[movie] Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

I haven't read the Narnia books and am not really bothered by whether there's a Christian message in the books and movie or not but does anyone believe that Disney is serious about getting a Christian message out or is really just using the whole Christiainity angle as marketing?

If The Passion of the Christ hadn't been successful does anyone think Disney would bother trying to market this through churches? For that matter why are churches allowing themselves to be used as marketing mediums? This reminds me too much of allowing the money changers into the temple.

For the church's does the Christian message need to be dressed up in a Disney mass marketing campaign to get out? I'm not a Christian but to me there's something very unsettling about tying spiritual faith and proselytization with a commercial money making venture.

 

I saw something on tv about this last night. I was truly looking forward to the movie until I knew of the marketing campaign. They hired the same marketing company that did The Passion. Basically they say "If you liked The Passion you will love LLW". They go around to megachurches etc showing extended trailers to the kids trying to explain the underlying Christian message. Count me out.

 

But they haven't brought it into your home on TV touting the religious aspects, right? When you see the previews in the theater or on TV, its just another movie.

If they kept the religious marketing in the churches, and the secular marketing in the homes and theaters, isn't this perfect? I don't understand why you would want to be "counted out" of this movie if they haven't actually overtly marketed the Christian message straight to you...but have gone through churches where people would responed positively to that message anyways. The marketing company that they hired is ONLY doing the church marketing, not the general marketing everywhere else.

It really seems like this only people that this marketing bothers are the ones that wouldn't actually be exposed to it anyways. There are TONS of movies with religious allegory or undertones. Why is this one different? If you don't believe the undertones, enjoy the movie for its fantasy, action, and special effects. If the Christian undertones mean something to you, it just adds a new aspect to the movie that you can enjoy, if it doesn't mean anything to you, I'm not sure you would even notice or care.

The funny thing is that Disney very quietly, with only 5% of their marketing budget was going into some churches to market the movie with the religious overtones. The irony is that nobody would have much noticed until non-Chrisitian groups brought that aspect into the mainstream media with their criticism.

 

I agree with most of what you're saying Supermac34, except for this:

There was mainstream press about Jeb Bush promoting the book as part of the Just Read, Florida! in which Disney offered rewards for essay contests. Now, I don't think Bush only did it because it was a Christian book, but I can see why some people may think that.

 

Why isn't this in D&D yet?

My observational 2 cents: Man, the non-Christians are being serious haters about this film. It's like they're threatened or something. Am I wrong, or do you guys really feel that way?

ok, I'm out.

 

It's different becuase of the marketing. And it's certain churches. The same ones that shut down for Christmas.

I think they are undertones for a reason. C.S Lewis purposely did not make them blatant or use it for marketing. He let the story speak for itself, he knew better. Ultimately it's not even a Christian story. I'd rather not be a sucker to Disney.

 

One of the complaints that I often hear from Christians I know is that there's nothing out there in Hollywood for them - no movies out there that share their "values." They bring up the argument that when was the last time a religious person or priest in the movies was portrayed in a positive or sympathetic light as opposed to a zealot, bigot or hypocrite. (I had to go back to the nun Dead Man Walking - but I don't usually pay attention to such things).

So when a product comes around from Hollywood, like Narnia, that they believe will share these values and portray religion or faith in a positive light, they are eager to support it. And sure, of course Disney wants to make more money - they're a company. But churchgoers are happy to be marketed to and give them their money if it means that similar movies will be made in the future.

As far a churches being "used" to promote a movie - this is family book written by a beloved Christian author that has been read by many Christians (and non-Christians, for that matter) - why wouldn't they want to support it?

It's no different than a comic book movie being marketed at a Comic Book Convention - they're just preaching to the faithful.

 

It's ultimately not a Christian story, but Disney is making it so for the money.

 

And they are doing it to "earn" back groups like the AFA.

http://www.afa.net/disney/

 

I want to apologize if I'm giving the impression of hating, or even prejudging the movie, because of a Christian message. As I said I'm not Christian but that wouldn't keep me from seeing a movie or reading a book that had a Christian message. While I've never read the Chronicles of Narnia I've read some of CS Lewis's non-fiction and am OK with it.

Also being a non-Christian its not my place to say what churches want to show or how they conduct their business. All I'm wondering about is that this strikes me as being ironic at the least for a religion whose seminal figure cast out money changers from the temple to be bringing mass marketers to pitch them for a profit making venture.

I also wouldn't just apply this to Christianity. The Matrix series had some very overt Buddhist overtones but I would be very against Warner Bros coming to my local Zen Center to market The Matrix the same way that Disney is marketing Narnia. To me it would be supreme irony to come and convince followers of a faith that says that material attachments are delusion to come and engage in a money making venture just because there are some references to the principles of that faith.

Its one thing for the pastor or Dharma teacher to bring up those movies as examples for discussion pieces and another for an ad agency to come in and pitch it to the congregation.

 

Hey Rockets Fan Trapped in MN;

So you up for reviving Clutchfans North so we can have a Rox viewing party here in the frozen north sometime? I've been working on Bobrek and I'm betting if we can put something together we can get him to come out. Anyway I'm betting there's a few more of us lurking out there along with a few Clutchfans stuck on long layovers flying Northwest that we could grab for a Rox viewing party.

 

It's a good movie, nuff said, and let's leave it at that. If Christians see it as embolding some of our values, well then that's our opinion.

 

Absolutely! Especially since I had to bite the bullet and didn't get League Pass this year, so I haven't seen many games. (Probably can't go back to MOA, though. )

 

Sounds good to me. Why don't we plan on something in Jan. or Feb.? I'll post something in hangout when a good game is coming up. I'll check and see when the Rox play the T-Wolves so then maybe we could rope some T-Wolves fans in and give them a hard time when the Rox beat their fuzzy butts.

 

Well, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe HAS been a part of MANY public school curriculums for the last 20 years or so already. I read it in fifth grade and nobody really pointed out the religious aspects of it then, so I'm pretty sure an essay contest isn't that big of a deal.

 

The Karate Kid and The Last Samurai had Buddhist overtones. So what? They were good movies.

 

I for one am glad that Hollywood is producing more Christian and family oriented films like the Chronicles of Narnia and The Passion of the Christ. There isn't enough variety of fims that are friendly to families these days, nor are they enough films that have positive messages in them anymore. This is one of my main complaints with the entertainment industry in general.

Now, I'm not saying that Hollywood should completely stop making violent movies but more variety would certainly be appreciated. I loved the LOR movies because of the positive messages in the movie and the Good vs. Evil theme running throughout it. LOR may have been a violent movie but
I can tolerate violence and bad language up to a point if there is a good reason for doing so, for example the movie Saving Private Ryan.

Censorship in Hollywood should never be allowed but the studios should diversify and produce different kinds of movies that appeal to a wider range of audiences. I think one of the main reasons why there isn't as many moviegoers as in the past is because of the lack of variety. Studios can release their "Chronicles of Narnia" and their "Get Rich and Die Trying" and "Brokeback Mountains" and please eveyone in the process.


The movies these days don't compare with the great movies from the past anyway. The Last Samaurai was a very good movie but it ain't no Kurosawa.

 

who cares?

Christianity is actually a normal religion

 

I still find it surprising that people consider a movie where a man is graphically tortured to death a family oriented movie.