By Lara
As I've mentioned, I'm a huge fan of stories. I love literature. There are scores of books that I can read and reread without ever getting bored. However, no author has been able to capture my imagination quite like C.S. Lewis. The Chronicles of Narnia are amazing works of fiction, and I read them constantly. The only complaint that I would make to Mr. Lewis about his collection of stories is that he didn't write more of them. I want to live in Narnia. Seriously. I dream about it.
When I heard that Disney was making "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" into a movie, I was depressed. I was determined not to see it. I was positive that they would butcher the story. However, my curiosity got the better of me as it usually does. I saw the movie. Obviously, I had some complaints, but they were minor. I enjoyed the movie as a whole, and even purchased it on DVD.
When I heard that Disney was making "Prince Caspian" into a movie, I decided to give it a chance. FAIL! I was devastated. I could count on one hand the things I actually liked about the movie. I will give them credit when it comes to Reepicheep. He was cute and clever. That is approximately all that I will praise them for. They cut out my favorite parts and took too many liberties. I may still be mad about it. I'm sure it was a wonderful movie for people who had never read or fallen in love with the book...
My obsession with Narnia goes back to early childhood. Therefore, when Beth mentioned that the Franklin Institute was having a Narnia exhibit, I was in. I was excited. I tried not to read anything about it. I wanted to be surprised. I wanted to be enchanted.
Beth and I went to the Franklin Institute with her mom and kids. The website had said that cameras were not permitted in the Narnia exhibit, so we took pictures with the promotional posters in the elevator and in the lobby.
Once inside, an usher escorted us into a room that looked very much like the room containing the wardrobe. The attention to detail was wonderful. It was even raining outside. Wonderful. Music started. Lights flickered. The doors to the wardrobe opened onto a forest scene where it was snowing. That was really the best part.
The actual exhibit featured the props and costumes from the movies. It was interesting, but not enchanting. I was mostly consumed with regret that so many people spent so much time adding detail and authenticity to props and costumes that were used in a movie that didn't even come close to following the book...
Then we were emptied into a gift shop. I was looking for a map of Narnia. No such luck. I did, however, purchase a post card. It's for the scrapbook. That's what I do. I purchase post cards for my scrapbooks. Yeah.
We did have fun, though. I'm glad that we went. The Franklin Institute is always a good time. A trip to the planetarium was in order. It didn't have anything to do with Narnia or the Year of the Birthday list, but it was cool. I'm all for that.