The marketing model of an industry often derided by academics, Hollywood, looks set to be transformed in the unlikely surroundings of 200,000 US classrooms.

As the winter term draws to a close, millions of US schoolchildren are expected to join reading groups or tutorials about Narnia - CS Lewis's fantasy land populated with magical, talking creatures - in a media project timed to coincide with the release of the $100m-$150m film adaptation of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.