
Two of my favorite movies include The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  These movies were based on books written by the authors C.S. Lewis and J.K. Rowling.  Each text tells a thrilling story that will have any viewer on the edge of his/her seat.  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is about four siblings who discover a magical universe called “Narnia.”  It is up to these four siblings to defeat a witch that has been in control of Narnia for over a hundred years.  Their goal is to restore Narnia to its original state and save its inhabitants from an evil witch.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone tells the story of a young boy who learns that he possesses magical powers, and is in fact a wizard.  The boy leaves his current state of being an unwanted child to his Aunt and Uncle to attend Hogwarts, a boarding school for wizards and witches.  Here he learns to how to utilize and control his powers, while making many new friends along the way.  Him and his friends must discover the truth about the mysterious death of his real parents, and stop an evil force from obtaining an object that provides everlasting life.  There are many clear similarities and differences within these two fictions.  In this essay, I will compare the different characters, evil forces, and heroic quests in each of the films.  

The characters are an important component of the two pictures.  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, there are three main characters.  Harry Potter, the protagonist in the story, quickly befriends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.  With the help of his new friends, Harry has an easy transition to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  In the movie, Ron possesses clumsy and comical characteristics.  Hermione on the other hand, is the brain of the three.  Throughout the film, Ron and Hermione stick by Harry’s side while he uncovers the truth about his deceased parents.  One feature that these characters all have in common is that they possess magical powers.  Boys who attend Hogwarts are generally wizards, while girls are witches.  The main characters in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are a group of four siblings (two brothers and two sisters).  The four siblings are forced to move from their home in London, England to avoid World War II bombings.  They move to a professor’s house who seems to be quite mysterious.  Lucy, the youngest of the four siblings, is the first to find Narnia in the back of a wardrobe during an innocent game of hide and seek.  At first, her brothers and sister did not believe her and thought she was only pretending.  Eventually, the other siblings follow and discover the magical universe.  Edmund, younger brother to Peter and Susan, is known for his attitude.  He even betrays his siblings early on in the movie.  Susan, younger sister to Peter, takes a motherly role.  For example, she suggests they wear the fur coats from the closet immediately after entering the snowy wonderland.  Finally, Peter is the oldest of the four.  His bravery and leadership skills serve him well later on in the movie.  The major difference between the characters of the two films is the possession of magic powers.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione have these magic powers while the main characters in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe do not.  That being said, the characters of both movies have likeable traits that the audience can relate to.  

The evil forces in both movies play an important role.  Much of the plot is centralized around these evil forces.  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Lord Voldemort is the villain.  Although his physical body is not fully intact, his spirit is present.  Throughout the movie his goal is to obtain the “Sorcerer’s Stone” for the purpose of gaining everlasting life.  It is up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione to thwart his attempts to acquire this stone.  The white witch is the evil presence in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.  She has been in control of the land for a long time, and it’s up to Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy to retrieve it for all Narnians.   The difference between her and Lord Voldemort is that her physical composition is present.  The two evil forces are similar because they both have the ability to use magic to their advantage.  This is important because it makes things much harder for the protagonists of the movies.  

The heroic quests in each of the films are fairly similar.  In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, an eleven-year-old boy and his two best friends are the heroes.  Harry’s heroic quest was not easy because there were many challenges that stood in his way.  For example, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to go through a series of tests in order to reach the sorcerer’s stone.  Each test played to a different hero’s strength.  Without Hermione’s knowledge, the group would not have escaped Devil’s Snare.  With Harry’s experience on a broom, he was able to catch a flying key that led to the next test.  Finally, Ron’s chess-playing skills helped them win the giant game of wizard’s chess.  Without teamwork, the group would not have been able to complete the objective of their mission.  Teamwork is a constant theme throughout both movies.  In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the four Pevensie children team up with Aslan, a lion that leads Narnia.  Aslan symbolizes a Christ-like figure because he shows true love for his people by sacrificing himself to the white witch.  Together, Aslan and the four siblings were able to rally the Narnians to take down the white witch and her army.  Without teamwork, neither group of Heroes would have successfully completed their quests.  

After analyzing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone it’s fair to say there is a lot one could compare.  There are numerous similarities and differences between, characters, evil forces, and accomplishing heroic quests through teamwork.  In conclusion, with so many components to compare, it’s quite easy for me to say that these films fall nothing short of exhilarating.   
