Narnia as a Site of National Struggle: Marketing, Christianity, and National Purpose in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

This essay examines the niche marketing efforts used to promote the 2005 film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe to Evangelical Christian audiences in the United States. Through reference to "culture wars" rhetoric, and broader claims to educational and evangelistic intent, the production company Walden Media's promotional efforts sought to transform C. S. Lewis's utopian Christian fantasy into a faith-affirming experience for Evangelical viewers, imbued with the power to alter national culture along Christian lines.