If they had gone the animated route, I would feel like everyone would say “this is just for kids”. Lewis wrote the books to be accessible to all ages. I’m convinced that a well-balanced live action adaptation is probably the best way to hopefully do the same.

In an animated retelling of Narnia, you could be as faithful to the age of the characters as described in the book (or in C.S. Lewis’s timeline) as you wanted. In fact you could make all the stories at the same time and merely have to cast older voice actors for the kids in LB than in LWW etc. But in a live-action adaptation, you have to work with what you have: If the kids are too old or too young, you’ve got to compensate.

It's my opinion that live action is the best way forward at this point. Walden's movies have set the precedent that Narnia is best adapted to be live action. Plus, I like seeing a real face in a movie, not something animated.