> Of course it is supposed to be a Christian allegory. But the
> Christians don't have a monopoly on the elements of the story.
John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress was once a bestseller, but most Christians probably don't read it today unless they get it assigned in an English literature course. (Has anyone seen Pilgrim's Progress [Liam Neeson playing Evangelist]: <http://www.imdb.com/title/ tt0359836/>?) A strict Christian allegory, unlike a loose "supposal" in Narnia, has a limited appeal beyond Christian circles and can't be easily made into a Disney movie. The Bible itself, in contrast, has many dramatic, violent, and/or obscene stories, so many parts of it have fared well on the big screen.
Aside from pagan flourishes, what's attractive about Narnia is probably its fairy-tale Englishness. When Lucy first meets Mr. Tumnus, a diffident but friendly faun, he invites her to tea! People don't necessarily like England as it really has been, but many love their idea of, e.g., English politeness.
Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>