LP Lotion: The Chronicles of Narnia at the El Capitan Theater
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For sunny Los Angeles it was an uncharacteristically cold day. The sky was cloudy and overcast and a brisk cool wind whipped up Hollywood Boulevard. While this may have been an unusual wintry day for L.A. it was a more than appropriate setting for the press premiere of the wintry-tinged The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

The host of this event was none other than the Disney owned El Capitan which is just across from the Kodak Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, a prestigious theatre venue, the El Cap has been magnificently restored to its original glory. Originally the Pacific, the El Capitan was built during the renaissance rococo period in the late 1920’s. The bold and beautiful lighted classic marquee, now converted to display video, featured a massive image of Asland the lion looking down on arriving guest, while on top of the snow-covered marquee giant statues from the movie stood watch over the premiere.

After checking in at reception and grabbing a press pack, we made our way inside the theater. Disney always goes to extremes here at the El Cap when they have a film they’re proud of and Narnia is definitely no exception. The lobby was adorned with props, costumes and statues used in the film.

Among the pieces, a full size statue of Mr. Tumnus and another character for the film. Possibly the most impressive piece on display though was the wardrobe, that is, the actual wardrobe the children walk into and discover the wonderful world of Narnia. This giant piece of furniture made of redwood faced the entrance and had but a single red rope to keep curious onlookers from escaping to fantasyland. In addition to the wardrobe, the front lobby is also home to the actual weapons used by the actors in the film. Here encased in glass were the tiny dagger that Lucy yields, the shield and bow and arrow her brothers and sisters were also given. Along with the weapons, there were also production sketches and maquettes (tiny statues used to produce 3D computer models) and the mask and pieces of costume worn by the actor that played the evil witch’s general.

For the average moviegoer, the El Capitan also provides V.I.P. admission for this feature, this includes reserve seating and complimentary popcorn (served in a plastic Chronicles of Narnia bucket) and soda – so being the astute press hounds we are, and to get the full experience, we grabbed a free set of snacks as we quickly headed into the theatre to locate a good seat.

The Narnia theme continued inside the theatre where both balconies were also adored with snow and full size statues from the film. The theatre seats 1,000 and even though the balcony was closed for this showing, we were still able to find a great seat, we were then introduced to the experience by a Disney spokesman.

The spokesperson explained prior to the feature we would see a few trailers for upcoming Disney films, this would then be followed by some atmospheric effects that would demonstrate how the show would be presented for audiences and then see The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in its entirety. As the theatre darkened we settled in for a fun and enjoyable afternoon at the movies.

The first preview shown was Eight Below starring Paul Walker, which opens February 17. Then The Shaggy Dog, starring Tim Allen opening March 10. That was followed by a new preview for Cars, opening June 9th and finally, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead man’s Curse, which opens July 7th. What was more than evident from these trailers and the current Narnia was one simple thing: Disney has some exceptional films coming out in the next months, in fact this batch of films (including Narnia) may be their best lineup in a long while. Pirates was absolutely jaw-dropping, Eight Below looks equally amazing, and what can you say about the guys at Pixar? Cars looks incredible.

As the previews wrapped the lights came slightly up on the theatre for the atmospheric presentation, the theatre curtain then opened on a screen wide image of a snowy vista and a lone lamppost, the Narnia experience was about to begin... again, Disney impressed with a light and sound show that can only be described as breathtaking, one both fans of Narnia and newcomers alike will not want to miss. Then it started to snow in the theatre as the exhibit was brought full circle just before the movie began.

This writer’s exposure to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was only the faint recollection of reading a illustrated book as a child, still I was carried off to the wintry land so far away and swept up into the adventure. Director Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Shrek 2) does an incredible job bringing this world to life, but it’s the unknown child actor’s that carry the film on their backs. For a full review, be sure to check out Laughing Place’s coverage here.

After being completely taken by the magic of the film, the audience was off to check out the remaining exhibits downstairs. These included more costumes, like the witch’s beautiful white gown and Susan’s blue dress, and a throne and stained glass window that occupies the children’s grand castle. In fact two massive displays ran the length of the room and were filled with weapons, more character models as well as sketches and production photos. And unlike many of the displays upstairs, some of these exhibits were not behind glass and even close enough to touch (although out of respect for the craftsmanship of these items we refrained from doing that).

After enjoying these amazing works we headed back upstairs to end our adventure in front of the famed wardrobe. It was there that we noticed that one of the statues that was in the lobby earlier had ‘disappeared,’ we were assured by a Disney spokesperson it wasn’t stolen – but you’ll have to see the movie to figure out what happened to it.

We then decided to make a quick stop at the Fountain shop next door, formally a Disney store, Disney’s Soda Fountain and Studio Store now is an old-style soda fountain now dressed out with Narnia merchandise. This was our first chance to see some of the amazing toys and other licensed goods that carry the Narnia brand, and they were just as impressive as the movie. From a $200 replica of the witch’s wand to action figures and playsets, the Hasbro made toys not only capture the essence of the movie but are so detailed anyone could recreate the movie or even make up their own adventure. The store also featured books and other Disney merchandise, like Mickey-themed Christmas ornaments. Finally, to celebrate the day we decided to end it with ice cream – and that meant a sundae creation available here only for a limited time. Called the ‘Narnia Winter Wonderland,’ this two scoop rocky road sundae is covered in a thick layer of marshmallow fluff and topped off with chocolate snow caps and whip cream. The ice cream cast quite a spell.

Back out onto the street now we saw more moviegoers headed into the theatre for the next show, what really caught our attention though was the snow (that’s right, snow) that drifted down from the El Capitan marquee. It was this final piece that showed off that the Disney touch, making an otherwise stark boulevard a little more special and certainly, more magical.

Note: Due to the popularity of this feature and exhibit Disney has extended the run of the film at the El Capitan until January 26th. Tickets can be purchased at the El Capitan box office or online at www.elcapitantickets.com Daily showtimes are 10:00am, 1:20pm, 4:40pm, 8:00pm and 11:20pm. Group rates are available by calling 1-800-845-3110.

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