Children's books you would like to see made into a film

[gepree]

My suggestion is the (relatively obscure) children's time travel themed book The Old Powder Line that I think could work well as a film. Anyone else heard of this book?

Any other children's books that could do with the moving picture treatment?

[surreal]

I'd like to see "A Wizard of Earthsea" done properly and not just some random made up shit done under that title (twice now, FFS!)

[madhair60]

Funnybones

[Jemble Fred]

Not a movie, but i have totally envisaged a TV adaptation of Clement Freud's 'Grimble', perfect for Sunday teatimes, leading up to Christmas so you can also do 'Grimble at Christmas'.

Anyone who's read either book knows that it's not immediately great TV – there's almost no dialogue, just a little boy going about his days on his own – but I can see how it would work. It would depend entirely on whether Freud left behind a complete recording of himself reading the books (I think they started out on Jackanory, so a recording should exist). I can imagine Freud narrating the action himself, and then a perfectly-realised 1970s world playing out the action. Richard Curtis should get onto it to immortalise his late father-in-law's opus.

[All Surrogate]

I'd like to see "A Wizard of Earthsea" done properly and not just some random made up shit done under that title (twice now, FFS!)

Seconded.

[holyzombiejesus]

I'd like to see an adaptation of  The Weirdstone of Brisingamen/ The Moon of Gomrath be made, although that's mostly for nostalgic reasons, as I doubt I'd actually take the time to watch it. Alan Garner seems a little overlooked nowadays, which is odd seeing as his work fits in with the current vogue for all things 'hauntological' or whatever the fuck it's called. I seem to remember Elidor (starring Suzanne Shaw!) being a bit toss although I still have a soft spot for The Owl Service.

[Cambrian Times]

Momo by Michael Ende. Why should "The Neverending Story" have all the fun?

[Zero Gravitas]

Funnybones

An adaptation that removed viciously homophobic subtext presumably?

[Serge]

I'd just be happy if they made more episodes of Simon Nye's 'Just William' - by far the best TV version I've ever seen, but never to be seen again because it didn't get the viewing figures.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Nils-Olof Franzen's Agaton Sax books. Either live-action or animation would be nice. I know that there was an okay-but-not-that-good TV animation (very loosely) based on The Criminal Doubles, but proper films would rock.

[Johnny Textface]

The Magic Faraway Tree trilogy. Maybe done with motion capture, get Zemeckis on board yeah?

[Ginyard]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar starring Christian Bale.




Or maybe Flat Stanley. Hands down my favourite books as a little kid.

[Gulftastic]

Or maybe Flat Stanley. Hands down my favourite books as a little kid.

And the name of my brother-in-law's old covers band.

[kidsick5000]

I'd love a decent version of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.
I'd really love a good version of Alice In Wonderland.
Not some cockbag yank directors attempt at reimagining.


Then I'd also like Charlie And The Great Glass Elevator, and Georges Marvellous Medicine

[Jemble Fred]

I'd love a decent version of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

I can only see it as a glorious slavishly faithful TV miniseries now, sod the cinema. But you're right it is abolutely batcrap that nobody has made a George's Marvellous Medicine movie. Can it really only be for fear of copycat kids? That film has played out a hundred times in my head. But I keep expecting to hear that Robert Zemeckis is doing The CGI BFG long before George gets a crack of the whip.

[CaledonianGonzo]

Russell Hoban's ever-wonderful The Mouse & His Child - probably as some sort of stop-motion animation or Henson-esque puppetry.

[Steve Lampkins]

The Ogre Downstairs

[Catalogue Trousers]

Russell Hoban's ever-wonderful The Mouse & His Child

Good call, Caledonian Gonzo! And are you aware that there's already been one strange, but rather splendid, animated version?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076416/

[CaledonianGonzo]

Coo - no, I didn't know about that.  Peter Ustinov as Manny Rat I can see (hear?)

I really need to read some more of Hoban's children's books - the only other one I've read is The Mole Family's Christmas, which is just unbelievably sweet and touching.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Has anything ever been made out of the sometimes rather dark Brian Jacques 'Redwall' series of books?

He died earlier this year so I'd love to see someone give his charming medieval rodent adventures a go.

[kidsick5000]

The Ogre Downstairs

I cam remember being read that at school. It seemed to be very ordinary family squabbling until 3/4 of the way through when it just goes nuts with science magic.

[Cambrian Times]

Speaking of Alice in Wonderland adaptations, this is kind of wonderful. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b010t9hx/Alices_Adventures_in_Wonderland/

[jaydee81]

Not sure if they're technically children's books, but I've always thought the world needs a claymation/CGI version of Terry Pratchett's Truckers/Diggers/Wings.

[CaledonianGonzo]

And it got one!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105646/

Well....partly.

(my turn!)

[Queneau]

Any of the Biff and Chip books. I'm kidding. But Flat Stanley, as mentioned, would be great. As would Horrowitz's Diamond Brothers series.

[mcbpete]

Not sure if they're technically children's books, but I've always thought the world needs a claymation/CGI version of Terry Pratchett's Truckers/Diggers/Wings.

There was, I used to watch it as a kid: Terry Pratchett's TRUCKERS, Episode 1/13

[Catalogue Trousers]

Queneau wrote:

As would Horrowitz's Diamond Brothers series.

There was one Diamond Brothers film - "Just Ask for Diamond". Which almost got released under the title "The Falcon's Malteser"...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095419/

Oh, and Gonzo - have a YouTube link to the whole Mouse & His Child film!


The Mouse And His Child - Animated Movie - 1977

[SavageHedgehog]

Just Ask for Diamond is a permenant fixture of charity shops and car boots, and I refuse to believe there is a Poudland or Poudland wannabe that has not seen at least one copy of it touch its shelves. Wierdly its often packaged in double features with 15 and 18 certificate films!

[Ash]

Russell Hoban's ever-wonderful The Mouse & His Child - probably as some sort of stop-motion animation or Henson-esque puppetry.

Yes! This book had a really profound effect on my when I read it as a child, I'm sad to see it's out of print, now, and even sadder that whenever I reference the 'last visible dog' quote (about a dog on a can of dog food holding a can of dog food with a picture of a dog holding a can of--- and so on) no one has ever recognised it! I'd love to see it done with the sort of stop-motion Wes Anderson used in Fantastic Mr Fox, rather than as a sleek CGI thing.

I'd also love to see His Dark Materials re-made as a film. But better. With all the themes, darkness and critique of religion actually kept in. Maybe it's just that I'm not a big fan of CGI, but I always wished there was some way the daemons could be created with puppetry or... something, so they felt more like something tangible and there, plus with less CGI it wouldn't look dated quite as quickly. Like the faun in Pan's Labyrinth... although it's probably impossible to do something like that since Lyra's Pan and the other daemons are all far too small for someone to physically be. And, it's probably impossible, but actually I think the series might work better as a TV thing that could develop more slowly over a longer period, but it would be too expensive to make, I'm sure.

[Melodichaze]

The Magic Faraway Tree trilogy. Maybe done with motion capture, get Zemeckis on board yeah?

THIS! That's a good call JT, I think Zemeckis would do it justice.

I'd also like to see a feature length versions of The Snow Spider trilogy (Jenny Nimmo). I've re-read the books and rewatched the 80's mini series recently and I'd love to see it updated and made into 3 movies: The Snow spider, Emlyn's moon, The chestnut soldier

The Snow Spider (ITV 1988) Part 01/10