The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

This cartoon has impressive credentials. It is a co-production of Bill Melendez (Charlie Brown) and the Children's Television Workshop (Sesame Street and The Electric Company).

It is simply and economically animated. The draughtsmanship may be rudimentary, but that is not a serious drawback. The music is very good. The humiliation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Aslan, the lion, are handled movingly. The parallels with Christ are clear.

This is the first novel, in publication order, in C.S. Lewis's Narnia series. The books have most recently been reissued in internal chronological order, according to the author's posthumous wishes. Franz Kafka's posthumous wish to have all of his works destroyed was ignored by his literary executor, Max Brod. If only Lewis's nonsensical request had also been ignored. This book unfortunately and regrettably now appears as Volume 2 in the current series.

I recently saw this programme in French, not English, under the title "Le lion, la sorcière et l'armoire". If there was a shortcoming to the French version, it was in the actor cast to portray Aslan. His voice was too gruff and did not have the majesty necessary for a Messiah, as English-language Aslans can normally be counted upon to have.

The excellent live-action BBC series from 1988 based on the Narnia books improves even on this praiseworthy cartoon.