The film begins with the 1940 bombing of Finchley, London, during the Blitz. The Pevensie children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, are in direct danger from the falling bombs - a scene which did not appear in the original C.S. Lewis book and which at the very start introduces the underlying tension and jealousy between Edmund and his siblings which would have a major role in the later plot.
Subsequently, the children are - as in the book - evacuated to the country home of Professor Kirke. One day while they are playing hide and seek, Lucy discovers a wardrobe and enters a wintery fantasy world called Narnia. She spends a few hours in the home of the faun, Mr. Tumnus, who explains that the White Witch cursed Narnia, and it has been winter for one hundred years. In accordance with her orders, if a human is ever encountered, a Narnian must bring them to her. However, Tumnus likes Lucy and can't bring himself to kidnap her so he sends her home. When she returns, hardly any time has passed in the normal world, and when the other children check the Wardrobe, all they see is a normal wooden back - the portal is gone.
Later, Edmund follows Lucy into Narnia, and he meets the White Witch and her faithful dwarf, Ginarrbrik. She offers him Turkish delight, as well as the prospect of becoming king if Edmund will bring his brother and sisters to her castle. After she departs, Edmund and Lucy meet again and they return to tell the others. Edmund does not confirm Narnia's existence to Peter and Susan, saying he was merely playing along with Lucy. This distresses Lucy, who bumps into Professor Kirke. The Professor has a private talk with Peter and Susan; he does not understand why they do not believe Lucy's story and presents to them the use of logic (which Susan is very fond of) in the situation: when they are given three choices for an explanation of Lucy's behavior — madness, dishonesty, and sincerity — the others know she is neither mad nor dishonest, so she is "logically" telling the truth.
On another day, while hiding from the housekeeper in the wardrobe after breaking a window, the four siblings step into Narnia. Peter and Susan apologize for their earlier disbelief and Peter threatens Edmund unless he apologizes to Lucy. They discover Mr. Tumnus has been taken by the Witch's Secret Police and they meet talking beavers who tell them about Aslan. According to the beavers, Aslan is on the move to take the control of Narnia from the White Witch. The four must help Aslan and his followers; it had been prophesied that when two sons of Adam and two daughters of Eve sat in the four thrones, the Witch's reign would come to an end.
Edmund sneaks off and visits the Witch alone. When he arrives at her castle, she is angry that he did not deliver his brother and sisters. Then the White Witch sends a pack of wolves to hunt down the other children and the beavers, who barely escape with the aid of a fox. Meanwhile, Edmund is chained in the Witch's dungeon where he meets Mr. Tumnus in an adjacent cell. The Witch comes down and demands that Edmund tell her where his family is because her police couldn't find them; Edmund tells her some information, but hesitates when Tumnus looks at him, warningly (he also tries to tell the witch that Edmund doesn't know anything, but is injured by Ginnabrik). The witch sees that Tumnus is hindering the information, so she has him "released" and brought over to her. After she tells Mr. Tumnus that it was Edmund's fault that she knew about his involvement, Mr. Tumnus is dragged upstairs and turned into stone, as Edmund sees with a horror when he is brought up.
While Peter, Lucy, Susan, and the beavers are traveling to the Stone Table, they see what they believe to be the White Witch in her sleigh chasing after them, so they run and hide — fortunately, it is really Father Christmas. Warning them that they are tools, not toys, he gives Lucy a bottle of juice of fire-flowers and a dagger; Susan a bow and arrow and a magical horn; and Peter a sword and shield. Father Christmas informs them that winter will soon be over. Unfortunately, this means the rivers are thawing, and the arrival of Maugrim and several other wolves makes the passage even more perilous. But with their weapons, the group manages to safely cross the river, leaving the Witch no real way to reach them by sleigh.
Arriving at Aslan's army encampment, they encounter Aslan, who is revealed as a huge and noble lion. Aslan promises to help Edmund in any way he can. They are also reluctant to participate in a war after fleeing from London. However, they have to save Edmund and Mr. Tumnus. Peter joins Aslan's army. A little later, two wolves ambush Lucy and Susan while they are frolicking by the river. When Peter intervenes, Maugrim attacks him, and Peter kills him with his sword. Some of Aslan's troops follow the other wolf back to the witch's camp and rescue Edmund.
Aslan has a "private talk" with Edmund. When he is done, Aslan tells the other children to speak of Edmund's actions no more, and the siblings reconcile. The White Witch then arrives and claims that Edmund is her property, based on the "deep magic" of Narnia; it says that traitors belong to her as lawful prey and that she must kill them at the Stone Table. Aslan privately "negotiates" with the White Witch, who agrees to leave Edmund alone. In return, Aslan "sacrifices" himself and surrenders to the witch. Later that night Susan and Lucy notice Aslan leaving the encampment and into the forest alone. After walking with Aslan for a while he tells the sisters to return to camp for they cannot go where Aslan is heading. As they watch in hiding, Aslan approaches the Stone Table where he is humiliated and his mane shaved by the White Witch's followers. Finally he is bound and laid before the White Witch herself who plunges a dagger into Aslan, killing him. However, in the morning he is resurrected because "there is a magic deeper still the Witch does not know." Aslan takes Susan and Lucy to the Witch's mansion where he frees the prisoners of the White Witch, including Mr. Tumnus, forming an army for battle.
Meanwhile, Edmund persuades Peter to join battle with the Witch's host. At first quite successful, Peter's army soon begins to lose the fight, and Edmund is badly injured, though he has managed to destroy the White Witch's stone-turning staff, her most effective weapon. As she battles with Peter, Aslan soon arrives with reinforcements. She takes advantage of this distraction and disarms him. She is about to stab him when Aslan jumps on her, knocking her to the other side of the cliff and killing her. He then returns to Peter and tells him that "it is finished". Susan uses her bow and arrow to kill Ginarrbrik who attempts to finish Edmund off before there is a chance to save him. Lucy revives Edmund and many others with the fire-flower juice given to her by Father Christmas, while Aslan frees more victims of the White Witch's stone-turning spell.
The Pevensies become Kings and Queens and stay in Narnia until they are older. When chasing a white stag to receive wishes, they find the lamppost and the wardrobe and go back to England, where they magically appear as children again. The Professor then tosses them the ball used to break the window and instructs them to tell him the story. Later, Lucy attempts to go back to Narnia, but the Professor tells her he has been trying for years, and they will probably get back to Narnia when least expected.
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