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In only four years of existence, Walden Media has shown it can turn great books into fine films: Holes (2003) and Because of Winn-Dixie (2005) are evidence enough. But Walden dropped the ball on Around the World in 80 Days (2004), a critical and box-office disaster. The difference? Holes and Winn-Dixie were faithful adaptations of the books, while 80 Days—little more than a slapstick farce starring Jackie Chan—was not.

Micheal Flaherty

The lessons learned, says Walden co-founder and president Micheal Flaherty, were simple: Be faithful to the story. Or, put another way, Don't screw it up.

Right now, the heat is really on Flaherty and Walden, the film studio producing The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, releasing December 9. Walden partnered with Disney to market and distribute the film, but Walden retained all creative control. So, if you like the movie, you can thank Walden. If you don't like it, you'll know exactly where to lay the blame.

Since Wardrobe—one of C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia—is among the most-loved books in evangelical circles, Flaherty, a Christian and Narnia fan himself, says the pressure to get it right is "insane." But Flaherty, 37 and the father of three young children, promises it will be a "fantastic, faithful adaptation."

I've heard that the Columbine High School shootings had an effect on your life and faith, and even played a part in the formation of Walden Media.

Micheal Flaherty: I was thoroughly depressed after Columbine, but I started to get encouraged when I read about how strong some of the young victims' faith was, particularly Cassie Bernall and Rachel Scott. One thing I found interesting was that these kids loved films. Cassie's favorite movie was Braveheart, and I think Rachel's was as well. In contrast, the killers' favorite films were reportedly things like Natural Born Killers.

I decided I would like to find a way to make more great, inspiring films that can lift people up and encourage them, particularly for this age group. So I called my old roommate from college, Cary Granat, who at the time was president of Dimension Films. Cary also wanted to do something more inspirational for the family. So that was the origin of it, acknowledging that media really does have a role in influencing hearts and minds. And finding a way, rather than just to curse the darkness, to light a few candles and get more great films out there.

How would you describe what Walden Media does today?

Flaherty: We try to be a voice for parents, teachers, pastors, youth leaders, librarians—people who work actively with kids. We find out what stories really get these kids motivated to love reading. And from that we have a great list: Our first movie was Holes, and we just had Because of Winn-Dixie a few months ago.

Some people say Phil Anschutz is just the big-money guy at Walden. How would you describe his role?

Flaherty: He's intimately involved. Cary and I speak with him several times a week. When we first met with Phil [in 2000] and he decided he wanted to invest in the company, he was involved in everything from writing the mission statement to helping us identify properties. He asked us for ideas of books we would like to turn into films. We mentioned The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and [learned] that was really on Phil's heart. He really wanted to see that film get made.

Some Walden films, like Holes and Winn-Dixie, made good money. But Around the World in 80 Days and I Am David were financial disasters. Can Walden afford to take those hits?

Flaherty: We all went into this with our eyes wide open. The economics of Hollywood says if you're batting .200, if 2 out of 10 of these things are working, then you're hitting the batting average. We're happy with those films, but I think we learned some great lessons from them as well.

Like what?

Flaherty: 80 Days, for example, wasn't a completely faithful adaptation, as opposed to our other books. We took some liberties with the book. But I really just don't like talking about that one.

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