The best and worst of children’s literature on the big screen
By James Rocchi
Special to MSN Movies
As “Where the Wild Things Are” comes to theaters and Maurice Sendak’s 10-sentence-long children’s book classic comes to the big screen from director Spike Jonze, we at MSN Movies thought we’d take a look at some notable triumphs and flops throughout film history as great kids’ literature was turned into cinema. Adapting children’s literature for the big screen is a bit trickier than you’d initially think: Many kids’ classics have a slightness and grace to them that makes them ideal reading, but that may not make them the best candidates for blowing up their size, scale and sweep to fit onto the big screen. Some adaptations have been unable to recreate the tone and the charm of the original books, or have been guilty of swelling slender and minimalist story lines until they feel bloated and sluggish. At the same time, the best children’s movies made from children’s books expand and in some cases improve the tales they spring from with the visual wonder and emotional power only film can create as it flashes up before our eyes. …
