In a recent interview Greta Gerwig hinted that production for Narnia isn’t slated to begin until later this year. While the WAG and SAG strikes have played a big part in that, sources close to the production indicate that this delay could be beneficial to the final product, as both Gerwig and Netflix are keen on adapting the Narnia books as an animated series.
“Films such as Sony’s Into the Spider-Verse, Netflix’s Klaus, Dreamworks Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and have really raised the bar for animated features and set a new standard for storytelling in that medium, while Angel Studios crowdfunded The Wingfeather Saga is causing industry insiders to take notice” says Charles Jones, an animator on the project. “Theres even similar buzz for WB’s upcoming animated feature The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. Gerwig and Netflix are hoping that they can do the same with the Narnia series.”
“Fantasy has become a very crowded genre in live action, with no shortage of live action properties including Netflix’s Witcher, Disney’s Percy Jackson and The Santa Clauses, Amazon’s Rings of Power, and the Harry Potter series coming to Max,” said Frank Ollie, a character designer. “What we’ll be doing with Gerwig will really set these stories apart, not only from previous Narnia adaptations, but form other shows in the genre and push the envelope.
“The Narnia we’re envisioning is something so lush, vibrant and beautiful” says Bruce Dini, a background supervisor for the project. “It just makes sense to animate it. And then when you juxtapose Narnia with a London of either the late 19th Century in the Magicians Nephew or World War II, those sharp contrasts are even more noticeable.”
“The fantastic creatures are really going to capture the imagination,” says animator Dante Konietzko.
“And they blend so seamlessly with the real animals like Leopards, bears, lions, beavers, mice and badgers that fill the series,” adds creature animator Gilroy Filoni. “Just wait till you see Aslan. One look at him and you’ll say ‘Mufasa, who?’”
While it may be somewhat disappointing to fans that the next series won’t be live action, there certainly are some benefits to animation. For one thing we’re less likely to have this time around is for the kids age out of the roles too soon due to lag time between productions. Sources close to the production indicate that Netflix is keen not to have a repeat of Stranger Things where the kids seemed to get too old for their roles between seasons. It also means that height and age for the Jadis actress won’t be a factor in casting choices.
“Greta’s really excited about it, “said voice director Bill Leland. “She’s hoping it could allow us to get a classic “Disney Princess” to voice Jadis, someone like Jodie Benson (The Little Mermaid), Linda Larkin (Aladdin), Paige O’Hara (Beauty and the Beast), Ming Na-Wen (Mulan), or even Idina Menzel (Frozen), while we’re looking at either Robert Powell (Jesus of Nazareth), Diogo Morgado (The Bible, Son of God) or Jonathan Roumie (The Chosen) for the voice of Aslan.”
Most exciting is that the production has even sent us some concept art for the characters below!
Check the link here for an official look at a rough animatic of Aslan’s romp at the Stone Table with Susan and Lucy from The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe that sold Greta on the idea of animation, and be back tomorrow for more exciting news.
