Narnia Super Trailer at the Biola Media Conference

Micheal Flaherty, President of Walden Media

This weekend Micheal Flaherty was a featured speaker at the Biola Media Conference in Los Angelas, CA and he had the opportunity to present the super-trailer to the audience. From the descriptions that we’ve seen, it seems that this was the same trailer that I and others were shown in February. It’s likely that the many of the rough CGI patches have been cleaned up, but it’s probably not a trailer that will be publicly released until very close to the film’s release. (It may not be released at all and might just be shown on the DVD release.)

Kristi from The Lion’s Call has a full run-down of the footage, but be careful of spoilers as there are quite a few. She relates a funny story about Micheal Flaherty:

He [Micheal] and Biola host Phil Cooke apparently intended to prank us excited audience members who had been waiting all day for a sight of the first trailer. Last night, we were told, Flaherty’s son and daughter appeared in a play of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe at their school, and Flaherty meant to catch them on video and show that as the trailer instead, to give us a shock. Unfortunately, his camera’s battery died and he was forced to relate his brilliant plan instead of actually executing it.

(For the curious, his son played Aslan’s Army #6 and had one line: “Shh! She’s coming.” and his daughter played a unicornโˆง forgot her horn when she went onstage.)

Flaherty also related his experience upon first meeting Douglas Gresham, C.S. Lewis’ stepson, to discuss film rights for The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. When Doug asked him which illustration in the book was his favorite, Flaherty said it was the one of Aslan and the White Witch debating over the fate of Edmund. Doug asserted immediately that this was the worst picture in the series, and that the only person who hated it more than himself, was Jack (It is, from any perspective, a unique illustration. I believe it is the only one that depicts Aslan walking upright.). Flaherty jokingly stated that he (Flaherty) was removed from the proceedings thereafter.

Also of interest, NarniaFans points out a few tweets regarding the event including this one:

Another attendee, Wendy, tells us:

The Conference host made it quite clear that Fox had a presence there with infrared devices capable of catching anyone attempting to record the footage shown (either in still photographs, or video recording).ย  The footage had a “Biola Media Conference” stamp at the bottom of the screen.

And she finishes by writing:

Our overall first impression was extremely positive…if the little we saw is any indication, I think this will be the best movie of the three so far.ย  Dearheart and I both drove the two hours back home with silly geeky grins on our faces!

Thanks to everyone who sent in reports!

UPDATE: Here is another rundown of the footage shown. This was sent in by ‘subjectofthehighking’. Lots and lots of spoilers from this point on. You have been warned!

*The “trailer” starts with a sweeping view of a church with lion gargoyles, 20th century people exiting the doors below. Aslan’s voice speaks in the background about times changing.
*Edmund and Lucy in Eustace’s bedroom. Edmund asks Lucy if she has seen the ship in the picture before. Lucy smiles and says it’s very Narnian.
*Eustace, Edmund, and Lucy in Eustace’s bedroom, with water pouring out of the picture frame and filling the bedroom. They swim in the water and emerge at the surface with the Dawn Treader.
*Edmund and Lucy in Narnian clothes in Caspian’s cabin. Edmund wonders why they have been called to Narnia if there is no war or trouble.
*Lucy walks down the hall to the magician’s book. She opens it as Aslan’s voice speaks in the background. Snow falls as she gazes around in wonder. Another clip of the book includes Lucy looking on the page of the spell of beauty beyond the lot of mortals, and her image in the books morphs into an image of Susan.
*Coriaken unrolls a huge map, his voiceover telling them of the perils ahead. Apparently, the writers have combined some of the episodes in the book to create a goal to defeat the “darkness” that threatens Narnia. It seems that they have to land on the dark island and follow a “blue star” to Ramandu’s island.
*Footage of Gael and Lucy. Gael says to Lucy in a ship’s cabin, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you.” Lucy replies by putting her arm around Gael and saying, “When you grow up, I want you to be just like you.” Another scene includes Lucy comforting Gael as she misses her mother by telling her to trust in Aslan.
*Eustace sitting among some barrels, writing in his notebook. He asks an albatross on a barrel if he talks too, and a nearby minotaur laughs at him talking to animals.
*A dragon shadow swooping across a mountainside.
*Coriaken becoming visible again: a table of books begin to blur as his image moves, not blending in with his surroundings anymore.
*Reepicheep climbing a mast.
*Ramandu’s daughter emerging out of light. She welcomes the group to Aslan’s table.
*Lucy looking on a door that opens out of nowhere, with light beyond, presumably the door in the sky.
*Edmund, Eustance and Lucy on a beach with Aslan, presumably at the end of the world. Lucy asks if they will return. As more clips play, Aslan’s voiceover speaks the line of them knowing him by another name in their world.
*Coriaken with the crew of the DT. He throws some white stuff in Eustace’s direction and says something, maybe a spell. Lucy asks Coriaken what the white stuff was, and he replies, “Lint, but don’t tell him that.”
*The footage ends as other trailers have, the Narnia logo sweeping away, this time made of finished stone.

Thank you subjectofthehighking!!

160 Responses

  1. glumPuddle says:

    Yeah, I know just what illustration he's talking about. Worst illustration, for sure.

  2. Shy Galadriel says:

    OH MY! And I was so close then! Rats! I'm so excited!

  3. 7chronicles says:

    I'm really encouraged by the Lion's Call report! I feel the that the spirit of VDT is being included in the movie! I Can't wait for the trailer!

  4. Haggith Tarkheena says:

    AWSOME! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE SUPER TRAILER! ๐Ÿ˜€

    COOL! Fourth commit!

  5. narnian resident says:

    wow! the description is fantastic! omg i am so very, very excited now! i am officially lost to utter impatience! ๐Ÿ˜€

  6. Lucy says:

    Mixed feelings, it's strange. On the one hand, it sounds great, on the other some things in the discription of the trailer seem a little..I dunno…off? out of place? I bet it all makes perfect sense in context, but I guess I won't know for sure til I see it for myself. Sigh. They've got to release the trailer soon, the suspense is KILLING me! As for the picture about aslan walking upright, want to know something funny? That's probably MY least favorite picture too! cool, I never thought Doug G. of all people would feel the same way.

  7. Aslan's Meadow says:

    I read the title of this news bit and thought it said that the Super Trailer was out….yeah i kinda freaked out for a couple of seconds ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Zoe says:

    If you go here (http://www.narniafans.com/archives/8459) and look in the comments, you'll see that Anna actually is in VDT.

  9. narnian1 says:

    Agreed. Not a favorite illustration of mine either.

  10. Aslan's Meadow says:

    It has always made me feel weird, it didn't fit THE Aslan I know and love.

  11. Caspian says:

    So…this means we'll see a trailer somewhat soon??? I hope so, 'cause if not, I'll go even crazier than I already am. And that would be a scary thing indeed.

    The whole thing about Ramandu's Daughter glowing sounds strange…as long as they don't give her a name (esp. not a cheesy one!) I think I can live with it. Thankyouthankyouthankyou Kristi from the Lion's Call!!!! You are like…like…like good news as water in a dry land. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  12. Agreed as well. It throws the reader off to see Aslan walking like a circus animal.

  13. Thanks, Kristi!
    I didn't read it all (actually, I skipped most of the report), but I am glad to hear that Aslan did say the line about his other Name and how we must know him by that name. That is one of the best moments in the entire series, and I'm so glad it's been preserved at least this far. They can't cut it from the final film!
    Wow. I'm really excited right now!

  14. CEP Paul T says:

    Thanks for the report, Kristi. Your opinion certainly counts too, Dearheart! It is looking very positive. ๐Ÿ˜€

  15. GlimGlum says:

    I like what Kristi related over at The Lion's Call. i think the first theatrical trailer will be out either this month or next.

    VDT is coming together and it is looking good overall. Twill be nice when we common fans get to see some footage too. ๐Ÿ˜€ Sail on VDT!

  16. WilliamMoseleyandSkandarcrush! says:

    I'm excited for the trailer too!!! Dude, this is nerve-wrecking!!! I know this is already big spoilers, but I'm not content yet. Once I see the trailer, I'll be alright. Yikes! I feel really picky! I really hope to hear more on Edmund and Lucy! And I'm SO glad that they're staying true to the book so far!!!

  17. Silver the Wanderer says:

    Ahhhh! So when can we see the trailer? Soon? Very soon? Tomorrow? Next month? Ahhhhh yeah, I know nobody can answer my questions, but I just can't help it!!! Sorry for spazzing, everyone. ๐Ÿ˜›

    'Cept I reeeaallly want to know what's up with the "lost souls" or whatever. Maybe they're going to make more people trapped on Dark Island somehow?

  18. It's always disturbed me! This is the first time I've heard that Jack himself disliked it… although I've always wondered what he thought about it since it seemed to depict Aslan differently than most of the books do.

  19. Violamom says:

    I just wanted to mention that the costumes and sets all looked GORGEOUS, and Georgie and Skandar look just grown up enough to show their maturity without seeming too old. (All you Skandar fans will be having palpitations!) ๐Ÿ˜€ Thanks, Tirian, for posting the link. Dearheart and I are still basking in the glow! ๐Ÿ˜‰ <><

  20. Ann says:

    NarniaFans said that Anna will be making a cameo on VDT. Is it possible that William will be too?

  21. narnianerd says:

    That actually is not a bad idea, that would be pretty cool, though it would likely complicate things a bunch

  22. narnianerd says:

    Meaning Silvers idea

  23. Puddleglum says:

    Poor Eustace, Now reduced to talking to birds.
    After all this the boy will never be the same. Literally.

  24. RuralNarniaFan says:

    I don't live that far from Biola – it's where my parents first met. I wish I could have attended, but the price tag was way too high ($130 per person I believe). D:

    The description of the trailer looks good! I'm convinced now that Gail (Gael?) will be a positive addition. ๐Ÿ˜€

  25. GlimGlum says:

    Thanks for sharing that and about the sets and costimes, Violamom. ๐Ÿ™‚

  26. Claire-ayes says:

    Whoop! I'm so very thrilled that all the reports seem really positive. Unicorn without a horn, bless.

  27. Starlily says:

    ๐Ÿ˜ฎ I WANT TO SEE THE COSTUMES!! ๐Ÿ˜ฎ

    Sorry, couldn't help it.

  28. Starlily says:

    Wow, I actually got a positive impression when I read about the trailer! The part with the Dawn Treader painting sounds great, and the overall themes of the movie sound pretty good. Of course there are some things I think are a little weird (following a Blue Star to Ramandu's island? Lucy creating snow in Coriakin's house?), and I'm hoping that Gael doesn't have a huge part in the movie. But so far I don't see anything to lose sleep over yet.
    Also for some reason I'm glad that a minotaur is going to have some dialog. (I know Otmin in LWW and the nameless one in PC said some lines, but just brief ones) For some reason I really like minotaurs, though a lot of you might not agree with me.

    Sorry I rambled a bit but I had to get my first impressions down!

  29. narniafan4ever โ™ฅ says:

    Yay!!!! I am realllly excited now! lol… ๐Ÿ˜ฎ ๐Ÿ˜€

  30. checkers says:

    Anyone have any words of comfort? Because I know as soon as my dad sees the words "Book of Incantations" he's more than likely not going to let me watch it. I'm thinking that the way C.S. Lewis used the spells in the book was a sort of "Deep Magic" thing, more like a divine power instead of a form of wizardry. It just depends on how they use it in the movie, I guess….
    Other than that, I think it sounds awesome! ๐Ÿ˜€ I love the part about the birds, and the painting bit sounds just like the book, which I like. ๐Ÿ™‚ Don't fix what isn't broken, ya know?

  31. pselpevensie says:

    can't wait for trailers!
    i agree with doug. that isn't one of my fav pics in the series. Aslan shouldn't be walking upright.

  32. newnarnia says:

    Actually the Biola Media Conference is held at CBS Studios annually, in the sound stages, and the cost was $180 at the door. Was it worth it? Absolutely! In addition to the premiere of the Narnia trailer we heard from top film/TV industry people, learned valuable insights on filmmaking, and had plenty of networking opportunities. I especially liked what X-Men producer Ralph Winter had to say, and Frmr Disney Chairman Dick Cook had amazing details to share about signing Johnny Depp on for Pirates of the Carribean.

  33. Alex says:

    The trailer they showed at biola was the same one that they showed at NRB (National Religious Broadcasting convention) only they cleaned it up a bit. The one that they showed at NRB had some rough sound edits and still needed some work on the effects. I am looking forward to seeing this because it looks great.

  34. Jill Girl says:

    well Checkers if you were allowed to see the first two movies you will most likely be allowed to see this one!the Book of Incantations only plays a very small role in book so i doubt they will play it up to much in the movie.nothing that a father wouldn't want to see himself perhaps. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  35. Jill Girl says:

    I absolutely can't wait for the movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I thought I was excited when the Prince Caspian trailer came out…oh my gosh i'm ten times more excited this time!thats really really really excited btw!;) ๐Ÿ™‚ I wanna see it now!lol.I am very impatient. ๐Ÿ˜›

  36. Kristi says:

    It's fun to see all the comments over here. Yeah, the trailer looked really promising. I've never known what to make of that illustration either, but the reaction to it sounds 100% like Doug.

    All the mockery Eustace was subjected to, just in the trailer…I woulda started a journal too. ๐Ÿ˜›

    As an aside (and because someone mentioned it above), when Dick Cook sat down with Depp and they started loosely discussing Pirates (Dick hadn't invited Depp there, by the way. Depp asked to meet HIM, saying he wanted a film part in something his kids could watch, and then Dick vaguely mentioned that a pirate film might be on the horizon.). Depp's reaction was "A pirate film? Real sword? I'll do it!" Pretty funny stuff.

    Back to Narnia, Susan's cameo is probably when Lucy's face shifts into hers in the book, though I suppose there might be something about her leaving for America.

  37. Brian in Calgary says:

    I don't care about spoilers, I just want to see the trailer.

  38. On-Fire4God says:

    Same here.

  39. fr, george a. restrepo, sj says:

    Father George says: If I am not mistaken, the Dawntreader is sailing to the edge of the world to meet the Father of Aslan. I read this book many years ago.

  40. Starlily says:

    Yeah, I don't really like the whole spells and magic thing either, so I kind of just tune it out a bit. I just hope it doesn't play too big a part in the movie.

    Checkers, tell your dad about the faith-based themes of the movie. After all, even if C. S. Lewis put some odd things in the books, he still meant for them to point to Jesus.

  41. Starlily says:

    The second report says that Eustace writes in his notebook! All right! ๐Ÿ˜€

  42. QueenLucy12 says:

    I LOVED The way that the trailer sounds like!!!!
    OMGSH! We Could Be Soooooooo Close to see it! As Queen of Heaven I DEMAND TO See tHE TRAILER!….. NOW (please! ๐Ÿ™ )

  43. Lucy the Valiant says:

    I don't like that picture of Aslan either. It does make one wonder though…some of the things Aslan does (especially in LWW) could not be done by an animal who walks on all four paws.

  44. Kristi says:

    It's neat to see all the comments on here. The trailer looked really good. I expect the cameo being referenced is when Lucy's face morphs into Susan's, but there might be something else.

    That illustration of Aslan always makes me take pause. I don't specifically dislike it, but it makes me think of the way other things are portrayed. For example, even though we are told that one of the leopards in LWW bears Aslan's crown, we are rarely shown that in illustrations or on film. And we definately never see him wear it. It's a more anthropomorphic Aslan which never seems to come off well.

    Someone referenced earlier that Dick Cook talked about meeting Johnny Depp. Depp's response to learning Disney was considering a pirate film was "A pirate movie? Real sword? I'll do it!" Very cute.

    Still wondering how Lucy gets out of the way of that ship in time…looked pretty close from the footage, so should be exciting.

  45. Beren says:

    This "unfathomable fate" business seems to be of more concern than I first thought. In specific, "defeat the โ€œdarknessโ€ that threatens Narnia", "a great deal of importance given to overcoming the darkness without by overcoming "the darkness within."", and "Think of the lost souls we are here to save." These quotes give me a sick feeling in my stomach and a bitter taste in my mouth.

    But the rest of the trailer sounds great!! haha…

  46. Mal says:

    Alright! SAIL ON, VDT!

  47. Lucy says:

    then you should read it again. That's not what it's about.

  48. Lucy says:

    oh, good, you could feel it too when they mentioned that darkness thing? I thought it was my lunch backing up on me!

  49. AncientEgyptFan says:

    This sounds really cool!

    The "finished stone" for the Dawn Treader Logo is cool too!

  50. Alambil and Tarvis says:

    OMG FOOTAGE OF LAURA BRENT AS RAMANDU'S DAUGHTER YES!!!!!!!!

    And the part about Aslan telling them he goes by another name in their world–THANK HEAVEN THEY LEFT IT IN!!! YAY!!!

    *is extremely pleased*

    And I'm actually not too worried about the whole "darkness" thing. I know they said that the movie is a lot about overcoming temptation and the passage by the Dark Island is definitely a prime example of that. Also, I just realized the fact that they do come to Ramandu's Island AFTER passing by the Dark Island (IN THE BOOK, mind you) is actually pretty signifcant. They have to pass through this immense darkness to get to the "light"…and let go of their fears and desires to see the beauty that lies at the end of the world. If they cannot get past the darkness, then the will never be able to see this light. Which could work well with that Suspian nonsense…Caspian has to let it go to see what's really ahead of him? I'm just thinking out loud here. But again, it makes a lot of sense that they would focus on that. I really had never thought of it before, but maybe there was a SPECIFIC reason LEWIS HIMSELF made the Dark Island come before Ramandu's. It's interesting to think about…

  51. Kristi says:

    Be nice to see the albatross, or some semblance of the voice of Aslan leading them through the island. Hmm, in the book, Eustace was undragoned before they met Coriakin, so why is Coriakin blowing lint at him? Poor Eustace…he seems to be made to suffer.

  52. Reepicheep775 says:

    Haha. You guys sound like the Dufflepuds. "Yo've never said a truer word, Chief. Keep it up, keep it up."

    Personally I have mixed feelings about that picture. It is a little weird, but it makes you unsure of what exactly Aslan can or cannot do.

  53. Musgrave says:

    Hmmm, there was nothing about the slave trade or gold water island. I hope they have those parts in the movie. This is a wild prediction, but I think that Edmund and Caspian will have 2 sword fights against each other in the movie. One on the Dawn Treader for fun, like we saw on the YouTube video a while back,and another serious fight on gold water island for the "rights" of the island. I guess we will see on December 10th.

  54. Mirima Rosetrader says:

    WOW!!! That trailer sounds SOOOO cool!!! I hope they release a trailer for the public to see soon!!! I am dying to see one! I love the fact that Aslan will say "You will know me by another name in your world." That is just awesome. I love that line. I'm so psyched for a trailer to come out! When it does I'll probably watch it over 50 times before the movie comes out :D. Oh yeah I didn't like that illustration either. It looked awkward :/ SOOOO excited about the trailer! This is gonna be the best Narnia film yet! I can feel it in my bones!!! Long live Aslan and sail on VDT!!!! ๐Ÿ˜€

  55. Lady Galadriel says:

    He might be. We know he had a film stand-in at one point, so it seems like it's leaning towards him having an appearance (perhaps in England). But we don't know for sure that William will appear.

  56. adamie says:

    Great, I spent the entire evening making three videos for my video blog, I head back here, and there's an update!

  57. Puddleglum says:

    It would also be good not to try saying things like, "It's not that bad".
    Better to assure your father, who you must remember is only looking out for you, that you have no interest in such nonsense.
    I trust you do not?

  58. Puddleglum says:

    Sadly, I get the same feeling.
    It is a fact that moviemaking is a business, and to make money, the business will try to attract as many people as possible.
    Including non-Christians.

  59. Embrace says:

    This movie is gonna rock the boat!

  1. May 2, 2010

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by NarniaWeb.com, NarniaWeb.com and PrisciLa, PrisciLa. PrisciLa said: RT @narniaweb: News on the #Narnia super-trailer at the Biola Media Conference http://bit.ly/aMOnEi #bmc10 […]