NinadeL

The third adaptation of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" brought with it for the first time another adaptation from the seven-part "The Chronicles of Narnia" series. It was preceded by an animated film (1979) and a 10-part black-and-white series (1967). The merging of "Prince Caspian" and "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" followed, as the introduction to the so-called Caspian Trilogy, ensuring that "The Silver Chair" was included at the end. This closed the chapter of "The Chronicles of Narnia" for fifteen long years. In 2003, the entire BBC anabasis was released in a collector's edition DVD with interesting bonus features. The Pevensie foursome of Richard Dempsey, Sophie Cook, Jonathan R. Scott and Sophie Wilcox reminisced about filming and talked about their lives now. From today's perspective, I was very amused by old promos from shows like Breakfast News and Blue Peter, which make it clear how quickly all three series were filmed and that they met with an absolutely positive reception. Although the BBC's equally absolute TV solutions have now been eclipsed by contemporary blockbusters, it is possible to go through the perhaps surprisingly detailed set designs, costumes, and overall production design, which were certainly not bad for their time. The only thing that I personally miss is the fact that the remaining books - "The Horse and His Boy", "The Magician's Nephew," and "The Last Battle" - have not been made into films.

The second oldest version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" is an animated film (preceded by a 1967 series, of which only two episodes survive). The adaptation is quite peculiar in that, for example, Aslan gives out the presents and Lucy is blonde. Kids generally don't reflect on the fact that it's the 1940s, but we're in the present in the 1970s. Anyway, Jadis can be terrifying even in these contours, so overall this project can be accepted as a rare part of the Narnia collection. The 1988-1990 series was about something else entirely, and the modern series has only seen three parts.

Andrew Adamson deserves a big thank you for turning my least favorite part of the Chronicles into a film that helped me forget my first infamous encounter with the sequel to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. To this day, I still don't consider the handling of Susan and her fate C.S. Lewis's biggest problem, but rather the fact that he "dared" to so crudely transplant the kings and queens of the Golden Age into the Dark Ages of Narnia's history. I am fascinated and admire the precision and realism of Telmar and accept all the changes, including the swarthy and older Caspian. In but a moment I am able to forget even the embarrassment that "Caspian" aroused at the BBC (and inspired them to merge it with "The Dawn Treader") and begin to see it entirely as a dense realistic drama. The story of the kings and queens who became children again is fully developed into an excellent clash of authorities. The many inevitable mistakes that both Peter and Caspian are responsible for perfectly underline and illuminate all the questions raised by the all-too-brief ending of the first film. The 15-year reign was indeed no mere dream, and even a year of living in wartime London could not suppress it in the minds of the Pevensies. The fact that on their return to Narnia, they encountered the utterly charming Reepicheep and the ubiquitous Jadis is just the icing on the cake of perfection.

After Renata Fučíková's illustrations and the BBC adaptation of the first four books, I got a Narnia I’d never even hoped for. I saw it on the big screen 4 times, countless times on DVD, and it was revived regularly and never forgotten. I'm happy and crossing my fingers that all seven adaptations will finally be made. Maybe on Netflix, and hopefully for the fifth time, a complete set.

It started quite subtly, and at first, I thought that this kind of film was not for me... but after quite a big delay I took the test and it turned out very well. I fell in love with the entire world of Lemony Snicket, and I spent the second half of last year hunting down the entire "Unfortunate Events" book series. While reading the first four books, I watched the movie to review over and over again so as to make my experience comprehensive... :) I'm now on the tenth volume and they’re getting bigger, so the last four books will be the same as the first eight. I'm both impatient and excited for each new page and only regret that there won't be more films. Or that the authors didn't opt for an adaptation made for TV and then for DVD. I mean, Esmé would have to be something irresistible, with her love for everything that happens to by flying. :) Or the triplets and other spicy stuff that didn't fit in the film. This way, it seems like the orphans from the series are just suffering under more and more guardians, but readers know that this is just the beginning. Jim Carrey was a good Count Olaf, but not unattainable, or he would have had to force them to make a sequel. I don't fault the film at all because the concept of combining the first three short books and then combining them into one general narrative is a good one. This would also work very well with other Baudelaire adventures. "The Miserable Mill" could have been shortened like the stay at Uncle Monty's, the Prufrock Preparatory School could have gone to great lengths to bring the triplets onto the scene, and then the endless shots in the elevator shaft... It would be nice, even the binoculars would fit in there for better order. Essentially, it’s too bad that Auntie Jo wasn't cast with someone younger and that there wasn't even a brief visit to the movie theater after a whole day at the terrarium. It can't be helped. I've fallen for the series.

The adventures from Fairytopia continue freely thanks to a new butterfly fairy named Mariposa. Now the familiar fairy Elina becomes a mere narrator and introduces us to the entirely new world of Flutterfield. Just like in her adventures, there are many good and bad fairies, some wise and unwise, and there are also cute little friends and there is really nothing left out that a fantasy film with Barbie deserves. However, it's too bad that it took so long to get Barbie Mariposa & the Fairy Princess...

The third Fairytopia film has a lot of echoes of more mature fantasies such as The Chronicles of Narnia or Harry Potter, but it's delivered in just the right doses, and overall it takes the best from all the recent trends. Elina is already a very experienced and skilled heroine, but what really matters is that the cute elf Bibble has a new friend. :)

The second Fairytopia film, Mermaidia, is about mermaids and I definitely like it the best out of this series. That’s because it has quite a lot of good storylines and a reasonably suspenseful adventure for adult audiences as well. It also reminds me a lot of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, which was probably the intention, and that's definitely not a bad thing. Quite the opposite, actually.

The first Fairytopia film introduces us for the first time to the fairy Elina, who then becomes our guide in four fairy specials from the world of Barbie. Now her first adventure awaits, at the end of which she will be transformed from an outsider to a heroine. :) Predictable, right? These films are an interesting refresher on the Barbie film series.

The Barbie version of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol." The kids get to see animals like the cat with the character Chuzzlewit. For others, it is an excellent example of the good standard of the entire series of films starring Barbie. In fact, Barbie actually plays a negative role in the film. I always enjoy a Victorian adventure with a framework narrative.