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Books to Watch: Children’s Film Adaptations That are Not Terrible
The other day I found myself presiding over a conversation/explanation for my three year-old that (as soon as I heard myself hold forth on the matter) left me with possibly more doubts and skepticism than I had before I opened my mouth. The summary version goes something like this: my son let me know that he wanted to see a movie version of one of his beloved story books (a book that, to my knowledge, hasn’t yet been committed to film). I told him that we might be able to see it in the future, but assured him that in virtually every case; the book is always better than the movie. My wife concurred. Without missing a beat, he asked us why books are better than movies, and honestly, I was a bit dumbfounded.
The obvious answer is that the written word is evermore nimble, nuanced, and dynamic than just about anything committed to film. It depicts the inner-world of both the writer as well as the characters that populate the tome. It is the graceful collision of text, image, and form that create the singular book experience that is both personal and unparalleled. This vitality is something that is more often than not lost in screen adaptations, as it is trampled underfoot by needless rewrites, runtime limitations, unfortunate omissions, and the general poverty of low expectations that make up most mainstream children’s films.
But really, how would you prove this point to a child who (as most children are) is drawn to the bombast and spectacle of children’s cinema?
Thankfully there are a few exceptions to the good book/bad movie rule. These films either faithfully interpret the beauty and artistry of the book for the screen, or (in some cases) they nearly exceed the two-dimensional limitations of the original.
The following is an imperfect and incomplete list of some of the standout film adaptations of children’s books (and this list is likely to change in the near future with much anticipated adaptations of Where the Wild Things Are and The Fantastic Mr. Fox set for release this fall and Dr. Seuss The Lorax going into production shortly):
The Prince and the Pauper (1937)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
The Secret Garden (1993)
The Princess Bride
The Iron Giant
Howl’s Moving Castle
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971)
101 Dalmatians (1961)
Coraline
The Harry Potter Series (while not all of these films are exemplary, the series seems to not only do justice to the books, but often expands upon moods, themes and ideas in the text)
The Wizard of Oz
Feel free to suggest additions, omissions, or simply comment on the current state of children’s films and their attempt at adapting literature.
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12 comments
add your comment »Have to add Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea (I think that title has since been changed to Anne of Green Gables: The Sequal), based on the Anne books by Lucy Maud Montgomery. While not a literal, verbatim translation of the books (but what movie is? That would be impossible), it's very true to the characters and tone of the stories. The Disney TV show Road to Avonlea in the 90's was sort of a spin off of these movies.
It was the movies, actually, that inspired me to read the books....and as an adult I re-read the books and re-watch the movies often, as they're amongst my favorites. A true childhood classic - books and movies - that shouldn't be overlooked.
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Great article, but I have to disagree with the Harry Potter movies. True, they add some interesting bits here and there, but the acting is terrible and it feels like someone attaked the books with a bunch of scissors and left out the best parts!
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Debrah,
If you read my post I'm just explaining some of the reasons books & movies differ, I also strongly DON'T defend poor executions of it. I only state that they're two different things, and sometimes it's poor adaptation, while other times it's a bias towards what was found necessary to change--or some combo of that. I'm not saying it was necessary, but it's a tricky thing to do. I'm only saying they're two different mediums. And I want to mention too that some things just shouldn't be made into a movie. And I state why movies continue to be made the way they do: They make money. We're the only ones who can control that.
Also, I hope you'll be more careful what you say, as I've yet to read the book you told the ending of, but wanted to.
Cheers, though, and I mean that earnestly.
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where the wild things are seems like it will be a great movie, and I love the book! I'm sooo excited to see it!
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If you can get them, the BBC movies of Terry Prathett's Discworld novels have all been good. While they are not exactly children's books, they are accessible to children.
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The more modern version of Little Princess done by the same people as The Secret Garden--I love both of those versions--they really create the magical quality of the books. sometimes seeing a good movie may inspire a child to read a book--it does not have to be one or the other. Also seeing the movie and reading the book can give parents and children a way to discuss different issues --helping them to develop critical thinking. Cindy M--I can understand what you are saying--certainly a movie has to be developed to allow the story to be told in 2 or so hours--but I get really annoyed when they change something really crucial to the story. This is not a childrens story example but in the DaVinci Code at the end when there is nothing about the twin sister and brother--my daughter and I both exclaimed out loud(What?!?) The idea of the balance of female and male expressed by the twins was way too important and would not have taken any extra time to add in. I have seen this in childrens movies too--though can't remember any off hand.
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I have not both read and watched most of your suggestions... with the exception of the Harry Potter series. And with that one, I definately disagree. I do not think the movies are near as good as the book. And with each movie, they stray farther from the details of the book.
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Having studied screenwriting as much as I have I can't keep from commenting on this. There are many reasons why a book may be deemed better than a film, but there are also many things to consider in a movie adaptation. But the bottom line is that of the audience. Knowing what I know, I may give slack, or I may be more critical. But I look at it differently than most. Being a writer, and having blood, sweat & teared my way through many forms, I profess that screenwriting is one of the hardest forms to execute. Yet that still doesn't excuse poor execution of a book into a movie. But maybe I can explain some things about it. Adaptations are much harder than they seem. A book can be 7 hrs long, while a movie is around 2. Plus you can't have the same narrative detail, making emotions a challenge to convey on screen w/out serious changes, many unacceptable to the viewer, biased or not. Film is a different medium than a book, period. And no matter how good a book is, or how much you like something about it that's left out on screen, you have to know some things change in film. I'm not excusing Hollywood, I'm just trying to show some of the reasons movies differ from books. There are many reasons to this, and if the overall execution of a book isn't enjoyable, I find to be a fault. But it's called "show-business, not show-art" as one producer told me. And as long as whatever they put out there continues to keep them in business, you can forget the "art" part altogether.
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As a hard core fan of Harry Potter, I'm gonna have to disagree slightly :)
But if you can find it to watch, add The Phantom Tollbooth to the list!
I love kids books....
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I tell my youngsters that their own imaginations are more rich and even better than movie magic - besides in our own minds we build the scenes and the characters and i have been mightily disappointed when the movie "magic" pales in comparison...if i have already seen the film when i read the story then i have no choice but to imagine the actors, scenery, etc exactly the way the filmmaker did. i'd rather let my mind do the wandering...and i hope that my kids do too.
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