As Aslan the mighty lion tells young Lucy Pevensie: "Things never happen the same way twice, dear one."

And so it's true of "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," which cannot duplicate the sheer magic of meeting the Pevensie siblings on screen in "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" or being enthralled by Mr. Tumnus the faun or spooked by the White Witch.

But "Prince Caspian" has other charms, including a vast canvas, enough action to quell squirming youngsters and evidence of a budget that left little expense spared. It also has a PG rating that feels closer to a PG-13 at times, and a length of two hours and 20 minutes.

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'The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian'

3 stars = Good
Ratings explained

• Starring: Ben Barnes (right), Peter Dinklage, Georgie Henley, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes
• Rating: PG for epic battle action and violence
• Web site: 'Prince Caspian'

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Less can be more some times.

The follow-up to the December 2005 hit returns the excellent core cast -- Georgie Henley as Lucy, William Moseley as Peter, Anna Popplewell as Susan and Skandar Keynes as Edmund -- and introduces Ben Barnes as the dashing title character from C.S. Lewis' 1951 novel.

Also joining the franchise fray are Peter Dinklage as Trumpkin the Red Dwarf, Warwick Davis as a Black Dwarf named Nikabrik and a woodland full of fantastical and mythological creatures, from a talking badger to an oversize long-tailed mouse with the voice of Eddie Izzard.

The story picks up a year after the Pevensie children returned to World War II-era London. But, as they soon discover when they are summoned back to Narnia, 1,300 years have passed, and the land has been drained of its magic and is nearly unrecognizable.

Humans called Telmarines are in charge, and, as the movie opens, a young man named Prince Caspian (Barnes) is being hustled out of the castle he has called home. His evil uncle, Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), has produced an heir of his own and has no need for the nephew who barely escapes with his life and a protector's prediction that "everything you know is about to change."

And it does, as Caspian unwittingly summons the Pevensies from London. The quintet eventually meet and rally the Narnians of old to reclaim their kingdom.

As in the first movie, good battles evil, temptation arises, a figure who can be construed as God provides a test of faith, and there are echoes of wars past and present. And always, the youthful rulers are in charge or should be.

When Trumpkin, bound and dumped into the water, realizes who his rescuers are, he looks at the Pevensies and says, "Oh, you've got to be kidding. You're it? You're the kings and queens of old?"

Director Andrew Adamson and fellow writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have tinkered somewhat with the story to get the Londoners and Caspian into the same chronology and to speed their collaboration. As the young men who would be king, Caspian and Peter briefly lock horns and swords, and Caspian has a mild flirtation with Susan.

The filmmakers have amped up the action, adding a raid on the castle and expanding a climactic battle in a way that nearly tilts the movie off its axis. They also rely on computer-generated trickery, as when Gryphons deliver invaders to their destination.

"Prince Caspian" sets the stage for the next "Narnia" adaptation, but it feels complete -- not as if someone hit the pause button, as with "The Golden Compass." Barnes, although saddled with a Spanish accent and a bit too much earnestness, and the always terrific Dinklage are welcome additions to the franchise.

Even for moviegoers who don't automatically gravitate to such fare, "Prince Caspian" allows the Lewis book to spring to fulsome, fantastic life.