Hello Hollywood. Did you miss me? You must be starting to listen to me, since today I’m actually happy with you for two straight weekends. You actually went and did something right for a change. Your adaptations of Where the Wild Things Are and The Vampires Assistant made me smile. It made me giddy. It made my inner child a hyper second grader on a sugar rush. It reminded me why I go to films. To be amazed, elated and taken away from all the worlds’ ills and negativity. To escape to a fantasy world for awhile, and most importantly, to remind me of my most frequently asked childhood question “Mommy, Daddy, can you tell me a story?” and for this I applaud you.
But that’s all you’re getting from me! You see Tinseltown, in my elated state I went skipping off to my local video store to find more films of this sub-genre, the adapted children’s book, only to be reminded of the entire mass amount of failures in this department. Is it really that hard to adapt a kid’s book to the big screen?
When you, dear Hollywood, announced that The Grinch and other various Dr. Seuss films were coming to the big screen I was equally nostalgic and elated. Here was something that my little cousins and I could relate to equally. So what is a big cousin to do but load up the family van and take the younger ones to the theater on release night of those films, giving the parents a much need break until the kids return loaded up on sugar and caffeine from very generous older cousin. When watching the Grinch; I laughed, but the kids were scared. At Cat in the Hat, I cringed, and they were confused. I asked them why, and the eldest responded “do they have to be so violent and hateful? That’s not how they were in the book.” It was then that I realized who the films target audiences were really and it sickened me. How does targeting a kid’s film towards adults benefit any child who may watch it?
You’re getting very schizophrenic Tinseltown. Children’s films should be targeted towards kids, not the adults who take them. Shoving inappropriate innuendos that only adults understand in between fart and belch jokes within an adaptation of something as beloved as Hop on Pop does not make for good film let alone making it something for kids and makes audiences wonder who the film is really for. The reason parents take their kids to these films is to spend the short precious time they have with them at this critical young age. Time that is made shorter by 50 hour work weeks, various errands and activities, and managing a household. They are going completely 100% for the child, and adapted kids books should just be that, for the child. The entertainment factor for the adults is watching their kids have fun at the movies. Movies they assume that will be like the book it’s based on. You need to decide Hollywood who you are making films for before you start losing your best and most profitable audiences of all; Families. Since the Film Industry began families have been the core of the viewing audience. If you are wanting to adapt children’s books to film or write original stories, then do it for ALL family members to enjoy, not just the target demographic within them. With this in mind, you should be able to get you back on track with a vision of the future for this genre. Hopefully then we, with children and inner child in tow, can turn to you and ask, “Can you tell me a story?”
The Pirates' Log > Blogs > Reel Rants
Bad children’s book adaptations (focus on live action)
Published: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Updated: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
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