Chronicles of Narnia exhibit opens at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center

The Chronicles of Narnia exhibit at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville opened Saturday in time for fall break. The official opening will be Oct. 9.  From the article “Chronicles of Narnia exhibit opens at Huntsville’s Space & Rocket Center” by Brian Lawson in The Huntsville Times:

Isabella and Brook Bridges passed through a wardrobe into Narnia Saturday morning, as a warm fall day in Huntsville gave way to chilly air and falling snow in the realm of the White Witch. The Bridges girls, unlike the heroes of the film and beloved novel, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” journeyed through Narnia with their parents, Avery and Marilyn Bridges. The family made a special trip from Memphis to experience “The Chronicles of Narnia” exhibit which opened Saturday at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Geoff Abrams, director of special exhibit operations for the Space & Rocket Center, said they were able to get the exhibit a week earlier than expected, just in time for fall break. Abrams said they hope to get 15,000 to 20,000 visitors to the exhibit, which runs through January. “It’s the perfect time of year for it,” he said. “With Halloween and Christmas and winter.” The official grand opening is Saturday, Oct. 9 and will include sword fighters and face painters from the Renaissance Festival and a large inflatable lion, reminiscent of Aslan, the story’s mighty lion king. The exhibit also includes items from the “Chronicles” third film, “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” which opens in December.

Visitors to the exhibit start as the story does, with a pass through the wardrobe into an icy Narnia. Along the way, the story’s characters including Lucy’s loyal friend, the faun Mr. Tumnus and the fearsome sword-wielding mouse Reepicheep, are on display, along with an ice wall from the witch’s palace, swords and battle costumes, lighted maps and videos from the filmmakers about how Narnia was brought to life.  There are number of interactive features and the exhibit offers a painless series of science lessons, from the effects of severe climate change – the witch has frozen Narnia for 100 years – to turning wood to stone, animal communication and the flinging of boulders via catapult, which visitors can launch.  Judging by the wonder on the girls faces as they stopped to look at the minotaurs and lift broadswords, the Bridges’ made the right call with Saturday’s visit. Avery Bridges said he read the girls each of the seven books in C.S. Lewis’ series and they became big fans of the films, including “Prince Caspian,” which followed “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” The girls are big space fans as well, Bridges said, so the chance to combine the rocket center and Narnia was irresistible.  ”We visited a Narnia exhibit at Disney World, but this is even better,” Bridges said.

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Posted: October 6th, 2010 under Bed and Breakfast News.

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