Honestly, looking back at the mid-2000s, it feels like every studio was desperately clawing at the walls to find the "next Harry Potter." Disney thought they had it. They really did. When The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe dropped in 2005, it wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural juggernaut that made people think C.S. Lewis’s entire bibliography was about to conquer the box office. But then things got... complicated. If you're trying to watch the Narnia in order movies today, you’ll notice a weird shift in tone, a change in studios, and then a sudden, jarring silence that has lasted over a decade.
It’s a bit of a mess. Unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars saga, the Chronicles of Narnia film franchise didn't get to finish its journey. We have seven books, but only three movies. And if you’re a purist, the order you watch them in might depend on whether you value the release dates or the internal timeline Lewis eventually settled on.
The Release Order: How the World Saw Them
Most people just want to watch them the way they came out. It makes sense. You see the kids grow up. You see the CGI get better (and then, arguably, a bit weirder).
First up is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). Directed by Andrew Adamson, who previously gave us Shrek, this movie captured lightning in a bottle. It stayed remarkably faithful to the 1950 novel. You have the Pevensie siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy—stumbling through a piece of furniture into a frozen wasteland. Tilda Swinton’s performance as the White Witch is still terrifying. She’s cold. She’s calculated. She makes you actually believe a kid would sell out his family for some mediocre Turkish Delight.
Then we hit Prince Caspian (2008). This is where things started to pivot. Disney and Walden Media wanted something darker, grittier, and more "epic." The Pevensies return to Narnia, but 1,300 years have passed in Narnian time. The magic is mostly gone. The Telmarines—basically just regular, boring humans—have conquered the land. It’s a war movie. Ben Barnes joined the cast as the titular prince with a Mediterranean accent that he mysteriously lost in the next film. It’s a good movie, but it didn't make as much money as the first. People wanted snow and talking beavers; they got political coups and gritty forest skirmishes.
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Finally, we have The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). This one shifted from Disney to 20th Century Fox. It’s an episodic adventure on the high seas. Only Edmund and Lucy return, alongside their insufferable cousin Eustace Scrubb, played by a young Will Poulter. It’s bright, colorful, and feels a lot more like a "kids' movie" than Caspian did.
The Chronological Headache
If you talk to a hardcore C.S. Lewis fan, they might tell you you’re doing it wrong. See, Lewis didn’t write the books in the order they happen chronologically. He wrote The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe first. But later, he wrote a prequel called The Magician’s Nephew which explains how Narnia was actually created.
If you wanted to watch the Narnia in order movies based on the story's timeline, you’d be stuck immediately. Why? Because The Magician’s Nephew was never filmed. Neither was The Horse and His Boy, which takes place during the reign of the Pevensies as adults.
Strictly speaking, the "in-universe" order for the existing films is exactly the same as the release order. There’s no secret prequel movie tucked away in a vault. You start with the wardrobe, move to Caspian, and end on the ship. The timeline of the films is actually the most straightforward part of this whole saga. The real drama is what happened behind the scenes.
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Why the Franchise Stalled Out
It’s tempting to blame "franchise fatigue," but that’s not really it. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader actually did decent business internationally, pulling in over $400 million. The problem was the rights. Narnia is a nightmare of estate management and shifting production deals.
Walden Media held the rights for years, but they expired in 2011. Then, the C.S. Lewis Company spent ages trying to get The Silver Chair off the ground. For a while, Joe Johnston (the guy who directed Captain America: The First Avenger) was attached to direct it. It was going to be a "reboot" of sorts, following Eustace on a journey to find Prince Caspian’s missing son. There was even talk of Millie Bobby Brown starring.
It never happened. The project languished in "development hell"—that dark place where scripts go to die—until Netflix swooped in and bought the rights to all seven books in 2018.
The Netflix Factor: What's Next?
So, if you're looking for the Narnia in order movies in 2026, the list is about to get a lot longer. Or at least, it’s supposed to. Netflix didn't just buy the rights to make one movie; they bought the rights to the whole universe.
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Greta Gerwig is the name everyone is watching now. The Barbie and Little Women director has signed on to write and direct at least two Narnia films for Netflix. This is a huge deal. Gerwig doesn't do "generic." She brings a specific, deeply human lens to her work. Reports suggest she’s terrified of the project because Narnia is so "sacred" to readers. That’s actually a good sign. It means she isn't just looking to cash a paycheck.
Will she start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe again? Probably. Even though fans want to see the unfilmed books like The Magician's Nephew or The Last Battle, you can’t really launch a Narnia brand without Aslan, the wardrobe, and the Pevensies. It’s the entry point.
Hidden Details You Probably Missed
When you go back and rewatch the original trilogy, keep an eye on the details.
- The Cameos: In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the voice of Aslan was almost Brian Cox. They eventually went with Liam Neeson because his voice had that "divine" but "fatherly" resonance.
- The Costumes: The armor in Prince Caspian was incredibly detailed. Weta Workshop (the Lord of the Rings people) handled the design. They actually created distinct looks for the Telmarines based on Spanish and Italian history to make them feel like real invaders.
- The Themes: Lewis was famously a Christian apologist, and the books are thick with allegory. The movies kept some of this, but tried to broaden the appeal. It’s why Dawn Treader feels a bit more like a generic fantasy quest for seven swords—a plot point that wasn't even in the book—rather than the spiritual journey Lewis wrote.
Actionable Steps for Your Rewatch
If you are planning a marathon, here is the best way to handle the Narnia in order movies without getting frustrated by the cliffhangers:
- Watch the 2005 original first. It’s the gold standard. Don't skip it just because you think you know the story. The production design holds up surprisingly well.
- Adjust your expectations for Prince Caspian. It is longer and slower. It’s less of a "magical adventure" and more of a "war drama."
- Treat Dawn Treader as a standalone. Because the studio changed and the cast was trimmed down, it feels different. It’s a fun adventure movie if you don’t compare it too harshly to the first one.
- Check out the BBC versions. If you’re desperate for more and can handle 1980s special effects (think people in very obvious badger suits), the BBC produced versions of The Silver Chair and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader decades ago. They are weirdly charming.
- Read the books in "Publication Order." If the movies leave you hanging, go back to the source. Start with The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, and ignore the numbers on the spines of the newer editions that put The Magician’s Nephew first. The mystery of Aslan is meant to be revealed slowly, not explained in a prequel right away.
The Narnia cinematic legacy is currently an unfinished bridge. We have the beginning, a bit of the middle, and then a long gap. But with the Netflix deal finally moving into production phases, those of us who grew up waiting for the wardrobe to open again might finally get to see the end of the story. For now, stick to the three we have. They aren't perfect, but for a few hours, they really do make you feel like you’ve stepped into another world.