Search - C.S. Lewis': The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe on DVD

LOSES A POINT FOR BEING CROPPED TO WIDESCREEN

stryper | Canada | 12/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"FYI: there are two versions of this animated treatment of the beloved C.S. Lewis classic, and since they're pretty cheaply priced, I'd advise any true fan to purchase both.

The reason for this, is that the newer, Special Edition version, has been trimmed on the top and bottom of the frame, to make it widescreen (even though Amazon has it erroneously labelled as, Full Screen, it's widescreen).

Full screen is the way that this animated special was produced and shown, back in 1979, as it was made for TV, and was never intended to be shown in a theatre.

But why not just pick up the original, Non-special Edition version (as it is the full screen version) and not bother with this version; well, there are some very good reasons to get this version as well as the original, and that is because the, Special Edition version has some very nice extras, including an audio commentary with the director and producers, a deleted scene, as well as a nice little bit of character design sheets (including an early designs of the, White Witch) and drawings.

Also, the picture has been remastered to some extent, making the colours more vibrant and less washed out, then the previous edition.

But where the, Special Edition loses points, is it's unnecessary cropping of the top and bottom of the image, to make it widescreen.

It's actually kind of hard to watch in this widescreen version, as legs and the tops of heads are constantly being cut off to accommodate the widescreen format, which makes little sense, as the average person doesn't own a widescreen TV anyway, and even if they did, an animorphic transfer would have been more then adequate for widescreen TV viewing.

Widescreening of movies is done, in theory, to see more picture on the TV screen, and not to end up losing it, which is the problem in this case.

So, die hard fans should definitely get both versions, but for the average viewer, I'd opt for the regular edition over this one."

This is the Emmy Award winning version from childhood!!

MattW | Seattle, WA USA | 12/04/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At long last I found this! This is the award winning version from childhood that I remember so fondly. The book and this film hold so many dear memories to me, it's definitely a trip down nostalgia lane. I love the graphics and general direction of this movie. My nieces absolutely fell in love with it upon first viewing, and I found myself equally engaged again and feeling like a kid discovering something very magical for the very first time. I love it!!"

Good version for young children

esurra | Arlington, MA USA | 03/07/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I too am excited to find this. I remember it fondly from childhood. And it is a version that younger children will not find nearly as scary as the very enjoyable but very realistic, recently released verison in 2005.
"

Just as I remembered it on TV.

Thomas C. Warden | Michigan | 05/18/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is a great film. Very much like the new versions out on film today. My daughter could relate to it more due to the fact that it was a cartoon. I enjoyed it more for nostalgic reasons."