All is not well in the land of Narnia. Thanks to a crowded summer, the much-anticipated Narnia sequel didn't do as well as some thought it should have. Now, Dawn Treader is facing budget cuts, and it looks as though the other four films might not even get a chance to reach the big screen. That's a shame, really, because Prince Caspian is a far superior film to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and if the series continues to improve, Dawn Treader and the films that would have followed it could have been quite good. Granted, these movies will never live up to the legacy of The Lord of the Rings, and seem doomed to perpetually dwell in their shadow; but at least the Narnia films are getting better... for now. Well, whatever happens to the Narnia franchise, at least this Christmas families can return to a much better Narnia with Prince Caspian on DVD.

I won't go into a lot of detail about the film itself; you can read all of my thoughts on it in my theatrical review, but revisiting this movie on DVD reminded once again of just what an improvement Caspian is over Wardrobe. Much of the cheesy silliness is gone, the performances are much improved, the special effects are better, and the story telling is tighter over all. I thought the first Narnia film was decent but forgettable, whereas Prince Caspian was one I actually wanted to see again.

One of the things Caspian did best was to flesh out some very important characters for Dawn Treader. I thought Ben Barnes did a fine job as Caspian, Skandar Keynes was tons better as Edmund, and Reepicheep was brought to life perfectly; he was just as I remembered him from the book. With these three portrayed so wonderfully, I found myself excited for the next Narnia film, Dawn Treader, as I left Prince Caspian (something I couldn't say after the first movie). My feelings didn't change much after watching it again on DVD, but once again I couldn't shake the feeling that these Narnia films are just light-weight fantasy films when compared with the epic Lord of the Rings.

I like the fact that Disney hasn't been skimping recently with their DVD releases. They aren't just quickly turning out bare-bones editions that are followed a year later by a proper special edition. Prince Caspian on DVD comes with plenty of good extras to view. First, you can enjoy a commentary with the director Andrew Adamson and the actors, which is surprisingly reserved and informative (considering how many voices are on it) when it comes to the changes made for this film adaptation. On a separate disc, you'll find several making-of features that cover a lot of detail. They document everything from the new challenges faced in making this much bigger and more complex sequel to the special effects used in the film to everything that went into filming the excellent duel towards the end of the film. You'll also find some amusing blooper reels and some deleted scenes as well. Finally, you'll also get a digital copy of the film to transfer to your computer. While a much more complete edition of Prince Caspian is bound to come out sometime next year, it's nice that Disney included what's here as it does a good job of cover the overall scope of making this movie, and that's much appreciated.

I still think it was a mistake to delay Caspian to summer instead of showing it last Christmas, and the boxoffice seems to reflect that. It's too bad, because I really liked Prince Caspian. It was much more engaging than the first movie, and felt like it took itself a bit more seriously. Toss in much stronger performances, better fight choreography and better special effects, and you have a really good film here that no doubt would have been a smash hit during the holiday season instead of a moderate success during the summer. Well, at least we can all enjoy it on DVD and Blu-ray, so make sure you include this Narnia adventure under your tree.