Customer Reviews

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Animated)

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're in your thirties, yes, this is the version you watched on TV as a child. I was so excited to find this on DVD, and it is as wonderful as I remembered it. I'm excited that my own children can now share in this magical adventure. This version is true to the text of the novel. Watching it as a parent, I enjoyed the bits of subtle humor added to some of the characters to keep the movie from being overly dark and disturbing for children. Over the years, I have occasionally tried to find this version. Once I checked out a version from the library that was so boring I couldn't even sit through it. Thank you, Amazon, for offering this wonderful classic!

I love this movie..I was about 8 years old when I first saw it and would watch it all the time. I thought the door to another world had to be the coolest thing that could ever happen to you and 25 years later Im still hoping I will find that door. I have kids now and they love it too and so will you. The animation is old school but your adventure will be new everytime you watch it.

I have always loved the animated version since I was a wee tot. However instead of buying this one at 24.99 (or whatever the price is now) there is a new printing that is more like 10 dollars. The movie itself is the same on either version. The dvd for this one claimed to be 5 mintues longer, but I checked and that wasn't the case. The cheaper version has better extras too. This one only has a few trailers for some other products while the cheaper one actually has information on Lewis and the various books. Its not a huge amount of extras, but better then just some trailers. The only thing I did like better on the more pricey version is the presentation. The cover looks better, the menues looke better, etc. Not a huge deal though, more of a personal preference. So look for the other verion, amazon sells it too.

Don't listen to this stinky Amazon official reviewer guy. I doubt he would be let into the wardrobe. Come on, dude, it was 1979. Animation had its limits and Disney wasn't going to sink the money into it. The animation is not only completely faithful to the story, but truly captures the spirit of the story where the BBC version can't. BBC's Aslan is cheesy; this Aslan is perfectly real. In my humble opinion, the animation is perfect. I don't think we could do the story any better justice today, with all our special fx.

I was a preschooler in 1979 when this came out. I still remember watching it and being utterly captivated with the evil of the White Witch and the beauty and power of Aslan. The story spoke to me so strongly that I can still see the entire thing in my head almost 25 years later, having only seen it once more since. Later, when I was old enough to read the book, the images in my head didn't conflict or disappoint; rather, they confirmed that the story was, indeed, real.

... buy this for your kids and demand it at your video store.

The classic first Chronicle of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is brought to life in this charming animated adaptation. The film stays quite close to the book (there are a few minor differences) and since it is animated was able to do many things that the BBC live action version could not. This Christian allegory is a tale that children delight in watching and one that adults can enjoy as well (just don't let the simple animation bother you).

One of my favorite movies ever. I saw it first long ago, and have since worn the tape down. The music is absolutely amazing, and this version of the film has always been relatively unknown. In my experience I've known only a few friends who have seen it. The animation is, to me, exactly as it should be...not outdated...not poorly done...nothing...the whole movie is, and it far surpasses any live action versions I've ever seen, which I've never been able to stomach anyway. Amazing, simply amazing...how much longer do we have to wait for somebody to release it on DVD...?

An all-time family classic! "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" together with "The Flight Of The Dragons" ranks among my favorite animations of all time. I remember watching this film as it was aired on a local network, and eversince falling in love with it. I always wanted a copy of the video since I was a kid. I lost track of this movie for ages, and luckily was able to get hold of a good copy in a recent garage sale in our village. The tale of the adventure of "The Sons of Adam and The Daughters of Eve" together with Aslan againts the White Witch is simply thrilling and magnificent. The story of faith, emotion, love, inspiration and magic is brought to life by this sterling creation of fantasy.

Winning a 1979 Emmy award for "Outstanding Animated Program" (executive producer David D. Connell and producer Steven Cuitlahuac Melendez) and being nominated for a second in Outstanding Individual Achievement - Animation Program" (writers Bill Melendez and Connell), this animated version of the C.S. Lewis book holds a special place in my heart - it was the adaptation that introduced me to Narnia.

Directed by Bill Melendez (the man who gave us the Charlie Brown and Peanuts movies) this cartoon is beautiful in its simplicity. Of course to am eight-year old the Christian imagery was not apparent, but what I do remember through the clouds of nostalgia is being entranced by the magic and the adventure. Made for television it was one of those movies tha tbecame a perennial favorite for British television during the movie-heavy Christmas period and was one that I eagerly awaited (this was after all the days before the mass ownership of VCR's.) So, it was with a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation that I picked up my copy - and I was not disappointed.

Of course for big-screen spectacle nothing can really match the 2005 Disney blockbuster of the same name (which has become Disney's most successful live-action movie ever with grosses over $740 million and has a second movie PRINCE CASPIAN prepping for a summer 2008 release,) but for simple storytelling and involving characters this animated movie is successful in what it sets out to do.

Featuring clever narration by the leads, dead-on expression by the characters and lines taken from the Lewis book this movie succeeds in making a faithful, good adaptation in 95 minutes.

This version also features two of the most recognizable voices from British television of this era in Leslie Phillips as Mr. Timnus and Leo McKern as the professor, amongst a cast of largely unknowns.

The animation can appear inconsistent at times but the drawing style is both unique and enchanting. This is a far better work than the BBC production, which featured terrible production design and acting and perhaps the most fake-looking Aslan possible.

The story is well-known but for those who are unfamiliar with the novel or the adaptations the story revolves around four children who are sent to live with a professor. There they find a passage to a mysterious land known as Narnia through the back of a giant wardrobe. Narnia is a world in a state of perpetual winter due to the rule of the evil White Witch. But, the childrens arrival has been foretold and a determined group of magical creatures, led by the noble lion Aslan believe they are the ones predicted to deliver Narnia from the witch's iron grip.

This is a "kid-safe" production that parents need not worry about showing to their children, the action scenes are done just right and the dark moments are not taken too seriously, and yet there is enough intellect in the exposition to satisfy adults.

The music by Michael J. Lewis is also a highlight which is full of light and fits the scenes perfectly.

There are two versions of this movie available on DVD. In an unusual move the cheaper of the two is actually better. Whereas the more expensive version clocking in at just under $25 has only some trailers, the cheaper one (for about $14 or less) has information on Lewis and the Narnia books). Certainly the cover and menu's may be better on the more expensive one, but other than that the cheaper version is the easier one to recommend.

This video is the best of all videos for children. This is theanimated version, and it was simply easier to do some things here thatthe live version did not allow. This video is extremely close to the original book version and can be watched over & over again by both children and adults.

This is the animated version released in 1979. The voice of the witch(Beth Porter)is a touch overly dramatic(maybe this is where William Shatner learned to act), and the animation is a little choppy. But the rest of the movie is a joy to watch. The voice of Aslan (Stephen Thorne) was perfectly cast. The creators did a great job of sticking to the main points of the original book. The music was wonderfully done and instantly transports you to a simpler time of wonder, fantasy and innocence. A must see for the young and the young at heart.