Once upon a time, there was this dapper lad – an astute chocolate connoisseur – who went on a quest to come up with the right recipe for the best sweets.
That could serve as the opening line for a novelization of one of this holiday season’s most anticipated confections, “Wonka,” director Paul King’s eye-popping origin story for the iconic character, Willy Wonka, created by author Roald Dahl. He’s that quirky guy and talented chocolatier who stole the show in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
The film opens Friday.
Starring heartthrob Timothée Chalamet as a younger version of that character, “Wonka” is an original work that follows in a long tradition of movies adapted from beloved children’s books.
It’s fertile ground to harvest from, with a crop that includes J.M. Barrie’s eternally youthful creation Peter Pan, a character who’s appeared in many film and stage incarnations — and on to Dodie Smith’s “The One Hundred and One Dalmatians,” which was adapted by Disney into a series of animated and live-action films, and which graced the world with one of the screen’s most despicable villains, the anti-dog Cruella de Ville. Like Wonka, it all led to an origin story — with Emma Stone in the titular lead.
So we are rounding out some of our favorite movies based on children’s novels, spotlighting a few you might not know much about. We purposely excluded YA novels such as “Twilight” and “Hunger Games” since that’s a whole separate genre unto itself.
Unless otherwise noted, each of these films is widely available to stream or rent on multiple sites.
“Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”: Let’s forget about that pointless 2005 Tim Burton redo, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and that freaky performance from Johnny Depp as Wonka. The sweet spot in this adaptation story is director Mel Stuart’s perky 1971 original film, which came up with the golden ticket mostly because of an endearing turn from Gene Wilder as the kooky titular chocolatier. There’s much to like here, including a game British cast, kitschy-looking sets and a rather decent pack of musical numbers/tunes. Our favorite part found that spoiled brat Veruca Salt (Julie Dawn Cole) getting her just desserts. Where to see it: Available to stream or rent on multiple platforms.
The “Harry Potter” series: The fantasy world J. K. Rowling so vividly crafted continues to enchant — both on stage and on film — and it’s a testament to this eight-part film cycle that the magic endures. The series effortlessly conjured the charm and spirit of the seven-book epic and presented us with an ideal fit for its boy wizard, a bespectacled, earnestly likable Daniel Radcliffe. He and his magician posse — Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) — squared off with Harry’s loathsome arch-nemesis Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and other duplicitous Hogwarts types in one of those rare occasions where the cast and the setting felt like it had leapt directly from page to land on screen. Note: a Potter stage satire, “Potted Potter,” is playing at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco Dec. 19-Jan. 7 (www.pottedpotter.com). Where to see it: All eight films are widely available on streaming and rental sites.
“The Wizard of Oz”: This undisputed 1939 classic endures the ultimate test – time — and continues to fend off modern competitors that seek to knock it off its top perch as the best film adaptation of a children’s story. Good luck with that. Director Victor Fleming’s massive undertaking remains forever embedded in our collective psyche, and influences and delights generation after generation. Blessed with unforgettable characters — the heart-seeking Tin Man (Jack Haley), the prone-to-tears Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr), the kind but klutzy Scarecrow (Ray Bolger) and that green Queen of Mean, the Wicked Witch of the West Witch (Margaret Hamilton) — it also gave us an iconic girl-power heroine in the form of Dorothy (Judy Garland) who, along with her cute and mischief-making dog Toto, stole our hearts ever so. Few children’s movies can compare to this over-the-rainbow classic. Where to see it: Available to stream or rent on multiple platforms.
“Kiki’s Delivery Service”: One of our most innovative and inspired animated storytellers, Hayao Miyazaki, often references or plays around with the work of other authors. (“Ponyo” was inspired, in part, by “The Little Mermaid”). His lovely 1989 “Kiki’s Delivery Service” was based on Eiko Kadono’s book about a young nonconformist witch and her cute black cat sidekick operating a broomstick delivery service that would put Amazon to shame. It doesn’t have as many narrative threads sewn in as his greatest hits, such “Spirited Away,” “Princess Mononoke” and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” it’s absolutely enchanting and speaks eloquently about accepting and embracing our true identity.
“Paddington”: Oh that silly old bear. Oops. Wrong bruin. That other beloved critter, the Peruvian marmalade-sandwich loving creation dreamt up by British author Michael Bond sprung to CGI life in 2014 via Paul King, director of “Wonka.” The filmmaker preserves the whimsy of the world Bond fancied but also opens it up in the bear’s first film outing, which costarred Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins, and even more so with its better 2017 sequel, wherein Paddington lands in the slammer for a crime that a blowhard actor (Hugh Grant gloriously hamming it up) committed. And if an Oscar should ever get awarded to best vocal performances, Ben Whishaw, as Paddington, would be a shoo-in. A new Paddington installment in the film series is due in 2025).
“Mary Poppins”: This Julie Andrews/Dick Van Dyke 1964 Disney charmer — like “The Wizard of Oz” — never goes out of style. What’s its secret? Those two larger-than-life leads, a sweet story, and Richard M. and Robert B Sherman’s songbook, which produced some of the most hummable movie tunes ever — the Oscar-winning “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” to name a few. While many do adore it, author PL Travers didn’t, criticizing it for adding in too much sugar to her series of novels about a magical nanny who spruces up the lives of the Banks brood. (2013’s “Saving Mr. Banks” with Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson focused on Walt Disney’s and Travers’ acrimonious relationship). Regardless of how it went down, “Mary Poppins” remains an effervescent musical that can chase storm clouds away in a super-cali-fragil-istic-expi-ali-docious way. Disney tried a sequel with 2018’a “Mary Poppins Returns” but it failed to take flight.
“Little Women”: There have been numerous versions of author Louisa May Alcott’s cherished tale about the lives of the four March sisters in 1860s Massachusetts and their relationships to each other and challenges of the times, including gender conceits. Greta Gerwig’s 2019 lively adaptation stars a well-cast Saoirse Ronan as the writer in the family, Jo, and whale Gerwig tweaked the story a bit, the changes made sense and created a more satisfying experience — particularly giving Florence Pugh as the mercurial sister Amy more screen time. Gerwig mixes humor with the pathos and consistently showed a deep love for the 1868 novel.
“Sounder”: What becomes glaringly apparent when forming a list of the best films adapted from children’s literature is the lack of diverse contenders. Martin Ritt helped change that with his moving 1972 Oscar-nominated rendition of the award-winning 1969 novel by William H. Armstrong. The “Sounder” in the title is a hound dog, a pet of the Morgans — a Black Louisiana sharecropping family barely getting by. The three central performances from Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson, as the parents, and Kevin Hooks as their son received unanimous acclaim and the movie, despite naysayers who predicted it would flop, turned into a hit. “Sounder” remains lesser known than such classics that involve animals as “Old Yeller” and “Where the Red Fern Grows,” but it’s the best of the bunch.
“Babe”: “Mad Max: Fury Road” producer George Miller produced this 1995 heart-warmer, based on Dick King-Smith’s “The Sheep-Pig.” The film follows the misadventures of a cute, plucky piglet named Babe and how his adopted Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell) believes the unimaginable — that this trouble-prone swine possesses what it takes to be a working sheepdog. Reportedly, it took director Chris Noonan six years to pull this one off (the animatronic effects are sensational). All that toil and time paid off, resulting in an endearing, timeless classic that could very well turn the kids and maybe yourself into devout vegetarians. I’ll also admit the ending tears me up every time. It begat a darker, more cynical sequel by Miller — 1998’s “Babe: Pig in the City” — which is good but could freak kids out.
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”: Few films so honestly and – above all else – kindly depict the inner thoughts and emotions of an 11-year-old girl than Kelly Fremon Craig’s tone-perfect 2023 adaptation of Judy Blume’s much loved, unjustly controversial 1970 novel. Set in that era, it explores Margaret’s questions about faith, her body, her friends and her family. Of course, there’s boy talk, but that’s thankfully not the predominant theme in what should become a classic example of how to do the coming-of-age film right. As Margaret’s mom, Rachel McAdams radiates genuine compassion and goodness. Be on the lookout for that Blume cameo.
“The Jungle Book”: Rudyard Kipling’s 1894 collection of stories about lost boy Mowgli and his attempt to connect with jungle creatures great and small — sometimes to his detriment — has inspired many filmmakers. But the results haven’t always been so great (Andy Serkis’s ambitious 2018 failure, “Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle,” being one casualty). The two best examples are Disney’s energetic 1967 animated production and Jon Favreau’s 2016 spectacle, which fused the Disney musical with more of Kipling’s work and came up a winner. Favreau used CGI correctly to create a suspenseful, gorgeous to behold adaptation. And who better to voice Shere Khan and Kaa than Idris Elba and Scarlett Johansson, respectively? That’s what you call inspired casting.
“The Muppet Christmas Carol”: There have been too many to count cinematic interpretations of Charles Dickens’ holiday favorite — from silent films to the old-school 1951 one with Alastair Sim and on to Bill Murray’s irreverent — and not entirely successful — “Scrooged” from 1988. But leave it to Kermit, as the overworked/underpaid Bob Cratchit, Miss Piggy, as his wife Emily, and other Muppets to make us laugh and cry. (Robin the Frog as Tiny Tim reduced me to a puddle). And who better to play the bah-humbug Ebeneezer than Michael Caine? This is a holiday classic worth watching every year.
Two “Pinocchio” versions: Disney’s frequent modus operandi has been to tone down source material for family consumption. “Peter Pan,” for instance, lost its edge under Disney stewardship as did this 1940 adaptation of Italian author Carlo Collodi’s influential 1883 classic about grieving father Geppetto creating an inquisitive, prone-to-trouble boy from wood. In the book, Pinocchio was a brat. In the movie, he’s rather innocent and gullible. The animated feature holds up well to this day and features the Disney anthem “When You Wish Upon a Star” but it does differ from the tone of Collodi’s story. For an edgier take, you can’t go wrong with “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” a Nettflix adaptation that tells a dark and scary fable about mortality. Too bad that this 2022 Oscar winner threw in some weak songs that are at odds with the film itself.
