DVD 'Chronicles' literary classic

Director Andrew Adamson's is not the first film version of C. S. Lewis's well known, "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe," but it is certainly the first to receive any kind of critical attention (it won an Oscar for achievement in makeup as well as being nominated for visual effects). The visuals are nicely done and the film is extremely faithful to Lewis's words. I was happy to find that the filmmakers did not screw it up as I and all other childhood fans of this adventure, in which four children find a magic land containing mythical beast, epic battles and Christian symbolism (that seems apparent to me at 21, but flew past me as a child), inside a wardrobe, feared upon hearing that it was in production. That said, it is notable to know that this is definitely not one of the few instances in which a film is better that the book it is made after.\nThe special features included on the single disc edition DVD are bloopers and "Fun Facts," as well as two audio commentary tracks. "The Bloopers Of Narnia," is a high-spirited gag reel set to up-beat music in which the cast and crew can be seen goofing off while the film is being made. This feature offers a nice change of tone from that of the rather serious film. \nWhen the "Discover Narnia Fun Facts" feature is activated, information about "Narnia" and C. S. Lewis pops up on screen as the movie progresses (think VH1's "Pop-up Videos"). The pop-ups offer a variety of information, supplying some items that may be of interest to adult and/or child audiences. It is certainly an educational feature and also might be of special interest to fans of the book. I appreciate that there is clearly some attempt made so that the pop-up's do not conflict any more than is unavoidable. This feature certainly boosts the returns to the DVD. \nOne of the better commentary tracks featured on the disc was recorded by the director and the young stars of the film. It is nice that the child actors are allowed to comment, making the commentary especially exciting to the film's young fans. The other includes the director, the production designer and the producer.