The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
3-Disc Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
Directed by Andrew Adamson
Starring Ben Barnes, Anna Popplewell, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Peter Dinklage
Disney Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 2, 2008

The travesty of Disneyfication that surrounded the first wearying and child-like installment of C.S. Lewis’ seven-book series is still lurking somewhere in the shadows of the second adaptation, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. The first half of the movie details the overthrow of Narnia by the ruthless Telmarine Empire, an army of men sporting perfectly-sculpted beards that scream EVIL! The Narnians have problems of their own. Their deceased king’s son, Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes), is next in line to inherit the throne, but the man who killed his father is his Uncle Miraz (played with abundant energy by Sergio Castellitto). Not only does Miraze want the throne for himself, he also intends for his newborn son to inherit it from him. Caspian is thus forced to flee from the medieval castle.

All four of the Pevensie children are back from the previous film, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. This time around they return to Narnia on a speeding train. One year has passed in their time, but 1,300 years in Narnia’s. They realize things are fishy when a starving bear doesn’t stop to have tea with them, but instead regards one of the Pevensie children as fresh meat. This isn’t Narnia anymore. The four meet up with Caspian, who used Queen Susan’s horn to call upon the Narnians to help him regain his rightful place on the throne, to stop the violence, and to restore Narnia’s wonder.

Today’s Gold Box deal of the day at Amazon is Call of Duty: World at War for Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 for only $34.98 (down 42% from it’s original price of $59.99). This price is also being listed for the video game deal of the day so this is a one-day-only price and quantities are limited.

In other deals, there’s a Blu-ray Sale where select titles, including newer releases like Wall-E, Prince Caspian, Sleeping Beauty, and I Am Legend, are reduced up to 50% (the aforementioned movies are all under $20 each).

Now this is one I’ve had my eye on since I got a Blu-ray player this Christmas: If you grab Amazon’s exclusive The Chronicles of Narnia Blu-ray Bundle you’ll get both The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian for only $31.99 (that’s 55% off the regular price of $70.98). I think I’m ordering this right now.

Here’s a few other sales going on right now:

— Warner’s Ultimate Collector’s Editions: Reduced prices on box sets like Blade Runner Blu-ray ($66.99), Superman (all five movies, plus the Richard Donner cut of Superman II for $76.99), and I Am Legend Blu-ray ($38.49).

— Buy One Get One Free TV on DVD: On select titles through January 14, buy one DVD and get one free on titles like Seinfeld and The Shield. I snagged TJ Hooker Seasons 1 & 2 combo, The Tick, Square Pegs, and VIP.

— Great Deals on TV on DVD: Hit shows from the ’70s through today (for example, King of Queens, Hart to Hart, Mad About You)

— 50% Off TV on DVD: Half off select TV shows on DVD (for example, The Addams Family, Stargate SG-1, The Venture Bros.). Click on “All Titles” for more selections in movies. This sale is on til January 12, 2009.

— DVD Blowout Sale: This includes movies as well as TV shows at a major discount (for example, Curb Your Enthusiasm, 2001 – A Space Odyssey, Caddyshack, 300, and much much more. This offer is only valid while supplies last, so check it out now.

When The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe came out, it was automatically in the shadow of the juggernaut Lord of the Rings franchise that had just torn through cinematic history. Because of this shadow, comparisons were made — whether admitted or not — and Narnia wasn’t as earth-shattering as some would have thought. And while it wasn’t the worst movie ever made, it was forgettable and this highly impacted its sequel The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, which had a sadly mediocre run, ultimately bringing it to its assumed fate.

Disney and Walden Media have officially confirmed that Disney will be parting ways with Walden Media on their collaboration the The Chronicles of Narnia franchise and that Disney will not be co-producing or financing the third project, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which was already in pre-production.

Earlier this month, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was released on DVD and Blu-ray, and in conjunction with the release, we have samples of menu concept art, as well as two renderings from the film.

The DVD and Blu-ray releases come in the following varieties:

— Single-Disc Edition
— 3-Disc Collector’s Edition + Digital Copy
— 2-Disc & BD Live Blu-ray
— 3-Disc Collector’s Edition + Digital Copy & BD Live Blu-ray

Check out the concept art here below, along with the information about the DVD and Blu-ray releases.