Director: Chris Weitz
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Dakota Blue Richards, Ben Walker, Freddie Highmore, Ian McKellen, Eva Green, Jim Carter, Tom Courtenay, Ian McShane, Sam Elliott, Christopher Lee, Kristin Scott Thomas, Edward de Souza, Kathy Bates
Year: 2007
Philip Pullman’s 1996 Carnegie Medal award winning book Northern Lights had all the hallmarks required to make a great book to film adaptation. The plot was gripping, there was action, mystery and suspense, yet somehow these got a little lost in the transfer to the film medium. The book follows Lyra Belacqua an orphan who lives at Jordan College Oxford on her quest to rescue her friend Roger after he is taken by The Gobblers. In Lyra’s world a person’s soul is not within them but takes the form of an animal which is known as a Daemon. In children the soul can take on the form of any animal put begins to fix on a certain form in the teenage years. The General Oblation board is doing experiments on children to see why it is that a child’s Daemon can morph but an adult’s can’t. The experiment is triggered after Lyra’s Uncle Lord Asriel witness ‘dust’ falling from the Northern Lights and believes that it is this ‘dust’ that fixes a daemon’s shape. As Lyra journeys north in search of her friend Roger she encounters a selection of characters from the evil and seductive Mrs. Coulter, to the witch Serafina Pekkala and the armoured bear Iofur. Lyra is also helped on her trip by the alethiometer – a golden compass that she can only read using her subconscious
Chris Weitz’s adaptation was first announced in 2002 following the success of such book to film adaptations as The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, but was not released until 2007. From glancing at the cast list The Golden Compass had potential to be a hit. Sadly for Weitz The Golden Compass was a massive flop. One of the reasons for its failure came from the fact that many parts of the book were not transferred to The Golden Compass and the film ended before the major climax of the book giving a truncated ending. The Golden Compass was very much a sanitised version of the original literary work; the anti-Catholic undertones were removed and much of the gore during the battles was taken out. In addition Lyra and Mrs. Coulter’s appearance does not match the descriptions given in the book, the name of the King of the armoured bears is changed so he is not confused with Iofur and even the title is changed. The Golden Compass is a highly watchable film, if you don’t mind the ending, but as a cinematographic adaptation it is not the most successfu
3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor, Christine Baranski, Bill Irwin, Molly Shannon, Clint Howard, Josh Ryan Evans, Mindy Sterling, Rachel Winfree, Rance Howard, Jeremy Howard, T.J. Thyne, Lacey Kohl, Nadja Pionilla
Year: 2000
Set in a place called Whoville, which exists on a snowflake Ron Howard’s magical Christmas film How the Grinch Stole Christmas is based upon Dr. Seuss’ quirky, rhyming tale about a mean character who decides to try to steal Christmas from his neighbours the Whos. How the Grinch Stole Christmas opens with Cindy Lou Who having doubts about the true meaning of Christmas. Upon discovering that her doubts are shared by the Grinch who lives on Mount Crumpit she decides to investigate. After nominating him for holiday Cheermister the Grinch falls out with the Mayor of the town and goes on a destructive rampage. However even after burning down the prized Christmas tree the Whos’ festive spirit cannot be quenched and the Grinch decides to up the anti and steal Christmas. Initially the Whos are angry that everything has been taken but it is through the loss of the material side of Christmas that they, and the Grinch, learn that ‘Christmas does not come from a store, maybe, just maybe Christmas means a little bit more’
Critics remain divided over this version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas which is based upon the original literary work and the 1960’s cartoon version. While this live-action adaptation does stick to the general plot of Dr. Seuss’ original creation and include the wonderful rhyming narrative for which Dr. Seuss was renowned, some additional material was added in order to increase the film’s running time. For example, Howard added a back story to the character of the Grinch which offers an explanation as to why he is as he is. In this case the additional back story works well and adds a humane dimension to the character of the Grinch and makes the viewer feel less sympathetic to the Whos that he is robbing after all they did bully him when he was younger simply because he was different. A critique of the materialistic, commercial view the Whos have towards Christmas is well enhanced as it is in the original book
Director: John Musker
Cast: Rene Auberjonois, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jodi Benson, Pat Carroll, Paddi Edwards, Buddy Hackett, Jason Marin, Kenneth Mars, Edie McClurg, Will Ryan, Ben Wright, Samuel E. Wright, Hamilton Camp, Debbie Shapiro Gravitte, Robert Weil
Year: 1989
Based upon a short story by Danish author Hans Christen Andersen The Little Mermaid is Disney’s 28th full length feature film. In the original literary work the Little Mermaid is desperate to go up to the surface after hearing tales about it from her sisters and Grandmother. Under the sea Merfolk live for up to 300 years and unlike humans do not have eternal souls but simply turn to foam after they die. After rescuing a handsome Prince from his ship during a storm The Little Mermaid wants more than ever to become human. Driven by love she makes a deal with the sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for a pair of human legs the only catch is that every step that she takes feels like she is walking on pointed swords. The Little Mermaid must make the Prince fall in love and marry her in order to break the spell. The only problem is that the Prince is in love with a girl from a nearby temple, who he believes to be the one who rescued him during the shipwreck. After the girl in the temple turns out to be a Princess the Prince decides to marry her instead of The Little Mermaid. After hearing of her fate The Little Mermaid’s sisters sell their hair in exchange for a dagger. If The Little Mermaid drives the dagger through the Prince’s heart then she’ll be free to return to her previous form. Unable to perform this cruel act The Little Mermaid dissolves into foam and spends the rest of eternity as a spirit drifting on the sea
In comparison to the original the Disney film is much, much lighter and has a completely different ending. In Disney’s version Ariel (The Little Mermaid)’s father intercedes for her and forfeits his kingdom to save his daughter. At the key moment when she is about to gain his power the Prince, here named Eric, kills her and destroys all the spells she has ever placed. The original literary work is very melancholic and offers a very pessimistic view on love which in some ways making it far too dark for a young audience. Speaking frankly, it is good that Disney worked their magic and added their own ending. Normally I would be appalled by such a massive deviation from the original work but in this case the ‘Disneyfication’ is a success. The addition of two sidekicks and musical numbers like Part of your world, Kiss the girl and the glorious Under the sea make for a much more optimistic and child-friendly film that one can use for pure escapism
1. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe
Director: Andrew Adamson
Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Kiran Shah, James Cosmo, Judy McIntosh, Elizabeth Hawthorne, Patrick Kake, Shane Rangi, Brandon Cook, Cassie Cook, Liam Neeson
Year: 2005
Possibly one of the most well known and beloved children’s books of all time C.S. Lewis’ fantasy tale The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe follows the adventures of the four Pevensie children after they are evacuated from London during the Blitz. The two brothers, Peter and Edmund, and two sisters, Susan and Lucy, discover the world of Narnia after Lucy takes refuge in a wardrobe during a game of hide and seek. Narnia is trapped in a state of eternal winter by the White Witch who has even gone so far as to forbid Christmas. The only thing that can save Narnia is the return of Aslan the Lion – voiced gorgeously by Liam Neeson
Andrew Adamson’s film adaptation of The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe manages to stick truthfully to the original plot and incorporate the sense of awe at discovering such a magical place at the back of an everyday item. The actress playing Lucy she did not see the set or the character of Mr. Tumnus before filming meaning that her reaction to entering Narnia for the first time is totally genuine. The film also transfers the allegory of Christ’s crucifixion well, and highlights the importance of the battle between good and evil, and the significance of self sacrifice. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The witch and the Wardrobe is a tale that stays with you and has inspired the exploration of many a child to hunt for Narnia in their own wardrobe. It is also the best children’s book to film adaptation I have seen in a long time making it worthy of its place a top the list
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