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[CCBC-Net] RETELLINGS
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From: Randall Wright <randall.w.wright>
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 06:27:15 -0600
Lee,
I'm going to disagree with you about the singing cricket and the day-glow colors of Snow White (it wasn't until later films that they introduced that fairy-tale brightness). I think Disney did a wonderful job with Pinocchio and Snow White. And even Sleeping Beauty. He created some great images and brought animation to an art form. But along came Cinderella and those annoying mice. At least in Snow White the animals were animals (albeit friendlier than most). And I do believe that Pinocchio would be lost in obscurity were it not for Disney's treatment of it.
Another Hollywood retelling that I really believe improves on the original is The Wizard of Oz (of course NOT Disney). The drama is greatly improved. As I recall from the original, the worst that happens to Dorothy is that she has to mop floors for the witch. And the munchkins are boring-all dressed in blue. In the movie version, Dorothy's life is at stake. The witch is so awfully and delightfully evil. And the wizard gave me nightmares.
To bring the subject back to books: One of my favorite retellings is the recent Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. There is also Mira Mirror by Mette Harris that actually takes the Snow White story on from the point of view of the mirror (who was once the sister of the Queen). I realize these aren't retellings of books already in print, but rather original treatments of traditional stories.
The trend that appalls me is the continuation of series by authors other than the originals: additions to the Narnia series or the Little House series. To me that is bastardization in the real sense. I rather like the first Disney version of Pooh, but what has happened since is quite annoying-stories that Milne would never have imagined (he wasn't that bland).
Randall Wright A Hundred Days from Home (Holt 2002) Hunchback (Holt 2004) The Silver Penny (Holt 2005)
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Lbhcove at aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 3:03 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] RETELLINGS
Anything...any thing...Disney did to the classics is DIS-mal. Parents might find singing crickets, a princess who feels that one day her prince might come, all in day-glow colors, 'cute.' But he bastardized the classics in every sense of the word.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," might be a motto to all publishers. Leave the originals alone.
Caldecott board books? Classics in coloring book-formats? Poetry magnets to put on refrigerator doors? Let us continue the trend to make all youth idiots.
Stick with today's trend...where all YA book jackets are pretty pink and most novels deal with tragedy. It is just what are youth needs in these disturbing times.
Lee Bennett Hopkins
www.leebennetthopkinsbooks.com
_______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Thu 20 Jul 2006 07:27:15 AM CDT
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 2006 06:27:15 -0600
Lee,
I'm going to disagree with you about the singing cricket and the day-glow colors of Snow White (it wasn't until later films that they introduced that fairy-tale brightness). I think Disney did a wonderful job with Pinocchio and Snow White. And even Sleeping Beauty. He created some great images and brought animation to an art form. But along came Cinderella and those annoying mice. At least in Snow White the animals were animals (albeit friendlier than most). And I do believe that Pinocchio would be lost in obscurity were it not for Disney's treatment of it.
Another Hollywood retelling that I really believe improves on the original is The Wizard of Oz (of course NOT Disney). The drama is greatly improved. As I recall from the original, the worst that happens to Dorothy is that she has to mop floors for the witch. And the munchkins are boring-all dressed in blue. In the movie version, Dorothy's life is at stake. The witch is so awfully and delightfully evil. And the wizard gave me nightmares.
To bring the subject back to books: One of my favorite retellings is the recent Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. There is also Mira Mirror by Mette Harris that actually takes the Snow White story on from the point of view of the mirror (who was once the sister of the Queen). I realize these aren't retellings of books already in print, but rather original treatments of traditional stories.
The trend that appalls me is the continuation of series by authors other than the originals: additions to the Narnia series or the Little House series. To me that is bastardization in the real sense. I rather like the first Disney version of Pooh, but what has happened since is quite annoying-stories that Milne would never have imagined (he wasn't that bland).
Randall Wright A Hundred Days from Home (Holt 2002) Hunchback (Holt 2004) The Silver Penny (Holt 2005)
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Lbhcove at aol.com Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 3:03 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: Re: [CCBC-Net] RETELLINGS
Anything...any thing...Disney did to the classics is DIS-mal. Parents might find singing crickets, a princess who feels that one day her prince might come, all in day-glow colors, 'cute.' But he bastardized the classics in every sense of the word.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," might be a motto to all publishers. Leave the originals alone.
Caldecott board books? Classics in coloring book-formats? Poetry magnets to put on refrigerator doors? Let us continue the trend to make all youth idiots.
Stick with today's trend...where all YA book jackets are pretty pink and most novels deal with tragedy. It is just what are youth needs in these disturbing times.
Lee Bennett Hopkins
www.leebennetthopkinsbooks.com
_______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
Received on Thu 20 Jul 2006 07:27:15 AM CDT
