Again, animated... Really an interesting theme we have going on here. Can anyone think of a recent film, with narration, that isn't animated? I suppose you could count Forrest Gump, but that film is sort of a genre all to its own...

Hmmm... There's several old films I can think of right now but I can't remember all the names... All family films and low budget... "Where the Red Fern Grows" had narration, but I think it was only at the beginning and the end. I know there's a couple others from that era that did narration, I just can't remember the names now... Usually the films went "When I was a boy, I wanted/did this, this and such and such and this is how it went..."

But no, I can't think of a recent film that was narrated. I mean, even LOTR isn't recent, though undoubtedly it's had a lot of influence on the genre. There's a little bit of character narration-ish moments in certain parts of the films though, besides the opening narration. Galadriel does a couple times, Sam does once... I think Elrond and Gandalf had moments of narration too.

Thor did a bit at the beginning, but besides LotR that's the only example I can think of... Still though I like how it set the stage... Something like that might be good for Narnia.

Does narration really have to go with animation though? Would it work with Live action?

Are there any alternatives you can think of? One that comes to mind for me is the beginning of Tron: Legacy, when they use the TV's to explain Flynn's disappearance. Though Flynn also did a little bit of Narrating at the beginning to set the stage for those who didn't see the first film- worked well I might add -> Would something like that be necessary, do you think if for example they made MN, SC or HHB 10 years from now, to tie it to what happened in LWW, PC, and VDT?

Just some questions for you all to think about

Narration could be even more effective in a live action production I believe.

*would like to mention The Sandlot as a live action film with a bit of narration throughout, but I guess once again that's kind of something else altogether. Haven't watched it in a while, though.

The only film that I can recall well in my memory which is narrated is all the Disney Winnie the Pooh's.... which is not an excellent comparison, because the characters actually interact with the narrator.

I'm not sure... I think a narrator might be a bit too much like a documentary? I don't think I've seen enough movies with narration in order to accurately judge that. I think The Horse and His Boy would be an interesting one to be narrated-- if they begun by indicating that it was during the Golden Ages when the Pevensies were Kings and Queens. That might make things much more concise for those who have not yet read the books. I think, also, because HHB is so distinctly different than all the stories, it would kind of fit.

There is a difference between a voice-over and actual narration. A narrator is a character who explains what is happening to the audience. A voice-over is usually used for dramatic emphasis to remind the audience of something or to tie together two separate locations simultaneously (again, usually for dramatic emphasis). They can both be referred to as a voice-over, so it can get a bit confusing if the distinction is not made. A narrator can be an on-screen character, but his main purpose is still to explain what is happening to the audience.

For example, Galadriel's voice-over during the prologue of the Fellowship of the Ring would be considered a narration because she is telling the audience the history of the rings. The speech that Sam gives in Two Towers during the battles at the end is just a voice-over because he is not talking to the audience.

Keeping that in mind, I think it would not detract from the movies to have an off-screen narrator at the beginning of the movies. This would probably work best in the movies that are out of the timeline so to speak. For example, if the current series continues, a voice-over narrator could be used to quickly explain that we are back in time and not following the same chain of events as before.

On the other hand, I think it would be fairly simple to show the change in MN just by showing gas lamps and hansom cabs. Even the references to Sherlock Holmes and the Bastibles could be there visually if it was worked right. Copyright laws may object to that last one though. So, I think having a narrator is a possibility, but not a necessity. It would depend on the director's and writer's style of storytelling.

In Balto, if I recall correctly, the narrator only shows up in the beginning of the film and the end, and is also a character from within the story. If done in that fashion, I'd be fine with a narrator in books such as MN or possibly HHB.

You're right, there is a narrator in the beginning, and I really like that idea, a narrator in the beginning, and at the end would be helpful in some of the movies, especially for the people who haven't read the books.

It kind of depends. When I think narrator, I think Winnie the Pooh or those Beatrix Potter animated flicks... Which are great! But like Aitb said, in Winnie the Pooh, they kind of converse with the narrator. It might distract from letting the story speak for itself. Unless it's done just fantastically, in a very C.S.Lewis-like voice with the same tone as the books. Or.. I don't know, have the characters talk to the narrator? "No! Edmund! Don't do it!!" "Oh, hush, let him enjoy the sweeties." "Yeah, let me enjoy them. Where are you anyway?!" The silence of Lucy entering the wardrobe might be taken away ever so slightly... "Don't shut it all the way." "Yes, that would be a very silly thing to do." "You might want to pass that information to your brother.."

Or, yes, right now what I have playing in my mind is a documentary voice... "And just over the horizon, the majestic birds begin to make their flight home. As the golden sunset sheds it fading light on the plain, the animals---"

But, as daughter of the King pointed about about FOTR and the like with bits and pieces of narration, it would probably add to the movie. And like I said, if it's done in that wonderful tone that the books are written in, it actually would add to the whole movie probably cutting down on scenes that were necessary to explain something. And it just might be revolutionary to certain ideas of narration in a movie. It could go either way. I'd be all for it if the idea was to expand and do something that grasps the same feel as the books.

Really good point, daughter of the King; I'd completely forgotten about Galadriel's part in the prologue (shame on me!). I don't think that Narnia really needs anything like that, at least not for MN: the introduction is lovely to read, but not necessary for the plotline. I think it could work for HHB, though: it'd give the audience a better grasp on the wheres and whens of the story, and HHB is the sort of story that lends itself to beginning narration anyway.

I don't particularly like narrators.
they always distract me.

yeah maybe a little at the beginning and sometimes at the end like DP said.
Just not the whole way though.

Andriel

I can envision scenarios where a narrator might work - an introduction to MN or LB, for example

I would go along with an introductory narration. I think that Prince Caspian could have used one. After all, the people who had not read the books saw in LWW a Narnia with just a few humans from our world. Then in PC it's suddenly the reverse at the very beginning and without any explanation.

So that is why I voted yes; if it seems appropriate enough (at the beginning) and can help set things up for non-readers.

Only if it's something that helps the story or character development.
For instance, Eustace narrating what he's writing in his diary/journal in VDT would be a good idea. But a generic narrator most likely would not be necessary, because all the visual descriptions we would be seeing and any thoughts and feelings of the characters should be conveyed in the acting. Any details about Narnia or the story could be explained via dialogue, not narration.

On the other hand... Prince Caspian could use a narrated prologue to help set the stage and fill in the blanks. Seeing how difficult it would be to handle the books story structure (sort of a flashback within a flashback), it would be better to narrate who Caspian is or the history of the Caspians. I felt there was a lot missing from the PC movie about Caspian's story, such as his nurse, the conversations in the tower he has with his professor, etc.

I really think it could go either way. A small bit of narration might not be a bad idea, but too much could ruin the movie. One of the things that I didn't like about VDT was that they kept stating the obvious in their dialogue as if they had to make sure that the audience understood what they were doing, but I enjoyed the narration of Eustace from his diary. As long as the narration isn't something that makes the movie seem geared to young children, I think it might be alright.

A spot wher a narrator might work is in the opening to Mn, as I said before. But what if they had Prof. Kirke as the narrator at the start of MN. For non-readers, it would help bridge the gap between MN and LWW esspecially since this is Kirke's story. I don't mean to say that Kirke should narrate the whole time for the start. "This is stroy form when your grandfather was a child..."

I'd say it would be a good idea for a few movies in the right places. I thought HHB being told by Cor to his son would be a good way to let people know at the end that he and Aravis eventually got married, so we would have to establish at the beginning that he is telling the story, and that would open the possibility of some narration in the middle. Same thing with MN and Digory. It couldn't be used in LB though for obvious reasons, so if it was used in too many stories than people would get suspicious when it wasn't used there. Eustace's journal was also great narration, it let us find out what was happening while learning even more about Eustace (and it's funny too).

Interesting thought about HHB, Dinode, I always pictured it beginning right where LWW left of with Aslan leaving Cair Paravel to go help push Shasta's boat, (if you think about it the timing and the ages of the kids that would make sense), so I never imagined a narrator for the beginning, because that would be enough tie in there, but I never thought about the ending. I guess it could be helpful to have him explain it as you show maybe a quick shot of the wedding, though it may still work without it.

It seems to me there's a large consensus it's best used with flashbacks and intros, besides Eustace's journal. I'd have to agree with this mostly. Anything more I think would be too much.