With the release of Horrid Henry this weekend, we look back on some of the great children's book adaptations of the last few years...
The tornado of Harry Potter is nearly behind us, with the last wand being packed away and the most avid fans collecting their tears in buckets and vials (possible for future use in the pensieve when they inevitably
grow up and remake the movies). But fear not, for a similar, if a little more high-pitched, avalanche awaits with the release of children’s favourite Horrid Henry this Friday.
From Mary Poppins to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, children’s novels have always been a favourite way of packing those little blighters into the cinema come summertime, and this year is no different. But, as the increasingly grim Harry Potter franchise left the truly juvenile behind some time ago, Horrid Henry seems perfectly poised to pick up the slack. We thought we’d take a look back at some recent takes on bedtime favourites, and we’ve weeded out the best of the bunch for your benefit.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
With a great script, flawless animation and 3D used to its full potential, How to Train Your Dragon isn’t your average animated movie. Loosely adapted from Cressida Cowell’s novel of the same name, the film version made a few changes, but emerged victorious as the most successful Dreamworks film behind the Shrek franchise, and a critical success rivalling even some of Pixar’s output.
Changes were made to make the film less sugary and infantile, and it was subsequently praised for its maturity. Toothless the dragon was actually based on a domesticated mountain lion owned by the director’s uncle, and often exhibited more emotional resonance with the audience than many of the human characters. The success of the film has ensured a sequel for 2014, and a TV show is also in development.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
A more recent Roald Dahl adaptation, but one that deserves to stand on top of the pile, is the Wes Anderson directed Fantastic Mr. Fox, a stop-motion animation that features the wit and dark undertones that Dahl’s books put together so well. New scenes were added at the beginning and end of the movie to add length to the short story, with the novel’s coverage restricted to the films second act.
And despite assigning the characters to American voice-actors, it retains that very British, slightly surreal sense of humour those books represent to so many, with George Clooney especially doing a great job with it. Having an auteur like Anderson direct also adds a visual flavour not offered to many children’s movies, and his attention to detail makes the miniature sets and stop-motion a feast for the eyes.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
Billed as a fantasy-adventure film, Bridge to Terabithia is actually just a story about first loves, loneliness and loss. Telling the story of a young boy’s friendship with the vibrant and imaginative girl next door, the film explores the power of fantasy and companionship through the eyes of childlike wonder.
A mother wrote the novel to her son after he suffered a loss similar to the characters, and that son has a screenwriting and producing credit on the film. It’s probably his pen’s guidance that allows the child performers to be so natural in their roles, and the everyday troubles away from their fantasy-world are as equally compelling. As a coming of age story, it’s among the best ever made, but remains criminally under-watched.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Why Prisoner of Azkaban, I hear you ask. Well the third in the series earned its place not because it’s the best film, but because it’s the one that straddles the line between children’s movie and fantasy epic most effectively. Many hold up the third book as the best, with its ominous undertones and slow-building tension. The plot also analyses the adults of the young wizard’s life more closely than ever before, and this all adds up to the character’s moment of transition from childhood into adulthood.
Newly-appointed director Alfonso Cuaron enveloped his adaptation in darkness and rainy backdrops to greater emphasise the grimness of the story, and his contributions to the visuals of Hogwarts and the magical world held through until the end. After what some saw as Chris Columbus’s misguided interpretation on the stories, critics were falling over themselves to praise Azkaban’s faithfulness to Rowling’s novels, and the film might be the only one that can stand alone on its own merits, saga or no saga.
Coraline (2009)
One of those kids movies deemed too scary for kids, Coraline is a wonderful throw back to a time when fairytales were still frightening and stories weren’t packaged into neat little moral lessons. A beautiful stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s 2002 novel of the same name, it definitely comes from the Tim Burton school of kids' fantasy, and is all the better and more surprising for it.
A nightmarish world of childhood fantasies, anxieties and fears, the world of Coraline is unsettling even before she meets her ‘other mother’ and the topsy-turvy world through her bedroom’s hidden door. It also features an impeccable voice cast, including Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher and French and Saunders.
grow up and remake the movies). But fear not, for a similar, if a little more high-pitched, avalanche awaits with the release of children’s favourite Horrid Henry this Friday.
From Mary Poppins to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, children’s novels have always been a favourite way of packing those little blighters into the cinema come summertime, and this year is no different. But, as the increasingly grim Harry Potter franchise left the truly juvenile behind some time ago, Horrid Henry seems perfectly poised to pick up the slack. We thought we’d take a look back at some recent takes on bedtime favourites, and we’ve weeded out the best of the bunch for your benefit.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Changes were made to make the film less sugary and infantile, and it was subsequently praised for its maturity. Toothless the dragon was actually based on a domesticated mountain lion owned by the director’s uncle, and often exhibited more emotional resonance with the audience than many of the human characters. The success of the film has ensured a sequel for 2014, and a TV show is also in development.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
And despite assigning the characters to American voice-actors, it retains that very British, slightly surreal sense of humour those books represent to so many, with George Clooney especially doing a great job with it. Having an auteur like Anderson direct also adds a visual flavour not offered to many children’s movies, and his attention to detail makes the miniature sets and stop-motion a feast for the eyes.
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
A mother wrote the novel to her son after he suffered a loss similar to the characters, and that son has a screenwriting and producing credit on the film. It’s probably his pen’s guidance that allows the child performers to be so natural in their roles, and the everyday troubles away from their fantasy-world are as equally compelling. As a coming of age story, it’s among the best ever made, but remains criminally under-watched.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Newly-appointed director Alfonso Cuaron enveloped his adaptation in darkness and rainy backdrops to greater emphasise the grimness of the story, and his contributions to the visuals of Hogwarts and the magical world held through until the end. After what some saw as Chris Columbus’s misguided interpretation on the stories, critics were falling over themselves to praise Azkaban’s faithfulness to Rowling’s novels, and the film might be the only one that can stand alone on its own merits, saga or no saga.
Coraline (2009)
A nightmarish world of childhood fantasies, anxieties and fears, the world of Coraline is unsettling even before she meets her ‘other mother’ and the topsy-turvy world through her bedroom’s hidden door. It also features an impeccable voice cast, including Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher and French and Saunders.
