*This is a user-submitted post by Jordan Hashemi-Briskin*
As we all know, pre-existing stories are the most common bases for animated features, whether folk tales, myths, short stories, or books. There are a few cases, however, of animated films being adapted from multiple works in a series of books, rather than single titles (Alice in Wonderland, Tales from Earthsea, and The Black Cauldron spring to mind). Yet when multiple works are condensed together to make one film, I think something is lost, and the integrity of each individual story is compromised.
Which brings us to the topic of this discussion: there are several book series that I have read that I think would lend themselves perfectly to animation, as long as there were separate films made based on each entry. (And the more faithful they stay to the source material, the better.) Here are the series that I would want to see animated:
1. The Tales from Dimwood Forest by Avi
Anyone who grew up with this series (as I did) will forever treasure the adventures of Poppy the deer mouse, Ragweed the golden mouse, Ereth the porcupine, and a host of other North American animals, in locations as diverse as the derelict city of Amperville, to the wilds of Dimwood Forest. Filled with action, drama and no short amount of heart and humor, this is a series that I actually hope to adapt myself someday. (In fact, I even recently came up with a partial list of actors I would cast in some of the roles.)
Titles in the series: Ragweed, Poppy, Poppy and Rye, Ereth’s Birthday, Poppy’s Return, Poppy and Ereth
2. The Jade del Cameron Mystery Series by Suzanne Arruda
Jade del Cameron is no stranger to danger, from serving as an Army nurse on the Western Front at the end of World War I, to traversing the wilds of colonial East Africa for a travel magazine. Of course, she also proves to have exceptional detective skills, which she puts to good use in tracking down criminals and uncovering shady operations. Evoking an age long since past, this meticulously researched series unfolds against the backdrop of the splendor and beauty of the Mother Continent, filled with tension, intrigue, and humor, as well as a cast overflowing with vibrant, complex characters.
Titles in the series: Mark of the Lion, Stalking Ivory, The Serpent’s Daughter, The Leopard’s Prey, Treasure of the Golden Cheetah, The Crocodile’s Last Embrace, Devil Dance
3. The Bunnicula saga by Deborah and James Howe
Since the first book was published in 1979, the tales of the vampire rabbit named Bunnicula and his canine and feline housemates Harold, Chester, and Howie, have become literary classics. A few years ago, they provided the basis for an animated TV program, but from what I’ve heard about it, it deviates too strongly from the source material. Therefore, I feel that the whole series needs a reverent big-screen adaptation.
Titles in the series: Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty Nightmare, Return to Howliday Inn, Bunnicula Strikes Again!, Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow
What book series would you most like to see animated on the big screen? Sound off below!
Edited by: Kelly Conley