Aslan's Voice Change

I sometimes feel like asking the internet to behave is futile. After all, it gave the world GamerGate in 2014! However, considering its tantrums have spillover, especially nowadays, it’s something I can’t ignore. Which leads me to Greta Gerwig’s reboot of The Chronicles of Narnia, specifically the casting of Aslan. Because that’s, apparently, backlash-worthy.

I like The Chronicles of Narnia series. It’s not high on my favourite works of fiction, but the quasi-Christian allegories are fun to go along with. I also like the first two movies from Disney. They lean heavily on being the answer to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but there’s something charming about them anyway. They’re also quite violent at times, something preteen me was definitely into.

Which leads me to the reboot, courtesy of Gerwig and Netflix. Gerwig’s proven herself with IP work through Barbie, and she genuinely has affection for the material. Netflix, conversely, has shown they can make good entertainment. But while I don’t know if all 7 books will be adapted, especially given some of their out-there themes, the trailer for The Magician’s Nephew appears to already have a distinct style and tone. It also managed to sneak in “Stairway to Heaven”, which is impressive given Led Zeppelin’s incredibly protective of it.

However, that’s not what people are talking about. The controversy surrounds casting Meryl Streep as the voice of Aslan. We haven’t heard her yet, but a woman voicing Aslan has already generated pushback. Never mind that Streep’s a multi-Oscar winner, and that she elevates the quality of whatever she’s in, it’s an issue. That’s right, “a woman can’t be Aslan” is now a controversy.

Two points of note. The first is that Aslan in the books is described with a femininely-masculine voice. I know we’re used to Liam Neeson as Aslan, but that’s already pretty flexible. Considering Streep has a deep register for a woman anyway, and that we haven’t even heard her performance, I think she deserves a chance to prove herself. We owe her that much.

And second, Aslan fictional. He’s not Solomon Northrup or Martin Luther King Jr., where intention matters to be respectful. This also isn’t Hamilton, a hyper-fictionalized version of history. Aslan’s a lion, and lions can’t speak. If we’re already suspending our disbelief there, why can’t we suspend it with his voice?

I’m confused because gender-swapping in fiction isn’t new. The protagonist of Cybersix moonlights as a male professor, complete with Clark Kent-like glasses. Even going by animals, Moro from Princess Mononoke was voiced by a man in Japanese. We’re used to the American dub having Gillian Anderson, but Moro was voiced by a drag queen in Japan. It worked, because the character’s essence mattered more than the voice.

I’m also confused by people demanding male characters in fiction be static. I know bigots won’t acknowledge this, but gender’s performative. Unlike sex, which is more static, there’s a sliding scale to male and female behaviour. I know I don’t fall into conventionally-masculine characteristics, frequently growing my hair and nails and being sensitive. If I identify as a man despite that, why can’t a fictional lion be feminine-sounding?

Besides, what if Aslan ends up trans? Or non-binary? He’s not human, and lions don’t conform to human performances of gender, so who’s to say he can’t be male and female simultaneously? If Aslan’s this franchise’s version of God, and God’s described as both male and female depending on the context, then wouldn’t it make sense for him to be ambiguous?

Being rigid with fictional characters is a losing game. Not only is Aslan a lion, he’s not real. And arguing over who voices him ascribes intent where it’s non-existent. C.S. Lewis could’ve made Aslan a woman if he wanted, and nothing major would’ve changed. He probably wouldn’t have gotten away with it, especially considering when he lived, but it shouldn’t been ruled out given how forward-thinking he was. You’d think The Screwtape Letters would’ve been a tip-off…

Also, why does it matter? Aside from the feminine and masculine traits, changing the register of a fictional lion to that of a woman’s isn’t the end of the world. Like updating the story, there’s more to The Magician’s Nephew than its focal character’s voice. It contains allusions to Scripture, particularly the creation story. And the other 6 books contain allusions to Scripture too, albeit different parts.

It’s actually funny that Aslan’s voice bothers people. Not the ham-fisted Biblical references, not the psychedelic/punk rock aesthetic, not even the time period, it’s Aslan being voiced by one of our greatest actresses that’s a deal-breaker. I’d tell the internet get a life, but it clearly doesn’t have one. And it’s mind-numbing to try knocking sense into it.

Truthfully, this debate’s really more a reflection of bigotry. Because the internet’s telling on itself by caring this deeply about a Christian series for children. This is a franchise where Aslan’s both God and Jesus, where Santa Claus is friends with him and where Lilith and The Antichrist are worshipped and revered by many individuals. It’s also a series with plenty of mind-trickery and other-worldliness. With that in mind, Aslan’s voice really isn’t such a big deal.

But you do you…even if you sound ridiculous.