The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

Release Date
August 4, 2017

Plot
A boy by the name of Shasta is found as a baby and raised by Arsheesh, a Calormene fisherman. As the story begins, Shasta overhears Arsheesh agreeing to sell him to a powerful Calormene feudal nobleman, Anradin. He is relieved to discover that Arsheesh is not his real father, since there was little love between them. While Shasta awaits his new master in the stable, Bree, the nobleman's stallion, astounds Shasta by speaking to him. He is a talking horse from Narnia who was captured by the Calormenes as a foal. He tells Shasta that Anradin will treat him cruelly, and Shasta resolves to escape. The horse suggests that they escape a life of servitude by riding north together to Narnia. They meet another pair of escaping travellers, Aravis, a young Calormene aristocrat, and her talking horse, Hwin. Aravis is fleeing a forced marriage with Ahoshta, the Tisro'sc's grandvizier.

The four must travel through Tashbaan, the great capital of Calormen. There they encounter a visiting Narnian party, who mistake Shasta for Corin, a prince of Archenland, who went exploring earlier that day. Obliged to accompany them Shasta goes with the Narnians and overhears their plans to escape from Calormen to prevent a forced marriage of QueenSusan with the Tisroc's son, Rabadash. Shasta escapes when the real Prince Corin returns.

Meanwhile, Aravis has been spotted by her friend Lasaraleen. She asks Lasaraleen not to betray her, and to help her escape from Tashbaan. Lasaraleen cannot understand why Aravis would want to abandon the life of a Calormene noblewoman or refuse marriage with Ahoshta, but she helps Aravis escape through the garden of the Tisroc's palace. On the way, they hide when the Tisroc, Rabadash, and Ahoshta approach. Aravis overhears the Tisroc and Rabadash discussing the Narnians' escape. Rabadash is still determined to have Queen Susan and wants to invade Narnia to seize her. The Tisroc gives Rabadash permission to seize Archenland before making a quick raid into Narnia to kidnap Susan, while High KingPeter is preoccupied battling giants to the north.

Aravis rejoins Shasta and the horses outside Tashbaan, and tells them of the plot. The four set out across the desert, and a lion (whom they later discover to be Aslan) frightens them into fleeing swiftly enough to outrun Rabadash's cavalry. Shasta arrives in Archenland in time to warn Archenland and Narnia of the approaching Calormenes. When Rabadash and his horsemen arrive at the castle of KingLune in Archenland, they find the defenders alerted, and a siege ensues. There is no clear outcome until a relief army from Narnia, led by Edmund and Lucy arrives. The Calormenes are defeated, and Rabadash is captured. Anradin is among those who fall in the battle.

Rabadash rebuffs King Lune's offer of conditional release, and is transformed by Aslan into a donkey. His true form will be restored if he stands before the altar of Tash at the Autumn Feast. However, the prince will become a donkey permanently if he ever goes more than ten miles from the Temple of Tash. For this reason, Rabadash pursues peaceful policies when he becomes Tisroc, as he dare not cross the ten-mile boundary by going to war.

The victorious King Lune recognizes Shasta as Cor, the long-lost identical twin of Prince Corin and, as barely the elder of the two, the heir to the throne. He was kidnapped as a baby to counter a prophecy that he would one day save Archenland from its greatest peril, but Shasta's timely warning has fulfilled the prophecy. Aravis and Shasta live in Archenland thereafter and eventually marry. Their son, Ram, becomes the most famous king of Archenland.

Cast
Leim Neeson as Aslan

An Unknown as Shasta/Corin

An Unknown as Aravis

Simon Pegg as Bree

Lucy Davis as Hwin

Dev Patel as Prince Rabidash

Rhys Ifans as King Lune

Skandar Keynes as King Edmund

Anna Popplewell as Queen Susan

Grorgie Henley as Queen Lucy

William Mosley as King Peter