Story which Narnia took from...

Danny Darnia

Danny Darnia

New member
I've seen a movie titled "5 children & it", staring by Freddie Highmore yesterday. I just realized something, that....those characters were similar with Narnia's, especially the Pevensie's. Pete, Su, Ed and Lu changed with Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane, and Eustace changed with Horace. They also have same opening story...the London evacuated and they moved to a Professor's castle.
I can say that Narnia was taken from those story, coz the it an adapted from Edith Nesbits novel with the same titled.
Have any information about it, anyone?
 
There allways is controversay betweens several books. Take Nanny McPhee and Mary Poppins, for instance.

It is relatively hard to think up original character types, especially since they were already taken.

But, they are not the same enough for anybody to really care if there is some coincidences between the books.
 
According to Amazon, the book was first published on December 1, 1996, which would suggest that it is more likely that "Five children & It" was taken from "The Chronicles of Narnia".
 
Yeah, Narnia is over 50 years old. But, even if the story with the other kids starts off during the Blitz it doesn't mean they took it from Narnia necessarily...that was a historical event. Now, the fact that they went to a professor's house...that's a little more iffy to me.

Interesting though to hear of another book sounding like one of the greats.
 
Danny Darnia said:
I've seen a movie titled "5 children & it", staring by Freddie Highmore yesterday. I just realized something, that....those characters were similar with Narnia's, especially the Pevensie's. Pete, Su, Ed and Lu changed with Cyril, Anthea, Robert and Jane, and Eustace changed with Horace. They also have same opening story...the London evacuated and they moved to a Professor's castle.
I can say that Narnia was taken from those story, coz the it an adapted from Edith Nesbits novel with the same titled.
Have any information about it, anyone?
Click to expand...

Actually the movie is very different from the book and even though I haven`t read the book or seen the movie (I figured these facts somewhere but I don`t rember where!) in the book the kids actually go with their parents instead of their crazy uncle or something like that. I`m not sure if what I said is totally reliable but I think and hope it is.
Sorry for making no sense whatsover I must end my post now because I`m rambling on for some reason.
 
ABright5, "5 Children and It" was first published in 1902 and has two sequels, "The Phoenix and the Carpet" in 1904, and "The Story of the Amulet" in 1906.

However, this does not mean that Lewis copied from it. I highly doubt it, in fact--unless he saw a picture from the book that inspired something in him. That was what Lewis really drew inspiration from, drawings such as a faun holding an umbrella or the evacuation of British children away from London during WWII.

As for the kids and situation being similar, well, siblings moving and having a fantastical adventure was hardly new when Lewis was writing.

MrBob
 
This info actually confirms office's a bit since he said the movie was different compared to the book. That's intersting that there's a series out there that is highly similar to Narnia, or at least a movie.
 
The movie of 5 children and It is VERY dissimilar from the book. In the book, the children:

a: Do not go through a door or something and find the Psammead in an almost-magical world

b: Do not get sent away by themselves, but rather with their mother. (Their father is away fighting the war.)

c: While there is an Uncle, he only appears briefly, and then he takes the children shopping for toys. They do not stay with him, and there is no Horace.

These are the major differences.
 
Someone has written that there are only 36 possible plots in all fiction; so there are bound to be similarities. The creativity is in the details. Now, if you want to see CLOSE imitation, watch kung-fu movies made in the 1970's and 1980's. They had stock character types and stock situations, so much so that it was easy to find two or three films which were not officially remakes and yet were nearly identical.
 
Lewis' narrative style

I haven't got my copy of LWW on me at University, if anyone can remember or look up any quotes in which the narrator directly addresses a young reader in the somewhat quirky way he does then could you please please please reply to this post. It would be hugely appreciated! thank you for your time narnians.
 
Why does everyone get so freaked out when one story/movie is similar another story/movie? People are allowed to write what they want!
 
And even if Lewis was inspired by another author, what's wrong with that? Very few things are 100% original. The opening ideas are generally similar (of course, dissimilar also, but in minor/specific ways), but I don't think that's a bad thing.
 
Back
Top