NARNIA 3 Scenes Previewed

Recently this reporter got chance to look at several completed scenes from the upcoming release THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA : THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER. From the looks of the half hour of footage screened, this newest installment in the series promises just as much visual splendor and swashbuckling adventure as the previous two films

The opening sequence following the main titles sets the action in England during World War II. Edmund Pevensie tries unsuccessfully in enlist in the military and is lead from the recruitment center by his sister, Lucy. She is on the verge of womanhood and tries to copy the flirtatious looks of an older girl she observes on their way home. We soon learn that the war has separated them from Peter and Susan(who is shown writing a letter in the states). When they return to their cousin Eustace’s house, the spoiled cousin taunts Edmund. While they argue, Lucy notices a strange movement in a hanging painting of a ship at sea. When Eustace rips the art from the wall, water seeps out of it and quickly fills the room. The children swim toward the daylight and emerge from the ocean yards from the massive ship, The Dawn Treader. After the three are brought on board, Lucy and Edmund are reunited with Prince Caspian and the sword wielding mouse Reepicheep. Eustace is intimidated by the strange surroundings and the burly minotaurs that work alongside the sailors.

In the next scene viewed Eustace is caught stealing from the food supply room by Reepicheep  who then gives the boy a lesson is sword fighting. Up next is a scene after Eustace has been transformed into a dragon because of his greed and he and the mouse talk on a moonlight beach. In the next scene the two join forces to fight a sea serpent that attacks the ship. Later Lucy comes upon a magical book that turns her mirror reflection into the image of her older sister Susan. After this we see the group(along with a now human Eustace) in a huge banquet hall where a beautiful princess invites them to dine while three of the lost lords of Narnia are in an enchanted sleep at one end of the long table. Finally we meet up with Aslan on a beach next to constant flowing wall of water as the group bids an emotional farewell to one of their who decides to enter Aslan’s kingdom.

The footage is most impressive. The camerawork is solid, the colors pop, and the CGI mixes very well with the live actors. We did not get to view the scenes in 3D, so I can’t give any opinions on how it will look in that process. Although there have been several changes with this entry(Michael Apted replaces Andrew Adamson as director and Fox takes over from Disney ) this film promises to be another entertaining all ages fantasy film.

Distributed by 20th Century Fox and starring Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, along with the voices of Liam Neeson (Aslan) and Simon Pegg (Reepicheep), NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER will be in theaters for this holiday season on December 10, 2010.

For all the latest NARNIA news, visit the film’s official site here and on Facebook here.