Disney’s The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe to Stay True to Christian Themes

Walt Disney is set to target worldwide Christians to support its latest movie release – C S Lewis' The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Disney is to promote its new release as a "Passion of the Christ for Kids" to attract Christian families into cinemas.

Several church groups have been invited to private meetings in the US with Disney executives so that themes of Christian redemption and sacrifice, which are contained in the film can be emphasised.

A public relations company have also been hired to market the film directly to Christian organisations and groups so that the evangelical movement are particularly satisfied with the content.

The new film will open later this Christmas in December and features an all-star cast including British actors Tilda Swinton (White Witch) and Brian Cox (Aslan the Lion). The film will be the first in a series of Disney releases inspired by the seven books in the Narnia series, whose author C S Lewis, was well-known for his strong Christian convictions.

Lewis was only too happy to promote the fact that the books were built around Christian allegories, and that the Aslan the lion, who dies and is resurrected, is very much a Christ-like character.

Previously it has been feared that Disney would produce from the stories, a blockbuster that would be very much a secular-adapted version, with Christian symbolisms and themes toned down.

However, now the concerns seem to have changed – with some even saying that Disney may be overstressing the religious themes. Despite these warnings though, it is clear that catching the attention of the worldwide Christian audience could lead to unprecedented success.

Over one billion Catholics are registered around the world, as well as up to 70 million Anglicans. In the US, the census bureau reports that 159 million people call themselves Christian, and Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ received over £300 million at the box office last year. It was very clear that Gibson’s religious epic received its huge success largely due to the fact that so many worldwide Christians went to see the film.

The Telegraph newspaper also point out that the animated feature ‘The Polar Express’, which was very much criticised by film buffs, became a hit after marketing it as containing many Christian themes.

Motive Marketing, a public relations company that specialises in reaching out to faith groups, has been hired by Disney after the company was widely credited with its successful marketing of The Passion of the Christ.

Kyle Fisk, an executive at the National Association of Evangelicals, which represents 39 million church-goers has been reported as saying that the new Disney film would gain great backing from the churches if it remained true to what he described as "one of the great stories of the Christian faith."

He said, "There is a big connection between this film and The Passion of the Christ. Mel Gibson proved you can make a film with moral values which could be embraced by people with faith. Hollywood is now waking up to the fact that people want this kind of entertainment. If The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a fabulous movie then we are going to see it used in churches, youth groups and outreach programmes."

The co-producer of the film is Douglas Gresham, the stepson of C S Lewis, who runs a religious retreat in Dublin, Ireland. Gresham commented on the film: "I am a committed Christian and I am very happy with the script."

The Bishop of Exeter, Rt Rev Michael Langrish said, "You can not understand the story in The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe without reference to God. One of the key themes of the book is that for the forces of good to triumph over evil it is not enough that they are simply stronger. They can only triumph through grace and sacrifice."