Narnia Fans Split Over Greta Gerwig’s ‘Magicians Nephew’ Trailer: “Best in Years” to “Lost Its Soul to CGI”

Adapting C.S. Lewis’ beloved children’s book series The Chronicles of Narnia is no easy task, and certainly one that’s primed for some online controversy.

So it’s probably no surprise that the trailer (below) for Netflix‘s adaptation of The Magician’s Nephew — chronologically the first novel in Lewis’ seven-book series — is getting some strong reactions on social media.

The adaptation was already receiving some early pushback among conservative media figures before the trailer dropped given that the Christian allegory is being adapted by Barbie writer-director Greta Gerwig, who also made the sacrilegious-to-some decision to cast Meryl Streep as the voice of the franchise’s Jesus-figure, Aslan.

Now the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew trailer has dropped in all its glittery glam rock glory, set to the tune of Led Zeppelin’s famously difficult-to-license “Stairway to Heaven,” and reactions are all over the place.

The most common pushback concerns the trailer’s psychedelic space-rock visuals, with many comparing the project to a Marvel movie. Some quips from the official YouTube video and across Reddit and X: “Narnia: Rangarok,” “They managed to Thor: Love & Thunder Narnia,” “Guardians of Narnia’s Galaxy,” “Aslan the Lion will return in Avengers: Doomsday.”

Many said they loved the trailer and that it surpassed their expectations.

“The trailer for The Magician’s Nephew is, hands down, the best trailer I’ve seen in years. They’re definitely leaning into the pagan side of Narnia.” Another: “Man people were preemptively fuming over this one but I recognize just about every scene and every line [from the book]. Looks to be a very faithful adaptation with a sort of rock opera twist.” And: “Greta Gerwig going full ‘Jim Henson’s Dark Crystal/Labyrinth + Chris Columbus’ Harry Potter + Led Zeppelin + blockbuster budget’ was not on my bingo card, but it looks fantastic.”

Some agreed that they liked the trailer — just not as a Narnia adaptation.

“Visually stunning trailer but nothing really jumped out to me indicating that this is a Narnia movie,” wrote one. And: “This might be the most conflicted I’ve ever felt about a trailer. It looks dope af and honestly like it’s going to have this ethereal awestruck quality to it. I just wish it wasn’t Narnia she was doing this with.”

Others just wholesale bagged on the trailer.

“Who’d have ever guessed that giving a legendary, beloved book series like The Chronicles of Narnia to modern Hollywood would result in a bizarre, disastrous fever dream interpretation with some of the worst looking CGI backgrounds ever put on film?” And: “This is a prime example of how something can lose its soul to CGI overuse …The visuals of Netflix’s butchering of Narnia literally looks like it was made with AI.” And: “I am extremely unimpressed. This is not Narnia. This is Thor: Love and Thunder and Barbie had a baby. They make the boy a coward, they make the girl the adventurer, and Aslan is supposed to be the pinnacle of masculinity.”

The cast includes David McKenna, Beatrice Campbell, Emma Mackey, Carey Mulligan, Ciarán Hinds, with Daniel Craig and Meryl Streep, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Denise Gough and Susan Wokoma. Netflix will release Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew in theaters and Imax on Feb. 12, 2027.