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The lion's share of Christmas

Move over, Santa. At this mall, the Hollywood version of C.S. Lewis' classic fantasy tale is part of the holiday landscape.

By RICK GERSHMAN
Published November 27, 2005

	[Times photo: Brian Cassella]
	Rick Svetkoff, 5, sits with Santa at the Narnia display at International Plaza in Tampa. The display promotes the upcoming movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, based on the book by C.S. Lewis.

TAMPA - Not to take anything away from Santa, but he's usually a little more conspicuous.

It's hard to overlook a fat guy in a bright red suit. Especially when he tends to hang out with elves.

But it's a little trickier this holiday season at International Plaza.

Here, it's all about Narnia.

Hoping to kick off a Harry Potter-level series of blockbuster films, Walt Disney Pictures has undertaken a massive media blitz to promote The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , which opens in U.S. theaters Dec. 9.

Narnia is based on a 55-year-old fantasy novel, but in some circles it is causing a modern-day stir. The marketing push is tinged with controversy over Disney's attempt to simultaneously market it as a Christian and a secular tale.

The film is based on the first - and best-known - book in the classic series by British author C.S. Lewis. It has sold 95-million copies worldwide since it was published in 1950.

If the first Narnia film connects with moviegoers, Disney and producing partner Walden Media have as close to a turnkey enterprise as you can get: Lewis wrote seven Narnia books in all.

At International Plaza, that blitz has taken the form of a grand display anchored by a 20-foot, walk-through snow globe that drops 15 pounds of fake snow a day.

For 5-year-old Evan Stewart, it was his first "snowfall" experience, said his mother, Nicola Lindsay-Stewart, during a visit to the mall last week.

Evan, who has lived in Tampa all his life, smiled and giggled as he sauntered through the globe. However, his attempt at snow angels - a curious instinct for a kid who has never seen snow - was doomed from the get-go.

Old Saint Nick was perched on a purple chair in the center of the display, which is covered with numerous references to Narnia and its central character, the lion Aslan. The display opened Nov. 15.

Santa "does seem a bit out of place," said Lindsay-Stewart, a telecommunications executive who lives in Town 'N Country.

"It does seem more like a big marketing thing. It's not really a Christmas display."

But it works. Evan soon had his commemorative take-home Narnia snow globe, replete with yet another Narnia ad. "We'll have to go to the movie," his mom acknowledged.

She didn't mind: "I read the book, and the trailer looks good, so I'm actually looking forward to it."

International Plaza doesn't have a movie theater, so the promotion won't help the mall from that standpoint. But having the premier local Narnia- affiliated experience should help draw families from other shopping destinations.

The mall is one of 11 Taubman Centers Inc. malls across the country using the holiday display to tie into Narnia , and the promotion isn't limited to the display.

Posters appear throughout the property. Enter an elevator and Narnia posters line both sides. (The St. Petersburg Times also has a marketing partnership with Taubman at International Plaza.)

Santa and Narnia go hand in hand, Taubman vice president David Goldberg recently told the Times, because you hit more demographics.

"Parents like traditions such as getting their children photographed with Santa," he said. "But we wanted to add the option of something more relevant to today's kids."

"Relevant" might seem like an odd term for a promotion based on a book that's more than half a century old, even if it's a movie now.

Marketing the movie doesn't end at the mall. Disney and Walden media are trying other ways to attract kids to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe .

And not everyone is happy with their plans.

Gov. Jeb Bush decided to distribute copies of the book to public and private schools as part of the Just Read, Florida! program, timed to coordinate with the movie's release.

The state's Web site says the program is working "in collaboration with these two media giants," referring to Disney and Walden.

Walden, which donated $10,000 to Just Read, Florida!, is owned by Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz, a Presbyterian who has been a frequent contributor to Republican candidates and conservative causes.

Some columnists have criticized the Republican governor for selecting this book, as it obviously will provide statewide promotion for a commercial film.

That's also where the Narnia matter gets stickier, as some critics think the film's release has a purpose beyond entertaining families and making money.

They say it is intended to promote Christianity, especially to kids.

Unlike most book series, Narnia has broad appeal to secular audiences, especially fantasy devotees, as well as conservative Christians. The campaign reportedly includes sneak previews at some churches nationwide. Disney, in trying to draw the largest audience possible, wants to appeal to both without alienating either one.

Lewis, who died in 1963, acknowledged that his series - along with several of his other works - serves at least in part as a Christian allegory. For example, the lion Aslan sacrifices his life to spare a boy who has sinned, and later is resurrected.

To push the film, Disney and Walden hired Motive Marketing, the company that marketed the blockbuster The Passion of the Christ .

Jim Johnson, a self-described "nonreligious film buff" who lives in Palma Ceia, said he would likely take his kids to the Narnia film and let them judge it on its own merits .

"A lot of people think Star Wars has a religious theme, with the Force and good and evil and all that," he said.

"From what I understand, (Narnia) doesn't reference God or Jesus or the Bible."

Newsweek's Jeff Giles reviewed a rough cut of the film. "It's faithful to the novel," he said, "and only as Christian as you want it to be."

--Rick Gershman can be reached at rgershman@sptimes.com or 813 226-3431.

[Last modified November 27, 2005, 01:17:13]