Oh I think I know what you're talking about, Ariel! All those animated creatures of the White Witch's are pretty creepy!

I'm totally with Shi that I think the BBC should redo Narnia. Considering what they are able to do now, it would be amazing. Unfortunately, it very likely would not be as close to the book as the old ones, so maybe we should just be happy with what we've got.

I've found that if you think of it more as a play than a movie/TV series, it's a lot easier to deal with the animal costumes. You also need to remember that animation and other methods for depicting non-humans has come a very long way since the 80s. I think I heard an interview somewhere where they mentioned that there were some elements of the BBC Narnia serials that were actually considered quite advanced/cutting edge at the time. (Maybe my memory's making that up, but I think it was an interview with one or all of the actors filmed many years later). Also, today we think of BBC as producing high budget good quality (almost blockbuster-style) programmes, but the guys that made Narnia were working with a very small budget (which is why they reused actors such as the Professor and Father Christmas and the White and Green witches). Considering what they had available in terms of technology and money at the time I think they did a brilliant job.

I agree with the idea of thinking of it as a play, since even character movements are very much like what you'd expect to see on a stage.
I wouldn't doubt the thought that they used cutting-edge effects. I saw a behind-the-scenes something of how they made Glenstorm. And even though I laugh when I see him run (he looks like he's tripping because the movements of the man-half and the horse-half aren't synced as they are in the Walden ones), they were working with greenscreen and bluescreen leotards, not to mention however they managed to get rid of the horse head in order to splice the upper man in.

So, we've actually started watching them for the first time in many years. (Well, Mama and I are watching them; Daddy's more complaining about how he likes the newer ones better.) We've finished LWW and have watched the first episode of PC.

One thing they added that I liked was in the treasure chamber, Lucy asks Edmund where his gifts are. I like that because it shows she's forgiven him and forgotten.

OK, so we just finished SC. Whoa, Rilian was weird and creepy and...phew!

However, I wanted to ask ya'll's opinion on the dragon they inserted. Good idea? Bad idea?

*doesn't remember a dragon*

When Jill and Eustace are travelling with Puddleglum before they reach Ettinsmoor they come upon a dragon in their path, and it's shooting fireballs. Eustace goes up and whispers in its ear and it flies away. Then he comes back to the others and Jill (I think) says, "How did you do that?" and Eustace replies, "I know a thing or two about dragons."
I thought it was interesting, though it felt like they were trying a little bit too hard to drag in a joke from VODT at the expense of the canon.

Oh. How do I not remember that? I'd have to agree with you. It doesn't fit and that being in more ways than one....

When Jill and Eustace are travelling with Puddleglum before they reach Ettinsmoor they come upon a dragon in their path, and it's shooting fireballs. Eustace goes up and whispers in its ear and it flies away. Then he comes back to the others and Jill (I think) says, "How did you do that?" and Eustace replies, "I know a thing or two about dragons."
I thought it was interesting, though it felt like they were book of ra little bit too hard to drag in a joke from VODT at the expense of the canon.

Yeah, it was very interesting.

I own all of the BBC Series of Narnia on DVD. They're not great, but still enjoyable to watch. The visual effects were not as well-developed as they are today. I think it was the 90's when movies started using a lot of CGI. It has come along way.

The dialogue is good, though they do sound random at times. For instance, in The Silver Chair, there's a moment where Puddleglum, Eustace, and Jill see a dragon as they're walking through Ettinsmoor. Puddlgelum says, "Maybe if we keep quiet, he'll go away." It just sounds random there. It almost makes me think of a line from Dr. Grant in Jurassic Park, "Keep absolutely still. Its vision is based on movement." Okay, he was talking about the T-Rex that was coming out of the fence, but I see there's some similarities between those lines. Either way, it was basically saying, "Keep quiet, don't move! It will go away if you're quiet!" They both sound random. I mean, how can a T-Rex or a dragon know that you're moving and sees you? It almost doesn't make sense.