How to watch the Chronicles of Narnia movies in order
Heading back into the wardrobe? Here's the path you need.
Among the most beloved books in British literature, CS Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series is a staple of childhood and has been since it was originally published in the 1950s.
Such was its popularity, it was only natural for producers and studios to want to adapt Narnia for the big or small screen but Lewis refused to sell the rights to his work during his lifetime, not believing his books could be done justice.
After Lewis passed in 1963, the adaptations did begin rolling in, first with an ITV version of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe before an animated American iteration surfaced the following decade. Before the films, the most famous Narnia adaptation was the BBC's 1988-1990 serial that charted the first four books.
It took until the 2000s for Narnia to find the big screen in the aftermath of other fantasy adaptations such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Narnia was one of a number of stories such as A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Eragon that movie studios bought to try to find the next phenomenon.
Three movies adapting the first three books followed, before financial disappointment led to any future sequels being shelved. Since 2010's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the rights to the books reverted back to CS Lewis's estate and were re-bought by Netflix to adapt into future films and TV shows.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch the Chronicles of Narnia movies – and given only three books have been adapted (so far), they are the same in both chronological and release date order.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Release date: 2005
A box office juggernaut upon release just before Christmas in 2005, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the most famous of CS Lewis's stories and the first in the Narnia series (though not in the books' chronology, given The Magician's Nephew and The Horse and His Boy are set earlier).
The story follows the four Pevensie children – Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter – who are Second World War evacuees, as they're taken away from their home to a house in the country where a giant wardrobe transports them to the magical world of Narnia.
Once in Narnia, they meet the likes of faun Mr Tumnus (James McAvoy, who has never lived the role down), the powerful biblically-inspired lion Aslan, and a beaver voiced by Ray Winstone, before having to defeat the White Witch and bring peace to the magical land.
Fresh off the success of Harry Potter, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was intended to spur a blockbuster franchise full of hits.
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Release date: 2008
While the second book released, Prince Caspian was the fourth in the timeline but the producers decided to follow the publication order as the actors playing the Pevensie children would have become too old otherwise.
When the siblings eventually return to Narnia, they find 1,300 years have passed since their last visit (though only one in the real world) and the world has been ravaged by war. To bring peace to Narnia once more, the Pevensies join forces with Prince Caspian to defeat King Miraz.
Caspian drives much of the film with the Pevensies taking more of a supporting role, as is the case in the book, where they aren't always the centre of the narrative. A tonally more adult film than the fantastical The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, director Andrew Adamson also added action sequences that weren't in the book.
Not as successful as the first film with either the critics or audiences, Prince Caspian grossed around half as much as its predecessor and was criticised for its violence.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Release date: 2010
Featuring just the two youngest Pevensie children – Lucy and Edmund (Susan and Peter are in America) – this time, they are transported to Narnia via a magical painting where they are reunited with the dashing Prince Caspian. Joining the Pevensies in Narnia is their largely repellent cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) and they must go on a quest to rescue seven lost lords to save the magical world from evil spirits.
Whereas many critics felt the Harry Potter films got better deeper into their run, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader received largely negative reviews with criticism aimed at its plotting, though faithful fans of the books liked how it embraced the Christian themes at the heart of Lewis's work.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was not supposed to be the end of Narnia's cinematic odyssey but another under-performance at the box office led to planned sequels being left to rot in development hell and the rights to the books reverting back to the CS Lewis Company.
The Future
Since The Voyage of the Dawn Treader came and went, there has been endless speculation about rebooting The Chronicles of Narnia, especially in the age of streaming. In 2018, Netflix came to an agreement with the CS Lewis Company to acquire the rights to all of CS Lewis's Narnia books to adapt for film and TV.
Despite the big announcement in 2018, there has been little movement on a future adaptation with producer and Lewis's stepson Douglas Gresham commenting: "I have not heard a word from them. I'm kind of getting worried myself as to whether anything's ever going to happen."
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Visit our Film hub for the latest news and features. If you're looking for something to watch, check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only £1 with delivery to your home – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
