The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Recommended. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Four brothers and sisters walk through a wardrobe into Narnia, a land stuck in winter by a wicked witch. One brother betrays the others, and the great lion Aslan gives his life to save him. Then Aslan comes back to life, like Jesus at Easter. The battle and the scene where Aslan dies are scary and sad. It is best for kids about nine and up with a parent. This is the Gospel in fairy-tale dress, and the film keeps the center intact: an innocent king dies in a traitor's place and rises. Greydanus is right that Aslan is made smaller than Lewis wrote him, so read the book too. The magic is story-world magic in the Tolkien mode, with sorcery belonging to the villain alone.
For parents
The bishops' office said A-II for the battle and the menace to children. Greydanus says kids and up, Common Sense Media says nine. Younger children may find the Stone Table scene too much. The magic here is the fairy-tale kind: nobody learns spells, and the only sorcery is the Witch's. Ask: why did Aslan take Edmund's place? Who does that remind you of (CCC 615)? How do Peter and the others treat Edmund after he is forgiven? In the book the Witch cannot bear even to hear Aslan's name. Why does that matter?