'Narnia' is LOTR for the junior high crowd.

Rating: 7/10 (13 March 2007)

A film with that is a special effects palooza, in strange fantasy world, with a core group of height challenged heroes; it is 'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' right? Well 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' share more then a title that is so wordy neither cannot fit on any marquee. The film starts out in London during a WWII bombing. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent off to live in the country stately mansion of Professor Kirke. During an exuberant game of hide and seek, Lucy (the youngest) hides in an ornate wardrobe. Lucy discovers the world of Narnia and befriends Mr. Tumnus, a Faun (a man with a goat's anatomy below the waist). Narnia is in a 100 year winter by the designs of the evil White Witch that has crowned herself queen of all Narnia. Lucy ends up bringing back her siblings and they learn of a prophecy that has four humans (two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve) that are to topple the Queen. The Queen must kill the four-some to continue her reign. The Queen mobilizes her army (that looks not-so-surprisingly like the legions of the Orcs from LotR). The last 45 minutes recreates the battle in 'LotR; The Return of the King', but with almost no blood (Narnia is PG, Return of the King was PG-13). Both films find a 'lost and forgotten' army to save the day. The picture's special-effects blend animal bodies and humans torsos on numerous occasions and seamlessly. Additionally there are talking animals all over the two and half hour movie. There are a couple of blue-screen backgrounds that were notably not up to par but all in all a top quality show.