This blog post examines how the religious symbolism and narrative in ‘The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ influenced its American box office performance, and how cultural differences affected the work’s reception.
The moment we encounter the word ‘fantasy,’ we already cross the boundaries of everyday life. The word itself carries an almost dizzyingly fantastical aura. It evokes the illusion that the astonishing and mysterious world hidden behind those letters unfolds before our eyes. Fantasy is by no means the exclusive domain of children. Rather, it is a genre that can deeply resonate with adults as well.
In 2005, director Andrew Adamson brought the film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to the world, based on C. S. Lewis’s novel of the same name. While it didn’t achieve the expected success in Korea, the original novel is regarded as an influential fantasy work in the US, often mentioned alongside The Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter series. During World War II, four siblings flee to a country cottage to escape the war. There, they pass through a wardrobe into a magical world—Narnia, the story’s main setting—and ultimately defeat the forces of evil, following a classic fantasy narrative.
In fact, this film was also chosen for critical analysis. While “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” did not achieve significant success in Korea, it enjoyed considerable box office success in the United States. So why was it particularly popular only in America? Some attribute its success to being suitable for the whole family to watch together without any age restrictions. However, a more significant reason lies in its religious undertones. The Chronicles of Narnia borrows various mythological motifs from the West, yet at its core lies a Christian worldview.
To liberate the magical land of Narnia, ruled by the White Witch, the true king of that land, the lion Aslan, returns. Among the four siblings, Edmund succumbs to the temptation of Turkish delight offered by the White Witch and commits treason. Because of this, he finds himself in mortal danger. Aslan sacrifices his own life in his place. Yet he rises again after death to condemn the Witch and the forces of evil. This narrative strongly evokes the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. Within the religious cultural soil of American society, this symbolism was readily embraced, undoubtedly contributing significantly to the work’s commercial success.
So why do people crave fantasy? Fantasy is grounded in the real world. It’s a world resembling our own yet never identical, and the strangeness born from these subtle differences sparks a longing in the audience. The experience of discovering a new world within the familiar—that is the very charm of fantasy.
However, despite its success in the United States, The Chronicles of Narnia failed to generate significant resonance in Korea beyond initial attention. In terms of subject matter alone, it is a classic fantasy. The premise of a wardrobe—the kind found in any home—serving as a gateway to a fantasy world is both familiar and captivating. Yet, the wardrobe itself is hardly a completely novel device. Similar portals have already been realized in numerous fantasy works. While it might feel novel at first, ultimately it fails to acquire meaning beyond being a gateway.
Furthermore, the protagonists being teenagers or children is also a significant factor. The issue isn’t their age itself, but rather that their behavior is difficult to accept within Korean sensibilities. Except for the youngest, Lucy, the other characters are not particularly enthusiastic about their mission to protect Narnia; instead, they display an overly realistic attitude. It’s as if they were adults who had already lived through life. Then, without any particular catalyst, they suddenly resolve to defend Narnia and fight the forces of evil. In other words, the plausibility lacks sufficient persuasive power.
While the setting and subject matter clearly belong to fantasy, the excessive focus on grandiose world-building weakens the narrative persuasiveness of the characters. Furthermore, despite being fantasy, the patriarchal structure is blatantly evident. While Peter and Edmund throw themselves into battle and sacrifice themselves, the emphasis is on Susan and Lucy weeping before the dead Aslan before exhaustion overcomes them and they fall asleep. The impression that gender roles remain fixed even in a fantasy world feels tedious. Had Susan and Lucy also actively participated in the war, the lacking plausibility might have been accepted as conventionally natural. I’ll stop the criticism here.
Nevertheless, The Chronicles of Narnia holds significant importance. This work is nearly a textbook for fantasy. While it cannot be called a perfect work, it deserves high praise for faithfully embodying the core elements of fantasy.
First, fantasy must feature a gateway leading to another world. This device connecting reality and fantasy is a fundamental element of the genre. The wardrobe is a prime example.
Second, time functions uniquely in fantasy. The four siblings live in Narnia until adulthood, yet the moment they pass through the wardrobe back to reality, they revert to their original childlike forms. Time in fantasy is not linear. Irregular flows of time are, in fact, accepted as natural.
Third, the setting of talking animals is also not unfamiliar in fantasy. However, simply having animals walk and talk does not in itself complete the fantasy. What matters is whether the animals are portrayed as beings with individuality, or if they remain mere tools for conveying human-centric messages. In Narnia, Aslan functions as a mythical being beyond a simple symbol. This conveys the message that animals and humans are closely connected within a single community.
Of course, shortcomings are evident. The White Witch is portrayed as possessing absolute power, turning Narnia into a perpetual winter and freezing unnecessary beings into ice statues. Yet her demise feels somewhat anticlimactic. The scene where she is torn apart by Aslan concludes without sufficient dramatic tension having been built up. Furthermore, Susan plays a limited role in the narrative progression, and Lucy also fails to showcase an expanded story beyond her role as a guide. Centaurs and various monsters appear, but the story unfolds too quickly without building sufficient character depth, leaving the audience confused. The war ends in an instant, and the suspense is abruptly resolved before it can fully develop.
Given these limitations, why hasn’t the fantasy genre flourished freely in Korea? Fantasy appears easy to consume but is never simple to execute. While numerous Korean fantasy films have been produced, few have achieved significant success in the global market. Cultural stereotypes also play a role. The perception that settings like magic are the exclusive domain of the West can stifle creators’ imagination. Yet, Eastern cultures have long possessed shamanism and mythology. While the modes of expression differ, the roots of imagination are by no means impoverished.
Of course, production cost issues cannot be ignored. The Chronicles of Narnia was also a work with a massive budget. However, the scale of capital does not guarantee the genre’s completeness. Rather, we should learn from such works and develop strategies to create dense narratives even with limited budgets.
Fantasy is an old genre, but it never remains stuck in the past. It is, in fact, a realm with future-oriented potential. Perhaps someday, a new work surpassing these textbooks will emerge in Korea too. The world of fantasy is already here. How we tell its stories will ultimately determine the genre’s destiny.
