pooh bear Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 It seems that lately Hollywood has taken really good childrens stories and made really bad movies out of them. What movies do you think do great injustice to the original book. It can be new or old movies. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Apart from the name and the flying car, not much else is them same. Mary Poppins. If I have to hear Dick Van Dyke's horrible cockney accent one more time, I think I will scream. Mary Poppins in the books is not the sweet lovely Julie Andrews of the movie. Pinocchio. The original book is a lot darker than the happy Disney movie. 101 Dalmatians. Cruella de Ville is nastier in the book and she has a husband. The Golden Compass. We could not finish this movie, is was so bad. The book is excellent, but something about the movie was not right. The Tale of Desperaux. Wonderful book, so why did they have to stray from the book so much? Eragon. Again good book, really bad movie. They missed so much out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I don't think Da Vinci Code should have ever been made into a book. Some neat ideas but some of the worst writing I've ever encountered (made Harlequin Romance look like great literature). <<shudder>> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay in Cal Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 See... I love the Mary Poppins movie. It isn't the books at all (which I also loved as a child) but still fun. And I thought The Tale of Despereux was wonderful! That's one I never read the book at all, so I have no comparison, but I really enjoyed the movie. My vote for worst remake of a children's classic is "The Dark is Rising". The book is wonderful, the movie is just plain bad. Not only did they totally change it, but it no longer made any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted May 21, 2009 Author Share Posted May 21, 2009 My vote for worst remake of a children's classic is "The Dark is Rising". The book is wonderful, the movie is just plain bad. Not only did they totally change it, but it no longer made any sense. I've seen the previews for this and I am staying well away from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I hated the animated version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". It is NOT a children's story! It really should never have been made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I hated the animated version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". It is NOT a children's story! It really should never have been made. I have been unimpressed with most Disney versions of books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impish Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Personally, I have *yet* to see a movie that was anywhere near as good as the book. Write scripts, and leave books the heck alone! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tree House Academy Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I watched the Eragon movie BEFORE reading the book and I liked the movie better. I wish Harry Potter had never been made into movies...talk about missing a lot! Twilight! LOL I agree on the Tale of Desperaux. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The book was good. The movie was horrible! DD loved the movie Eragon, but she had never read the book. Once she did, she said, "This book is great! And the move officially stinks!" She refused to see Tale of Despereaux and Inkheart because they looked too different from the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmrich Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I have said over and over again that the only movie that is better than the book is The Wizard of Oz. I read the book aloud to my second grade class; I couldn't get over how weird the book was - he must have been on some serious drugs while writing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The Scarlet Letter with Demi Moore!!! Did anyone in that movie ever actually read the book? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 It seems that lately Hollywood has taken really good childrens stories and made really bad movies out of them. What movies do you think do great injustice to the original book. It can be new or old movies. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Apart from the name and the flying car, not much else is them same. Mary Poppins. If I have to hear Dick Van Dyke's horrible cockney accent one more time, I think I will scream. Mary Poppins in the books is not the sweet lovely Julie Andrews of the movie. Pinocchio. The original book is a lot darker than the happy Disney movie. 101 Dalmatians. Cruella de Ville is nastier in the book and she has a husband. The Golden Compass. We could not finish this movie, is was so bad. The book is excellent, but something about the movie was not right. The Tale of Desperaux. Wonderful book, so why did they have to stray from the book so much? Eragon. Again good book, really bad movie. They missed so much out. I love Mary Poppins, the movie including Dick VanDyke's cockney accent. Love Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, too. Delightful movies. I also love the books. Books and movies are two different things; I don't expect them to be the same. Print and film are just too different. I try to keep the two separate or else many movies would leave me feeling let down. Enjoyable in different ways. Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leanna Tomlinson Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Anne of Green Gables - the first one is OK. The second and third aren't even in the same time frame as the books and only resemble them slightly. Little House on the Prairie - there are several movies and the TV series. None of them manage to capture the real Laura, her mindset, and attitudes. These two aren't children's books but...I have to vent somewhere! Christy - the mini-series is seriously lacking in the spiritual aspects that are such an integral part of the book. The plot is only vaguely like the book. The Scarlett Letter! -The version with Demi Moore is the most pathetic I have ever seen! The Rev. Dismdale and Hester Prynne ride off together in the sunset?!?!?!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sands31210 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Oh, I can't believe the timing of this thread. We just finished reading Heidi and I thought it would be nice to watch the movie (with Shirley Temple). It was awful, it did not follow the book at all - even the kids didn't like it and my 6 year old kept yelling, "That's not how it happens!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caitlinsmom Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Twilight! LOL Oh boy if that wasn't the worst movie I have ever been secretly hoping to see! !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 My vote would be for "Under the Tuscan Sun". Really, the only thing that was the same was the title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The cartoony Charlotte's Web has a really whiny pig, it got on my nerves. I really like the one they just made. I do hate it when they ruin a perfectly good book, I agree with many of the ones mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Dracula. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mellifera Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Dune. The book was good. The movie :ack2: 'Nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 There are many book/movies where they are different. The book may be better, but they've changed the movie so I like to treat them separately. I don't like when the just change the ending (make it sweet). Not a children's book/movie, but I've always said that 'The Graduate' was a much better movie than book. Phantom of the Opera is a book that most people don't know there was a book to begin with. I thought everyone had to read the Scarlet Letter in High School. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I think there's a distinction to be made between movies that are very different from the books (like Mary Poppins) and movies that are just bad. Mary Poppins was a wonderful movies that I loved. Maybe it was an entirely different beast then the book but sometimes that's not a bad thing. The book is always there afterall. I'd put Pinnochio in that category as well. Sure it's very different from the stories but the movie gave my kids a LOT of joy when they were younger. Bad movies is a different matter. Eragon stank to high heaven for instance. Although movies can be both very different from the books and just plain horrible. The Waterhorse fits into that slot. Blech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6saints Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The movie is intriguing, but the worldview of the movie is mystical, while the book follows a more Biblical worldview. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faithr Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I totally agree about Under the Tuscan Sun. I loved the book but the movie. . . what! It was a whole different story! I also agree about Heidi. No one has made a good movie version and it could be a wonderful, beautiful movie. I like the Mary Poppins movie more than the Mary Poppins books. In the books the character is mean and weird and the stories get really repetitive. I don't have any new movies to add. Kids are being too noisy for me to think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The Secret Garden, Heidi, the second and third Anne of Green Gables, 101 Dalmations...ITA on those. Awful, awful movies/TV (Anne was originally a 4-pt special on PBS, although there were several Anne movies made in the 40s, I believe). We love Mary Poppins, both the movie and the books. Yes, Dick Van Dyke's accent is awful :ack2:, but we still liked it. I read all the books to dds, and I managed to acquire two complete sets, including Mary Poppins From A to Z in Latin. :-) (BTW, you can find a signed, first edition of Mary Poppins on ebay right now for only $630!). We loved both the Wizard of Oz movie and book. Ditto with Lassie Come-Home, and National Velvet. Most adaptations of Little Women were dogs, but we loved the most recent with Winona Ryder. We enjoyed The Incredible Journey, but found the movie adaptations to be dreadful. I have some random books that had been made into movies, and liked both: Tammy Out of Time, Good Morning, Miss Dove, The Snake Pit (Olivia de Haviland won an Oscar for that), The Miracle of the Bells. Then there was Leave Her to Heaven. Kind of an odd book, but interesting to read. The movie...O.M.G. And there's Lord of the Rings: I can't even stay in the room when they're playing. Beautifully filmed, visually *right,* but the story was so wrong on so many levels. Ugh. I can't remember the last time I was so disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I like the Mary Poppins movie more than the Mary Poppins books. In the books the character is mean and weird and the stories get really repetitive. I did not like the book AT ALL. Now, a couple of the things in the movie annoyed me, and I was glad to see they were not originally in the book. I thought Mary Poppins was far more delightful in the movie. Mrs. Banks was annoying, though -- and the entire family dynamics were different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I'll second (or third, or whatever) Eragon and Heidi, as others have already said, and I'll add Swiss Family Robinson. Parts of that movie were fun to watch, but really, they hacked up the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LivingLatin Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 There are some films, however, that have improved on the books on which they were based. I thought the movie Last of the Mohicans (1992-ish, with Daniel Day-Lewis) was actually better than the book. I'll admit that the score may have had a lot to do with my perception, but the script, leaving out a lot of the author's commentary on the situation, worked a good deal better, in my eyes. Parts of The Princess Bride (the scenes in the Pit of Despair, for instance, and the charming interplay between Fred Savage and Peter Falk)were better than the corresponding part of the book. On the whole, the movie is less wandering and incoherent, though the scriptwriter did have to leave out some very witty bits. I'm ashamed to admit I've both read the book and watched the movie Twilight. The book was a hideous caricature of a novel. Weak, dull characters who stand for nothing; pathetically amateurish plotting with "twists" you can see from miles away; a vague, quotidian setting that does nothing special for the torrid-vampire-novel genre. As much as I disliked the novel, however, I thought the scriptwriter for the movie fixed a lot of the story's problems. I'm not urging anyone to run out and rent it; it's nothing out of the ordinary, but it's far less incompetently written than the novel on which it's based. Nealy Mama to 2 little-bitties and one schooligan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aggie Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I have said over and over again that the only movie that is better than the book is The Wizard of Oz. I read the book aloud to my second grade class; I couldn't get over how weird the book was - he must have been on some serious drugs while writing it. This movie has given me the creeps since I first saw it in 3rd grade. I still won't watch it again, and I surely won't have my dc watch it. Is it really a kid's book? What about the Narnia movies? I haven't seen them, but my dc enjoyed them. Are the movies pretty true to the books? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I hated the animated version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". It is NOT a children's story! It really should never have been made. :iagree: Victor Hugo does not belong in cartoon form! Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 The Scarlett Letter! -The version with Demi Moore is the most pathetic I have ever seen! The Rev. Dismdale and Hester Prynne ride off together in the sunset?!?!?!! I know, right? :lol: Next they will have "Anna Karenina: The Comedy" But I DID like "The Crucible" with Daniel Day-Lewis. Or maybe I just like Daniel Day-Lewis...it is hard to tell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 "Skipping Christmas" by John Grisham is side-splittingly funny. The movie "Christmas with the Kranks" is not even direct to video worthy. Awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katemary63 Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I thought the movie Last of the Mohicans (1992-ish, with Daniel Day-Lewis) was actually better than the book. I'll admit that the score may have had a lot to do with my perception, but the script, leaving out a lot of the author's commentary on the situation, worked a good deal better, in my eyes.. I just couldn't get through this book - I've tried several times. But the movie is on my top 10 favorites of all times list. Beautiful, dramatic, exciting and passionatly filmed movie. Loved it - all 20 times I've watched it. :D ( I do my housecleaning to the sound track! Very energizing!) Parts of The Princess Bride (the scenes in the Pit of Despair, for instance, and the charming interplay between Fred Savage and Peter Falk)were better than the corresponding part of the book. On the whole, the movie is less wandering and incoherent, though the scriptwriter did have to leave out some very witty bits. This was a book? We love the movie. Family classic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nutmeg Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Although movies can be both very different from the books and just plain horrible. The Waterhorse fits into that slot. Blech. In our home, "waterhorse" is now a verb meaning to turn a wonderful book into a horrible movie. Usage: I think we'll skip Despereaux. It looks like they waterhorsed it. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 In our home, "waterhorse" is now a verb meaning to turn a wonderful book into a horrible movie. Usage: I think we'll skip Despereaux. It looks like they waterhorsed it. :tongue_smilie: :rofl: As Ingrid my 5 yo would say, "that's a knee-slapper!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 In our home, "waterhorse" is now a verb meaning to turn a wonderful book into a horrible movie. Usage: I think we'll skip Despereaux. It looks like they waterhorsed it. :tongue_smilie: :lol::lol: That's so funny! hehe I remember seeing the preview for that movie when it was coming out. It looked soooog good and I really wanted to take my daughter to see it, but somehow I just forgot all about it and it wasn't showing anymore. I"m glad now I never did if it is as bad as all that. :) There are some films, however, that have improved on the books on which they were based. I thought the movie Last of the Mohicans (1992-ish, with Daniel Day-Lewis) was actually better than the book. I'll admit that the score may have had a lot to do with my perception, but the script, leaving out a lot of the author's commentary on the situation, worked a good deal better, in my eyes. Parts of The Princess Bride (the scenes in the Pit of Despair, for instance, and the charming interplay between Fred Savage and Peter Falk)were better than the corresponding part of the book. On the whole, the movie is less wandering and incoherent, though the scriptwriter did have to leave out some very witty bits. I think Contact and The Lord of the Rings series were better movies than the books as well. I LOVED the movie Contact, but couldn't get into the book at all. And LOTR did such a great job of keeping track of all of the characters for me, whereas I had to make a list in order to keep track of them in the book. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 There are some films, however, that have improved on the books on which they were based. Being There falls in this category IMHO, also The Sweet Hereafter, though I liked both books as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 My vote for worst remake of a children's classic is "The Dark is Rising". The book is wonderful, the movie is just plain bad. Not only did they totally change it, but it no longer made any sense.:iagree:The Golden Compass is a close second. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Must agree with Under the Tuscan Sun. I kept wondering how her husband must feel after having his character turned into an after thought and how she felt being depicted running amok around Italy looking for love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spy Car Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Beowulf. The little man and I were so primed to see the cinematic adaptation of one of our very favorite bed-time stories, but :eek: :blink: :blushing: :ack2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangearrow Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 What a great thread!! :) I agree with so many - while I think Anne of Green Gables SHOULD'VE been made into a movie - it certainly shouldn't have been made into the 2nd and 3rd AoGG movies they did make. :ack2: Same with Eragon - should've been made into a movie - just not that movie. I enjoyed the movie versions of Mary Poppins & The Wizard of Oz far more than the books. lol The LOTR movies are what enabled me to be able to read the book - I seriously couldn't keep the people straight when I tried to read the book - the movie gave me "faces" to put with the names - and now I LOVE the books. :D I remember being very irritated with Dances with Wolves because they gave it a "happy" ending that the book didn't have - and I hate a faux happy ending. :glare: They really ruined Despereaux, imho - and I really think that was a book best left alone (not becoming a movie). :eek: One I'm most irritated about right now is the My Sister's Keeper movie that's coming out. The ending was what made the entire chick-flick of a book worth reading. The director/screen writer/powers-that-be decided to change the ending. Which officially makes it not worth seeing. At all. :glare: I figure, if you're going to change THE thing that makes a book special or different from all the other Oprahbooks out there - then write your own screenplay!! Don't borrow the author's work and "make it your own" - just write your own to begin with and be done with it. Very irritating. (and I didn't even really like the book - but the ending was the only thing "special" about it) grrrrrrr. :thumbdown: I know there are others! I've probably blocked them from memory, though... :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I figure, if you're going to change THE thing that makes a book special or different from all the other Oprahbooks out there - then write your own screenplay!! Don't borrow the author's work and "make it your own" - just write your own to begin with and be done with it. Very irritating. :iagree::iagree::iagree: I totally agree with you. That is what BUGS me to no end about Dracula. The book is so great, but every movie I've ever seen of it is absolutely nothing like the book at all. It's always so campy and ridiculous. I had hopes when Francis Ford Coppola was going to make a (then new) movie based on Brams Stoker's book. He even called it Bram's Stoker's Dracula. It was nothing like the book. I don't usually walk out of theatres when I've paid good money to see a movie, but I just couldn't sit through that garbage of a movie. It's such a shame because the portrayals of the character Dracula are so over the top that everybody writes the book off and won't even bother with it and it really is an excellent story of good vs. evil against all odds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Beowulf. The little man and I were so primed to see the cinematic adaptation of one of our very favorite bed-time stories, but :eek: :blink: :blushing: :ack2: :iagree::iagree::iagree: I forgot all about this!! There is just so much wrong that I don't know where to begin. And as for child friendly??? Nope, not for the elementary crowd. Ours were so excited and so disappointed by the big NO after we previewed a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWSJ Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I have been unimpressed with most Disney versions of books! That's an understatement for me. I'm trying to think of just one Disney adaption I liked... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oak Knoll Mom Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 There are some films, however, that have improved on the books on which they were based. I feel this way about Ella Enchanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 What a great thread!! :) One I'm most irritated about right now is the My Sister's Keeper movie that's coming out. The ending was what made the entire chick-flick of a book worth reading. The director/screen writer/powers-that-be decided to change the ending. Which officially makes it not worth seeing. At all. :glare: I figure, if you're going to change THE thing that makes a book special or different from all the other Oprahbooks out there - then write your own screenplay!! Don't borrow the author's work and "make it your own" - just write your own to begin with and be done with it. Very irritating. (and I didn't even really like the book - but the ending was the only thing "special" about it) grrrrrrr. :thumbdown: I know there are others! I've probably blocked them from memory, though... :lol: THEY CHANGED THE ENDING????? Scratch THAT movie off my too-see list! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 Being There falls in this category IMHO, also The Sweet Hereafter, though I liked both books as well. Apparently Stephen King thinks the movie Misery is much better than his book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 That's an understatement for me. I'm trying to think of just one Disney adaption I liked... I love a lot of the Disney cartoon adaptations and I think they're a different case. Disney was doing nothing more then what many people before him and many societies have done; retold ancient stories in a more modern context. The Romans did it with Greek stories, the Brothers Grimm did it with folk tales and Disney did it with Grimm tales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I don't think Da Vinci Code should have ever been made into a book. Some neat ideas but some of the worst writing I've ever encountered (made Harlequin Romance look like great literature).<<shudder>> This comment made me LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Virginia Dawn Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 (edited) Stuart Little. Ugh. I felt embarrassed for E.B. White. Beauty and the Beast irritated me when I saw it because I loved the original version of the story. Bednobs and Broomstick is actually better than the book. And I would much rather watch the Disney version of Bambi than read the original story "Life in the Woods." It was very depressing. The Rescuers is also extremely different from the movie, but it would not make a good children's movie as written. Some books are just meant to be seen in the minds eye instead of on a screen. Edited May 22, 2009 by Virginia Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pooh bear Posted May 22, 2009 Author Share Posted May 22, 2009 The Borrowers. The movie was OK, but to us the book was better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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