be attempted, without worrying too much about PC and VDT. The beauty of a cartoon version is that there wouldn't be quite that struggle to retain actors from LWW to fill roles in PC or finally, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 

The film technology to produce movies with 3D effects was not the only technological innovation used, when the ship became an actual stage one could walk around, thanks to a gimbal, set up on location, and moved by semi-trailer (I don't know the American term for these huge vehicles), from the Gold Coast to the Whitsundays, on the the Great Barrier Reef, where some of the filming was done. 

@waggawerewolf27 

Adding the Green Mist and changing the story made the film seem a bit artificial. The special effects were among the better parts of the film. But the story would have been a more realistic adaptation if it was closer to the book as was the BBC and Focus on the Family versions. But even with its flaws I would say the movie is still worth watching. I have become more forgiving of mistakes in the Walden films than when I first saw them. I would still recommend all three of them at least for entertainment. 🙂

@narnian78 Adding the Green Mist and changing the story made the film seem a bit artificial.

Fair points, especially as it is likely the Green Mist was added on, especially to cater for the 3D fad, and in any case, was only an idea borrowed from LotGK's trying to mesmerise Jill, Eustace, Prince Rillian and Glumpuddle into her point of view. Not only was it a definite minus, but also it made it harder to visualise Walden filming Silver Chair. Even Mark Gordon, I think his name was, one of the head honchos at the time, wanted to film Magician's Nephew, instead. Possibly, he wanted to keep Tilda Swinton to play a young Jadis (relatively speaking).  

I'll have to watch it again. Without all the gizmos & special spectacles, the 3D copy doesn't work so well for viewers, but fortunately, a second copy without the 3D treatment came with my copy. The 3D effect made it look like the Green Mist was coming right at the viewer, which I agree was rather creepy.  

@waggawerewolf27 

I have never seen the Dawn Treader movie in 3-D, although it was offered by same theater where I saw the regular version.  I have seen only one movie in 3-D, Avatar, and it was rather uncomfortable for my eyes so I decided against watching Dawn Treader that way.  I guess some people might like that format, but I was more satisfied with the regular version because it didn’t give me headaches. A new version might offer technology like that, and I am not sure if I would like to watch it.  But to each his own, and that includes modern versions of movies.