I re-watched the animated film last night, which must be the first time in at least ten years. However, when re-reading the books over the last two weeks, it was the animated film that stuck in my mind whilst reading
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and in a variety of ways, the animated film is more in keeping with the book than either the series or the film. I've already mentioned elsewhere on the forum one instance where the animated film is the only one of the three to follow Lewis:
The Lion said:
..."And so," continued the Witch, "that human creature is mine. His life is forfeit to me. His blood is my property."
"Come and take it then," said the Bull with the man's head in a great bellowing voice...
In the BBC series, the same challenge is made, but this time by a faun. In the new film, it is Peter himself who says it. A very minor scene, but its interesting that each version went a different route. It may be that a bull with a man's head was a rather bizarre image, perhaps even difficult to recreate in a live-action setting (though this would only pose a problem for the BBC series, as no doubt the CGI of today’s version could easily produce such a creature).
That bull is not the only unusual creature in the animated film; amongst the statues in the Witch's castle are also a flying tiger, a tiger with a unicorn's horn, and a man with the head of an eagle. This trend of genuinely fantastical beings is continued into the battle sequence, which features perhaps the weirdest battle ever seen on the screen: at the opening of the battle sequence to the far left of the view, a giant yellow duck, gripping a weapon in its wing, fights with a grim-faced tree. Such license is one of the advantages in animation, particularly a children's cartoon.
The interpretation of Mr Tumnus is similarly in keeping with a cartoon. Red-skinned, green-haired, and literally prancing like the goats who provide his lower half, we see him scampering around Lucy, eventually alighting on top of the lamp post. His initially devious is emphasised to a greater degree than usual, with sidelong glances and a malicious smile as he prepares his deception of Lucy. Rather than sending her to sleep, he follows his first rousing tune with a melody that sends her into a trance (from which he has to snap his fingers to free her). The Tumnus of the series or the film does not, in my opinion, make a similarly large transition from cruel to kind; the Tumnus is the animated film is the only one who initially appears genuinely wicked.
Mr Beaver is quite different from the new film or the series, as he does not have a regional accent (West Country in the BBC series, cockney in the new film). Instead, he is voiced by Arthur Lowe (who sadly died three years later in 1982), best known as the upwardly mobile Captain Mainwaring from
Dad's Army. Lowe plays the character in similarly clipped tones to Mainwaring, complete with pipe, while Mrs Beaver also speaking with an upper class voice. Religious comments like Aslan being 'the son of the Emperor-across-the-sea' are still there, though still no mention of Lilith (which from what I've read and seen of Narnia adaptations only occurs in the 1967 TV series).
On the approach to the beaver's house, Edmund has flashbacks of the White Witch offering him Turkish Delight. Significantly, it is not Edmund who first suggests Turkish Delight, but the Witch herself. His flashback causes him to salivate and lick his lips in anticipation. This is in keeping with the description of the Turkish Delight in the book, where it sounds rather like the Witch gets Edmund addicted to them, as if they were a Class A drug, in order to get him to do her bidding:
The Lion said:
...At last the Turkish Delight was all finished and Edmund was looking very hard at the empty box and wishing that she would ask him whether he would like some more. Probably the Queen knew quite well what he was thinking; for she knew, though Edmund did not, that this was enchanted Turkish Delight and that anyone who had once tasted it would want more and more of it, and would even, if they were allowed , go on eating it till they killed themselves...
The White Witch is also properly white, again following the description in the book; "Her face was white - not merely pale, but white like snow or paper or icing sugar, except for her very red mouth" (p33). The BBC series attempted to follow suit, Barbara Kellerman sporting the necessary make-up, but the new film chooses to simply make her pale (though I think this probably works better than a bright white Tilda Swinton would have done, so a wise decision). I found the vocal performance of Sheila Hancock to be slightly less pantomime than Barbara Kellerman, but as its a cartoon, there is a higher threshold on the ridiculous - therefore, not a fair comparison.
The escape from the Beaver's house is again distinct from the BBC and Disney. Suspense is the most important element, with the view switching rapidly between the White Witch on her sledge, the ravening wolves led by Fenris Ulf (interestingly not named Maugrim in this version) and the party of children and beavers. The White Witch is only ever a short distance behind, able to see the children as they join the doomed fox and squirrels at their meal, still in sight as Mr Beaver spots her at the meal shortly after he, his wife and the children have left. Mrs Beaver strangely retains her apron throughout, but presumably this is to distinguish her gender from Mr Beaver, in the same fashion as Daisy Duck's hair bow.
In another difference from the BBC and the new film, and indeed the book, there is no Father Christmas (though the jingling of his sleigh-bells are heard earlier in the beaver's hiding place). Another missing character - or at least scene - is Mrs Macready, who does not chase the children into the wardrobe. Instead, the film cuts from the discussion with Professor Kirke straight to the third entrance into Narnia.
The weapons gifted by Father Christmas are now instead given by Aslan himself, whose echoing voice is strongly reminiscent of a character who would hit the screens five years later - He-Man. The sexist lines are also passed on to Aslan, who tells Susan and Lucy that "I do not mean you to fight in the battle", following the book's dialogue exactly in all but the speaker. Peter defeats Fenris Ulf, and receives the title 'Fenris-Bane' rather than 'Wolf's Bane', presumably due to the name change from Maugrim (then again, I haven't read the US version of the book this name change is taken from, so perhaps 'Fenris-Bane' occurs there too?).
In rescuing Edmund, Aslan does not merely send a few troops as in the series or new film, but an army. They almost manage to capture the White Witch, actually grasping hold of her arm, but as in the series, she and her dwarf are able to magically disguise themselves. The Witch's later sacrifice of Aslan on the Stone Table and his ensuing return was, in my opinion, more affecting than in the BBC series. There is greater celebration, and the rush to the Witches castle is well-interpreted. The BBC had Aslan literally fly, which now looks very dated indeed, whereas the animation simply has him run. However, this running is so fluid and fast, interspersed with great leaps, that it is almost flying, and works far better on screen.
My favourite part of the animation comes next, when Aslan transmutes the stone statues back to flesh. His breath flows across them, leaving a glimmering turquoise layer, almost cubist in its form, which is a beautiful visual effect. Back at the battle, Edmund's breaking of the wand makes real strategic impact, in a way in which I feel it did not in either the BBC series or the Disney film. This is because in both the BBC and Disney, shortly after Edmund's action, Aslan arrives and tramples the Witch (knocking her off a cliff in the BBC version). In the animation, while Aslan also arrives not long after, as soon as Edmund breaks the wand, all the combatants who had been turned to stone are instantly restored to flesh, in another pleasant visual effect (a sort of bright flash followed by a pause). Aslan then pounces on the Witch as in other adaptations, causing her to dissipate with a suitably 'evil' sound effect in a cloud of black smoke.
The animation then gears up for the ending, with the coronation scene, featuring Mr Beaver dressed in a costume that looks as though it was lifted from Disney's 1951
Alice in Wonderland cartoon. This is followed by a plump, middle-aged Mr Tumnus telling the now fully grown monarch's of the White Stag. This section struck me as a little off, because while the children are now shown as adult, they retain their childish voices - Edmund's high-pitched squeal, "Let's go!", sounds especially incongruous.
Unlike my recent revisiting of the BBC series, the animation did not disappoint. In particular, the music throughout was excellent and varied. It was also put to good use in numerous sequences, such as the chase from the beaver's house and Aslan's rush to the witch's castle. It was largely accurate, with a couple of interesting omissions, and Aslan felt truly imposing, thanks to his heroic voice. I look forward to getting it on DVD, as my old video is getting a little tired after all these years!
