In a parallel universe in which a person's soul resides outside the body in the form of an animal called a "dæmon", Europe is controlled by an authoritarian organization called the Magisterium. In Oxford, orphaned Lyra Belacqua, a ward of Jordan College, tells of the "Gobblers", who she and her friends hold responsible for the disappearance of several other local children. The college is visited by Lyra's uncle, Lord Asriel, who intends to present evidence which points to the existence of particles called "Dust" —an idea in opposition to official Magisterium doctrine. After Lyra saves Asriel from assassination at the hands of a Magisterial representative, he obtains funding from the college to mount an expedition to the far north in order to investigate the substance, which he believes originates in a parallel universe to his own and enters a person's body via their dæmon. Fearing the effects of Dust, the Magisterium conducts experiments on children in order to find a means of inoculating them against it.
After Asriel departs, the college is visited by Mrs. Coulter, who offers to take Lyra north as her assistant. Lyra is entrusted with an alethiometer by the master of the college. The alethiometer is a device that is able to reveal the answer to any question asked of it by a trained user, and is the last in existence since the Magisterium forbade their use. While unable to operate the device, Lyra accepts the gift and takes it with her to Mrs. Coulter's home. When Mrs. Coulter arouses Lyra's suspicions by delaying their journey, Lyra discovers that Mrs. Coulter is head of the General Oblation Board—the "Gobblers" who have been kidnapping local children. She also discovers that her best friend Roger and her Gyptian friend Billy Costa have been taken by the Gobblers to the north.
Mrs. Coulter learns of Lyra's possession of the alethiometer, but Lyra escapes. The "Gobblers" pursue her, but she is saved by the Gyptians: a nomadic boat people. They are planning to travel north by sea to rescue the kidnapped children, who have many Gyptians amongst them. Lyra travels with them and comes to an understanding of the alethiometer's use with the aid of a Gyptian and the queen of a witch clan, Serafina Pekkala, who appears during the journey. At a Norwegian port, Lyra befriends aeronaut Lee Scoresby, who advises her to hire Iorek Byrnison, an exiled prince of a race of armoured polar bears. Iorek is employed as a metalworker in the port after he was tricked out of his armour by the local townspeople. Lyra uses the alethiometer to discover the armour's location, which Iorek recovers. He pledges his service to Lyra's cause, and Scoresby is hired by the Gyptians to aid them on the trek north.
The alethiometer guides Lyra to Billy Costa, who has escaped from a Magisterium research station. She finds him dazed and without his dæmon, and returns him to the Gyptians. The group is attacked by a tribe of Samoyeds and Lyra is captured. She is taken to the king of the armoured bears, who Lyra tricks into fighting Iorek for the throne. Iorek kills him and becomes king. He carries Lyra to the Magisterium research station, but the two are separated by the collapse of an ice bridge. Lyra pretends to be lost and is welcomed into the station by Magisterium scientists. She locates Roger and instructs him to have the other kidnapped children prepare for escape. Lyra discovers that the Magisterium scientists, under the guidance of Mrs. Coulter, are performing experiments to sever the bond between a child and his or her dæmon. After being discovered eavesdropping by the scientists, Lyra is taken to a room where they begin performing the separation procedure on her. Before the procedure is completed, Mrs. Coulter enters the room and shuts off the machinery, taking Lyra to her quarters.
Mrs. Coulter explains that the separation procedure is necessary because Dust begins to flow into a child via the dæmon when puberty begins, and says that it causes "bad thoughts" as children near maturity. She tells Lyra that she stopped the procedure on her because the device is not yet perfected and sometimes causes the death of the child. She also tells Lyra that she is her mother, and Lord Asriel is her father. Lyra learns that Asriel is engaged in his research farther north and that assassins have been sent to kill him. When Mrs. Coulter asks for the alethiometer, Lyra incapacitates her and escapes.
Lyra destroys the separation machinery, leading to a series of explosions which begin to tear down the facility. Lyra leads the other children outside, where Magisterial guards block their escape. A battle ensues when Iorek, the Gyptians, and a band of witches led by Serafina Pekkala arrive. The guards are defeated and the children are rescued. Instead of travelling back south with the Gyptians and the rescued children, Lyra and Roger choose to travel north with Lee Scoresby, Iorek Byrnison and Serafina to find Lord Asriel. Serafina posits that the Magisterium doesn't just want to control their world, but "every world in every universe" .
Cast
- Dakota Blue Richards as Lyra Belacqua, who embarks on a voyage to battle the forces of evil and rescue her best friend. New Line Cinema announced 12-year-old Richards' casting in June 2006. She had attended an open audition after watching a stage production of His Dark Materials, and was picked from 10,000 girls who auditioned, for what is her first acting role.
- Nicole Kidman as Marisa Coulter, Lyra's caretaker and the antagonist of the film. Kidman was author Philip Pullman's preferred choice for the role ten years before production of the film, and despite initially rejecting the offer to star as she didn't want to play a villain, she signed on after receiving a personal letter from Pullman.
- Daniel Craig as Lord Asriel, Lyra's ruthless and mysterious adventurer uncle. In July 2006, it was reported that Paul Bettany was in talks to play the role.
- Ian McKellen as the voice of Iorek Byrnison, a panserbjørn (armoured bear) who becomes Lyra's friend and comrade. Nonso Anozie had recorded lines for the part of Iorek Byrnison, but was replaced by McKellen at a late stage as New Line wanted a bigger name in the role.[9] New Line president of production Toby Emmerich admitted he "never thought [Anozie] sounded like Iorek" and while he initially trusted director Weitz's casting decision, he "never stopped thinking that this guy didn't sound right." The recasting was against Weitz's wishes, though he later said "if you're going to have anyone recast in your movie, you're happy it's Ian McKellen."
- Ian McShane as the voice of Ragnar Sturlusson, king of the panserbjørne. Ragnar's name in the book was Iofur Raknison, but the name was changed to prevent confusion between him and Iorek.[10]
- Sam Elliott as Lee Scoresby, a Texan aeronaut who comes to Lyra's aid.
- Eva Green as Serafina Pekkala, a witch queen.
- Freddie Highmore as the voice of Pantalaimon, Lyra's dæmon.
- Ben Walker as Roger Parslow, Lyra's best friend, who is kidnapped and taken North.
- Clare Higgins as Ma Costa, member of a Gyptian family which aids Lyra.
- Jim Carter as John Faa, the king of the Gyptians.
- Tom Courtenay as Farder Coram, Gyptian second-in-command and advisor to John Faa.
- Kathy Bates as the voice of Hester, Lee Scoresby's dæmon.
- Kristin Scott Thomas as the voice of Stelmaria, Lord Asriel's dæmon.
- Jack Shepherd as Master of Jordan College.
- Simon McBurney as Fra Pavel.
- Magda Szubanski as Mrs. Lonsdale.
- Christopher Lee as the Magisterium's First High Councilor. Lee's casting was also at New Line's behest, rather than that of Chris Weitz.
- Derek Jacobi as the Magisterial Emissary.
- Charlie Rowe as Billy Costa.
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