@col-klink Yes, I understand you there. And as I’ve mentioned I’m still rereading. So far I’ve finished Magicians Nephew and LWW. Currently reading HHB. I may have forgotten some of the food scenes from the books. I had read about Bree recently thinking about oats and I just snacked on oats and honey with my puppy. Reading about food and seeing it can definitely be impactful.  

@daughterofthestar, @col-klink

I've even noticed that in every screen adaption of LWW, where Edmund asks the White Witch if he could have one more piece of Turkish delight, when she says, "No", she does it with a harsh tone. In the book, she says it with a laugh. There's actually an improvement that I would actually like.

Also, in every screen adaption of LWW, they've cut out Aslan feeding the Narnians on a grassy hillside prior to the coronation at Cair Paravel. It's not likely it will be included for time sake, but then who knows?

In in PC, both the BBC TV series and the Walden film cut out the great feast after the celebration with Bacchus and Slilenus and the freeing of the school children.

I will say that future Narnia films should be different than both the BBC TV series and the Walden. Trying to do an exact replica isn't a very good idea anyways. Netflix or whichever company should make Narnia their own.

Different from which of the previous movies? Because they are ALL very different from each other. Caspian was just grungy, not quite right somehow. VDT was too kiddie movie feeling (ugh, the dragon and green mist and little girl sneaking on the boat). It didn't feel like a real place, or like the Narnia world.

LWW however, was nearly a perfect visualization of Narnia for me. The locations were iconic and weighty. The first time you see the witch's castle (even though it was made of ice), the gorgeous tents of Aslan's camp sprawled across the bright green hillside, Cair Paravel glittering in the distance, the stone table, all so very Narnian. It was vivid and real. The shots and reveals were just great.

So, more Narnia movies like LWW. Stay away from the mistakes of PC and VDT. (forced romance, dumb plot lines, major alterations that don't account for what fans are hoping to see, characters doing uncharacteristic things for the sake of character development)

I think the new movies or TV series should more closely follow the books than the Walden films. It is possible to do that since it has been done before with the BBC and in the audio dramas. The new films might not be perfect, but they can have book related stories. Adding people to the plot like the stowaway girl in Voyage of the Dawn Treader doesn’t make the story more convincing or having the green mist as a villain where it is not needed. And in Prince Caspian the fighting scenes were longer than Lewis intended in his book, but the filmmakers probably wanted the movie to sell more tickets in that way.  There were just too many plot alterations, although the first Walden film mostly avoided those changes, which I think made it better than the two that followed.

Well, there are going to be some things in the books that are going to have to require some changes or tweaks or some some they may have to cut out for timing. Obviously, a movie wouldn't be able to fit everything that are in the books.

For instance, in LWW, there would be a chapter that focuses on Peter, Susan, Lucy, and the Beavers and there would be another chapter that focuses on Edmund. Obviously, trying to go back and forth would be too tedious in a book. Perhaps, in a movie, they could back and forth between them, so audiences could see what is going on with three of the Pevensies and the Beavers and what is going on with the Edmund.

Even in HHB, after Shasta and Aravis got separated in Tashbaan, there would be some time where it focuses on Shasta. Then, we hear Aravis share of what she was up to in Tashbaan after she catches up with Shasta. A movie could probably cut back and forth between Shasta with the Narnians and at the tombs and Aravis with Lasaraleen overhearing Rabadash's plan.

Perhaps that's how the new Narnia films should be different from the Walden: even if there are additions, it has to be done to make it work with in the universe. There are some things that could really add to the stories as long as it's not too distracting.

As some have already said here, I would like to see future Narnia films less focused on being epic and more focused on the intimacy and the magic of the stories.  Something I liked at the BBC LWW which I didn't like about the cartoon and the Walden movie, when the children are travelling with the beavers to the Stone Table, how they are able to take that time to rest at the hiding place for beavers, I would like to see scenes like that in a future production - scenes that let the characters, breathe, relax, regroup etc. before they continue to face the challenges, rather than the rush, rush, rush of the Witch chasing them like in the cartoon and the Walden movie.  I would also like to see the romp after Aslan's resurrection, the celebrations, after Narnia is delivered in PC, the ending of the snow dance in SC and other similar scene.  Of course, the stories have plenty of action moments and scenes, but it's nice to have those moments too - it just brings home the sentiment expressed by Jill in LB how she is longing for a return to those good times in Narnia.

@pete

It might be good thing to add some tension, as long it's not overdone. I picture in my head the duel between Peter and Miraz in PC being done in slow motion. While the Walden did an impressive job with it, it got really intense at times. So I would think that having that being done in slow motion would be idea.

As I've just said, it would be a good thing to get dramatic and have some tension when there's a time and place for it. But it would be best not to go overboard with it. Here's what each story should be about-

MN- Digory finding out if there's anything to help his dying mother

LWW- The fulfillment of prophecy

HHB- Shasta on a journey to find out where he truly belongs

PC- The Pevensies helping Caspian to restore his rightful place as king and renewal

VDT- A journey to the possibility of reaching Aslan's Country

SC- Jill learning how to trust and following the signs

LB- The deep friendship between Tirian and Jewel and where one's loyalty really lies

I'd say you're on the dot about all of these, but wasn't VDT all about finding the seven lost lords? To the extent that after Ramandu's Island, everyone wanted to turn back because the task had been accomplished.

Posted by: @cobalt-jade

I'd say you're on the dot about all of these, but wasn't VDT all about finding the seven lost lords? To the extent that after Ramandu's Island, everyone wanted to turn back because the task had been accomplished.

Well, that's the primary quest in the book, at least, but it's established near the start that Reepicheep has the added ambition of seeking the "Utter East" and possibly finding Aslan's country itself. Most of the crew don't share that desire, but towards the end it becomes clear that Caspian now wants to make that journey as well, and it's only after some sharp words from Aslan (off stage) that he accepts that he has to put his responsibilities as King before all else and he has no choice but to return to Narnia. Which is why, in the end, only Reepicheep and the three children go on to reach the very edge of that world and a glimpse of Aslan's country through the towering wave that only Reepicheep crosses over.

That does, one could say, become the ultimate point of the book, as it's far more interesting plot-wise than the seven lords — only five of whom turn out to be still alive, and the only ones we get to know personally in the book are Bern and Rhoop, neither of whom become major characters in their own right. Both quests are important, and the quest for the missing lords is initially the main driver of the plot, but the journey to the Utter East is more what the book is about on a deeper level.

Back to the main topic, I hope that the upcoming future Narnia adaptations in general won't lose sight of the fact that there is a deeper theme or message to all of these books, that they're not just fantasy action adventures. Of course those deeper themes are grounded in Lewis's Christian faith, but they're still pretty much universally understandable and relatable (similarly to Tolkien, although of course he was a lot less explicit than Lewis about where his basic themes and ideas came from).

So far Greta Gerwig has made a few very positive comments on Lewis as a writer and thinker, and on how much these books meant to her as a child, so I'm hopeful that she'll "get it" and her films will leave me with much the same feelings that the books do. (As the BBC versions do, for all their flaws, and as Peter Jackson's LOTR films do.) But only time will tell, and of course, however Gerwig's two movies turn out, the rest of the series — if it does get further! — may be done by different directors with different ideas. We can only wait and see... 

Posted by: @courtenay

Well, that's the primary quest in the book, at least, but it's established near the start that Reepicheep has the added ambition of seeking the "Utter East" and possibly finding Aslan's country itself.

True. Reepicheep had the longing to reach Aslan’s Country. 

Most of the crew don't share that desire, but towards the end it becomes clear that Caspian now wants to make that journey as well, and it's only after some sharp words from Aslan (off stage) that he accepts that he has to put his responsibilities as King before all else and he has no choice but to return to Narnia.

Right. It would probably make a good addition, where we see a glimpse of Caspian in his cabin and Aslan making an appearance. 

So far Greta Gerwig has made a few very positive comments on Lewis as a writer and thinker, and on how much these books meant to her as a child, so I'm hopeful that she'll "get it" and her films will leave me with much the same feelings that the books do. (As the BBC versions do, for all their flaws, and as Peter Jackson's LOTR films do.) But only time will tell, and of course, however Gerwig's two movies turn out, the rest of the series — if it does get further! — may be done by different directors with different ideas. We can only wait and see... 

Obviously, if there are going to be different directors for each Narnia film or series, each will have to do it their own way. All it will really come down to if they are close to books as much as possible. 

I do hope the Netflix series has good music. The Walden Media films did. It's going to be an interesting experience. 

@jewel 

I liked both the music of the Walden films and the BBC series. I am hopeful that beautiful soundtracks will be created for the Netflix series.  Music contributes so much to the atmosphere of a film or television series, and it greatly helps you to be in the mood for a good story.  🙂

@narnian78 

Oh yeah. The music score!  Though I have a lot of respect for Harry Gregson-Williams who composed for first two Walden films and I appreciated that David Arnold was able to keep some of the elements for the third film, whoever Netflix or whichever company get to write the score for New Narnia films and series will have to make it their own.

I don't think we should expect a replica of the BBC theme score or the score from the Walden film trilogy. It wouldn't be a good idea, anyways. They will certainly have to make it their own.

I think that future films could probably be a little longer and offer more of the story.  This is one advantage that a more lengthy television series would have over a film for the theater. One wonders if a longer miniseries would hold the interest of more people. But then series in installments have been liked many people such as those based on Dickens’ books and they might work for Narnia. Somehow the half hour episodes may have been too short for Narnia. This is why I thought that the BBC series worked better when it was made into longer movies for broadcast here in America. The half hour time slot may have been too short to hold most people’s interest at least here in the U. S. And today most series are made in a longer format.  Filming hour long episodes may be better for viewer loyalty. 🙂

I'd definitely rather see a new version of Narnia as multi-episode serials for each story rather than individual films. The books themselves aren't that long, but they aren't short either, and spreading them over several episodes gives them a lot more time to build up suspense and excitement, to get to know the characters properly, AND — perhaps most importantly — to really immerse us as viewers in the whole atmosphere of Narnia.

Of course, stretching out a relatively short story across too many hours' worth of film can turn it into something almost unrecognisable from the original, like what Peter Jackson did to The Hobbit  ... so there is that disadvantage. There's a happy medium somewhere between cramming the story into too short a film and stretching it out too long, and hopefully Gerwig and/or future directors will find a reasonable compromise there.