And of course Narnia is more like the old Disney movies than the current offerings on the TV channel.  Snowwhite and Bambi have more in common with Lewis than most of the modern films and television.  Lewis would definitely have seen what is offered today as being too commercialized.  He probably would not have liked Disney’s backing of the first two Narnia films, although many of his readers accept Disney’s money as a way getting the films produced. Lewis probably did not regard Walt Disney’s money making values so highly.  He probably saw it as materialism back in the days when Disney and Lewis were living. Disney World and Narnia are not so compatible in their philosophies.

Posted by: @narnian78

@reepicheep775 

As much as I like the Oz books, I think the Narnia books have more depth. The characters such the Pevensies and the stories were more thoughtfully created than any of those in the Oz books. But still, L. Frank Baum was not a bad writer and his books were wholesome entertainment.  So I can recommend them about as much.  But if you want something to challenge your mind, read C. S.Lewis.  The Narnia books may be the deepest children’s books ever written.

Yeah, I was disappointed by the Oz books tbh. Narnia spoiled me, I guess. They could be very imaginative, but very thin thematically. They don't leave you with much to ponder.

@reepicheep775 

I am not really completely disappointed with the Oz books, but I wish that they had more depth when it comes to good vs. evil.  And there aren’t any really great characters in them like Aslan or the Pevensies. Dorothy is good, but she isn’t great in any way.  When there are talking animals in Oz like the Cowardly Lion they are interesting but they don’t have lot of personality.  The Scarecrow and Tin Man are nice, but that is about all you can say about them. I do like the old fashioned quality about the books with their cleanness and wholesomeness, which makes them good for children.  Adults may appreciate their pleasant nostalgia.  But don’t expect any deep moral philosophy in them (especially good vs. evil).  C. S. Lewis is much better for that, and George MacDonald’s fairy tales also have depth similar to Narnia.  🙂

I suppose you know that Disney has been known to modify original stories. Narnia kind of does the same. I mean, obviously, you know that Simba and Caspian aren't going to die at the end of The Lion King and Prince Caspian like Hamlet does. So taking a darker story and changing it is actually a clever idea.

There times you have to tone down a darker story, though I wouldn't like the idea of having to tone down The Last Battle. In some aspect, it probably has more a mature theme, compared to the six other books. And some of us would be like, "Who'd thought this would be a good kids book?"

@jasmine_tarkheena I think we've established elsewhere that Hamlet has only one similarity to Prince Caspian (younger brother kills king and takes the crown, ignoring the true heir).

The Narnia books are for children, but were never intended for young children; LB is more suitable for ten and older, and the others eight and up.
It won't be appropriate for any of the stories to be toned down, any more than it was appropriate to make them darker and add teenage angst material. 

@coracle 

Exactly. CS Lewis once said,

"Let there be wicked kings and beheadings, battles and dungeons, giants and dragons, and let the villans be soundly killed at the end of the book. I think it is possible that by confining your child to the blameless stories of life in which nothing at all alarming ever happens, you would fail to banish the terrors, and would succeed in banishing all that can ennoble them or make them endurable."

Also a given reason when he was describing the horrible creatures at the Stone Table,

If describe them to you, grown-ups probably won't let you read this book.