The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

blackcauldron85 · Post by **blackcauldron85** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:24 am

Jim Hill has an article about Disney dropping the Narnia series:
http://jimhillmedia.com/blogs/jim_hill/ ... eader.aspx

kbehm29 · Post by **kbehm29** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 9:03 am

I just got back from a quiet Christmas break with no internet, and wow. I am so disappointed by Disney's decision, which like others - is mostly their own fault! I just re-watched Prince Caspian over break, and I enjoy it more every time I watch it. They really are making a poor decision here.
I hope that another studio picks it up and carries forward with the same actors. Even though I take pride in Disney's successes, I hope that another studio makes loads of money from future releases and shoves it in Disney's face. If they are looking to axe something, they should look at some of their other crap.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:22 am

Yeah, it's awesome Disney chose this:

...over Narnia.

akhenaten · Post by **akhenaten** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:28 pm

good god! what is that? is eisner living n breathing in iger?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

narnia was a franchise disney could be proud of??? WAS! fruc u disney! whats that guine pig' chihuahua thing?!?!?!?!?!?!

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:15 pm

It's Disney's next surefire hit - G-Force...

it's about marvelous misadventures of super powered talking guinea pigs.

I'm so glad Disney dropped that Narnia drivel for this!

Escapay · Post by **Escapay** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:27 pm

To be fair, that project was already in production whereas VoTD still had a few months before they began principal photography. And Jerry Bruckheimer has more clout and box-office success with Disney than Walden Media, regardless of the quality of the films made by either (Bruckheimer vs. Walden).

albert

BrandonH · Post by **BrandonH** » Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:44 pm

If the movie's quality had been better, it could have held its own even in May. Unfortunately, Prince Caspian did not measure up to its predecessor. Part of that is due to weaker source material, but part of it is a film that adds needless battle scenes and does not pay attention to making its characters charming.

Dawn Treader is a much more engaging and magical story, and if it gets made properly, it will be a hit on financial and critical levels.

I wonder if lackluster early DVD sales played a role in the decision? If so, I'm willing to bet that many have been waiting for an announcement of a 4-disc (or 5-disc with digital copy?!) extended edition like they did with the first film.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 10:46 am

Yeah so this is just one opinion, but the information here isn't false...maybe Fox/Walden bodes badly for Narnia:

The magic deserts Fox Walden: One of the biggest buzzwords of the past decades has been "family film." Theater chains love them because they tend to attract kids that mean more concessions, which equals more profit. And studios see them as pictures that have the potential for breakout and long-term play on DVD and cable. So, when 20th Century Fox teamed up with Walden Media, the Phil Anschutz-backed production company that had wild success teaming with Disney on "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe" and "Bridge to Terabithia," most observers saw huge promise. Well, less than two years after creating Fox Walden, both parties agreed to shutter it after heavy losses for disappointments such as "The Seeker," "Nim's Island" and "City of Ember." 'Nuff said. (Fox Walden)

MSN Year In Review 2008 - Cinematic Bummers

supertalies · Post by **supertalies** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 11:25 am

BrandonH wrote:If so, I'm willing to bet that many have been waiting for an announcement of a 4-disc (or 5-disc with digital copy?!) extended edition like they did with the first film.

That's exactly what i'm doing. I was so pissed when the 4 disc for the first Narnia was anounced, that I said to myself to wait when the sequel came out.
But, are there even plans for a 4 disc extended edition?

rs_milo_whatever · Post by **rs_milo_whatever** » Wed Dec 31, 2008 4:53 pm

I also wouldn't be surprised if Disney would pick it up again, I mean, I wouldn't put it past Disney to even have just done this to hype up the fans. Or who knows, may be that wouldn't have been the reason but it wouldn't be too shocking to see Disney picking it back up.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 1:28 pm

Glad to see someone with 'a name' making a complaint about this:

Abandoning 'The Voyage of the Dawn Treader' earns the studio a scolding.

By MARY McNAMARA, Television Critic
January 1, 2009

Dear Disney:

I don't pretend to understand the vagaries of filmmaking or the pressures of corporate America in an economically challenged year, but I do know a few things about your target audience since, as the credit-card-wielding, annual-Disneyland-pass-holding mother of a 10-, an 8-, and a 2-year-old, I pretty much am she.

I discovered, belatedly, that you've decided to pull out of the third part of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" -- you made the announcement on, what, Christmas Eve? -- because of "budget considerations," leaving Walden Media to find a new studio partner.

And I'm here to tell you, though it is probably too late, that you are crazy.

So, part two, "Prince Caspian," didn't make a gazillion dollars. What a surprise. "Prince Caspian" was always the dud, relatively speaking, of the series. For fans who read and reread "The Chronicles of Narnia," it was the one you could skip. The fact that "Prince Caspian" the movie did as well as it did was a miracle, and a testament to the filmmakers. It certainly did not have the built-in, can't-wait draw of the first Narnia film, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Or, more important, of "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which is, hands down, the best book of the series, the one inevitably most dog-eared or lost entirely from the boxed set because in reading it for the 98th time, you left it in the backyard right before it rained or lent it to your cousin who lives in Virginia. If you don't believe me, consult the truly excellent BBC audio version and you will find that the narrator for "Dawn Treader" is Derek Jacobi. Derek Jacobi! If those CDs don't keep you and your kids rapt and silent during the five-hour ride to Yosemite and back, nothing will.

Cinematically, "Dawn Treader" is a no-brainer. It's a sea voyage, for Pete's sake. There's a dragon and missing knights and a wizard and all manner of magic involved. The moral ambiguity of slavery, the deleterious effect of great wealth, the meaning of the afterlife are all dealt with in entertaining and thrilling ways. Aslan barely makes an appearance, so you don't even need to worry about Liam's schedule.

Peter and Susan are gone, and in their place is the irritating cousin, Eustace Scrubb, one of the more inspired and believable rotten kids in English literature -- a career maker for some lucky young actor. Imagine the big-screen possibilities of the trip to the Island of Dreams or the battle with the sea serpent. Not to mention all the subsequent merchandising opportunities. Reepicheep is back, in a big way, and if you can't earn your investment back in Reepicheep plushies and pajamas, then, honestly, you aren't really trying.

And what happened to momentum? What happened to artistic commitment? Imagine if New Line had decided that, because the critics were lukewarm on "The Two Towers," it would pull out of "The Return of the King"? (Not that this could have happened, because New Line had the foresight and the guts to put up for all three at once.)

Meanwhile, you put money in "Race to Witch Mountain" and took a pass on "Dawn Treader"? Disney, Disney, now is not the time to lose your heads. In tough times, what are parents going to do -- shell out to renew those park passes or take their kids to another matinee? Now pick up the phone and make nice. Maybe Aslan will relent and let you back into Narnia after all.

Sincerely,

Mary McNamara

Linky

Barbossa · Post by **Barbossa** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 6:43 pm

^Well put. I hope Disney gets the message.

akhenaten · Post by **akhenaten** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 6:51 pm

aren't there any petition we can sign? from the narnia official fansite maybe?

rs_milo_whatever · Post by **rs_milo_whatever** » Thu Jan 01, 2009 7:37 pm

I don't think that works with Disney, but if anybody finds one I'll sign along all those other fans. Shame on you Disney, just you wait until the Hannah fans grow tired of Miley, see just how much money you can drain from her then; Narnia could have been milked even after the films were done, the series could have been a Disney classic ready to make you money for years to come out of special editions, theme-park rides, and so much more, you won't be able to do that out of Hannah Montana.

2099net · Post by **2099net** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 4:39 am

Remember all those stories of Eisner not being able to work with others? Well it looks like the same may be true of Iger's reign too...

I suspect this decision is down to Disney not being happy with how Caspian was handeled by Walden. I assume that because Walden have been reported as paying half the budget, but Walden own the actual source material, Walden have more say in the partnership then Disney... remember, its reportedly Walden Media who have set the budget for this film. Also, there's speculation Caspian was moved to later in the year so as not to clash with Walden's other 2008 movie The Water Horse?

I'll also imagine Walden has final say on any Narnia merchanside and marketing too.

So I suspect this is the result of 4 or 5 years of opposing views between Disney and Walden media. As for profits and future profits, yes, more Narnia may make a large sum over time, but they'll presumably only get 50% of the profits. I'm sure Disney makes more money (expecially in the short term) from stuff like Tinker Bell and the Disney Faries line it promotes. After all, Tinker Bell's budget is a fraction is a Narnia film and is 100% profit from then on.

kbehm29 · Post by **kbehm29** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 7:22 am

After reading that letter from Mary McNamara, I feel 1,000x worse. She's right about the book (Dawn Treader) being the best in the series. I agree with everything she says. Just imagine how a sea voyage would spice up the continuation of the series (for those who are fans of the movies but haven't read the books in particular). I think Disney made a huge mistake on this one, and I hope they relent. Any press is good press - this mishap would spike interest in the next film at the very least. I plan on sending a letter (not email) to Disney myself begging them to change their mind.

Neal · Post by **Neal** » Fri Jan 02, 2009 10:41 am

They could really use the sea voyage to market to the 'Pirates' crowd.

rs_milo_whatever · Post by **rs_milo_whatever** » Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:53 pm

That could go either way, ignorant people could say they copied... and trust me that's something a lot of people i know would say.

kbehm29 · Post by **kbehm29** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:17 am

rs_milo_whatever wrote:That could go either way, ignorant people could say they copied... and trust me that's something a lot of people i know would say.

How can Disney copy from itself? It's not like WB released the POTC movies or something. And TCON actually has source material to work from, unlike Pirates. Okay, I know you're talking about ignorant people. We need to educate these people!

I still think they need to change their mind on this. Use the publicity to generate interest in the next movie. They're making a bad move.

akhenaten · Post by **akhenaten** » Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:33 am

maybe ..and i HOPE disney is pulling a 'we're divorcing pixar for good!" gimmick.please disney tell me u r...im sure mickey's got extra brain in the two big ears.

DVDizzy Forum

Latest Movie Reviews

🎬 DVDizzy Top Stories️️

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader