How original is Pan's Labyrinth?

Question

I was watching Pan's Labyrinth and it was a lot like Narnia i.e. Same time, little girl is protagonist, both films have a faun in it and it has the same theme. But apparently, Pan's Labyrinth is original when Narnia came out first and Narnia isn't considered original. Why is that? And don't tell me that Pan's Labyrinth is original because it's darker and/or the characters are different.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I've never heard anyone call The Chronicles of Narnia unoriginal.
Lots of the similarities might exist because both are based on myths and legends from many different ancient cultures; I don't think a five year old could go that deep.
However, with all that being said, you do make a solid point about the similarities between the two works; I never realized just how similar they are. However, I think the similarity ends with the characters. They may share some of the same themes, but again, I think that's only because they both have roots in the same legends. Nonetheless, it isn't at all outrageous to say Guillermo del Toro might have borrowed some ideas from CS Lewis.

Hopp24ycat · Answer

Narnia is based on a series of books. Pan's Labyrinth came out of Del Toro's imagination. To suggest that they are similar because they both have fauns is like saying Titanic is the same as Poseidon because they both are about ships in peril.  And the characters are quite different.

How original is Pan's Labyrinth?

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