DVDs
92 AMERICANWAY
NOVEMBER 15 2008
Out thismonthonDVD, thisaction-packed follow-
up to
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, theWitch
and theWardrobe
finds the fourPevensiechildren—
played byWilliamMoseley, Anna Popplewell, Skan-
dar Keynes, and Georgie Henley— returning to the
mystical land of Narnia, only to discover that it has
been overtaken by tyranny. They enlist all manner of
good creatures, from centaurs to a swashbuckling
mouse, to foster a rebellionandbringPrinceCaspian
to power. For the Pevensie kids, the adventure is an
unexpected bridge into adulthood and one that mir-
rors the actors’ real-lifematurations.
“It’s funny, because we have these on-set expe-
riences, where we’re in these locations with these
people seven days a week for seven months at a
time,” explainsMoseley. “You reallyalmost becomea
family. Sowhenwe’renot together, it’s kindofweird.
You’re back to reality almost. For us to split up— it
will beweird to seewhereNarniagoes.”Bothheand
Popplewell depart the series after
Caspian
(as was
written in the books) with a sense of sadness, but
they look forward to new life challenges.
Currently, Popplewell and costar Keynes are con-
centrating on obtaining a college degree. “I’m taking
biologyandchemistrynextyear,” saysKeynes,who is
studyingmedicine. “I definitelywant tofinish school.
I have not been offered any wonderful roles other
than this, so I’m going to do these and not go role
hunting.” Keynes still has at least one more Narnia
film ahead of him:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
,
the third of the potentially seven-part series. (The
Pevensiechildrenappear inall but twoof thenovels.)
With thefirst twomoviesunderhisbelt,AndrewAd-
amsonwill hand over the directorial reins toMichael
Apted for
Voyage
butwill stay on as aproducer.
Regardless of where
Prince Caspian
’s young
As
PrinceCaspian
comes toDVD, the
film’s young stars talk
about their experi-
ences on the set and
life after Narnia. By
BryanReesman
Fantasy
Land
The tagline for the movie
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
, the
secondfilm in the acclaimedNarnia series, states, “Everything you know is
about to change forever.” It befits the stirring sequel, which not onlywel-
comes the arrival of dashing lead Ben Barnes but also sees the departure
of two of the series’ stars and its director.
stars go from here — Barnes, Keynes, and Henley
to
Voyage
; Moseley to other acting ventures; and
Popplewell to Oxford University to earn an English
degree before continuing acting — they have cer-
tainly shared profound and funnymoments both on
andoff the set. Oneof themost commonmisconcep-
tions fans have, Moseley says, is believing that the
Narnia films are linked in some way to the Harry
Potter series.
“People literally think we have a once-a-month
fantasy-movie meet-up, or like a royal rumble, but
it isn’t like that,” Moseley quips. “I think my friends
think I have a hotline: ‘Can you just ring Ron [Wea-
sley from Harry Potter] up tonight and say this to
him?’” jokes Henley. “Just to clear the air, we don’t
have a hotline.”
The young Narnia cast has managed to stay
grounded while appreciating their achievements.
Popplewell recalls one experience that helped her
realize her impact on the films’ young fans. “I was
walking home in London, and a seven-year-old was
withhismom,” she says. “Hedid thisdouble takeand
said, ‘Mom, Mom, she’s escaped from the cinema!’
No matter howweird it is to be on a cereal packet
or a bedspread, you sometimes have experiences
like that, where you realize that to some people, the
world you’re creating actuallymeans quite a lot.”
BATTLE
OFTHE
BOXOFFICE
HarryPotter
and the
Sorcerer’s Stone
(2001)
HarryPotter
and the
Chamber of
Secrets
(2002)
HarryPotter
and the
Prisoner
ofAzkaban
(2004)
HarryPotter
and the
Goblet of Fire
(2005)
HarryPotter
and the
Order of
thePhoenix
(2007)
TheChronicles
of Narnia:
The Lion, the
Witch and
theWardrobe
(2005)
TheChronicles
of Narnia:
PrinceCaspian
(2008)
$969
$866
$789
$892
$937
$739
$417
Movie fansmay confuse theNarnia andHarry
Potter film series, both ofwhich are based on
celebrated seven-novel book series. But Harry’s got
the upper hand at the box office so far. Here’s a
look at the big-screengrosses (inmillions) for the
films that have been released todate.
