'Narnia' filmmakers went by the book

NEW YORK, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- C.S. Lewis' stepson worked hard to make sure "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" film captured the spirit of the book.

The big-screen version of the 55-year-old saga was directed by "Shrek" and "Shrek 2's" Andrew Adamson. It is a faithful re-telling of the late author's World War II-era epic about four British children who wander through an armoire into a wintry wonderland ruled by an evil witch and inhabited by talking animals and mythical beasts.

Describing co-producer Douglas Gresham as "a huge cheerleader" of the Disney and Walden Media film, Adamson said in New York, "He had been wanting to find someone who was going to make the film in a way that he felt was true to what C.S. Lewis had intended.

"We shared that in common, so we tended to agree on most things. He was a huge asset and there were times when we were adapting, particularly in the writing process, that I could call him up and say, 'Look, does this take away from what Jack intended or does this addition change things too much?'"

The 1993 film "Shadowlands" was about the romance between Gresham's mother, Joy, and Lewis.