by Kellie Hwang – Jun. 3, 2008 12:39 PM
The Arizona Republic
Travel through the wardrobe to the magical world of Narnia. Defend against enemies by building an arch on King Miraz’s castle. Sit on the White Witch’s icy throne.
The Arizona Science Center’s newest exhibit, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition,” lets visitors do all of these things and more. The 10,000-square-foot exhibit will feature the Disney films’ props, which guests will have a chance to walk through and at times even touch.
“The planning for this project started over two years ago with the release of the first film . . . and we wondered what to do with all the great artifacts from the film,” said Eddie Newquist, executive producer of the exhibit from the Becker Group. “It’s a hugely popular best-selling book series that has spanned generations and is often required reading in schools. . . . When we pitched our idea, Disney really embraced it because they look at the films the same way we do.”
The exhibit premieres at the Science Center; the plan is to send it to science museums around the world for the next five years.
“We have a strong relationship with the Becker Group that brought us the robots exhibition here,” said Kristin Priscella, a representative for the center. “This is a fantastic honor for the Science Center to bring in new educational, immersive exhibits. It absolutely fits in with our mission to bring cutting-edge and new technology to our visitors.
More importantly, it is not just a prop display but also a learning experience that combines many scientific topics. One of the primary themes interspersed within the fantasy series is global warming.
“We started looking at all of subject matters and realized it is so relevant with what is going on today,” Newquist said. “People are really pushing now to be good stewards of nature.”
Through several interactive elements, videos with commentary from scientists and a downloadable teacher’s guide, the exhibit allows young people to connect a fictional land to the real world.
Climate change is introduced because Jadis, the White Witch keeps Narnia in a permanent state of winter. Questions arise, such as the possibility of a waterfall freezing. Other topics include deforestation, petrified forests and architecture.
“While some of the conclusions of the lessons are obvious . . . we don’t preach or go into details and rather just bring the concerns to the forefront,” Newquist said. “The neat thing is that in Narnia, kids are empowered to help the Narnians, and at the end of the exhibition, we want kids and their families to be empowered to change the world, too.”
According to Newquist, visitors will come face to face with a full-scale centaur, check out a real catapult and lift an actual sword.
Priscella said the exhibit has something for everyone.
“It’s for anyone who has a love of fantasy and love of science combined,” she said. “Many adults grew up with the C.S. Lewis novels, and their kids are seeing the Disney movies. It’s a shared experience through generations, and everyone can learn together.”
She sums up the experience simply.
“It’s a little bit of magic and a little bit of science,” she said. “Most of all, it’s fun.”
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Exhibition
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. June 7 through Oct. 26.
Where: Arizona Science Center, 600 E. Washington St.
Admission: $16-$20.
Details: 602-716-2000, azscience.org.