FOX boards the "Dawn Treader"

Well it looks like the third film in the Narnia series will make it to the big screen after all. CNBC reports that FOX is partnering with Walden Media to produce the Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third movie in the Narnia series. As you may recall, Disney decided not to continue a partnership with Walden Media after the second Narnia film, Prince Caspian, didn't do quite as well as the initial Narnia movie, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Bear in mind that Caspian still made a profit and was in no way a box office bust. It just didn't make as much as LWW did.

This is one mistake I hope comes back to bite Disney hard. Dropping the option on Dawn Treader really was dropping the ball. I'll be the first to admit the Prince Caspian storyline was a tough one to turn into an action movie, but Disney added a few scenes to bring more action to the story. Dawn Treader is full of action almost from the first moment. We will see a new character (Eustace Scrubb) and won't see Peter or Susan Pevensie, only Lucy.

No word yet on production timetables or a possible release date for Dawn Treader. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the current Prince Caspian attraction at DHS. I wonder what Disney will come up with next to fill that hole when they can no longer run the attraction (which I'm sure is coming pretty soon, with the dissolving of the partnership).

LA Times: Disney dumped Narnia because of feud

Well it appears some new details are emerging about why Disney really decided to drop their involvement in the next Narnia movie, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." According to the L.A. Times, the real reason for the breakup between Disney and Walden Media centers around big-time real estate broker, Phil Anschutz, who happens to own Walden Media.

Here's a portion of what the Times says:

According to multiple sources, the once-close relationship between Disney and Walden began to unravel when, after the first "Narnia" film cleaned up at the box office, Anschutz essentially put a gun to Disney's head and demanded that the studio renegotiate its deal with Walden. Anschutz insisted that Disney either give back a sizable chunk of the studio's lucrative distribution fee or Anschutz would distribute the "Narnia" series on his own. Believing the franchise was too good to give up, Disney reluctantly changed the terms of its Walden deal, but the renegotiation poisoned relations between the two behemoths. When the second film faltered, there was so little goodwill left over that Disney had far fewer qualms about cutting its ties with the franchise.

To be fair, Walden wasn't all that happy with the way Disney handled the film. The first movie had been released at Christmas, which seemed a logical slot for a family-oriented picture. But when Disney saw that "Prince Caspian" was an edgier, more youth-oriented film, it decided to go after teenagers as well as family filmgoers. That decision led to what, in hindsight, appears to be a huge blunder, releasing "Prince Caspian" in May, at the start of summer. Sandwiched between "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Prince Caspian" not only failed to attract many teenagers, it also lost a large piece of its family following, which was turned off by the edgier, not especially well-focused marketing materials.

I don't think "Dawn Treader" is sunk. It just may have a different engine. Word is that Fox is seriously looking at picking up the franchise, though they should be wary of dealing with Walden. If you know the story of the third book in the Narnia series, then you know it's much more suited for an action movie. "Prince Caspian" had a problem from the beginning - the story is a good read, but not so exciting to watch. In fact the big invasion of Miraz' castle doesn't even exist in the book - screenwriters added it to get more action in the movie.

"Dawn Treader" movie sunk

According to a CNBC.com report, Disney has decided it will not make the third installment in the Narnia series, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader." The report says Disney made the decision based on "budget considerations and other logistics."

The second Narnia movie, "Prince Caspian," apparently didn't do as well as the studios hoped. The report says "Caspian" cost about $200 million to produce and it grossed $420 million globally. This is significantly smaller than the $745 million the first Narnia film, "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," made.

I'm no economist, but making $220 million isn't shabby. The movie made a decent profit, why not produce the final film featuring the Pevensie family? Besides, "Dawn Treader" is a story that is made for action, while "Caspian's" story didn't lend itself to as much action (without major changes to the storyline).

Personally, I think Disney has made a bad call here. I understand the economy isn't doing well, but why give up on the while project? I could understand putting the film off a year or two until things do better, but to give up entirely? I hope another studio will work with Walden Media to produce "Dawn Treader," and watch it do much better.

Disney, there's more out there than Pixar. While Pixar does make some great movies, they aren't the only game in town. Stick with the plan - produce the third film.

Also online: a second CNBC.com article.