They aimed for greatness, and might have found it

Story: During the bombing of London in World War Two, four children are sent out to the countryside, by their mother, to live with the Professor, on his vast estate. Bored, and having been told, by the strict housekeeper, to not bother the Professor, the quartet play games, to occupy themselves. During a game of hide-and-seek, the youngest of the siblings, Lucy, hides in an old wooden wardrobe -- and steps into Narnia, a wondrous world populated by fauns, giants, minotaurs, centaurs, satyrs, a witch, a talking lion, and many, many other creatures out of myth and legend. Narnia is also on the brink of war, with the evil White Witch seeking dominion over Aslan, the talking lion, who rules righteously. And, the arrival of Lucy, along with siblings, Peter, Susan, and Edmund, fulfills a prophecy that foretells that two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve will arrive and decide the fate of Narnia.

The lead actors: I thought that the makers of the Harry Potter films had done a good job of finding talented young actors and actresses, but this film might just surpass the Harry Potter series, in the performances of the four leads. Georgie Hensley is excellent as the bright, curious, adventurous, emotional Lucy, who starts as a scared little girl, and ends as the heart of the quartet. William Moseley is Peter, the oldest, who starts off as the somewhat-bullying, overly-serious Head of the Family, and ends up becoming as much of a lion as is Aslan. Anna Popplewell is Susan, the intelligent, mature, somewhat bossy oldest girl, who evolves into the thinker, the guide, the clever counselor of the bunch. Skandar Keynes, though, shines the most for me. As Edmund, he starts off as the annoying, mischievous, daring, frightened, gullible, trouble-maker, and ends up catching up to, and sometimes even surpassing, his over-achieving siblings. And, while these young actors are putting on these great performances, they are also totally credible as just kids. The on sad note might be that, as Skandar Keynes grew so much during the filming of this first film, that they had to adjust camera angles to hide it, he might physically outgrow the role.

The supporting actors: Liam Neeson as the voice of Aslan? No better choice. Period. Tilda Swinton as the White Witch: this is one, mean, cruel, coldblooded, treacherous, iron-fisted would-be queen. She is the essence of nightmares. James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus: the Loyal Friend, Incarnate. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, voiced by Ray Winstone and Dawn French, are welcome in my neighborhood any day. Rupert Everett as the sly, good-at-heart fox, who outfoxes himself for the sake of the children, hits just the right "I'm on your side, but can you trust me?" tone. Sim Evan-Jones is perfectly menacing as the wolf.

Special effects: Wow! The Beavers are not only engaging, but they rival Gollum of "Lord of the Rings" and Dobby of "Harry Potter" as marvels of computer-generated imagery.

The scenery: It's shot mainly in New Zealand. Enough said.

The music: Beautifully enhances the story, without ever overwhelming it.

The (plethora of) bonus features: the making of the movie, the creating of the creatures, a tour of Narnia, the director's journal, the bloopers, the story of C.S. Lewis, and, best of all, the spirited study of the children as they worked, for months, on this film, and came to work as a true team. I could not help but smile, to see them, between scenes, doing their little song-and-dance routine.

Prepare to gasp: I have never read the C.S. Lewis Narnia novels. When I first heard of them, I interpreted "wardrobe" in the more contemporary sense, of a collection of women's clothing, and mis-assumed that the books were aimed more at girls. There is plenty here for boys (of all ages above eight, I'd say) to enjoy.

Caution: I expected a film on a par with "The Wizard of Oz" as far as the target audience's age-range goes, but it is not that. "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" is almost as violent, at times, as "Lord of the Rings." For some children, the White Witch's cruelty, the abuse of the fox by the wolves, and the battle scenes, might cause nightmares.

(this dolphin also swims up the Amazon)