Ogres and wizards and princesses, oh my! Yes, feature films for kids about these favorite archetypes are some of the biggest box-office winners of the year. Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Princess Diaries 2 have raked in impressive totals; Shrek 2 is already ranked #3 on the all-time box office list, having earned more than $439 million domestically thus far. And these days, what's good for the box office is good for the children's book world, too. In what seems like a bit of déjà vu, all three of these leading films are based on print titles for kids—and are sequels, to boot. Moviegoers (and franchise builders at the studios) remember well that the children's lit—inspired feature films Shrek, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and The Princess Diaries all turned in stellar cineplex performances in 2001. Clearly, the trend remains strong: offerings for little moviegoers (and their families) generate big bucks. And that popular well of good story ideas—publishing—has continued to spring forth successful source material.
This has already been an outstanding year for family films with a bookish backbone, and the tallying is far from over. The Polar Express (Houghton Mifflin; Warner Bros., opening November 10), based on Chris Van Allsburg's picture book, and A Series of UnfortunateEvents (HarperCollins; Nickelodeon/Paramount, opening December 17), adapted from Lemony Snicket's bestselling series, are two of the most highly anticipated films of the upcoming holiday season.
The Polar Express showcases a dazzling new animation style called performance-capture, pioneered by director Robert Zemeckis, and features actor Tom Hanks in several key roles, including the big man—Santa Claus. (See next week's PW for an interview with Van Allsburg and more information about literacy outreach connected with the book and film.) And also in the high-hype category, the live-action Unfortunate Events has Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep heading a top-notch cast, with narration by Jude Law (who seems to be in just about every film being released this fall).
Books are getting plenty of play on the small screen, too. Melvin Burgess's controversial award-winning book Doing It was the basis for ABC's critically acclaimed new series life as we know it. And one of Pleasant Company's mega-popular American Girls makes her debut in Samantha: An American Girl Holiday, airing on the WB network on November 23, starring Mia Farrow.
Of course, no one can predict the next big hit in the family film arena. But PW recently spoke with some of the experts working in the field to get their insight on what kinds of book-to-film projects are getting a greenlight, or at least garnering good buzz, these days.
What's the Big Idea?
"Selling rights for YA and kids' stuff is the biggest part of our book-to-film business, roughly 80%—90%," said Ed Wintle, longtime film rights agent at Curtis Brown Ltd. "But studios are now very specific about what they want and are looking for adventure, fantasy, something that has a big idea. And they are concerned about whether the author has a platform [a track record of bestsellers, a recognized target audience]. We were all hopeful following the success of Holes that more, similar award-winning material would be developed by the studios, but that has not been the case, and it's a surprise."
For a book to be optioned, Wintle said, "it still has to be a big adventure, high concept, very funny or completely pre-packaged. They [studios and producers] prefer it to be a boy lead and have good, meaty adult roles, too. They believe that kind of movie draws the broadest audience. Other types of things are still getting optioned, but not by studios and not for big money. Those deals are getting harder and harder to come by."
Robb Pearlman, associate director of licensing and brand management for Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, has had similar experiences of late. "We're getting lots of requests for film or TV projects that the whole family can enjoy," he said. "Studios want ideas that can be built into movie franchises, more than just a one-shot. They want the potential for sequels or a prequel. Fantasy and out-and-out comedies are getting the most attention right now." In the fantasy realm, Pearlman points to The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer and Tithe by Holly Black (both optioned by the Jim Henson Company) as recent successes.
As is frequently the case for publishing houses, both of these S&S deals were handled by an agency specializing in film rights in Los Angeles—in this case, the Gotham Group. "As in any area of publishing, it's best to have an expert in that particular part of your business," said Pearlman. "We can work with an agent and tailor things to be the most efficient. They know all the ins and outs of talking with the studios."
At the Gotham Group, CEO Ellen Goldsmith-Vein said her company has been seeing a flurry of activity recently: "We're in active negotiations on a number of properties ranging from children's classics to new manuscripts with a contemporary voice and feel."
Damon Ross, v-p of Nickelodeon Movies, noted that his division has been busy as well and is consistently seeking new material that fits the Nick model. "Nick Movies is always on the hunt for original stories that are exhilarating and soulful," he said. "In movies, we're looking to expand and grow the brand beyond just kids while staying true to the core of Nick's sensibility, which has always been left of center, irreverent and contemporary. We're particularly drawn to stories that involve real kids/families in extraordinary situations—like Lemony Snicket, the Spiderwick Chronicles and Stargirl. Many books have cinematic qualities, but only a few actually deliver on their concepts in a meaningful way and truly stand out as original."
Originality is on the shortlist for scout Fiona Kenshole as well. In early October, Kenshole, former publishing director of Oxford University Press Children's Books in London, began her role as director of scouting operations for Portland, Ore.—based Vinton Studios. Vinton is best known for its award-winning animation capabilities (The PJs; commercials starring M&Ms and the Arby's Oven Mitt) and was acquired in 2003 by Phil Knight, co-founder and CEO of Nike. Vinton will co-produce the feature film version of Neil Gaiman's novel Coraline with Pandemonium Films.
"The books that translate best to film have strong plot, strong characterizations and something extra that is difficult to articulate," said Kenshole. "A film can't be slavish to the book—it absolutely has to be the director's vision. But in the end, it has to be something that everyone sees the magic in, because the investment is so huge."
Though she is still getting her feet wet in her new job, Kenshole is enthusiastic about several potential properties from both frontlist and backlist, picture books and fiction. "They've told me, 'Go and find the best and we'll trust your judgment,' which is both terrifying and lovely."
Beyond the Franchise
In the book-to-film game, Walden Media has earned a reputation of approaching story with a high degree of reverence, as well as with an educational mission. "We are looking for books that are loved by kids and also embraced by parents and teachers," said Deborah Kovacs, v-p of publishing. "We always have a broad-based grassroots educational outreach with all of our projects. It's a win for us if all our different constituencies love it."
Walden recently announced a five-picture production and distribution agreement with 20th Century Fox. The productions include three Newbery winners—Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, The Giver by Lois Lowry and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. First out the gate is Because of Winn-Dixie, which stars Jeff Daniels and is scheduled for release on February 18, 2005.
Kovacs added that the company's slate of forthcoming films reflects Walden's philosophy of integrating entertainment and education. "In general, the films we are releasing are smaller in scale and more contemporary." However, last summer's Around the World in 80 Days, a co-production with Disney, and the forthcoming big-budget, live-action The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, also with Disney (currently in production in New Zealand and scheduled for release in December 2005)are two notable exceptions.
Disney is among the powerhouse studios driving the big-concept train. "We read a lot of new titles from agents and producers," said Karen Glass, senior v-p of development and production for Disney's Buena Vista Motion Picture Group, "and what we're looking for is strong storytelling, an original voice, a fresh idea and a compelling plot. It's harder to do a character-driven piece; it's just not translatable for a big studio. There is so much great YA fiction out there right now, but it's more melodramatic and specialized, and just not something we can delve into."
That said, Disney is still keen on a teen girl audience, known to be a smaller movie-going group than their male counterparts, because the studio did extremely well with The Princess Diaries and Freaky Friday and also received generally positive notices for the more modest Tuck Everlasting (all projects that Glass has worked on). In March, Disney entered an agreement with Judy Blume to adapt several of her books for feature films. The deal, which was nearly three years in the making, is in partnership with producer Jane Startz, co-founder of Scholastic's film and television arm and a long-time specialist in children's book fare. First up is Blume's Deenie, currently in development.
Though Startz has shepherded her share of sizable projects (Ella Enchanted and Tuck Everlasting are some of the most recent), she admitted, "My tastes gravitate toward what would be considered independent films for young people and families, if there were such a thing as an equivalent of Fine Line for kids. I do have a practical point of view, too, so I try to focus on properties that have some pre-sold value to them, like the author's reputation, book awards or something that will set it off from the pack. Studios go after high-profile properties, but there are so many wonderful stories that aren't getting done. It's much more difficult to get an intimate story financed than a flashy one. You have to be very dogged; these films are not slam-dunks. It's the antithesis of optioning Harry Potter."
New Players, New Playbooks
Nevertheless, Harry Potter's success on the big screen and in the book world has opened a lot of eyes to the Hollywood process—and brought more players onto the field. "Now there are so many more outlets—direct to video, direct to DVD," said Pearlman. "Some complications of the business have been broadened, but other things have been simplified." And for the right fit, more checkbooks are being opened, too. According to Wintle, "There are more mini-majors and smaller companies with money these days."
As Startz observed, "It's much more competitive now. Most authors and publishers have found sophisticated representation and are generally more savvy about media properties." Kenshole has seen a similar progression. "Agents and publishers are much more knowing now," she said. "It used to be 'Oh, yippee, a film person!' Now it's 'What are you going to do with the book? Will the author be happy?' They are wiser and a bit more demanding."
But so far, tougher competition in the bunny-nibble-bunny world of children's books in Hollywood doesn't seem to be hindering the printed word from finding its way to the big screen, or the small one, for that matter. Some tales just take longer than others to get there. "Hollywood's use of books as the basis for interesting stories and worlds is going to continue for the indefinite future," said Goldsmith-Vein. Glass of Disney agreed. "There's a great hunger in Hollywood for books because original ideas are hard to find," she stressed. "Rights are selling for a lot more than they did five years ago and more material is being submitted. Since Lord of the Rings, studios are now willing to take more risks on things they didn't think would translate." And that sounds like good news in any medium.
