Before I go any further, be aware that I've loved the books for well over a decade and C.S. Lewis is my favorite author.
All right...
Regarding the book series order, the books were actually re-numbered and issued in chronological order in Great Britain toward the end of Lewis' life. He approved of the change, but most American fans--including me--prefer the books in the order he wrote them (
Lion, Caspian, Dawn Treader, Silver Chair, Horse, Magician, Battle).
As for the film, it is quite possible that Lewis wrote the books with the hope they be made into films...probably animated. His favorite movies were
King Kong and Disney's
Snow White; and of the two, Lewis was particularly fond of "Snow" because it reminded him of the games he and his brother played as children. I'm personally concerned about the films because the previous two attempts were low-quality PBS specials. Furthermore, Walden's track record isn't spotless (
Around the World in 80 Days) and Disney has been mutilating their own stories lately. Still, Lewis' stepson is an executive producer; maybe he'll save the books. Unlike LoTR, Lewis' books are tightly written and don't leave any opportunities for chapters--or even segments--to be cut for film length. Which means that if the films are done correctly, they'll probably be fairly long (hey, I'm not complaining!). (Parents, be aware that the books have battle sequences not unlike those in LoTR, especially the last book in the series [appropriately titled
The Last Battle].)
Finally, there are seven books in the series, and each fan has his favorite, so Disney/Walden will have to do an excellent job on each film to maintain the film series' popularity. Of course, the business execs are probably already planning the final high-def DVD boxed set
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
.
......
Regarding attractions, the books practically beg for an E-ticket dark ride: journey through a wardrobe and into Narnia. As a matter of fact, a few days ago, I wondered if Disney might be holding out on the first film as a new E-ticket in Fantasyland. Then again, since
Wardrobe takes place during WWII, an attraction might actually work in the UK pavilion at Epcot (I'm not kidding).
Well, we'll just have to wait to see...