We have been squeeing here, too. This is the first time the boy has encountered the Film Changes the Book's Story issue, so we have been discussing how movies tell stories differently than books do, and how filming everything in the books wouldn't work.
I am glad you agree about Twilight. I always read Twilight with a sort of rough-and-ready voice, and to see him depicted as a somewhat effete bard is, well, wrong. I can see how they made the leap from rhyming verse-rap in the books to songs to owl-with-a-lute, but c'mon. Too far, maybe.
But yes! The animation and music look brilliant, and I am so excited. The boy is going to flip when I show him eight minutes of the movie tomorrow night.
OOOOOH MAN, that is a very important and disappointing revelation for a small one, I'm sure. Learning that, even with computer animation, you can't make it just like it was. I hope he enjoys it, though! I really think the retelling's going to work well!
Honestly I can understand why they would change it; somebody pointed out to me today that Twilight rapping and being raised in the Owl Ghetto might be taken as a comment on race, which... it definitely isn't, but might still come across badly in the movie. I do hope they make it work, though!
...do you by chance read the books out loud to your son? Because those would be absolutely wonderful books to read aloud. <3
I do indeed read them aloud to him. (He can read more than he lets on, but he is only five.) In fact, we were all secretive and sneaky and read an extra chapter last night, just because we could.
We were in the bookstore yesterday where he found the series on the shelf, and said, "Look, Mama! More Guardians of Ga'Hoole books! We should buy more, the ones we don't have!" We have the next couple in reserve, but no, that is not nearly enough; we should buy more. That's my boy. I have trained him well.
From what I can tell of the collapsed and tightened story, it does look like it will work well. As you say, the pace of the books is not, er, ideal. Scenes that exist solely for character development and exploring the world are fine in a book, but will bore a film audience and kill a movie.
That is so damn cool that you do that. My parents read to me from when I was too small to read myself up til I was fifteen; the books got more complicated, but reading with my parents made for some of the best memories I have, and is the reason I still adore books like I do. Your son is incredibly lucky. <3 (And that extra chapter makes the whole night for a kid, man. SUCH EXCITING CONTRABAND FUN.)
AND HE ALREADY UNDERSTANDS ABOUT HOW WORTHWHILE MONEY SPENT ON BOOKS IS. SUCH A SMART CHILD.
I couldn't get into the books at all, so changes to streamline the story so it makes a better movie makes me pleased. Because it does look so very good and I would've hated to have been disappointed (and bored) if I went to see it and it was exactly like the books.
Completely unrelated aside from OWLS!, but there's a wildlife park thing about an hour and a half away from me called Owlcatraz. It has owls. Obviously. And the best name ever.
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TWILIGHT DOES NOT SEEM NEARLY GANGSTER ENOUGH
and I was like
whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat.
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I THINK EDWARD CULLEN, BEING WALKING BLING, IS ABOUT THE MOST GANGSTER THING THAT EXISTS
VICTORIAN MORALS AND REFINEMENT ASIDE, OF COURSE.
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I am glad you agree about Twilight. I always read Twilight with a sort of rough-and-ready voice, and to see him depicted as a somewhat effete bard is, well, wrong. I can see how they made the leap from rhyming verse-rap in the books to songs to owl-with-a-lute, but c'mon. Too far, maybe.
But yes! The animation and music look brilliant, and I am so excited. The boy is going to flip when I show him eight minutes of the movie tomorrow night.
Reply
Honestly I can understand why they would change it; somebody pointed out to me today that Twilight rapping and being raised in the Owl Ghetto might be taken as a comment on race, which... it definitely isn't, but might still come across badly in the movie. I do hope they make it work, though!
...do you by chance read the books out loud to your son? Because those would be absolutely wonderful books to read aloud. <3
Reply
We were in the bookstore yesterday where he found the series on the shelf, and said, "Look, Mama! More Guardians of Ga'Hoole books! We should buy more, the ones we don't have!" We have the next couple in reserve, but no, that is not nearly enough; we should buy more. That's my boy. I have trained him well.
From what I can tell of the collapsed and tightened story, it does look like it will work well. As you say, the pace of the books is not, er, ideal. Scenes that exist solely for character development and exploring the world are fine in a book, but will bore a film audience and kill a movie.
Reply
AND HE ALREADY UNDERSTANDS ABOUT HOW WORTHWHILE MONEY SPENT ON BOOKS IS. SUCH A SMART CHILD.
Reply
Completely unrelated aside from OWLS!, but there's a wildlife park thing about an hour and a half away from me called Owlcatraz. It has owls. Obviously. And the best name ever.
Reply
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