[Apologetics] Disney Does NOT Want to Offend NON-Christians With Narnia Movie

Thu Oct 13 00:25:16 EDT 2005

Uh oh.

The New York Times reports that Disney does not want
to offend NON-Christians with the Narnia movie.

It's OK if movies like Dogma and the upcoming DaVinci
Code offend Catholics and other Christians, but it is
not OK to offend Jews, Muslims, and atheists.

Art

October 12, 2005
Marketing of 'Narnia' Presents Challenge 
By JEFF LEEDS

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 11 - With two months to go before
the release of its big-budget film "The Chronicles of
Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the
Walt Disney company wants very much to whet audience
appetites by placing music from the soundtrack on
radio and music-video channels. 

But Disney's tricky marketing strategy for "Narnia" -
which includes aggressively courting Christian fans
who can relate to the story's biblical allegory while
trying not to disaffect secular fans - is particularly
tricky when it comes to music. 

The spiritual character of "Narnia" is being
reinforced with the debut on the charts last week of a
Christian pop album of music inspired by the film. But
prospects for a previously announced secular
soundtrack now seem cloudy, executives involved in the
process say. Disney executives say that at the very
least the CD will be delayed beyond its planned Oct.
25 release. 

Mitchell Leib, president of music for Disney's Buena
Vista film unit, said he still expected to assemble
and release a secular soundtrack before the film's
Dec. 9 opening. But he cited production snags. He said
he was still awaiting a recording by the rock band
Evanescence that is intended as the film's closing
song. He added that planning had also been complicated
by last-minute decisions about how music will be used
in the complex, special-effects-laden film. 

The Christian-oriented album's status as the only
"Narnia" musical project in the marketplace, for now
at least, could upset the studio's plan to balance two
audiences. "If they go ahead and release only the one
soundtrack, I think they're risking being identified
as turning toward a blatantly religious company, which
does turn some people away," said Chris Ahrens,
founding editor of Risen, a San Diego-based lifestyle
magazine that explores the spiritual beliefs of
entertainment figures. On the other hand, Mr. Ahrens
said, if the music strikes a chord in the Christian
market, "I think that's huge for Disney in terms of
the movie audience." He added, "It seems like a huge
gamble." 

The absence of the secular album could represent a
golden opportunity for the Christian-music unit of EMI
Group, the label that released the "Narnia" album, and
the contemporary Christian genre in general.

The album - which features original songs by such
Christian pop mainstays as Jars of Clay and Steven
Curtis Chapman - sold an estimated 5,200 copies in its
first week, barely a blip on the overall Billboard
sales chart but enough to rank as No. 10 among
contemporary Christian music CD's, according to
Nielsen SoundScan. 

And the album already appears to be crossing into
territory where the genre is rarely marketed, said
Bill Hearn, the president and chief executive of EMI's
Christian Music Group. EMI has been promoting "Narnia"
songs to mainstream radio, and Mr. Hearn said 16
stations playing "adult contemporary" music have added
Mr. Chapman's song "Remembering You" to their
playlists. The music video for the song is also
expected to be included on the film's DVD, he said. 

"We believe these songs are appealing to anyone who
loves 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' not just
to the Christian audience," Mr. Hearn said. "The songs
are written specifically to reach a wide audience."

The lyrics in most of the songs on the album are
generally inspirational, as in Mr. Chapman's song
("And I'll watch as the sun fills a sky that was dark/
And I'll be remembering you"). Others specifically
reference the spiritual roots of the classic C. S.
Lewis novel on which the film is based, where the lion
Aslan is conceived as a symbol of Jesus. Bethany
Dillon's "Hero," for instance, includes the lines:

You bridged the gap
You tore the veil
Almighty God in the flesh
All the plans and schemes
Against your love would fail.

The "Narnia" film arrives as the entertainment
industry is taking notice of - and trying to profit
from - what it views as the increasing influence of
religiosity on American culture. Hollywood has been
casting about for the next blockbuster on the order of
last year's "Passion of the Christ." And in the music
business, major labels have been turning to the
Christian touring circuit - especially in rock music -
to find new talent with the potential to cross into
the mainstream, as they did with bands like Switchfoot
and Relient K. 

Coinciding with "Narnia," in which EMI is aiming to
reach as far as possible into the mainstream, Disney
has moved to target the Christian audience. Earlier
this year, Disney signed a deal in which EMI - the
biggest label in the Christian genre - will distribute
recordings like "Baby Einstein" and "Winnie the Pooh"
to Christian retailers, the company's first such
arrangement.

In the case of the film, however, Mr. Leib said he is
not worried that the Christian-music-based soundtrack
will skew mainstream fans' perceptions of the film.
Disney is not using music from the Christian-oriented
"inspired by" album in its television advertising for
"Narnia," nor in the film itself, Mr. Leib said. 

"It's only visible to that audience," he added,
referring to the Christian market. He added that the
mainstream album would be released through Disney's
own record label, as would a planned children's CD. 

Mr. Leib said he initially questioned why EMI wanted
to release its Christian-film-related album more than
two months in advance of the movie - an unusually
lengthy lead time - but then decided it would be
appropriate because of the time required to build
support for songs on Christian radio. 

For his part, Mr. Hearn said he pushed to release the
album early to capitalize on the companies' summer
marketing efforts, which included playing the "Narnia"
movie trailer at Christian music festivals and
performances by artists on the album at "Night of
Joy," an annual Christian music event presented at the
Walt Disney resort in Florida last month. 

The "Narnia" tale, he noted, "is a world-renowned
story, and it creates great exposure for our artists
not only inside the Christian community but outside." 

ART KELLY, ATM-S
13524 Brightfield Lane 
Herndon, Virginia 20171-3360 
(703) 904-3763 home
(703) 396-6956
arthurkelly at yahoo.com
ArtK135 at Netscape.net
art.kelly at cox.net

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