There are those of us who might have become jaded by the great sagas as recently seen on the silver screen as they all have consisted of fascinating stories richly embellished with special effects. "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, the Star Wars saga, and the four Harry Potter films quickly come to mind as fine examples of the kind of film that appeals to adults and teenagers alike.

These movies along with many others are colorful stories filled with enough gee whiz special effects to please the most demanding of viewers. So demanding that many of them have been turned into a second, more lucrative, income franchise by having video games built around the theme of the movie. On this point, I doubt very much that "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Witch, the Lion, and the Wardrobe" will ever come out as a video game.

This film harkens back to those long ago, far simpler days when young children used to sit on the knee of a father or a grandfather for a thrilling tale before toddling off to bed. The parent or the grandparent used to be the story teller in the family during which the children could use this opportunity to develop a rich imagination about the story while it was being told to them.

Nowadays our children and our grandchildren listen to their parents less and they read even less. Television or the movies have supplanted parents in the roles of baby sitter and storyteller and thus have become our de facto storytellers of record. Sadly, there isn't much left for the imagination when Industrial Light and Magic has already done all the work for you.

I remember the thrill of exploring large older homes looking for a secret room or a passage. There would always be a nook or cranny somewhere in which we could hide and live in the glory of our childish imaginations. Sad to say, but I don't think that they build houses anymore with nooks and crannies.

I recently read a critique of the great comic strip, "Calvin and Hobbes," in which the author commented that this strip is now taught and analyzed in college courses because of its richly embellished story about an overactive little boy and his pet toy tiger. The theme of this article was his praise of Calvin's rich imagination and the author went on to lament the loss of the time that children now have for quiet imagination.

So much is thrown at them from outside their being that they have too little time to live inside their being. If Calvin were alive today he would probably be brought in to see a doctor and given a prescription of Ritalin for ADHD.

Now that they are older, maybe they have seen too much and know too much to be affected by a simple tale like "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" in which four squabbling siblings, all normal kids, find a secret doorway into a mystical, magical world. If this is in fact the case, then we are the lesser for it.

These four kids aren't warriors and they aren't heroes; they are just kids who stumble into a kingdom in which they effect change merely by their catalytic presence as if that entire magical world, here called Narnia, was waiting all those 100 years just for them to show up. And they get richly rewarded for their derring do by being crowned kings and queens and princes and princesses of this magic kingdom with a retinue of loyal servants to serve them along with their own kingdom to rule.

If I were a kid again, I would be out there looking for this magic doorway in the back of a large wardrobe up in some dark, out of the way attic. To be a king or a queen or a sheriff in the Wild West was enough in those days. I didn't need to have super powers or to be able to fly all over the galaxy in spaceships.

I am not a child anymore, but I sure admire the delightful concept of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Witch, the Lion, and the Wardrobe." I especially admired the way this film ended with its note of hope for other little children who come after the Pevensies and perhaps can dream the way that author C.S Lewis has dreamed in the creation of his story.

If there is one movie to introduce younger children to the world of imagination and special effects without overly scaring them, then this is that movie. "The Chronicles of Narnia" is a fine film filled with wondrous special effects and incredible animation.

To be honest about it, there are a few points in this story where the pacing is slow to uneven, but in general this is what the British would call a ripping good yarn.

This film harkens back to an earlier era with its childish joy and wonder at the discovery of a new and magical world that four children find hidden at the back of an old wardrobe. First Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley), the youngest girl, and later all four siblings explore what's behind a mystical doorway hidden in the attic of a rambling old Tudor mansion located outside London. With their father away at war, their mother has sent them to this isolated mansion in the English countryside to protect them from the bombing of London that took place during World War II.

Georgie Henley in a marvelous performance gives her Lucy Pevensie a sense of wide eyed wonder that is only equaled by our Dakota Fanning. She is just spectacular as the youngest Pevensie child who is initially crushed when her older sister and two older brothers laugh at her about her wild tale of a wintry world and a Mr. Tumnus (James McAvoy), a friendly faun who speaks English but does not understand the concept of shaking hands as a greeting ritual.

The wintry part is the most obvious defect in Lucy's story since they are currently living in an English countryside filled with verdant farmland and covered with the greenery of hillside forests. Then Edmund Pevensie (Skandar Keynes) also stumbles into this magical world and regrettably is befriended by the White Witch (Tilda Swinton), who gives him a ride in her sleigh and promises him even more tasty sweets if he brings his siblings along with him the next time he comes.

Edmund does not see from her momentary flashes of anger that she is not to be trusted. To their sorrow, they later find out that she is a cruel despot and a monster who has enslaved all her subjects and frozen in ice with one touch from her crystal lance all others who have challenged her authority.

Professor Kirke (Jim Broadbent), the kindly but distant owner of the estate, suddenly happens upon the Pevensie children at the moment right after her story has been ridiculed and he catches Lucy in tears. Not helping matters is the fact that Edmund lies to his siblings about his also having been to Narnia.

He challenges Lucy's brothers and sister to trust her more after hearing that they have upbraided her for her wild tales. Encouraged by Professor Kirke's challenge, Peter Pevensie (William Mosely) and Susan Pevensie (Anna Popplewell) decide to check out this mysterious wardrobe out for themselves to see if there is any truth in Lucy's story.

They suddenly find that they are all in for the adventure of their lives when they discover a kingdom that has been covered in snow for the last 100 years. There are only a few left in Narnia with faith who continue to hope for the return of the mythical Aslan to rescue them from the evil White Witch.

As the oldest, Peter is quickly challenged to become the hero and leader of the revolt that is forming to overthrow the White Witch. Aslan (voice of Liam Neeson) is a majestic lion with a regal mane and a commanding presence. He is the leader of the revolutionaries and the former king of Narnia who had lost his throne to the White Witch.

Peter Pevensie does not relish his new responsibilities and especially does not understand why the four of them are part of an ancient prophecy as told to them by Mr. Beaver (voice of Ray Winstone), who tells them that "There is a prophecy that two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve will appear to defeat the White Witch and put an end to this hundred year winter."

The wise and noble Aslan later fulfills a prophecy of his own when he offers his own life as a ransom for one of the Pevensie children. The symbolism here obviously parallels that of Christ as well as many of the Jewish prophets who came before Him and many of the saints who followed.

These are two of the few Biblical touches in this story as author C.S. Lewis was a devout Catholic. I am sure that practically all other religions have stories about those who have sacrificed their lives so that others may live. I mention this as a point of interest, but I don't want to dwell on this as it really is a very small part of the story.

In my opinion the character of Peter Pevensie is the one which is most poorly drawn. It is as if Lewis didn't quite know what to do with this boy who is not yet a man. He is given a sword but then is not shown to use it up close and personal in any fights to the death. Presumably he kills soldiers in battle while on his white unicorn, but little is shown of this.

Their enemies have to be defeated, but Lewis as the author doesn't seem to want to have Peter play any role in either the slaying of the devious wolves or the eventual killing of a woman, even if she is the wicked White Witch. Susan Pevensie is given a bow and arrows in a quiver, but she never uses them during several occasions when they are sorely needed. In fact, she does not use them at all until the very final scene in the battle when she does shoot an enemy combatant in order to protect her brother.

I can understand C.S. Lewis' reluctance to have children read about one of their own having blood on his hands. Like all other "children" who dream these dreams, we dream the generalities of combat but not the gory and sordid realities.

Unfortunately that is the entire premise of a battle for a kingdom. People get killed. The losers die or are banished and the victors assume the rule of the kingdom. Maybe Lewis should have devised another way to settle this horrible 100 year winter because the Peter Pevensie character didn't really work for me in the context in which he was written.

The odd thing is that "Santa," in his first trip through Narnia in 100 years, stops to give the Pevensies all these weapons. Even little Lucy was given a dagger and all were warned to use their gifts wisely before Santa sped off in his sleigh.

Of course, the same warning was given to Ralphie Parker in the delightful 1983 movie, "A Christmas Story," by Jean Shepherd before he received his beloved Daisy Red Rider BB gun. All little boys shoot at things but pretend they are really killing the bad men in their imaginations. I can only surmise that Lewis also wanted to leave these details to our imaginations.

"The Chronicles of Narnia" is a warm and sweet old fashioned fable deeply suffused with great imagination.