Perry Moore, one of the producers of the Narnia films, has commented about The White Witch appearing in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. He helps to put everything into perspective regarding her role in the film, which we know to be somewhat small.
Q: Will the White Witch appear in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie? I know sheโs not in the book, but she wasnโt in Prince Caspian either, and she made an appearance in that movie! – MAGPIE, Toronto, Canada
Perry Moore: She – and her evil – weave seamlessly into The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. She appears right where you think she would when you read the book – in a surprising way you could never guess that is at the same time true to the core of the book.
Who are these filmmakers to add something like this to the story?
Perry Moore: C.S. Lewis himself, flip-flopped on the origin of the White Witch. In the first book written [The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe], Jadis is said to be the descendant of Lilith (Adamโs first wife) and an ice giant (like a jotun, from Norse Mythology). Then in the prequel to that book, The Magicianโs Nephew, which Tilda is dying for us to do next, C.S. Lewis shows that she came from another planet, Charn, in another dimension that you can only reach by going through the ‘world between worldโ and the many pools there. Her appearance was originally totally different. Seven feet tall, long red hair, and she waged a war with her sister until she destroyed that world and froze it – neutron bomb, anyone? – by uttering the ‘หDeplorable Word.’
โWe took some creative liberties,โ Moore admits, โbut theyโre hardly transgressions when you consider that Lewis just completely rewrote her origin six books later,โ he says.
Read the rest at Ask the Oracle here
Got to be in the scene where Lucy looks in the Magical book in the Magician’s study right?
yeah..I too think soo..anyway most probably in the monopod’s island..
Really? I was thinking the nightmare island…
This will be great! it sounds like it will be a little hint at the Magician’s Nephew which will solidify some of the mythology in Narnia for new readers and old fans!
Hmm…This could be interesting. I’m not worried though. They’ve done an excellent job adding what needs to be added in the first 2 movies, and I’m confident they’ll do the same here. i am confused though, because I thought the white witch was in Prince Caspian. Maybe I’m wrong. Does anyone know?
If I remember right she wasn’t really in the book. The black dwarf, hag, and werewolf almost called her up though so it didn’t really bother me that they went a step further in the movie (she actually appeared in that glassy wall).
I was sad when at the end of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Peter and Susan aren’t going to return to Narnia, will they be in The Dawn Treader at all?
susan will make an appearance as far as i know…nothing abt Peter though..
I saw a poster at the theaters and read a previous post on this sight an facebook that said that both Peter and Susan would make a short appearance…
If Peter and Susan DO show up, they BETTER not go to Narnia! Susan is in America and Peter is studying with the professor. That’s where they should show up.
That’s exactly right! They have changed many things…but to change something like that would be a bad idea – Aslan specifically said they would never return to (old) Narnia.
The next time we see them should be in the Last Battle – allowing that they make it *fingers crossed*
I’m not too worried about this; I’m sure that whatever scene she’s in will be fairly quick and meaningful.
Great attitude! Awesome! Thank you for keeping your head on straight and not freaking out!
samer here. at first i was kinda like, “oh great, what are they doing now” but this sounds totally fine. i’m totally excited!
It’s not that big of a deal if she’s only in it for brief moment. I’m not that worried.
awsome!!!!!
I don’t mind her appearing, and I didn’t mind her appearance in Prince Caspian. I’m sure wherever they put her will be good!
well…on TDL(the Dancing Lawn)we are having many debates on if the movies wil be effected with the witch witch. having her in PC was a good idea but you guys STILL messed it up big time and we really, really don’t want VDT mess up! I mean, she is a good actor but why do we need her? And Paul, you know everyone on TDL is freaking out and confused. could you please explain this to everyone?
If you could, e-mail me a link to that thread and I can address directly on the forum. ๐
Good luck. There is a disturbance in another forum too. Chocolate has good sedative, stress reducing effects.
Wait… I think that this may just confuse people. These movies are focusing on The White Witch more than the other villians that will be coming up. I’m completely supporting her being in a dream sequence–quick and meaningless–but having her as a big role…this is just too confusing for people.
I’m wondering whether she’ll appear as coming back to life or something. Also, Perry Moore doesn’t make me any more relived when he says that “they took some creative liberties”. This also makes me wonder whether or not she’ll be in The Silver Chair, you know? I’m sure that is just a forgettable dream sequence, but now I’m not so sure.
Please, Paul. Reassure us that she is in a really quick and forgettable scene, because now I feel really uneasy about this. Also, what do you think about all of this?
~Zack
Hello Zack,
Don’t worry.. it’s going to be fairly quick as far as I know… part of a dream sequence. It’s not going to be forgettable, as it’s a great piece of the film and one of the pivotal scenes for something in the movie. It’s not a very important piece to the overarching story, but it’s not just a throw-away scene, if you know what I mean. Every scene in a movie, every line of dialog is spoken to move a movie toward a goal. Every piece is important and nothing is wasted.
I sure hope the Emerald Witch in The Silver Chair is a different character. Someone is obsessed with the White Witch character. But I won’t freak out over a VDT appearance if it is small and “fits” somehow. ๐
I think having Jadis in a short scene in VDT is brilliant, and a good way to tie the movies together. But I still think it’s almost funny when everything you read says ‘taken some creative liberties.’ Not freaking out is deffinately neccesary here (as difficult as it is!), as there usually is a need to change a few things when taking a book and turning it into a movie, and yet you have to trust that it’s been done well… Blah! This movie can’t come out soon enough =D!
In the Focus on the Family Radio Theater dramatization of VotDT, when the narrator is explaining one of Lucy’s nightmares, you hear the scream of the White Witch in the background. It makes sense for her to crop up in the film. I’m not worried at all.
Now that I think about it, I’m not that worried about the White Witch appearing briefly in VDT. As long as it’s nothing major, I’m happy! ๐
Tomorrow is the day of the trailer!!!
~Zack
I actually like the idea of the Witch being in a dream sequence. Maybe she is part of Edmund’s nightmare on the Dark Island…? I wonder if they will work in Eustace’s fear of the scissors noise. LOL! That would be a funny contrast: the White Witch and a pair of scissors! ๐
I always liked Jadis’ first origin. (As Lewis himself said, he never wrote a book in which he didn’t borrow from George MacDonald.) And strictly speaking, we don’t know the origin of the people of Charn. As contradictions go, it’s not one of the more glaring ones – such as how Tumnus remembered personally the days before the Hundred Year Winter but then went to seed so quickly over the next few years.
Of more concern is how badly mangled Perry Moore’s explanation of Jadis is in that paragraph. I count at least three inaccuracies regarding the books.
yes! the one i saw was that he said her hair was red, not black.
Absolutely! Who’s to say that the people of Charn didn’t descend from Lillith? But as far as Tumnus goes, I definitely don’t consider that a “glaring” contradiction. Obviously, if he remembers the days before the Hundred Year Winter, he’s pretty old. Which means it’s quite natural for him to begin aging pretty rapidly once the Golden Age begins.
But yes, I wondered about Jadis’ hair. I thought I remembered it being black. Wonder if Perry Moore has even read the books? Just a thought. ๐
Having him remember the days before the Hundred Year Winter, and then age pretty rapidly, must be something of an error. There’s no logic to even in Narnia. Unless ALL creatures stopped aging at all until the Golden Age. It would make sense if that were the case, but unless someone can find something Lewis wrote in a letter or something this is probably one of the contradictions that Lewis wanted to go back and correct.
Also, don’t question if Perry Moore has read the books. Too many people, after seeing a movie based on a book, question if the production has read the books. They’ve read them more in-depth than many of us. Perry Moore grew up a Narnia fan and would likely have been a member of this website had it existed when he was young.
Hi, Paul,
Thanks for standing up for me. You’re right. I am a lifelong fan of the books. Why do you think I went after a faithful adaptation of the Chronicles with such vim and vigor! And all the real thanks goes to Walden and Fox and Phil Anschutz and Michael Apted and Andrew Adamson, Doug Gresham, heck the whole cast and crew. I think it’s very rare to find so many people who are so devoted to translating a book in the right most special way to the big screen. I only pray, as the rabid fan that I am, to see all seven Chronicles made.
I’m not sure where I even said this stuff about the White Witch. Lots of folks interview me about my novel HERO, so it must have come from that. No one has spoken to me in an official capacity about Voyage.
But I will tell you that after seeing the first screening, I was beyond impressed. Beyond. And I can be a tough judge.
I love that there are so many fans devoted to discussion, though. Thanks for making sure these simple comments, wherever they were taken from, only excite people about the new movie. Personally, I cannot WAIT to see it in 3D!!!
All the best,
Perry
Thank you very much, Mr. Moore, for taking the time to comment on this. I’m very excited for the film and from what I’ve witnessed thus far, it looks like it’s going to be a phenomenal movie from start to finish. The amount of care and dedication going into this film series from all sides has continued to be incredible and I am sure that fans are going to flip for Dawn Treader.
Oops! I meant to write “Lilith” not “Lillith”. ๐
And while I’m here, I thought I might add that the term “creative liberties” doesn’t bother me. To me, that just means that they are interpreting the book into a movie in the best, smoothest manner possible.
And Paul Martin, I guess I didn’t word my thoughts very well on my last comment. I suppose I should have said that it makes perfect sense to me for Tumnus to be showing natural signs of aging, because by the time the Golden Age arrives, it’s obvious that he is quite old.
And I meant no disrespect to Perry Moore. I hope no offense was taken. ๐
Dear Battle Maiden,
No offense taken. And I’d never cross a battle-maiden!
If there are fans of Tilda out there, please go see her new movie. I was so lucky when she invited me and my little sister and Hunter to an advance screening back in January. We were wowed by her performance.
If she doesn’t get another Oscar nomination for this newest film (she speaks perfect Italian with a Russian accent), I’ll be shocked, so please feel free to check it out and enjoy!
Hope you love “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” as much as I did.
Best,
Perry
VDT + Tomorrow = TRAILER
I think that the WW will appear at one of those lakes( the one where everything is turned into gold. Can that be true?
I hope she won’t be in the movie more then few seconds… I don’t like idea of WW in VoDT…
the evil will come again ๐
I don’t like that she’s gonna be in the VoDT, I never like it when they mess with the story-line! But maybe it won’t be like that, maybe it will be okay. I just hope it won’t be as different from the book as PC was from the book! ๐
White Witch! YES
I LOVE the White Witch! She’s so cool! ๐
Ahem…
A Dream sequence, hmmmmm could it be possible the Dark Island scene is still into play? It is where your worst nightmares come to life. I am kinda happy shes coming back, but not so much to ruin the people’s expectations.
Wait, I think I’m getting something….
Eustace has been turned into a dragon, and as he’s moping along with no one to comfort him, BANG!! The White Witch appears as a sort of “evil-concious-on-his-shoulder” type deal.
I dunno…could work! What d’y’all think? :p
My corner of the world may not be very representative, but I wonder if the producers realise how many people have read the whole series as a result of LWW? Most of my friends are, by now, far more loyal to the books than to cinema in general. They’re not going to watch VoDT because it’s a movie, they’re going to watch it because it’s Lewis. Every departure from the books is going to add to the distrust generated in PC… is it worth it? Or do the producers just enjoy doing it for art’s sake, a kind of perverted joy in twisting things?
“She appears…in a surprising way…that is at the same time true to the core of the book.” I would be very interested in knowing how Perry Moore defines what the core of the book is? Because unless he believes in absolutes, his concept of the “core” is likely to be quite different from Lewis’. Of course evey departure is consistent in the mind of its creator.
I don’t think that would work, becuase that would mean that Jadis is alive (which we all know she isn’t). Also, The White Witch never meets Eustace, so how can he dream about her?
I’m not sure, but I’m I think whatever scene she is in, it’ll be great!
~Zack
since the books were written in sketchy, storybook style, they need fleshing out to be able to carry a whole movie. I actually enjoy seeing a few surprises and how they creatively add to the story. Maybe not as much as they did in PC (making peter cranky for one thing) but the visage of the white witch popping up during a spell would seem appropriate to me. and they probably added a little girl since georgie is so much older now and they wanted a young figure in it for the kid’s audience. (not wild about her look on the billlboard though- am i the only one who thinks she looks kinda wierd and too old?)
oh no oh no oh no….I can’t believe it!!! ARRRGGG. White Witch you have caused enough grief in Narnia and have been “killed” twice….why come back? Aslan was the perfect fit to kill you, Edmund was the perfect person to re-kill you…don’t come back.
Oh I dearly hope she is not actually in the movie.
The Trailer’s awesome…sorta. Scary might also describe it ๐
Just saw the trailer and was actually surprised at how little King Caspian was apart of it. I know that, in the long run, it’s more of a concentration on the story of the children, but I guess I just expected to see a little bit more about him or his initial greeting of the Pevensies on the ship to be shown, just as Reepicheep’s had. I know they’d be surprised/happy to see each other again.
I’d also like to know how they’re going to handle Susan and Caspian’s “flirtation”, specially since she appears in this movie (albeit briefly). It wouldn’t seem right for him to just pretend she never existed in the presence of her brother and sister who witnessed their little friendlier than friendly friendship. I know it wasn’t even in the book and this is a whole different director/studio, but the *movie* fans might need a decent transition off of that. I dunno. Maybe it’s just me.
I thought she only appeared as Lucy’s vision of beauty?
Well, remember, the trailer is just a trailer, not the actual movie. I’m sure Caspian will have plenty of time on screen.
And I wouldn’t worry and the Caspian/Susan thing. After all, three years have passed in Narnia since the Pevensies left. I’m sure Caspian’s grown up a lot in that time. He realizes that Susan is never coming back, and is ready to move on with his life. Besides, their little “thing” always struck me as more of a crush than an out-and-out romance. Battle Maiden’s comment on the post “Aussie Actress Laura Brent cast as Ramanduโs Daughter in Dawn Treader” pretty much sums up how I feel. ๐
The Dark Island is a perfect place for Jadis to appear – everyone’s ‘dreams’ come true here, don’t they? So for her to be Edmund’s nightmare sounds great to me – I can’t wait to see this sequence! Actually, I thought that it would be hilarious if Jadis herself visited the Island – then she would have a nightmare of Edmund coming to haunt her . . .
The term “creative liberties” is scary in a way, because it shows that the producers are departing from the books. As somewhat of a book purist, that is a frightening thought. But at the same time, we have to remember that it is no easy process to interpret a book into a movie. Some creative license must be taken in order to do the story full credit. I love High Queene Shellybelly’s comment — “Since the books were written in sketchy, storybook style, they need fleshing out to be able to carry a whole movie”. Absolutely! And no matter how frightening “creative liberties” may sound, we have to remember the excellent job that these folks have done on the movies thus far. I doubt that there will be any drastic change in the story’s plot or essence, merely because the White Witch gets a few minutes of screen time.
For Narnia, and for Aslan!