According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Walt Disney Company is launching a 'subdued' and 'classy' $100 million promotional campaign for its film version of C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe.  To set the correct tone for the massive marketing blitz involving Happy Meals from McDonalds, Honey Nut Cheerios from General Mills and Quilted Northern toilet paper from Georgia Pacific, the voice-overs for all the various commercials will be solemnly intoned in a cultured 'Oxbridge' accent -- nothing screams 'class' more convincingly in the purportedly 'democratic' ex-colonies than well-rounded vowels and carefully pronounced consonants that sound as if they might have been snipped together from the soundtrack of Brideshead Revisited.

If the commercials can avoid sounding too solemn (and constipated) while simultaneously hyping the lavish fantasy film and toilet paper, Disney may be able to generate considerable interest in what the studio hopes will become a fantasy franchise to rival Lord of the Rings.  But Disney is clearly having a few problems striking the right marketing note -- the only soundtrack released so far in conjunction with the film is by a Christian musical group, and while the religious audience is clearly a potential bonanza for Disney given the popularity of the Narnia books in Christian circles in the U.S. where C.S. Lewis is a highly respected figure, the studio doesn't want to make the film appear to be just a religious tract.  Similarly The Lion, The Witch & the Wardrobe is also considered a literary classic (at least in the U.S.), but a little too much of the Alistair Cooke effect in the promos could dampen rather than enhance the box office.

Still in true American fashion Disney is hoping to overwhelm all marketing obstacles with the sheer collective might of $100 million worth of free TV and product exposure from Georgia Pacific with its Brawny paper towels, Vanity Fair napkins, and Quilted Northern 'bath tissue,' McDonalds with its Happy Meals featuring 8 different pop-up storybooks and figurines, plus additional help from 21 brands of General Mills edibles, 100 different Unilever products, Energizer batteries, Oral B toothbrushes, and Verizon cell phone packages.  And one mustn't forget the 'town square' promotions taking place at the epicenter of American consumer culture, the shopping mall (see 'Narnia Experience at 11 Malls'), where Narnia exhibits featuring larger than life snow globes, green screen photo ops, and visits with Santa are expected to reach some 44 million shoppers during a November to January run.

In spite of the massive promotions and the sterling nature of the underlying property it is difficult to determine at this time the exact fate of Disney's Narnia film and what effect it will have on sales of related merchandise.  If the studio had been a little more surefooted in its marketing or if a master filmmaker like Peter Jackson were at the helm, this would be an easy call.   A major marketing campaign is no guarantee of success -- Warner Bros. has had to do without major cross-promotions for its Harry Potter films (thanks to J.K. Rowling's sense of decorum), but the third Potter film just enjoyed a stronger opening than any of its predecessors (and the fourth biggest 3-day weekend of all time) demonstrating that a major promotional campaign involving numerous products is not necessary for success.

In general books fare better than other sorts of tie-in merchandise and that should certainly be the case with The Chronicles of Narnia.  However if the Disney film manages to tap into the rich vein of interest in fantasy unearthed by The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, then the Narnia films could develop the sort of fan base that would support high-end collectibles such as the Weta Workshop figures ranging in price from $150 to $300 that Dark Horse is selling in the U.S.  Will Disney's Narnia film appeal to the vast audience that made The Lord of the Rings Trilogy so popular, or will it gain the interest of the non-traditional movie audience that flocked to Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ? Could it appeal to both, or neither?  Time will tell.