Original: The Golden Compass is a 2007 fantasy film based on Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in the U.S.), the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials, and was released on December 7, 2007 by New Line Cinema.
Simplified: The Golden Compass is a fantasy movie, which was released on December 5, 2007 by New Line Cinema. The movie is based on the book Northern Lights (also known as The Golden Compass), the first novel in Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Materials.