With Disney out and Fox in, Narnia fans are hoping “Dawn Treader” will see success similar to “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”
The first official trailer for the third movie installment of the “Chronicles of Narnia” made its public debut Thursday morning, giving fans a peak at what some thought wasn’t going to be after Walt Disney Pictures abandoned ship.
Released at midnight, the two-minute trailer for “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” beckons Narnia fans to “Return to Hope,” “Return to Magic,” and “Return to Narnia” five years after the first film hit theaters to positive reviews and box office success.
“You have returned for a reason. Your adventure begins now,” says the series’ central character, Aslan, in the trailer.
Also returning for the voyage are Pevensie siblings Edmund and Lucy, and King (formerly Prince) Caspian.
Not on board for the third installment, however, is Walt Disney Pictures, which announced in 2008 – just days before Christmas – that it would not be co-producing and co-financing “Dawn Treader,” citing “budgetary considerations and other logistics” as reasons behind the decision.
Instead, 20th Century Fox has partnered with Walden Media for the next title in the Christian-themed fantasy series, hoping that it will fare far better than the one before, “Prince Caspian,” which pulled in only $419 million despite a larger $200 million budget.