The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (film)

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 epic fantasy film based on The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published novel in The Chronicles of Narnia series. This movie marks the first Narnia film not to be distributed by Disney (both The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian were under the Disney banner). Instead, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was distributed by 20th Century Fox. On March 23, 2010, Fox announced that the film will be released in Digital 3D in select theaters.

The film was released in theaters in the United States and United Kingdom on December 10, 2010.

Plot
Some time has passed since the Pevensies' last adventure in Narnia. The two youngest Pevensie children, Lucy and Edmund, were staying with their odious cousin Eustace Scrubb during the final days of the second World War while their older brother and sister, Peter and Susan, were traveling to America with their parents. Edmund and Lucy felt they were being left out; Edmund attempted to join the army, but was unsuccessful and Lucy was upset by the feeling that she does not match up to her sister in looks. But one day, they observed a painting in Lucy's room of a grand ship on the sea that looked very Narnian, only to be interrupted by Eustace who mocked them. Suddenly, the painting came to life and the water spilled out into the room, transporting the three children into an ocean in Narnia. They rose to the surface to find themselves in the way of the ship from the painting, but were rescued by the crew and are taken aboard.

Among the ship's crew were King Caspian X and Reepicheep and the ship was the Dawn Treader, the first ship Narnia had seen in centuries. Also among the crew were Lord Drinian, who served as the ship's captain, and a small number of Narnians including the Minotaurs Tavros and Jemain. Caspian showed Edmund and Lucy hid chamber where he kept all of the Pevensies' prize possessions. He also explained that three years have passed in Narnia and he was on a voyage to find the seven lost lords of Telmar, good men and friends of his late father, Caspian IX, whom his evil uncle Miraz banished when he usurped the throne many years back. Lucy and Edmund were delighted to be back in Narnia, but Eustace was less enthusiastic as he didn't want to believe he was in Narnia and was at odds with Reepicheep. Lucy even asked if Caspian had found a wife in the three years they had been gone; he smiled bashfully and admitted he had not, unaware that later events on the voyage would change that fact. Lucy also asked what was beyond the Lone Islands; in a later conversation with Reepicheep when she heard him sing a song a dryad sang to him when he was a mousling, he said that he believed Aslan's Country lies beyond the Seas of the Utter East - a place he hoped to sail to on the voyage.

Finally, they arrived at the Lone Islands and first made land in Narrowhaven; the Lone Islands are normally Narnian territory, but they discovered that Narrowhaven had become a haven for slave trade by Calormen. Caspian, Lucy, Edmund and Eustace were captured by the slave traders as merchandise. While imprisoned, Caspian and Edmund met one of the lost lords, Lord Bern, who was overwhelmed when Caspian revealed that he was the son of the late Caspian IX. Edmund then witnessed a group of slaves being sailed out to sea and disappearing when a mysterious green mist appears. Bern revealed those not sold were sacrificed to this mist that he and the other lords were investigating. The crew of the Dawn Treader arrived and rescued the four captive crew members, killing the slave trade leader and their men. Caspian reclaimed Narrowhaven and named Bern its duke, who gave him one of the Seven Swords that the lords possessed, which were given to them by his father. One of the citizens, Rhince, whose wife Helaine was one of those sacrificed to the mist, begged Caspian to let him join them so he could find her and Caspian agreed. But later, it was discovered that Rhince's young daughter, Gael, had stowed away on board the ship, but was accepted by Drinian and welcomed by Lucy.

The second island they visited was the Coriakin's Island and Lucy was abducted by invisible Dufflepuds, who forced her to enter their oppressor's manor to recite a spell of visibility. She entered the manor and found the Book of Incantations, from which she ripped out a page containing a beauty incantation that would make her like her sister before reciting the visibility spell, making both the Dufflepuds and the magician, Coriakin visible again. Lucy and the others learned that Coriakin actually cast the invisibility spell to protect the Dufflepuds from the evil green mist that came from Dark Island. To defeat the evil of Dark Island, the crew would have to locate the other Swords of the Seven Lords and lay them at Aslan's Table on Ramandu's Island, but Coriakin also warned them that they were all about to tested by temptation. In order to reach Ramandu's Island, they had to follow the Blue Star. During a storm at sea after leaving Magician's Island, Lucy nearly became the first victim to the mist's temptation because of her lack of self-value; she cast the beauty incantation and transformed into Susan. She then found herself at a party with Peter and Edmund, who recognised her as Susan and did not know of Lucy or Narnia. Realising that she no longer existed as Lucy, she awoke from the vision of the party as her normal self. Aslan appeared to her in a mirror and explained that she wished herself away and much more with it because she doubted her value. Her brothers and sister would not have known of Narnia if it was not because of her, as she was the one who discovered it. After Lucy threw the page containing the beauty incantation into the fire, the mist moved to torture Caspian and Edmund with their own personal demons; Caspian had nightmares of his father and the mist appeared to Edmund as Jadis, the White Witch.

The crew then made a stop at a volcanic island, where Caspian, Edmund and Lucy found a pool of water that turned anything it touches to gold, along with Lord Restimar, who fell into the pool and was turned to gold himself. After successfully claiming his sword, Edmund was tempted by the pool's powers and challenged Caspian over who was more worthy of being king. They fought, but Lucy stopped them and warned them that they were being tempted, just like Coriakin warned them. Elsewhere, Eustace left the group to avoid participating in the work and found treasure that aroused his greed, filling his pockets with gold and jewels and put on a large golden bracelet from a skeleton. When Caspian, Edmund and Lucy returned to the boats and realised that Eustace was missing, Caspian and Edmund went looking for him. They came across the treasure themselves and found Eustace's clothes burnt, but no sign of Eustace. Caspian then spotted the skeleton and identified it as Lord Octesian, while Edmund found his sword. Suddenly, a dragon attacked the Dawn Treader and abducted Edmund, flying him over the island and showing him giant words it made with fire that say "I AM EUSTACE". They all realised that Eustace must've been tempted by the treasure and transformed into a dragon as a result. The Pevensies, Caspian, Reepicheep, Rhince and Gael stayed ashore that night, keeping Eustace company. Reepicheep comforted Eustace, stating that maybe being turned into a dragon was a sign that he had a great destiny ahead of him; Eustace then helped the crew get to their destination the next day when Gael spotted the Blue Star in the sky.

The crew finally arrived at Ramandu's Island and discoverd Aslan's Table, served with food and three lost lords under a spell. Caspian warned the crew that the food was responsible and when Edmund spotted the Stone Knife, they laid the swords on the table, realising that one was still missing. Suddenly, the Blue Star descended from the sky and turned into a beautiful young woman; she was Lilliandil, the daughter of Ramandu and Caspian immediately fell in love with her. Lilliandil warmly welcomed them and invited them to eat, stating that the food was safe and for them. She then explained that the three lords were under a sleeping spell because they were threatening violence upon each other by the time they reached the island, for violence is forbidden at Aslan's Table and they would only awake when the seventh sword was put with the others. She guided them to the location of the final sword; Dark Island itself and warned them that they will need great courage. Before Lilliandil returned to the sky, Caspian told her that he hoped they would meet again and she reciprocated his wish with a smile.Upon arriving at Dark Island, the crew discovered the seventh lord, Lord Rhoop and brought him abroad. Rhoop warned them not to think of their fears, but Edmund failed and his fear manifested as a sea serpent that attacked the ship. Mad with fear, Rhoop threw his sword at Eustace, stabbing him and Eustace flew away, landing on a sandy island nearby. There, he was approached by Aslan, who turned him back into a boy and sent him back to Ramandu's Island to place Rhoop's sword with the others. The mist tried to distract Edmund by appearing as Jadis again, but Eustace suceeded in getting the seven swords together and Edmund managed to overcome his own demons as he slayed the sea serpent. The spell was lifted, the three lords awoke from their sleep, the sacrificed people, including Gael's mother, reappeard and Eustace rejoined the crew.

Soon afterwards, Caspian, Reepicheep, Lucy, Edmund and Eustace headed to the World's End, sailing in a small boat through a sea of lillies until they reached a shore with a massive wave. Aslan appeared and told them that His Country lay beyond the wave, but they would never return if they chose to go on. Caspian was offered the chance to go on when asking if his father is in Aslan's Country, but chose to stay out of realising that he already had what he needed in Narnia and that his father would not have wanted him to give up what he died for. However, Reepicheep came forward and gained Aslan's blessing to see His Country; he bid farewell to his friends, including Eustace who was devastated at his departure, and paddled in a coracle up the wave and onto Aslan's Country, never again to be seen in Narnia. Aslan then opened a portal in the wave to send the children home, telling them that Edmund and Lucy would not return to Narnia because they had grown up, like Peter and Susan, but encouraged them to know him by another name in their own world. However, Eustace, now a much kinder person from his time in Narnia as a dragon, could return someday. Edmund and Lucy bid a final farewell to Aslan and Caspian, before entering the portal along with Eustace.

The three returned to Eustace's bedroom where the water returned to the painting and Eustace's mother called out to him that Jill Pole had come for a visit. The three watched sadly as the Dawn Treader sailed away in the painting and disappeared behind the waves.

Main Protagonists

 * Ben Barnes - Caspian X
 * Georgie Henley - Lucy Pevensie
 * Skandar Keynes - Edmund Pevensie
 * Will Poulter - Eustace Scrubb
 * Liam Neeson - Aslan (voice)

Dawn Treader crew

 * Simon Pegg - Reepicheep (voice)
 * Gary Sweet - Lord Drinian
 * Shane Rangi - Tavros the Minotaur
 * Tamati Rangi - Jemain the Minotaur
 * Ryan Ettridge - Caprius the Satyr
 * Steven Rooke - Nausus the Faun
 * Morgan Evens - A Faun
 * Chris Cruickshanks -Cruickshanks the Dwarf
 * Mirko Grillini - The Belligerent Telmarine

Narnians

 * Laura Brent - Ramandu's Daughter, Liliandil
 * Terry Norris - Lord Bern
 * Bruce Spence - Lord Rhoop
 * Tony Nixon - Rynelf
 * Arthur Angel - Rhince
 * Arabella Morton - Gael
 * Nathaniel Parker - Caspian IX
 * Roy Billings - Chief Duffer
 * David Vallon - Governor Gumpas
 * Colin Moody - Pug
 * Catarina Hebbard - Gael's Aunt
 * Ozzie Devrich - Slaver
 * Greg Poppleton - Dufflepud 1
 * Neil Young - Dufflepud 2
 * Mary Bradney-George - Dufflepud 5
 * Scott "Ryctor" Brewer - Dufflepud 7

Cameos

 * Anna Popplewell - Susan Pevensie
 * William Moseley - Peter Pevensie
 * Tilda Swinton - The White Witch

Differences between the book and film

 * ﻿In the film, Edmund attempts to enlist in the army, only to be thwarted by Lucy, similar to how she embarassed Susan in the previous film.
 * In the film, Eustace makes up a limerick, not a couplet.
 * In the film, Eustace addresses his parents as "mother" and "father" whilst in the book, he addresses them by their names, "Alberta" and "Harold".
 * In the book, Reepicheep challenges Eustace to a duel before arriving at the Lone Islands; this challenge is replaced with a duel between Caspian and Edmund in the film and Reepicheep and Eustace later have their own duel after visiting Narrowhaven.
 * At the Lone Islands, Caspian instructed his men to keep silent about their identities, and only revealed who he was to Lord Bern after he bought his freedom, having been reminded of Caspian's father. In the movie, Caspian shouts "I am your king!" the second they are ambushed by Slave Traders, and meets Lord Bern in the cell where the Slave Traders throw him and Edmund.
 * In the book, Caspian learns from Lord Bern that the Slave Traders have been allowed to operate without interference from the Governor, Gumpas, who sees the practice as unavoidable and necessary for the economy. In the film, Caspian learns from Bern that the Slave Traders have been making sacrifices to a green mist.
 * In the film, Lord Bern had not left Narrowhaven because he had been captured and imprisoned by the Slave Traders. In the book, he had not left because he had married and settled down there.
 * In the film, Rhince is a Narrowhaven citizen who joins the voyage to find his wife, who is sacrificed to the mist. In the book, Rhince is a high member of the Dawn Treader crew.
 * The Dark Island takes the form of a green mist, becoming a sort of sentient threat seeking to "corrupt all goodness" and "steal the light" from the world, rather than the embodiment of fear in Narnia.
 * Caspian is much older and wiser in his personality and manner in the film than in the book, most likely because of the differences in his age. In the book, he is coming of age, close to Edmund and Lucy's ages, whilst in the film, he is in his early twenties.
 * In the book, Eustace tries to steal water whereas in the film, he tries to steal an orange.
 * The geography has been drastically changed for the film, resulting in some of the islands being visited in a different order than they were in the book. In the book, Dark Island came before Ramandu's Island; Dragon Island and Goldwater Island were two separate islands, neither were volcanic and both were visited before Coriakin's Island.
 * In the film, Reepicheep never accompanies Caspian, Edmund and Lucy as they explore each of the islands.
 * In the book, the ship is caught up in a violent storm for two weeks after departing Narrowhaven and arrives at Dragon's Island badly damaged. In the film, the storm comes after departing Magician's Island and before arriving at Goldwater Island and no serious damage is caused.
 * In the book, though it's assumed that Lord Octesian died at Dragon's Island, it's implied variously that he was either killed by or transformed into the dragon that Eustace encounters. In the film, Lord Octesian's remains are found among the dragon treasure and identified by Caspian, though like in the book, it is uncertain what actually killed him.
 * In the film, Edmund is tempted by the powers of the gold water pool on Goldwater Island. In the book, it was Caspian who was tempted.
 * In the film, Coriakin turned the Dufflepuds invisible to protect them from the Green Mist, and they seek Lucy's help because they can't read. In the book, the Dufflepuds turned themselves invisible after Coriakin turned them "ugly" and they sought Lucy's help because only a girl could reverse the spell, but they were too afraid to send their own daughters.
 * Eustace remains a dragon much longer in the film than in the book. In the book, he was unable to follow the Dawn Treader at sea, whilst In the film, he is able to pull the ship when there's no wind.
 * In the film, a page from the Book of Incantations tempts Lucy by showing her as the exact image of Susan; she also casts a spell to make it snow indoors. In the book, she imagined her beauty surpassing Susan's and harmfully used a spell to spy on her friends.
 * Peter was never seen in the book, but he was mentioned.
 * In the film, Ramandu's daughter is a star, not half-star and is named Lilliandil. Her father never appears in the film.
 * In the book, Lilliandil's dress is blue whilst in the film, her dress is white, though the colour of her starly glow is blue as she is a blue star.
 * Lilliandil says that the three Lords were put into a sleep because they were half-mad and threatening violence upon each other when they arrived on the island and "violence is not permitted at Aslan's Table", whereas in the book, they slept because one of them took the Stone Knife and they were not meant to touch it.
 * In the book, Caspian flirts with Lilliandil by referencing Sleeping Beauty. In the film, he states in a formal manner that she is the most beautiful woman he has ever seen.
 * In the book, the Sea Serpent was a dumb brute encountered before arriving at Goldwater Island. In the film, the battle with the Sea Serpent at Dark Island is the climax and the monster is a manifest of the green mist after Edmund accidentally conjures it when thinking of his fears.
 * In the book, Caspian was forbidden by Aslan to sail to the World's End.
 * In the film, Aslan nevers shows up at the World's End in the form of a lamb.
 * In the film, Eustace and Jill Pole are already friends as Jill is mentioned to be visiting Eustace at the end of the film; they were not friends in the book and only knew each other by surname.

Production
Michael Apted was announced as director on April 17, 2007; Andrew Adamson, director of the series' first two films, and Mark Johnson are slated as co-producers. Apted grew up reading the Narnia novels. Bob Beltz of Walden Media said the production company deliberately set up a fast-paced, staggered shooting schedule for the Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair films "in a way that it won't have to be two and a half years between them. We'll be able to bring them out sequentially a year apart". Michael Apted described taking over direction of the series as easy, "What’s fascinating about this particular franchise is how different all the stories are... there’s no element of Narnia in it at all. This is a journey that Caspian the Tenth is making into the islands, outside to the east of Narnia. So it’s interesting, it’s a whole different tone to the other things".

Production designer Roger Ford was replaced by Jan Roelfs. The owners of an AUD 2.1 million 40 metre by 30 metre by 5 metre water tank at Warner Roadshow Studios in Queensland are negotiating with the production company, in the hope that The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be filmed there. Filming began in May 2009.

Due to Prince Caspian grossing less than expected, Disney wanted a $100 million budget. However, Walden Media wanted a $140 million budget. On December 24, 2008, Disney chose not to go through with the much anticipated movie. On January 28, 2009, Fox 2000 decided to pick up the franchise, joining Walden Media for the production.

Marketing
In late November 2009, three stills from the film were released on the social networking site, Facebook. In February 2010, Narnia.com, the official domain, returned after a nine-month period of being down, bringing with it exclusive reports from the set. The first official teaser poster was released in May 2010. The first official public trailer for the film was released online on June 17, 2010, before being attached to Toy Story 3 on June 18, 2010. A second trailer was released to the Internet August 05, 2010, after being attached on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid DVD.