The Chronicles of Narnia III: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Grade:
Transfiguring Adoption awarded this book 4 Hoots out of 5 based on how useful it will be for a foster/adoptive family. [Learn more about our Hoot grading system here]
Movie Info:
- Rating: PG (for some frightening images and sequences of fantasy action)
- Genre: Action & Adventure, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
From the Cover of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) by 20th Century Fox:
“Upon returning to Narnia to join Prince Caspian for a voyage on the majestic royal vessel known as The Dawn Treader, Lucy, Edmund, and their cousin Eustace encounter merfolk, dragons, dwarves, and a wandering band of lost warriors. As the edge of the world draws near, their remarkable adventure at sea sails toward an exciting, yet uncertain, conclusion.”
[Buy the FULL Comprehensive Review & Discussion Guide]
Transfiguring Adoption’s Overview:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) is the 3rd installment with the series, though the first and only film to have been completed outside of Disney’s production influence (though, Disney’s acquisition of Fox in 2019 may give hope of including The Voyage of the Dawn Treader for the die-hard Reepicheep fans out there). However, the film does continue with the beloved series’ return to Narnia with Edmund and Lucy for another adventure with Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley literally at the helm. This movie is a fun excursion back to Narnia three years after the events of Prince Caspian (2008).
This film can be enjoyed by most families with children ages 10 and up. The film is a treasure to enjoy, but some younger viewers may grow bored with the film’s pace and how the narrative moves with each island visited.
** Spoilers Could Be Ahead **
How Is This Relevant To Adoption & Foster Care?
Once again, Lucy and Edmund Pevensie find themselves separated from their parents and in the care of another. This time though they are in the care of their aunt and uncle and far away from siblings Peter and Susan (who are traveling in the Americas with their parents). Lucy and Edmund find themselves in a situation much like that of many children in foster care: in a kinship home and having to manage challenges related to separation from their nuclear family and establish a new normal with extended family. One of these challenges comes in the form of their bully cousin, Eustace “Scrubb”. Children in care can relate to Lucy and Edmund’s separation from their loved ones as well as the challenges that come with coexisting with a biological child in the home. “It’s my house, you’re just guests.” Scrubb tells them frequently, making it difficult to feel comfortable while far from home. So, of course, the moment a picture begins to move and pour water they welcome another adventure in their second home of Narnia. The tables are turned once aboard the Dawn Treader though as Scrubb finds himself to be the outsider looking in and responds to the sense of “otherness” with behavior and emotions very similar to children that have come from the child welfare system. Children in foster and adoptive homes (especially in that of kinship homes) can find characters here that they may identify with and make it easier to connect feelings to behavior upon seeing the connection on screen.
Discussion Points:
- Separation & Loss
When working with Foster Care and Adoptions, separation and loss are inevitable and so caregivers must become experts in grief. There are several types of loss and separation experienced in Dawn Treader, including Lucy and Edmund being placed with their aunt and uncle, the realization that some of the Lords of Narnia have perished, the feelings of separation from Aslan and his voice, and then the crew saying goodbye to Reepicheep as he continues forth alone to Aslan’s Country. Caregivers love children and don’t like to see them hurt so it is very easy to want to take away pain or distract a child from the feelings they may experience from grief and loss. However, caregivers should remember that navigating grief and loss is an essential life skill as these themes are inevitable in the human experience and a need for our children. With that in mind, the various losses in this film can open dialogue for children of various ages about separation and loss as well as the grief that accompanies it. - Self-Esteem & Self Image
Most films about young people are going to touch on the subject of self-esteem and self-image and Dawn Treader is no different. Lucy struggles with comparing herself to beautiful, popular Susan, Edmund’s fear manifesting as a terrifying sea serpent and the White Witch, and Eustace becoming a dragon to reflect his greed and internal darkness all approach the subject and give the characters a chance for personal growth and change with confronting these insecurities openly. In the same way as our heroes, our children sometimes need help identifying their fears and struggles so that they may be able to confront them. As Lord of Narnia Coriakin says, “To defeat the darkness out there, you must defeat the darkness inside yourself.” As supportive adults, we have the opportunity to shed light on these harder issues and help our children feel less alone as they traverse their traumas and insecurities. - The Healing Power of Relationships
Human beings are social creatures and we grow in the context of relationships. If you think about all of your habits and trace their origin, many of our behaviors mimic those that we were modeled especially when we are acting on instinct and without thinking. While maladaptive relationships can absolutely harm, loving relationships can heal trauma and transform it before it is transferred. With each of our heroes, their pain and fears are healed with the support of a loved one willing to weather through the elements and pain. Think of Lucy’s reassurance of her self-worth and value from Aslan, Edmund’s and Caspian’s ability to face his past when the mist assumes the form of their fears due to the support of Lucy and the crew, and Eustace’s ability to overcome the dragon curse through his relationship with Reepicheep and the others. None of these characters would have been able to move forward without the support of those around them. In the same way we can have the privilege of providing a foster or adoptive child with an example of a positive relationship that will serve them into adulthood.
Cautionary Points:
- War Themes/Violence
It is clear a war is occurring in England as Edmund tries (unsuccessfully) to enlist in the military. There are also several battle sequences involving swords and cannons. There are also fist fights. These scenes are not overly graphic but still may be triggering for children that have been exposed to violence and human trafficking. - Separation from Family/Siblings
Themes of separation from family and siblings may be difficult for children in foster care or have been adopted due to their own experiences of grief and loss. Caregivers should be aware of this so that they may support a child if residual feelings of grief arise from seeing a character separated from primary family members. - Poor Relationship with Cousin/Birth Child
Due to Scrubb’s bullying behavior this film may have elements that trigger children that have had challenging experiences with birth children in the home or bullying in general. While Scrubb does eventually experience immense personal growth his mean demeanor and aggressive stances may be triggering for children that have had conflict with bullies and, especially, birth children in the home. - Children are Sold into Slavery
In one scene it is revealed that an island is plagued with slave traders and two of the children are caught by these slave traders and attempted to be sold. This may be triggering for children if they have potentially been subject to human trafficking or have witnessed human trafficking. - A Character Hears Voices
During the encounter with Dufflepuds, Lucy hears voices from the (invisible) Dufflepuds until the spell concealing them is lifted. This is a potential trigger specific to children who have perhaps struggled with responding to internal stimuli or having a scary experience with someone responding to internal stimuli (i.e. – audio or visual hallucinations, etc.). - Scary Fantasy Features
There are several elements of fantasy that some children may find scary due to personal fears. These include an evil mist that consumes people, a child almost sacrificing themselves to the mist, mist taking the form of phantoms that taunt children with insecurities, a sea serpent, and a dragon. I point the last one out as a parent with a child that was once terrified of any sort of dragon, whether friendly or not. - Sad Goodbyes
By the end of the film it is revealed that Edmund and Lucy will not return to Narnia, leading to another series of goodbyes with characters they have bonded with through the voyage. Reepicheep also is the lone character that chooses to continue forth to Aslan’s Country and the finality of this goodbye in particular may be triggering for children that have experienced immense loss.
Discussion Guide:
- This time Lucy and Edmund are separated from not only their parents but Peter and Susan as well! How much harder do you think it was for Lucy and Edmund to be away from home this time?
Caregiver Note: In foster care, agencies often try their best to keep sibling groups together as to reduce trauma. If you think about all the losses a child must accept when entering the child welfare system (i.e. – parents, pets, friends, teachers, coaches, neighbors, familiar foods and aromas, extended family, etc.) having their siblings can greatly reduce some of their trauma and give them some comfort. So when they must be separated, due to anything from having different guardianship options to simply not having an open and willing foster home, this can drastically impact the child with more grief from yet another loss. Caregivers should be mindful of this and try to advocate for as much sibling time together as possible. On a side note for the caregiver, if there are no safety concerns the team should consider allowing foster homes to meet in more natural visitation locations and more often to allow siblings time to reconnect and bond while separated. - Why was Scrubb acting so rudely towards his cousins? What was Scrubb feeling after being an only child and then having to share attention?
Caregiver Note: When working with foster and adoptive children sometimes we forget that the children that come into our home may affect the dynamics for biological children that have already been established with structure and routine for years. While Scrubb’s behavior was certainly mean-spirited, we can look past the behaviors themselves and see that Scrubb was a very lonely and jealous child that was reacting to having to share time and space with his cousins as well as attention. When traveling to Narnia, it didn’t help Scrubb’s self-confidence either when seeing how well liked Lucy and Edmund are by the crew and how easily they fit in. Caregivers may need to take note of this and remember to check in with birth children or other children already established in the home once a new child is introduced as to reduce feelings of competition for attention. - When Lucy wished she were beautiful she forgot that she, as herself and not Susan, that discovered Narnia and had many a time with her own internal strength had saved the day because of how valuable she was already. Are there times that it is hard to remember what parts of you are amazing?
Caregiver Note: Sometimes comparison can get the best of all of us, and children are not immune to wishing a magic spell could change things for them. But, as Lucy found by comparing herself to her sister she lost sight of how important Lucy was with her own gifts and perspectives. Lucy needed a supportive, caring person that is stronger, wiser, and kind to remind her how special she already is because she is not Susan at all. Let your children take lead on this conversation and take note as the stronger, wiser, and kind caregiver ways you can watch out for your Lucy like Aslan so that when self-doubt challenges your child you can be their encourager… even if they won’t ask for it. Take this as a chance to find out what kind of affirmation is beneficial and best received by your child. - Why do you think Eustace Scrubb was turned into a dragon after stealing the treasure?
Caregiver Note: Dragons in high fantasy literature are known for their hoarding. Though they are big, scary creatures they are often crippled by their greed and will not travel far from the horde, which usually resembles a giant pile of gold. At first it is difficult for us to even realize the dragon is Eustace Scrubb because of how scary he sounds and looks while unable to express himself… Which really is what he’s like before with his insults and aggressive behaviors towards the rest of the crew if we really think about it. Many times people that are angry and mean are really very hurt and lack the voice (as Scrubb literally lacks here) to express the pain they truly feel. In this way, we can teach our children to look at Scrubb as an example of how a bully may appear (scary, angry, intimidating) but really under the scales be another scared and hurt child that wants to be liked too. - Activity: Naming Our Dragons
Caregiver Note: Eustace, in response to his greed for gold, was cursed to show the greedy darkness within by becoming a dragon. This is significant as dragons are known in fantasy as greedy creatures that maintain hordes of treasures such as gold. With this in mind, we can see how Eustace was “de-scaled” once confronting his inner darkness through healing relationships. Help your child come up with different barriers/challenges that prevent appropriate communication and expression and design a creature that reflects the challenges and then one that’s been “de-scaled”. This can be done with drawing, collages with magazine pictures for a neat abstract piece, or even paint. - Why was Eustace Scrubb so mean to Reepicheep in particular? How did Reepicheep’s friendship change Scrubb?
Caregiver Note: Scrubb, like most bullies, targeted someone he initially thought would be an easy target as the smallest of the group and one that was clearly liked. Rather than letting Scrubb’s jibs get to him though, Reepicheep stood up to Scrubb and reacted by cheerfully taking Scrubb up on his challenges and turning conflict into playful banter. Eventually, though Scrubb rejects Reepicheep’s offerings of kindness and friendship, this relationship becomes healing to Scrubb in finding someone that is willing to respect him and care for him in spite of his prickly behavior. Often children (and many adults) are reflexively inclined to meet anger with anger and aggression with aggression, rather than the grace Reepicheep overs Scrubb over and over. This can be a great conversation to have with your child about how over time kindness and positive reinforcement can soothe a hurting person rather than adding more fuel to the fiery anger within. - How can we be like Reepicheep and Aslan to other people? Is there someone that maybe we can show more grace and respect to?Caregiver Note: This is a question that can help your child apply Reepicheep and Aslan’s attitudes of love and affirmation to others in times of conflict and doubt. Feel free to use an example of how you have confronted a similar issue or how you, as the adult, may help your child wade through similar experiences as well.
- When confronting the mist, why did Edmund see the White Witch? Why did Caspian hear his father say mean things? What would the mist stay to you?
Caregiver Note: Both Edmund and Caspian were tempted by facing deep seated fears of inadequacy. In the first film, Edmund was successfully tempted by the White Witch (Jadis) to betray his siblings and still harbors some regret from this though it was long forgiven and redeemed. Caspian, who never knew his father, hears his father tell him he is a disappointment. Sometimes children in care have not just one, but many voices in their head telling them they are irredeemable and disappointments from experiences rife with trauma even if no one directly said these things before. It is important for us as caregivers to find ways to replace that internal monologue with words of encouragement and acceptance. Let your child talk about this as they are comfortable and make a note to touch base with your child and praise them in areas of insecurity. If they feel they are not good at school because someone told them they are stupid, make sure to celebrate every victory in school no matter how small. If your child has been told they are worthless, check in with them often when they struggle like Lucy to help break the spell of negativity. - When Lucy and Edmund return to Cambridge, they find out they can’t come back to Narnia. Of course they are sad, but Aslan still promises to always be there for them if by a different name. What are things we can do to help you when you feel sad and miss people you love?
Caregiver Note: When children from the child welfare system say goodbye to a loved one, there is often not a guarantee they will see that person again for some time much like the Pevensie children with Aslan. Children in your home may be afraid to express things that may bring them comfort in fear of upsetting adults in their lives or feeling as though they have to pick sides. Use this as a discussion to reassure your child that they do not have to “pick sides”. Perhaps they’d like to be able to talk about home more often, have pictures of family in their room, or just would like a familiar dinner option occasionally. Additionally, if a child is about to transition out of your home they may be grappling with grief of losing the connections they have made while in your home. Consider making a Lifebook for children in your home, a scrapbook of all sorts of pictures, movie stubs, report cards, etc. for each you and the child so that they may have memories of the time spent with you to take with them wherever they may go. And for you, caregiver, so that you also have something to remember your cherished child as well. - Activity: Dawn Treader Ship Model
Caregiver Note: Let’s make our own ship! Take a 2-liter plastic bottle for your vessel and cut it in half with scissors. One have can be the base for your ship and the other half can have a circle cut from the round side to create a stand for your ship. Use construction paper for the floors, walls, and sails of your ship and dowel rods or pipe cleaners for various details such as the mast, keel, and figurehead. Let your child come up with a name for the ship and design it with a special flag. If you aren’t very familiar with ship anatomy, there are a lot of awesome images on the internet that will explain the names of different details to increase your nautical vocabulary.
About The Reviewer: Rachael Rathe
Rachael B. Rathe is an East Tennessee native with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology with a Minor in Child & Family Studies from The University of Tennessee Knoxville. She has worked in mental health since 2013 and in foster care/adoptions for a private provider agency since 2014. Rachael was inspired to work in the field after working with children and teens on a volunteer basis 2008 – 2013. Rachael’s ideal self-care day involves snuggling on a couch with her kitties (Tabitha, Fergus, and Rufus) while enjoying a good movie or book. She also enjoys galavanting around conventions concerning all things nerd and geekery.
**Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its review to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.