Narnia film set to premiere as a big plug for Christianity

Zondervan, the evangelical imprint for publishing giant HarperCollins, is calling New Zealand's $219 million Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one of the year's "biggest religion stories".

"In the Christian world, they are just salivating over this," spokeswoman Jana Muntsinger told the Washington Times.

"C S Lewis is the evangelical gold standard".

It premieres on December 7 at London's Royal Albert Hall, when Prince Charles and Camilla, the duchess of Cornwall, will preside at a glittering reception decorated with ice sculptures and white carpet reminiscent of Narnia's 100-year winter.

The newspaper said the film, produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, is being pitched to churches in the United States as a cross between Mel Gibson's Jesus biopic The Passion of the Christ and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

In the world-famous story, four children are sent from war torn London to a professor's country home during World War 2.

There they find a magic wardrobe which leads to the mystical land of Narnia, which is under the rule of Jadas the White Witch, and the children join forces with Aslan for a great battle between good and evil.

HarperCollins has readied a massive printing of 140 Narnia-themed books, with special editions earmarked for thousands of Christian bookstores, and the publicity for the film noting that the New Zealand director, Andrew Adamson, is the son of missionaries.

Disney film executives have said say they expect Narnia to repeat the success last year of The Passion of The Christ, which raked in hundreds of millions of dollars after being shunned by mainstream studios and then promoted by the evangelical churches.

American evangelicals are planning to use the Narnia film as a preaching tool -- Catholic Outreach has advertised for 150 co-ordinators across the country to help promote the film, and is organising previews of trailers for church audiences.

Walden president Micheal Flaherty, has staked his personal reputation on the film's adherence to the book's Christian message.

"We got as faithful an adaptation as possible," said Mr Flaherty of the yet-to-be-rated movie. "All the key scenes and the key dialogues are there."

The involvement of Disney - which was boycotted from 1997 until this year in America's "Bible Belt" by the Southern Baptist Convention for what the Baptists called its "anti-Christian and anti-family direction - has raised some eyebrows.

"I don't think they would have done Narnia seven years ago," said Dwayne Hastings, vice president for the convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

"If nothing else, Hollywood has discovered there's a market for traditional fare.

"Disney sensed Americans are staying away from movie theatres, and they had to do something. This is a wise business move."

Dennis Rice, Disney's senior vice president of publicity, hedged on whether the film reproduces the Christian character of the book.

"We believe we have not made a religious movie," he said. "It's just a great piece of cinema that is true to a great piece of literature."

Disney is reported to be planning to turn the Narnia films into a money-spinning franchise like the Harry Potter series - which could mean a new Narnia film being released at Christmas, complete with spin-off merchandising and toys, every year until 2012.

- NZPA