THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE: Chris Tomlin, Jeremy Camp, Nichole Nordeman, Rebecca St James, Steven Curtis Chapman, Bethany Dillon and Dan Haseltine say how CS Lewis' classic has inspired them.



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It's so exciting to me to be a part of such a powerful, moving epic project that has already done so well as a book. From the technology that they are using on this piece to the acting, to the cinematography - everything has been so beautifully done. To see such a commitment to excellence and then to be asked to be a part of the music has been thrilling.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Steven Curtis Chapman:
Steven Curtis Chapman: "..it doesn't matter what time period or generation it's being told to or read to, it's still a great story and it captures your imagination."

I was very excited to be a part of something that is this historic. It's a real privilege to have any kind of connection to The Chronicles Of Narnia, this film is going to be so massive and it's going to have such an impact on our culture. Great stories never die. And whenever you find a story that has all the elements that make a compelling adventure like Narnia, it doesn't matter what time period or generation it's being told to or read to, it's still a great story and it captures your imagination. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe leaves me with a constant reminder... that every time I experience spring or new life or a new day, that these are a picture of redemption and of restoration. I want to remember what that means and what that represents, and that this truth is not just for things in the past, but also this hope is for the future.

I wrote the song "Remembering You" that is from the perspective of a lot of the characters in the book, it could be Lucy, it could be any of the children at the end of the story saying, "Whenever I see the first signs of spring, I'm going to be remembering you. I'm going to be remembering Aslan, remembering the story and what is to come."

Bethany Dillon

Bethany Dillon:
Bethany Dillon: "..movies and music, they are alike because they don't have to do with the head that much. I think they're more just things for the heart."

When I was actually learning to read, first and second grade, my mom and I would kind of go through books where she would read a page and I would read a page. And we went through The Chronicles Of Narnia together. And I just remember late at night lying in bed with her and reading the story and it connecting with me so much as a kid. I loved that it was a chapter book and I could actually get it at that age. Even now, I'm not that much older, I just finished reading the first book on the plane and it just moved me in a different way. I just love how that has so shaped my faith and the way that I see our stories. I just love it. I love those books.

I think movies and music, they are alike because they don't have to do with the head that much. I think they're more just things for the heart. Music moves me a lot. And I love movies. Those are my two favourite things. I love reading, but just not as much. I just love getting lost in story. And music feels like a story sometimes. good music does. And I think they both just reflect truth. I think they make things clearer and at the same time I think they stir up mystery. My favourite thing in most movies is the music. Just 'cause they are one and the same. They're both just so deeply creative. And connect with people. You know, all people. Being a part of this is so humbling and such a huge honour. Especially, just being this young and knowing that it's meant a lot to a lot of people. I just think it's a huge honour to be a part of it and I'm excited to see the movie myself.

Jars Of Clay's Dan Haseltine

Dan Haseltine:
Dan Haseltine: "The song is really a song about discovery. It's kind of being in a world where things maybe aren't as they should be or kind of living a mundane existence and wanting something more.."

I've been a fan ever since I was a little, little, little boy. I watched the cartoons and the books were read to me when I was a kid and I was always fascinated. As a kid you always wanted to find new worlds or explore. And I'd always open up my closet door and just hoping that maybe if I walked back far enough I wouldn't just hit my head on the back of the closet but that there'd actually be something there, and much in the same way that Superman would have caused me to want to try to fly and fall, this was a story that just captured my heart when I was really, really little. So it seemed, well it was real exciting to hear that they were making the movie and that we'd have a chance to maybe respond to those images in this version of it.

The song is really a song about discovery. It's kind of being in a world where things maybe aren't as they should be or kind of living a mundane existence and wanting something more and then getting a glimpse of what that really is like and having your world kind of shift, your paradigm change. That's what we loved about this story, the way there was this great movement and discovery of a whole new world. I think the imagination is something that we kind of fail to capture for kids these days. I remember loving the chance to just create this world in my own mind, and this song is really, I think, about just opening up a new landscape. The name of the song is "Waiting For The World To Fall" and it's a song that talks about wanting to kinda be removed from our regular, mundane or grey kinda life. And move into just a whole other world of experience. Kind of have life, kinda breathe back into an existence that has grown stale.

I'm such a movie fan. I love movies. Storytelling, through generations, has taken on different forms. And movies.you know.I think it really came into its own in our generation in terms of people.just the special effects and the ways that they can tell a story. Being a part of that, even on this level, enhancing those things with music and what we do is just an amazing privilege.  CR

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.