Forget Bambi, Snow White, and The Incredibles. This is a Disney film that entertains, enchants and even moves you emotionally. Andrew Adamson, live-action debutant, has stayed as faithful to the book as Chris Columbus stayed to the two first Potter-books, without the soulless result. This is in fact one of the few times a film has managed to capture the spirit of a book as well as its plot and characters.

The effects and make-up on this film are well thought through, even for our digitally advanced standards, set by LOTR and The Matrix. Adamson shows promise as a live-action director; "Narnia" never feels choppy. But apart from all the visual delightments, it is the acting that is the most impressive.

William Moseley, who plays Peter, the eldest, delivers a strong and independent character. In many ways, he is the Cedric Diggory that the film version of Harry Potter 4 failed to transfer from the book to screen. Especially his relationship to Edmund (Skandar Keynes) is wonderfully portrayed. Probably not finding that much of a challenge in the typical hero-figure, Moseley creates his own in Peter's weaknesses.

Susan (Anna Popplewell) is the one of the foursome who has the least to do in the film. She is shown as a girl more interested in reason than imagination, a would-be mother figure for her siblings. Her cool, reasoning attitude serves as a premonition for her renouncement of Narnia in the last book of the series. Popplewell, being more experienced with movie-making than the others, handles Susan's emotions and characteristics with ease.

Skandar Keynes enters the scene as the less than sympathetic Edmund. In the first few scenes, we witness him risking his life for a photo of his father, refuse a hug from his mother, and mock his sister. The dynamic between Edmund and Peter is set early, and continues throughout the film. More to the script's (and C. S. Lewis') credit than Keynes', his motivations for betraying his brother and sister are clearly explained. Keynes' portrayal is, however, definitively on the same level as Rupert Grint's Ron in the Potter films, or Freddie Highmore's Charlie in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory".

And now we come to the pride and joy of this film, Georgie Henley. Her interpretation of the sweet little Lucy is wonderful and heartbreaking. There's nothing more to say on that matter.

Other noteworthy performances must also be taken into account. The voice of Aslan (Liam Neeson, who, incidentally looks like a lion in real life) is mild, forceful, noble and sad. Tilda Swinton is scary and malevolent, not the "funny", stupid Disney-villain at all. Kiran Shah, James McAvoy and Jim Broadbent shine in their smaller threads of the tapestry.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is a film with two wonderful atmospheres. First, "The Hobbit"-like, cute and cosy anglophilia. Second, an epic, medieval story in Arthurian fashion. Forget the Christian underlying morale and enjoy the year's best fantasy film.
(One minus, though: "The Fox" is ridiculous and unnecessary, but it's a kid's film, so...)