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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion

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With the movie adaptation of Prince Caspian hitting the theaters in May, I jumped at the chance to receive a review copy of the illustrated companion. I didn't think it was possible, but this book made me even more excited to see this classic children's story brought to life! There are behind-the-scenes insights, interviews, and gorgeous photos to accompany everything about the movie.

Director Andrew Adamson discusses the changes he made to the movie screenplay from the original story. There are interesting interviews with the entire returning and new cast of characters. There is even a section dedicated to the development of the brave mouse, Reepicheep, a favorite character and a lead in the next book/movie - Voyage of the Dawn Treader. With gorgeous photos on location in the exotic locales and fabulous sets, it looks that the backdrop for Prince Caspian will be just as visually stunning as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, if not more. And there is even a section on the music and auditory elements of the film, which was one of my favorite things about the previous movie - the incredible score.

The talented visual artists that bring the creatures to life have special sections detailing the special effects, make-up, costuming, weaponry, etc. The book is so chocked-full of information, photos, and other interesting tidbits, that I haven't even listed them all.

This fantastic companion would be a wonderful addition to any Narnia fan's collection.

One of the few fantasy movies that was good enough to deserve a sequel was "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe," and the second Chronicle of Narnia is due to show very soon.

But in case you're simply dying to catch a few glimpses of what's in store, Ernie Malik's "Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion" gives a pretty clear picture of the movie's quality. We get background information, actor interviews, and intricate studies of everything from the CGI to the costumes, the weapons to the color of Miraz' beard.

It begins at the beginning -- the adaptation of C.S. Lewis' novel into a script, the visualizations, editing, and choosing appropriate locations for shooting (in three different countries). There's a lot of detailed recounting of how they shot this scene, or the impact of that scene -- and quite a few interesting plot developments are given away along the road.

There's also studies of the four original actors from the first movie, complete with relaxed interviews about their goals and thoughts on their characters. And then there's the new cast -- Ben Barnes gets several pages on working with the Pevensie actors and on his new role as the heroic young prince, as does Sergio Castellito as the villainous Miraz. There's also Peter Dinklage as the grumpy Trumpkin, Warwick Davis as the far grumpier Binabrik, and a variety of other colorful side characters.

And then it's into the creation and details of the cinematic Narnia -- production design of castles, caves and clearings, intricate costumes (including the Sardinian-Spanish flavor of the Telmarine clothes), musical scores, action choreography, cinematography, and creating the widespread CGI necessary to bring Narnia's inhabitants to life. There's an entire chapter from Weta Workshop on the evolving Narnian and Telmarine armor and weapons -- and the final touch is an afterword by Ben Barnes about his experiences.

Basically, Ernie Malik's guide answers just about any behind-the-scenes questions that a person could have about the upcoming "Prince Caspian" movie, without giving away too much of the plot. In fact, it's best to know what the story is beforehand, lest the bittersweet flavor of some character storylines hint at whether they'll be returning.

And Malik has a very pleasant style, able to transform the slow-paced, dull work of filming into a conversational "you are there" series of anecdotes. He includes bits of relevant information as well, such as the crush that Susan and Caspian seem to have going on, the river god, the ruins of the once-proud palace, and the gathering of Narnia's hidden peoples deep in the woods.

And you can really feel the enthusiasm and dedication of the people who worked on this movie, just by the amount of effort put into making it feel as realistic as a fantasy movie can be. For example, Barnes got the role of Caspian partly because they were able to work a Mediterranean look into his makeup and hair, while Richard Taylor gave a lot of thought to how Narnia's "look" would have evolved over the centuries.

The one disappointment, honestly, is Reepicheep. He's one of the most memorable characters from the Lewis series, and he only gets a few pages at the end. I wanted less concept art and more photos to show how they're pulling off a swashbuckling mouse.

Fortunately the rest of the book doesn't have that trouble -- it's overflowing with photographs. We've got Caspian cornered by dwarves, surrounded by "centaurs" and "fauns in green tights, Miraz's masked army, New Zealand's gorgeous rivers, Peter's stunt riding, and the climactic fights. There's also plenty of concept art, clay models, makeup-trailer shots, big hulking stand-ins, and a lot of men running around in bright green tights.

"Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion" gives a pretty clear picture of the care and intricate work put into the forthcoming movie. An excellent behind-the-scenes guide.

It's a different movie and a different movie companion. Unlike LWW, this book tries to bring readers to see the movie from a different perspective : last one is a children's story, this one is more adult. Everything is 'one big step' forward, and you can see evidence all over the book.

Still, love the book as much as the last one :)

I purchased this book for a 9 year old. It is a very thorough and detailed book, but a bit too much for a younger child.

I wanted more information on Narnia/Prince Caspian and I found it in this book. The book has individual sections dedicated the actors who played the characters, which I love. And even better, it has "the inside story" about the making of Prince Caspian. There are many big glossy pictures and they are fantastic. I can pick it up at my leisure and reread this again and again.

This book is filled with pictures and information about each main actor as well as notes about the film. Very entertaining and fun to read.

This soundtrack is so amazing! Harry Greggson-Williams has the remarkable ability to write music that reminds you of just what was happening at each part of the film: Caspian's escape from the castle, the children discovering their old treasure room, the incredible castle raid, and so much more. This soundtrack has it all: the music is adventurous, dreamy, wistful, powerful, awesome, inspiring! I always considered the first soundtrack to be spectacular and this one is no different. I would recommend this soundtrack to all Narnia lovers out there. Even if you weren't all that wild about the film, the music still has the ability to transport you to another place. Allow yourself to be swept away into the world of Narnia! You won't regret it :).

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: The Official Illustrated Movie Companion helped in preparing me for the movie. I enjoyed the first movie and couldn't wait to see how the Pevensie children had grown (I mean the young actors and actresses who played them, of coure). I'm fascinated in the behind the scene information on movies like this one and to learn more about what went on before seeing the movie made it more enjoyable after finally seeing it. Knowing that more of the same will be added to the DVD, I can't wait to buy it.

How many times have you watched a movie and then asked yourself, "How did they do it?" Filmmaking can seem like a mystical task to the average movie viewer. What flies by in two hours on the screen could have taken two years to produce. While we were raving about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 2005, Director Andrew Adamson, Producer Mark Johnson and their vast team were already hard at work on its sequel, Prince Caspian. And author Ernie Malike had probably already started writing this book, a look at the making of Prince Caspian.

If you read the official movie companion for the The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe you have an idea of the visual and textual delight awaiting you in the companion book for the latest Narnia movie. Think of it as a 4 disc DVD collector's edition, only on paper. Which is better in many ways. You can take your time reading and feasting your eyes on the behind-the-scenes and on-the-set photos. Between the leaves are the nuts and bolts of making installment #2 of perhaps the largest movie franchise ever.

Kicking things off is a Foreword written by Andrew Adamson, Douglas Gresham (step-son of C.S. Lewis), and Mark Johnson that whets your appetite for the meat to come. And then we're off! Chapter One, titled "The Journey", sets the scene and explains Adamson's approach. "This time out," Adamson says, "I wanted to do it better."

For those unfamiliar with C.S. Lewis' book Prince Caspian (first published in 1951), Malik summarizes the story and includes numerous movie stills. The "Chronicles of the Chronicles" sidebar takes on the question, "Is Prince Caspian Book Two or Book Four?" of the series, a sticky wicket for some. So far the movies have followed the "by publication" route thus far to take advantage of the natural aging of the actors playing the Pevensie children.

Next we're shown what exactly goes into a screenplay, storyboarding, and previsualization. We also tackle the schedule, editing, and much more. Then we embark on an exhaustive trip through the beautiful locations of the film. From New Zealand to Poland to the Czech Republic, we learn of the difficulties filming outdoors and of the nasty critters who haunted the crew (snakes, ticks, sand flies, etc.).

All of the sections are fascinating, but I'll bet most of us will find "The Cast" chapter the most entertaining. How have the actors who played the Pevensies grown up? What have they been doing between films? Here many of our questions are answered. William Mosley (Peter) talks about his chance to do some of his own stunts and how he particularly relates to his character in Prince Caspian. Anna Popplewell (Susan) is now a freshman at Oxford's Magdalen College, the same college at which C.S. Lewis spent much of his career. "When I picked that college, I didn't know that," Anna says.

Skandar Keynes (Edmund), now 16, has grown probably the most notably of the cast physically, though he apparently hasn't lost his youthful, daredevil ways. And twelve-year-old Georgie Henley (Lucy) comes across as inquisitive as ever, but she hasn't let fame taint her sweet spirit.

We're given an inside look into the selection of Ben Barnes as Prince Caspian, as well as the film's two dwarf stars Trumpkin (Peter Dinklage) and Nikabrik (Warwick Davis). Ironically, Davis already had ties to Narnia. He played Reepicheep and Glimfeather the Owl in the BBC productions of Prince Caspian and The Silver Chair.

Really, I could go on and on here about the cast, but it's important to note that much time is given to the building of the sets, the armor, and how the musical score was created. Not to mention the vast special effects which exceed those of the first movie. Narnia afficionados will probably wonder the most about the gallant mouse, Reepicheep. Apparently much care was taken with his character. Because he's over a foot tall, they didn't want him to look like a rat. They also had serious difficulties finding the proper person to "voice" the creature. The final product is something all seem happy with. We'll see when opening day comes around May 16th.

Profusely illustrated, this movie companion can be read either before or after watching the movie. If you read it before, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat in anticipation. If you read it after, you'll know exactly what they're referring to when they reference scenes. I read this one before, but I read its predecessor after. Both ways have their merits.

As Ben Barnes says in the Afterword, "Every day on set uncovered fresh challenges working with our one-thousand-strong crew guided by Andrew Adamson. The talent, focus, enthusiasm, and kindness of everyone I met was truly overwhelming." After reading this companion you'll feel the same way. Further up and further in, Narnia fans! This book is a keeper.

--Reviewed by C.J. Darlington for TitleTrakk

My family loves these Illustrated Movie Companion guides. We have this, the Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe, and the guides for the entire Lord of the Rings series.

We're huge fans of the Narnia books and movie franchise, so this book is a must have in our household. It has so much to offer - pages and pages of behind the scenes information relating to the characters, actors, crew, locations, costumes, armor, creatures, and so much more!! There are also loads of beautiful, glossy pictures.

I highly recommend this book to everyone who enjoys the Narnia books/movies, fantasy films or a simply movie buffs. It is a fun and insightful read, and is appropriate for readers of all ages.