Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew Trailer Breakdown: Every Secret Spotted in the First Look

After myriad successes with adaptations of Little Women and Barbie, filmmaker Greta Gerwig is taking us to the absolute beginning of Narnia with The Magician’s Nephew — a story set during an era that’s never before been put to screen in live-action — and she’s ushering in her vision of the story with a whole lot of rock ’n’ roll goodness. With the release of the trailer, we’re here to walk you through all the biggest moments you may have missed upon first viewing. 

There aren’t many fantasy worlds out there that come with as much esteem as C.S. Lewis’ Narnia. The novels are beloved by children and adults alike, and they transcend generations. We’ve had a fair share of adaptations over the years, from ITV’s forgotten series back in 1967, to the cult animated adaptation in 1979. Then there was the ‘definitive’ three-part Narnia series that ran from the late ’80s to the early ’90s. Perhaps most notably were the requisite movies aired in the early 2000s, back in a time when big-screen epic fantasy was all the rage thanks to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

It feels like we’ve had a glut of Narnia over the years — and we have — but what sets Greta Gerwig’s adaptation apart is where it begins. The Magician’s Nephew adapts the first novel chronologically in the series. It’s the definitive origin story for the creation of Narnia, how Jadis (who becomes the White Witch) came to be, and it paves the way for the setting of the well-known sequel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. 

To usher in this new take on Narnia, Gerwig has assembled the mother of all casts — perhaps biggest of all, the legendary Meryl Streep voices Aslan. Also involved are Daniel Craig (Andrew Ketterley), Emma Mackey (Jadis), Carey Mulligan (Mabel Kirke), David McKenna (Digory Kirke), and Beatrice Campbell (Polly Plummer). 

As we knew from previous interviews, this new take on Narnia is inherently different from anything we’ve seen before; it’s Gerwig making a film in her own image. It changes a lot (including shifting the timeline of the original story), but in doing so adds an infusion of glam-rock culture that gives Narnia a wholly new feel. “Narnia is literally a world made out of music,” Gerwig told Empire in a recent interview. “It is a world sung to life by Aslan, and rock ’n’ roll to me felt like a world made out of music.”

If you haven’t already seen the trailer for Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew, check it out down below:

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Trailer breakdown

A lot was packed into the trailer, which clocked in at 2 minutes and 30 seconds and takes viewers into Narnia to the tune of ’70s rock anthem Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, setting the tone for Gerwig’s self-proclaimed ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ movie. Incidentally, this marks the first time the band has granted permission for the song to be used in a film. 

From there, the trailer almost plays out a micro-version of the movie in chronological order. It begins with a nostalgic look at the legendary ‘Narnia wardrobe’ — the most famous gateway into Narnia. We then meet the eccentric Uncle Andrew and his nephew Digory, and his friend Polly. The kids are given magic rings which take them to the mystical ‘Wood Between the Worlds’, a realm that serves as a transit hub to different universes. They first step into Charn, where they awaken the cruel witch Jadis, who goes on to become the White Witch in Narnia. Later in the trailer, we get a glimpse of Aslan, the omnipotent lion who ushers in the creation of Narnia, a world created under the framework of colour and glam-rock music. 

The wardrobe — why is it shown?

The trailer begins with a first look at the iconic wardrobe from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s interesting to see it feature at all, as the wardrobe does not physically appear in the original novel The Magician’s Nephew, though (spoiler) the novel does reveal that it was carved from a tree grown from an enchanted Narnian apple. 

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Polly & Digory

It then shifts into introducing us to our two main characters: best friends Digory (David McKenna) and Polly (Beatrice Campbell) whose curiosity pits them at the centre of otherworldly chaos and the creation of Narnia itself. 

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Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley

We then see Daniel Craig as Uncle Andrew Ketterley, the fundamentally selfish, eccentric, vain, and cowardly magician who introduces Polly and Digory to magic rings capable of transporting them into different worlds. Ketterley works from his cluttered laboratory in London, a place he seldom leaves. 

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The Wood Between the Worlds

Once Polly and Digory arm themselves with the magic rings, they’re able to transport themselves into the Wood Between the Worlds, a mystical forest with myriad ponds that links the many universes. 

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Our first look at Charn, the home world of Jadis

Through a pond in the Wood Between the Worlds, Digory and Polly enter the world of Charn — a place that has never been shown in any live-action Narnia adaptation before. Charn is the home of Jadis, played by Emma Mackey, who goes on to become the White Witch in Narnia.  When Digory and Polly arrive in Charn, it is a desolate and destroyed city, glowing reddish from a deep red sun. The trailer depicts the waking of Jadis from an enchanted, statue-esque sleep, waiting until someone rings a golden bell to wake her. 

On her waking, after Digory unwittingly rings the royal bell, she’s dressed in a silver, disco-inspired, glam-rock dress. And we get a first glimpse of her wand: glowing green, red, and yellow. She’s every bit the disco icon. Also note the neon strips that line the room. 

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Jadis attacks

Once awakened, Jadis immediately strikes out in her thirst for power — and both Polly and Digory are the most present targets. She chases them back to London. The trailer depicts her using magic to cause devastation in the city, which is a significant departure from the novel, where she cannot use her magical powers on Earth. 

In the still below, we see Jadis causing more destruction, but there’s a hidden Easter Egg in the background. In the background, we see the pub ‘The Eagle and Child,’ which is a direct reference to where J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and their literary group called the Inklings met regularly in Oxford, England. 

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First look at Polly and Digory flying the winged horse

One of the most iconic visuals from The Magician’s Nephew comes when Polly and Digory take flight on a winged horse. The horse originated as a London cab horse named Strawberry, whom Aslan bestows the gift of speech and grants him the ability of flight, renaming him Fledge and declaring him ancestor of all winged horses in Narnia. Fledge assists the duo in flying to a magical garden for an enchanted apple in order to heal Digory’s sick mother. 

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Jadis becomes the White Witch

It’s surprising to see the trailer show the reveal that Jadis becomes the White Witch. Set against an icy blue woodland backdrop, we get a good glimpse of her cold, white dress, wielding a different wand to the one she had in Charn. The wand we see here is almost transparent. 

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The arrival of Aslan and the creation of Narnia

By far the most spectacular scene in the trailer comes when we witness the arrival of Aslan, shown as an ethereal entity who weaves together the creation of Narnia through a burst of colour and music. The scene is a true spectacle, seeing the Narnian landscapes come together through a bright palette of warm colours and deep purples. The trailer does not allow us to hear Meryl Streep voicing the lion; we’ll have to wait a little longer for that. 

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How have fans reacted to the trailer?

The trailer has its positives and drawbacks. It certainly breathes fresh new life into a tried-and-tested fantasy world, and Gerwig’s influence dials the senses to overload — it’s bursting with color and fuelled by high-energy rock. It carries that same Doctor Who-style whimsical nature about it, which is a positive or negative depending on taste. There are elements where the CGI shows wonders, like the flight on the winged horse or the creation of Narnia, and then at times it feels framed almost like a stage play. Overall, this is a trailer that has won over a lot of doubters; all we need to do is look on social media. 

Immediate reaction to the trailer has been mixed but mostly positive, with fans pointing out Gerwig’s signature style as a strength. We’ve listed some general opinions from across the board down below: 

those last 10 seconds…i actually SCREAMED THIS IS GOING TO BE MY WHOLE ENTIRE PERSONALITY

— Georgia Coley (@artwithinpod) October 13, 2026

Looks bold and ambitious af.
SOLD.
In Greta We Trust… or at least I definitely do.

— Phantom (@effoff1988) October 13, 2026

Still a bit iffy on the visual style but I believe Greta is gonna knock it out of the park again. The shot of Aslan at the end gave me goosebumps

— Josh (@joshlovesmovies) October 13, 2026

Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew debuts in theatres on February 12, 2027, before streaming on Netflix on April 2, 2027.