The Chronicles of Narnia: Books vs. Movies
The three Chronicles of Narnia movies, released between 2005 and 2010, are adapted from C. S. Lewis's three books, published between 1950 and 1952. Each book has its own page here; this one is the series as a whole.
From Books Adapted
How much of the book it covers
Three movies cover the first three books Lewis published
The 2005–2010 movies follow publication order. That differs from the chronological numbering used by many editions of the seven books.
| Movie | Book and coverage |
|---|---|
| The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) | The main story of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: first published, but numbered 2 in chronological editions. |
| Prince Caspian (2008) | The main story of Prince Caspian: second published, numbered 4 chronologically. |
| The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) | The main story of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: third published, numbered 5 chronologically. |
Those movies leave four books unadapted: The Silver Chair, The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle. The books continue beyond the last movie's adventure.
Greta Gerwig's Narnia: The Magician's Nephew starts a separate adaptation with a story set before The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It is scheduled for theaters on February 12, 2027, and Netflix on April 2. It has not been released.
What changed from the book
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The castle raid grows from an idea the book does not carry out
The nighttime attack on Miraz's castle is an added action sequence in Prince Caspian. In the book, Reepicheep proposes a raid, but the characters do not undertake it.
Andrew Adamson said that suggestion gave him a starting point for expanding the action and showing a setting the first movie had not explored.
Susan is allowed to fight
When Susan receives her bow in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, she is told not to use it in battle. The movies give her a more active fighting role.
Adamson said he rejected that restriction when making the first movie. He also discussed the change with Douglas Gresham, Lewis's stepson, rather than treating it as an incidental alteration.
Every movie has its own page
Vote on them one at a time: each has its own question, results and comments.
- Book 1
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeMovie, 2005 · Directed by Andrew Adamson · 2 hr 23 minFrom The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe · 1950 · 208 pagesAndrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005) adapts C. S. Lewis’s 1950 novel. Four siblings enter a world where the White Witch’s winter holds the country captive.Which was better? Vote - Book 2
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianMovie, 2008 · Directed by Andrew Adamson · 2 hr 20 minFrom Prince Caspian · 1951 · 240 pagesAndrew Adamson’s The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) adapts C. S. Lewis’s 1951 novel. The Pevensie siblings return to a changed Narnia and join a prince resisting his uncle’s rule.Which was better? Vote - Book 3
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn TreaderMovie, 2010 · Directed by Michael Apted · 2 hr 3 minFrom The Voyage of the Dawn Treader · 1952 · 256 pagesMichael Apted’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) adapts C. S. Lewis’s 1952 novel. Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace join Caspian on a voyage beyond Narnia’s familiar shores.Which was better? Vote
The books, in order
Details
- Author
- C. S. Lewis
- Year
- 1950
- Pages
- 208
- Audiobook length
- 4 hr 21 min
- Narrator
- Michael York
- Series
- The Chronicles of Narnia, book 1
Lucy finds a snow-covered wood on the other side of a wardrobe, but her brothers and sister refuse to believe she has been anywhere at all. When they enter Narnia themselves, they discover that its ruler has reason to fear human children. Edmund’s dealings with the White Witch place all four in danger, while the return of the lion Aslan gives the country’s inhabitants hope of freedom.
Details
- Author
- C. S. Lewis
- Year
- 1951
- Pages
- 240
- Audiobook length
- 4 hr 40 min
- Narrator
- Lynn Redgrave
- Series
- The Chronicles of Narnia, book 2
Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are pulled from a railway station into the ruins of the castle where they once ruled Narnia. A rescued dwarf tells them about Caspian, a prince fleeing his uncle after discovering that the creatures of old Narnia still exist. To help him, the children must find their way through a country that has changed beyond recognition during their absence.
Details
- Author
- C. S. Lewis
- Year
- 1952
- Pages
- 256
- Audiobook length
- 5 hr 50 min
- Narrator
- Derek Jacobi
- Series
- The Chronicles of Narnia, book 3
Lucy and Edmund are staying with their disagreeable cousin Eustace when a picture of a ship draws all three into the sea of Narnia. Aboard the Dawn Treader, they join King Caspian’s search for seven lords who vanished during his uncle’s reign. Each island presents a different obstacle, while the mouse Reepicheep urges the voyage farther east toward the edge of the known world.
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