The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - which release?

[keke]

The 2008 release review says the movie shares disc one with the two commentaries, The Bloopers of Narnia, Discover Narnia Fun facts pop-up trivia track and a few 1080p trailers. Disc two has all of the 3+ hours of SD featurettes and Battle for Narnia game (1080p / DD5.1). Both discs are BD-50.

The 2010 release back cover says the movie shares disc one with the same The Bloopers of Narnia, Discover Narnia Fun facts pop-up trivia track but then adds the Battle for Narnia game and the 3 hours of SD featurettes that were orignally on disc two on the 2008 release. Only the two commentaries, a 13 minute SD featurette and interactive map are on disc two for the 2010 release. Disc one is a BD-50 with disc two being BD-25 according to the listing.

Any chance the 2010 release doesn't offer noticeably weaker quality due to the changes?

[The Mad Kiwi]

I own the 2010 release and can confirm that the back cover art is wrong. The discs are identical to the 2008 release where disc 1 is the film, commentaries, bloopers, and fact track while disc 2 is the set-top game and all the SD documentaries/featurettes. What's funny is the back of the 2010 cover actually lists it as a 2008 release in the bottom corner, probably because they knew this was just a repackage with the DVD rather than a truly new edition.

[keke]

Thank you The Mad Kiwi.

[Jobla]

Although it may sound like heresy on this forum, I actually prefer the DVD Four Disc Extended Edition from 2006, which added quite a few minutes to the climactic battle sequence.


To the best of my knowledge, the extended cut has never appeared on Blu-ray, at least not in the US.

[The Mad Kiwi]

Yeah, I don't even think the extended cut's aired on TV the way the Harry Potter films have. A shame. The extra beats added for most of the film don't add much, but all the stuff added for the Battle of Beruna makes it flow much better than the theatrical. Because of that, it's my preferred version, too.

I just wished that cut added the moment found in the video game of Edmund saying "hide and seek is for children" as it makes Peter's reference to it later on less random. The game also had Lucy hug Tumnus upon being reunited at the end and before Susan joins in. Plus, we still haven't seen the celebration that followed the coronation that's glimpsed at in the trailer.

Besides the extended cut, the Blu-ray fails to carry over the PiP viewing mode and the excellent C.S. Lewis documentary, so I'll never let go of my 4-disc DVD set because of that. Still, at least Narnia's treated better on Blu than most of the Walt Disney Animation Studios films are nowadays with their dumping most of prior edition's supplements to streaming (and some don't even make it to there at all).

[GeoffOliver]

I had no idea the extended cut was not on Blu-ray. I guess this means I’m not upgrading from my DVD (which looks its age sadly)... That 4 disc set is really nice, but I can’t see Disney revisiting this film. This is actually one of my favorite fantasy films (saw it at the theater), and I honestly prefer to just watch it as a stand-alone. The two sequels were not great at all. It’s too bad the series ended up failing after this film. It had so much promise.

[Jobla]

The first sequel I found to be somewhat dull, although the climactic battle was worth watching.

I preferred the third film to the second, as DAWN TREADER reminded me of old Ray Harryhausen films.

[kevin87]

Originally Posted by Jobla

The first sequel I found to be somewhat dull, although the climactic battle was worth watching.

I preferred the third film to the second, as DAWN TREADER reminded me of old Ray Harryhausen films.

Prince Caspian wasn't that great anyway lol

I never bought the BD because I was hoping they'd release the extended version but it never happened... so I just used some DMR points and got it when it was available, even still came with a slipcover after a few years. I don't even remember ever watching the BD, but I'm sure I must have once Dawn Treader came out because at that time, I'd typically watch all of a franchise leading up to a new release... back before so much stuff came out lol

Maybe if they ever release it on 4K, they'll take the time to upgrade the extended footage as well.

[The Mad Kiwi]

I...actually prefer Prince Caspian a smidge over The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I absolutely adore both, so much so that they're at the top of my live-action Disney films list. But between the two, I find Prince Caspian more confident in its direction and action, and the world feels more lived in (which is understandable since the point of LWW is that everything has been renewed whereas thousands of years pass in PC). I do admit LWW has the better storyline, though, as PC is basically Hamlet light where LWW has the more classic "chosen one" arc with more fantasy elements.

Oh, and I think Voyage of the Dawn Treader is fine but way below the other two partially because of a dumbed down screenplay and partially because of some stiff direction (plus the cheap digital photography doesn't help matters).

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by The Mad Kiwi

I...actually prefer Prince Caspian a smidge over The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I absolutely adore both, so much so that they're at the top of my live-action Disney films list. But between the two, I find Prince Caspian more confident in its direction and action, and the world feels more lived in (which is understandable since the point of LWW is that everything has been renewed whereas thousands of years pass in PC).

[GeoffOliver]

Maybe I need to watch it again, but Prince Caspian was the first movie I ever fell asleep in at the theater, and I was constantly praying for the thing to end. It may have been because I didn’t get as much sleep the night before, but I remember the movie being a long slog and it lacked the sense of wonder that the first film had. The mouse character was cute though.

[TheBlayman]

Maybe a box set with the extended cut?

[GeoffOliver]

Disney doesn’t give a shit about this movie anymore, so I doubt they’ll be interested in reissuing it in any way. It would be nice if they would give the extended cut a 4K UHD, but I’ll believe it when pigs fly.

[DVD Josh]

Every time I saw the Lion, I kept expecting the Kraken not that far behind.

[Jobla]

How about a box set with the extended cut of volume one and the proper widescreen version of volume three?

[traths]

Originally Posted by GeoffOliver

Disney doesn’t give a shit about this movie anymore, so I doubt they’ll be interested in reissuing it in any way. It would be nice if they would give the extended cut a 4K UHD, but I’ll believe it when pigs fly.

Disney had no idea what they were doing with those movies. They didn't even make those movies in the order books were written.

[RalphoR]

Originally Posted by Jobla

How about a box set with the extended cut of volume one and the proper widescreen version of volume three?

Would love to get them in 4k. I've read rumors of another book made into a movie potentially in the near future. Can't ever get too much Tolkien or C.S. Lewis.

[MifuneFan]

Netflix are doing an entire Narnia series (television series and films apparently)

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by traths

Disney had no idea what they were doing with those movies. They didn't even make those movies in the order books were written.

Walden produced the films exactly in the order Lewis wrote them. I even had a numbered box set when I was in third grade, Lion, Witch and Wardrobe was #1, Caspian #2, Dawn Treader #3, Silver Chair #4, Horse and his Boy #5, Magician's Nephew #6, and The Last Battle #7. Do you think Peter Jackson screwed up, too, by producing The Lord of the Rings before making The Hobbit? Recent publications have put the Narnia books in Chronological Order, which doesn't really work because Magician's Nephew gains a lot from the references to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, which audiences were already familiar with.

[MifuneFan]

Publication order is the only way to go.