TREADing Lightly?

Perhaps you remember how excited I'd been to see the trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the next installment of The Chronicles of Narnia on film.  I still am excited.  But there had been quite a few things shown that I did not remember.  Understandable on two accounts:  1) My memory can sometimes go the way of Peter Pan's.  2) The movies are beset with fascinating and welcome changes to the story (without sacrificing it.)

What stood out in my mind (besides their apparent obsession with plaguing poor Edmund with visions/visits from Jadis, the White Witch) are the snow falling for Lucy in the room with the book of magic and the man turning around suddnely coming into visibility.  Oh - one other: the faun leaping in a battle as well as other animal-based characters (besides Reepicheep the mouse.)

In my recollection, Lucy didn't stand amid snow.  I did recall that characters were invisible... I just didn't bring to mind a scene in which a man turns around as shown.  And as far as I knew, no fauns show up in this book. 

So, I just finished re-reading it.  The answers?  Well, I can certainly see why they would make Lucy enchant some snow into the room.  The spells that Lewis does have her perfoming would be fiendishly difficult to bring to the screen.  (They involve seeing visions of scenarios that are best explained via text.)  And since the scene in the The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe of Lucy beholding the snowy Narnia in absolute delight is so good, it makes perfect sense for her to try and recapture that moment. And yes, the magician had also been invisible.  However, it seems they're making it a little more interesting by having him come into reappearance while "we" ( and presumably Lucy & someone else!) are watching.  I didn't think there were any battles in this book.  But it turns out there are in fact two places that one could insert a bit of such action, given their penchant for adding it.  And who is to say fauns and such are not welcome on the deck of the Dawn Treader?  Certainly King Caspian would allow it!

There are a few parts of the book that I also wonder greatly how to accomplish on screen.  And there are some marvelous parts I'd forgotten that I can't wait to see realized, assuming they are.

But you know what?  I so loved the first two movies of Narnia (tweaks and additions) that I trust them.
The last two times I thought they actually improved the book(s).
I still wish they could have had Jeremy Sumpter as Eustace Scrubb... but it's just as well, since he shot up rather tall before it went into production and thus became too big for Eustace.  Of course, I'd wanted Sumpter as Caspian, too, but other than not having blonde hair, Ben Barnes is wonderful.

Bring on the voyage!