Powerful swords, dragons and evil mist lurk on the other side of the painting portal to a magical world of fantasy.

Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are back in “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader,” and this time the siblings find themselves transported to King Caspian’s royal ship, The Dawn Treader.

Since the siblings’ last visit, Caspian has set off on a quest to find the seven lost lords of Narnia, and now Edmund, Lucy and their cousin Eustace, a newcomer to Narnia, are there to join the hunt.

This heroic journey leaves Caspian and the others to their own devices to fight off a variety of enemies. They take on everything from dufflepuds, tiny people each with only one giant foot to hop around on, to the dark mist that takes on the form of your worst fear.

The film delivers perfectly timed comedic relief, thanks to the swash-buckling and smart-talking field mouse, Reepicheep, and the siblings’ haughty cousin’s diary.

The movie’s plot follows the book closely, but non-readers and fans alike can enjoy “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.”

Returning for the latest installment, Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes play Lucy and Edmund respectively. Ben Barnes also reprises his role as Caspian the King of Narnia, and Liam Neeson gives a powerful voice to Aslan once again.

The older Pevensie siblings do not have a real role in “The Dawn Treader,” however both Anna Popplewell (Susan) and William Moseley (Peter) make small cameos in their younger siblings’ dreams.

For fans of the film series, the audience gets to see growth in the returning characters, particularly Lucy. She is now a teenager and struggles with insecurity and appearance like most girls her age. Viewers get an inside look as she learns to deal with coming of age.

“The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is now a product of Twentieth Century Fox, after a breakdown of the Disney and Walden Media partnership.

While no longer a part of the Disney empire, “The Dawn Treader” is surprisingly more family-friendly than the previous two. The film includes several battle scenes, but they are “all-age appropriate,” and some of the necessary intensity is lost in this decision.

The latest installment of the Narnia series also takes on a new director, Michael Apted, a British filmmaker.

These changes on the production side have changed the look and feel of the Narnia series, and the Christian metaphor developed through C.S. Lewis’ series is more explicit in this film.

The dark forces that have taken over parts of Narnia tempt the characters and test their faith in Aslan, the God figure. The ending also has a Christian tie in talking about Aslan as a figure in the real world. He says he has another name and they must seek him and follow him.  

The film transports viewers to a magical world for a short while, and the journey is full of adventure. “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” is the perfect film to see with the whole family this holiday season.