Movies Based on Books

[Bill007]

Ae we all know, Disney bases most of their films on preexisting short stories or books. I've been reading a number of them lately (Toby Tyler, Bambi, Pinocchio, Peter Pan,...the list goes on and now Blackbeard's Ghost). I was wondering about how people feel about the adaptations compared to the original books. For example, I love the film Pinocchio but thought the book was inferior by far. It was very dark, bizarre and preachy so I really didn't like the book. I'm reading Blackbeard's Ghost right and actually like the book better than the movie, as much as I like the movie. This is one that could definitely use a remake based more closely to the book. (But too bad Peter Ustinov couldn't be the lead anymore!)

Just curious on other people's thoughts on this topic.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I haven't read any of the ones on your list except Bambi as a kid (and that was a Little Golden Book printed after the movie, so it really didn't count) but I do like to do the same thing:

Escape to Witch Mountain was good, so was The Incredible Journey, and Pollyanna went further than the movie into another volume, so I liked that!

From what I've read of the fairy tale ones (Cinderella, for example) the original stories were darker, so I like the Disney movies better.

 

[Bill007]

I forgot about Escape to Witch Mountain. I read that too, many moons ago as well as The Apple Dumpling Gang. Mind you, these are the original sources, not the books based on the movies. I think I'll do The Jungle Books next. I hear that is quite different since Walt told his writers NOT to read the book first. I know only a small portion has anything to do with Mowgli's adventures. And BTW, from what I understand, the original pronunciation is actually Mow-(like in cow)-gli but Disney changed it and it really upset Kipling's family. Not sure if that's true or not, though.

 

[RangerPooh]

It's been far too long since I read the books, but don;t forget about Old Yeller, Johnny Tremain, Tuck Everlasting (which I do recall was pretty good), Basil of Baker Street (loved that series as a kid), and Tom Sawyer.

I think it's easy to forget just how many Disney movies started out as books. This is a pretty good list, many I completely forgot about. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16838.Disney_movies_based_off_books

This list is even longer, but some have updated cover art reflective of the movies https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11716.Books_Turned_Into_Disney_Movies

 

[Bill007]

It's been far too long since I read the books, but don;t forget about Old Yeller, Johnny Tremain, Tuck Everlasting (which I do recall was pretty good), Basil of Baker Street (loved that series as a kid), and Tom Sawyer.

I think it's easy to forget just how many Disney movies started out as books. This is a pretty good list, many I completely forgot about. https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/16838.Disney_movies_based_off_books

This list is even longer, but some have updated cover art reflective of the movies https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/11716.Books_Turned_Into_Disney_Movies

I've read a number of them years ago and had forgotten. Thanks for the list! Yet I would still like to see a decent version of Tom Sawyer come from Disney. The film Tom and Huck stunk! Although Huck Finn was pretty good. I don't think I've seen a satisfying version of Tom Sawyer besides the one that came out in the 1930's. (Although the musical from the 70's was pretty good.)

 

[PollyannaMom]

Tom Sawyer...(Although the musical from the 70's was pretty good.)

That one's my favorite!

 

[old lady]

They should do more. What books would like to see Disney make into books? I would like The Bronze bow by Elizabeth George Speare.

 

[La Stilla]

I know about the Hunchback. The book is very dark, moody and adult. Disneys adaptation is loved but also pretty bashed. The characters are nothing alike the novel and the movie plot ends too quickly, in the book that was like a middle. Quasimodo was a bitter misanthrope, Claude was a compassionate, good soul whose passion and human nature made him nearly a demon, naive Esmeralda who wasn't a social justice fighter at all. Phoebus was a womanizer. The book is about fatality, tragic and classic.