The countdown is over! The Prince Caspian movie opens in theaters today. Here is a roundup of links to all the Countdown to Caspian posts. Each post contains a favorite passage from the book, Prince Caspian, along with thoughts and reflections for application. I hope you enjoyed the series. And I hope you enjoy the movie. Now, somebody please pass the popcorn!

1. Magic at the Station
2. Precious Gifts
3. Time Puzzle
4. Old Narnia
5. Susan’s Horn
6. Nikabrik and Reepicheep
7. The Time of Greatest Need
8. Aslan’s Call
9. Aslan’s Guidance
10. Aslan’s Return
11. Aslan’s Roar
12. At the Door
13. The Bulgy Bears
14. Healing Auntie
15. Reepicheep’s Tail

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Who knew? Lewis wrote the following to a child in response to a question about Reepicheep:

I love real mice. There are lots in my rooms in College but I have never set a trap. When I sit up late working they poke their heads out from behind the curtains as if they were saying, “Hi! Time for you to go to bed. We want to come out and play.” (from A Reader’s Guide to Prince Caspian, by Leland Ryken and Marjorie Lamp Mead)

No wonder Lewis portrays mice so positively in the Narnia Chronicles: Reepicheep and his warrior mice friends; the mice who freed Aslan in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; etc. So, do you like mice? (HT: Out Walking)

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One big question on the minds of all Narnia fans is how will the Prince Caspian movie be different from the book? Here are five changes that are being talked about around the web.

1. Back story in England: In the book C. S. Lewis only spends a few paragraphs in England before sending the Pevensie children back to Narnia. The movie will spend some more time exploring the question: “What would it be like to return to England after ruling as adult kings and queens in Narnia? What would that year back in England have been like for the children?” This is a question that Lewis left largely untouched.
2. Story sequence: In the book a dwarf tells the children about Caspian’s past as they sit around a campfire. The children don’t even meet Caspian until much later in the book. The movie will rearrange the sequence so that the story may be told in a more linear fashion. Peter Jackson faced a similar challenge in The Two Towers where the first half of the book focused on one set of characters, and the second half focused on another. What works for a book does not always work well for a movie.
3. Caspian’s age: In the book Caspian is just a kid. In the movie he is closer to twenty. (Actor Ben Barnes who plays Caspian is actually 27.) This change was necessary in order to use the same actor for Caspian in the next movie. Remember, time works differently in Narnia, and Caspian is a grown man by the time we get to Dawn Treader.
4. Return of the White Witch: In previews for the movie, the White Witch is shown in a block of ice. In the book she does not appear at all, although her return is contemplated by Nikabrik and his co-horts. As the Hag says in chapter twelve: “Who ever heard of a witch that really died? You can always get them back.”
5. Romantic interest: There has been speculation as to whether there will be a romantic interest (perhaps even a kiss?) between Susan and Caspian in the movie. This would be very different, but then again in the book Susan could hardly have fallen in love with a young boy. Now that Caspian’s age has been changed for the story in anticipation of Dawn Treader, perhaps the directors asked themselves the question: “How would Susan react to a dashing young prince who was just a few years older than her? Might she fall in love?” Of course it could not be a lasting romance because of certain plot elements in Dawn Treader, but it will be interesting to see where the directors take this in the movie.

So, what do you think? Can you live with any or all of these changes in the movie? Have you heard about any other possible changes?

Related post:  Prince Caspian – Adapting the Book into the Movie

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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian opens in theaters on Friday, May 16. In order to whet your appetite, I will be counting down the fifteen days to the movie by sharing a favorite selection from each of the fifteen chapters of C. S. Lewis’ masterful book, Prince Caspian. (Warning: Plot spoilers ahead! But if you haven’t read the book, you should really read it before going to see the movie anyways!) Here goes — let’s count down to Caspian!

From Chapter 1: The Island

It was an empty, sleepy, country station and there was hardly anyone on the platform except themselves. Suddenly Lucy gave a sharp little cry, like someone who has been stung by a wasp.

“What’s up, Lu?” said Edmund — and then suddenly broke off and made a noise like “Ow!”

“What on earth — ” began Peter, and then he too suddenly changed what he had been going to say. Instead, he said, “Susan, let go! What are you doing? Where are you dragging me to?”

“I’m not touching you,” said Susan. “Someone is pulling me. Oh — oh — oh — stop it!”

Everyone noticed that all the others’ faces had gone very white.

“I felt just the same,” said Edmund in a breathless voice. “As if I were being dragged along. A most frightful pulling — ugh! it’s beginning aain.”

“Me too,” said Lucy. “Oh, I can’t bear it.”

“Look sharp!” shouted Edmund. “All catch hands and keep together. This is magic — I can tell by the feeling. Quick!”

Thoughts:  This is a great opening scene. Lewis wastes no time but pulls you right into the story, as effectively as the children are pulled into Narnia from the railway station. Get ready to enjoy the ride! (Thoughts? Comments? Do you have a favorite scene or quote from chapter one?)

All the Countdown Posts:  Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

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Comedian Eddie Izzard plays the voice of talking mouse, Reepicheep, in the upcoming The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie. Izzard had this to say about his character:

I realized that he has always been recorded in a high, slightly camp voice because of the overt language that he uses and his chivalrous nature, but actually he is a murderous little so-and-so of a mouse. I see him as the Mad Max of mice.

You can read the whole interview with Izzard here.

Countdown to Caspian:

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Check out the new behind the scenes video for the upcoming movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

Behind the Scenes: “Prince Caspian: Return to Narnia”
(Video length: 2:46)

Countdown to Caspian:

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HT: NarniaWeb

Here are some sneak-peek photos from the upcoming movie: The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian.

                                          Lucy on the Beach
 

                                        Trumpkin on the Beach
 

                                      Caspian Fighting a Telmarine

Want more? Head on over to NarniaWeb to view these photos and more in high resolution. And remember – the Prince Caspian movie is only away!

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NarniaWeb received the following message from Douglas Gresham about the recent test screening for the Prince Caspian movie:

Taking a break from working on Dawn Treader and other projects, I attended the test screening and I think that the team has done a fabulous job on Prince Caspian, starting with a less good story, our team has produced an even better movie than LWW. I must be perhaps the severest critic of all, and I like this movie very much!

There are other rumors and reviews from the test screening at NarniaWeb, but click at your own risk, because there are all sorts of potential plot spoilers over there!

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Tim Challies completed a great two-part interview today with Devin Brown, author of the new book, Inside Prince Caspian.

In the interview, Brown discusses the following questions:

• why he finds C.S. Lewis so interesting
• why the Narnia books have such a wide appeal
• how the Narnia books compare to Harry Potter
• how literary analysis can enhance your understanding of the books
• why you should read the books in their original order
• why you should not read the Narnia books as allegory
• how Lewis compares to Tolkien
• how the first book and film version compare

Here are the links to the interview:

• An Interview with Devin Brown (Part 1)
• An Interview with Devin Brown (Part 2)

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The movie, The Golden Compass, opened this weekend with disappointing results at the box office (although it was still the number one film at the box office for the weekend). The film, which had a production budget of $180 million, only pulled in an estimated $26 million over the weekend. Compare this to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which opened during the same weekend time frame back in December 2005, also with a production budget of $180 million.

The Golden Compass

• Production budget: $180 million
• Opening Weekend: $25,783,232
• 3,528 theaters, $7,308 average

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

• Production budget: $180 million
• Opening Weekend: $65,556,312
• 3,616 theaters, $18,129 average

Note: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe eventually went on to gross $744,783,957 worldwide.

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See related posts:

• The Golden Compass vs. Alvin and the Chipmunks
• The Golden Compass Christian Response Roundup
• The Prince Caspian Movie Trailer

Here is the first full official trailer for The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie. This just looks so good. Enjoy! (Note: If you have not read the book, there are some spoilers in the trailer, but nothing too serious.)

(Video length: 2:31)

Don’t forget – the Prince Caspian movie is only away!

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Countdown:
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Here it is – the first glimpse of footage from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” movie. Actor Ben Barnes, who plays Caspian in the upcoming film, talks about the movie and his role. The film is scheduled for release on May 16, 2008. Only 272 days to go! (The trailer is about one minute long.)

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