Dawn Treader Footage Screened in New York City

Last week, while I was out of town, I received an invitation to a screening of footage from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. This screening was to happen on the Monday, only two days after my return to the United States, so unfortunately I had to turn down the chance. However, there were many outlets that were there, and they’ve provided so much coverage of the event that it’s almost like being there. I do have to warn you, though: there are a LOT of MAJOR SPOILERS in the reports. And I mean it. If you read all of the reports, it’s almost like having seen the movie. If you want to go into the movie and be surprised, or leave any secrets to experience for the first time at the movie itself, do not read any of them.

However, if you’d like to spoil yourself almost completely, read on. I must tell you, though, that whatever you read doesn’t cover everything that is in the movie, and this is a very good thing. There are many amazing things that aren’t even touched by the footage that they saw.

Either way, one thing that this screening has accomplished is something very important: confidence. Reports from Narnia bloggers are one thing, but when they come from places like ComingSoon.net and Hit Fix – that is another thing entirely.

ComingSoon.net sums up their report, saying:

Overall, it was an impressive cross-section of what to expect from the movie in terms of the magic and wonder they’re aiming for, we got a tiny taste of the action, as well as getting some idea about the new characters and how the two youngest Pevensie kids have changed since the previous movie.

HitFix ends their report with:

Apted also noted “Treader” is five weeks away from finishing it’s 3-D conversion. While that should help ticket sales, judging from the eye candy displayed on the Fox lot, it probably isn’t that necessary. Overall? “Narnia” looks like a return to the solid success of “Wardrobe.” And even if it only comes close, Walden will be very, very happy.

And they also say: Fans can breathe a sigh of relief because, as promised, the “magic” has returned to “Narnia.”

Examiner talks briefly about the content of the third trailer for the film:

The third “Dawn Treader” trailer is a visual feast of the colorful Dawn Treader ship, massive tidal waves, Aslan (the all-powerful lion voiced by Liam Neeson), the Narnia heroes’ adventures on water and on land, and a brief glimpse of the epic final battle with a sea serpent. (The trailer shows Reepicheep getting into the fray.) And good news for fans of Barnes: Unlike the previous “Dawn Treader” trailers, which mostly showed Barnes with his back to the camera, this trailer actually has him facing the camera most of the time he is seen on screen.

Aslan’s Country has a transcript of the footage that was shown as well, but they didn’t sum up their overall impressions of it. Instead, what they did was write down as quickly as they could, literally everything that they saw, and revealed a few details that the others hadn’t.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Here’s where I’m going to write a bit about many of the points that were revealed. If you’re avoiding spoilers, leave now.

– We’ll see Susan writing a letter to Lucy and Edmund near the beginning of the film. – This is a very smart way to explain her absence to those that either don’t remember Prince Caspian‘s ending, or missed the movie entirely.
– Eustace writes in his diary. This is something we saw a glimpse of in the trailer, but in the footage he is also narrating what he is writing.
– Uncle Harold is in the film (we still don’t know who plays him).
– Apted talked about the adventure the three kids will be joining Caspian on, in which they look for seven lords, friend’s of his father’s who were exiled after the war, and to get seven swords which will put a stop to the White Witch returning.
– There will be a food shortage on the ship, during which Reepicheep catches Eustace stealing an orange.
– Lucy is kidnapped by Invisible Giants and taken to the magician’s house to say the spell.
– The seven swords must be placed at Aslan’s feet in order to destroy the Dark Island.
– Liliandil introduces herself as the daughter of Ramandu.
– Eustace, in dragon form, fights the sea-serpent.
– Lucy asks Reepicheep for permission to give him a hug.

Now, there’s a line that has cropped up in the Aslan’s Country summary of the footage:

Caspian: “Susan! It’s ok, I’ve got you!”

Lucy: “It’s me, Lucy!”

This line has caused a little bit of a ruckus from some fans in the comments. Here are my thoughts on the issue, for what it’s worth. Siblings look like each other. It’s been a while since Caspian has seen the Pevensies, and only briefly catching a glimpse of Lucy, he merely mistakes her for Susan. This is typical of people in the real world. I volunteer at a youth group that has seen many siblings come through, and it’s scary how much people look like each other. Sometimes people come in and ask if that person is who they think it is. So I think this is pretty much a non-issue. Caspian, seeing Lucy for seconds, believes that it is Susan for a moment. No big deal.

Anyway, I hope that this helps get you excited for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader more than ever. It’s going to be a real treat, and you don’t want to miss it!