The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Video Game

As I was skimming video game release dates over at IGN this morning, I came across a title which I either previously missed or simply never registered when it was announced a year ago. The game is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and it's expected to come out this holiday season, in conjunction with the Walt Disney Pictures and Walden media film of the same name. Like the Harry Potter games, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be based on the movie, rather than the book, and since details of the movie are still pretty scarce, it's hard to determine what that really means.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be published by Buena Vista Games and will be made available for the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube, GBA, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP and PC. Only two screenshots are available at this time, but we're expecting a flurry of them to be released at E3, along with many game details. For some spectacular Narnia fun, head over to Disney's fairly awesome Narnia site.

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Disney Press Release

BURBANK, Calif. — (March 8, 2005) — Disney Interactive, a publishing label of Buena Vista Games, Inc., today announced new details about its upcoming action/adventure title, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, for the PlayStation2 computer entertainment system, PSP handheld entertainment system, Xbox video game system from Microsoft, Nintendo GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS and PC. Inspired by the upcoming highly anticipated motion picture from Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, the games will launch this Holiday season, in conjunction with film's release.

Prominent UK software developer Traveller's Tales is currently creating the console and PSP titles, while Griptonite Games, the handheld entertainment division of Seattle-based Amaze Entertainment, is developing the titles for Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. These two distinguished game development studios will bring Narnia to life for video gamers. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE, a spectacular live action/CGI motion picture adaptation of C.S. Lewis' beloved literary classic is currently in post-production.

"We have enlisted some of the top creative talent in the games industry to work on The Chronicles of Narnia video games," said Graham Hopper, senior vice president and general manager of Buena Vista Games. "Building on the fantastical worlds and amazing creatures portrayed in the film, the teams are developing an action/adventure epic video game where players will be captivated by remarkable characters, heart pumping combat and rich environments that could only exist in the land of Narnia."

In the game, players enter the world of Narnia, a land frozen in a 100 year winter by the evil powers of the malevolent White Witch. In order to end this frigid captivity and free his people, the mighty lion Aslan invokes an ancient prophecy. It will become the destiny of four siblings from our world: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie to work together and use their unique combat skills, weaponry and abilities to defeat the Witch and her armies to save Narnia. These four heroes must battle the evil forces of the White Witch by waging war against a vast variety of creatures, including, Minotaurs, Minoboars, Cyclops, Werewolves, Wraiths, Ankleslicers, Wolves, Boggles and more.

These ferocious creatures are modeled in the game after the characters being created for the motion picture, by the digital and visual effects geniuses at New Zealand-based Weta Workshop, whose credits include "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," "Van Helsing," and "I, Robot." Additional game features include intricate puzzle solving, two-player action featuring all four characters, and seamless game play integration with real film footage.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE is a spectacular live action/CGI motion picture adaptation of C.S. Lewis' beloved literary classic. The film marks the first live action directorial effort for Andrew Adamson (Academy Award-winner for "Shrek," "Shrek 2"), who also co-wrote the film's screenplay adaptation with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The film is produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Mark Johnson ("Rain Man"). The film will be released December 9, 2005.

About Disney Interactive

Disney Interactive is an award-winning publishing label of Buena Vista Games, Inc., the interactive entertainment arm of The Walt Disney Company. The label publishes, markets and distributes interactive entertainment based on Disney branded properties. The company also licenses properties and works directly with third-party interactive game publishers to bring products for all ages to market.

By Disney Interactive