UNITED KINGDOM: Prince Charles and his wife Camilla attend world premiere of "The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

"The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe" had its world premiere on Wednesday (December 7), attended by Britain's Prince Charles his wife Camilla and the whole cast of the movie. Disney's film version of the beloved 1950 children's book, "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by Christian author C.S. Lewis, hits UK theaters on December 9. The story tells of four children, the Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter -- who travel through a magic wardrobe into the land of Narnia, home to talking animals, a wicked witch and the god-like lion, Aslan. Actor William Moseley who plays the eldest sibling, Peter, in the film, clearly had a great time making the movie. "It's a dream come true, that's the only way I can put it," he said. "I never could have had anything like this ever before and just to be a part of it is beyond my wildest dreams." British actress Tilda Swinton, who plays the evil witch in the "Chronicles of Narnia", put in a fabulous performance. She feels that evil is even more fascinating when presented in a cold, frosty and quietly ruthless manner, rather than an obviously heated, shouting and screaming visage. "I wanted her to be really white and I wanted her to be really evil and to be as frightening as I would have found it as a child and I was never frightened by those mustache twirling, y'know shouting witches when I was a child," she explained. "I thought maybe a cold witch was what we needed so I kind of, did that." Before the release of the film a letter from C.S Lewis, posted on the literary Web site Nthposition.com, revealed that he had strong feelings about how his book should be used. Lewis' letter to BBC producer Lance Sieveking, who had created a radio version of his book which had met Lewis' approval, included the line, "I am absolutely opposed -- adamant isn't in it! -- to a TV version." Although Lewis, who died in 1963, said he would have considered a cartoon version, his letter suggests he might not have approved of Disney's interpretation, particularly its computer-generated Aslan. Even as the first release of "Chronicles of Narnia" is expected to make a splash in December thanks to its blend of magical fantasy themes and a strong Christian slant, Disney and its partner in the film, Walden Media, already have a rough outline for a second Narnia film, based on "Prince Caspian," that could hit theaters as early as summer of 2008. Disney and Walden stand ready to make up to six more films based on "The Chronicles of Narnia," the second most popular children's book series ever, with 100 million books sold, behind J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series with sales of 250 million books.

ITN Source | December 8, 2005

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