Comments on: Coming Soon: Your Bastardized Childhood Memories!

By: Suzie - George Washington

Suzie - George Washington — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:18:27 +0000

For me it was the first Lord of the Rings movie– my parents read the trilogy to me while I was still in elementary school. I imagined Bilbo and Frodo, Eragorn and Legolas, Lothlorian and Rivendell… Yet now, as you said with the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, I think of the movie instead of my childhood mental images– and that really does feel wrong.

Not to mention that the Christian undertones to the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe are not nearly as intense as the movie made them out to be– moreover out of all of the books that one is the most religious– the others have far less parallels… I’m worried that people may now be turned off and decide not to read these great works of children’s literature. (so much better than most of the trash that’s out there)

By: jes

jes — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 13:47:05 +0000

Oh I’m SO excited about all the new movies coming out! I read all of them as a child, and although yes, the books are always much better than the movies, its great to be able to see them on the big screen.

I’m really excited about seeing “Where The Wild Things Are” when it finally comes out, although I’ve heard it scares the living shit out of kids at the screenings… lol

By: Kristian

Kristian — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:06:10 +0000

I don’t see your problem, just don’t watch the darn movie.

By: Christine

Christine — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:02:13 +0000

Yeah, the girl does die in the Bridge to Terabithia movie. You were definitely told wrong.

I think the reason they make these movies is because people love the books and will more than likely pay to see them on the big screen. I mean, it’s fun to see your childhood fairy tales come to reality on a movie screen with special effects and whatnot.

By: Beth

Beth — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:56:15 +0000

I can understand where you’re coming from, but I still enjoy watching my childhood favorites when they turn into movies- I just go into it knowing that it isn’t going to be the same, but that I’m probably going to enjoy it anyway-

For the record, Bridge to Terebithia was almost spot on identical to the book (and Leslie did die in the movie- I don’t think the story would have been able to be told without that happening- Whoever told you that, probably didn’t see the movie either.)

By: Elise

Elise — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:18:53 +0000

Man, half the things I loved about those childhood favorites were the dark, terrifying, incomprehensibly adult themes. It’s part of why ‘fairy tales’ became so important: before they were Bowdlerized into watered-down submission, they helped kids get a handle on the unspeakable and inexplicable events and ideas in the world around them. For instance, it’s no mistake that so many of those old stories feature parental abandonment– what, as a kid, did you fear more than the loss of your parents’ love?

My kids, when I start having ‘em, will have the fire scared out of them on a regular basis. They’ll get the unexpurgated Hobbit and Dark Is Rising, and I won’t be fast-forwarding through ANY of Dark Crystal or Neverending Story or Labyrinth.

All that scary stuff is how I learned to cope with the *really freaking scary* stuff I’d face later, like rent and research papers.

By: thestorysofar

thestorysofar — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:11:22 +0000

The Golden Compass and the two following installments to the triology are my all-time favorite books. They compleeeetely butchered the story line and the character development in the movie.

I feel your pain =(