World Book Day: Book or film, which do you prefer?

Book Scores compiled by www.goodreads.com Film Scores compiled by www.imdb.com ORIGINAL READS OR MODERN FILM LET'S SEE HOW THEY STACK UP WHICH DO YOU PREFER ? To celebrate World Book Day in true style, the FANCY DRESS BALL team have re- searched the top 10 children's classic tales, looking at interesting facts around the book and film. Come and join our discussion by using #WBDbattle. IN OUR REVIEWERS PANEL FANTASTIC MR FOX JANIS CURRY written by directed by KANTASTIC TANT MMRAFOX ROALD 1974 BOOK WINS WES 2009 wwW.REALLYKIDFRIENDLY.COM ANDERSON 1. The film became the second highest-rated animated film in 2009 on Rotten Tomatoes, behind Up. 2. Anderson added new scenes to serve for the film's beginning and end which can be seen before Mr. Fox's plan to steal from the three farmers and after the farmers' bulldozing of the hill, beginning with the flooding of the tunnel. 3. This movie is composed of almost 56,000 shots and 535 puppets were made. 1. "The Witches' Tree", where Roald Dahl lived with his family in Buckinghamshire, inspired him to write the book. 2. Roald Dahl allegedly fashioned Mr Fox after himself. There is no one like Roald Dahl to spark a child's imagination! We can't get enough of his stories, and Fantastic Mr Fox is one our favourites. The movie is wonderful and great fun, but it's such a shame that the characters just appear, fully formed as the director imagines them. The way Roald Dahl describes the farmers is magnificent: "He was pot-bellied dwarf. He was so short his chin would have been underwater in the shallow end of any swimming pool on the planet." I love how my children sit transfixed pulling together the descriptions with their experiences and the people they've come across in their lives, picturing the characters in their minds. Because of Roald Dahl's fantas- tic way with words, we've been enjoying the book again and again over the years, whereas they might watch the film two or three time before getting a bit bored of it. The verdict? The book is a clear winner in our family! Book Facts 3. It's classed as a short book with only 96 pages. 4. It's been said that Mrs Fox was inspired by Dahl's wife Felicity. 5. Mr and Mrs Fox do not have first Film kind of Facts names. 4. Roald Dahl's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" was the first book Wes Anderson owned. score 3.98 5. Anderson gave Mrs Fox the name Felicity. score 3.90 out of CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY SIAN ELVIN written by directed by TIM2005 ROALD BOOK WINS E DAHL64 BURTON 1. The 40 squirrels in the Nut Room were real. The animals were trained www.SIANELVIN.CO.UK 1. Celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2014. 2- Unpublished drafts revealed that there were nine children who received golden tickets, and more rooms and temptations to test their self-control. 3. In 2006 J. K. Rowling (author of the Harry Potter books) named Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as one of her top ten books that every child should read. 4. It has received seven awards including the Blue Peter Book Award in 2000. 5. 22 editions of the book have been published. every day for 10 weeks before filming took place. 2. The lollipops on the trees, the giant pink sugar canes, and the giant humbugs, were real candy. 3. 192,000 gallons of chocolate were used to make a real chocolate river. 4. In 2006, the film won three awards and was up for 15 nominations. "Although Roald Dahl's classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory turned 50 years old last year, the book is an absolute must-read for children. In the 2005 film version, Johnny Depp certainly does the character of Willy Wonka justice, but somehow there's just nothing quite like Dahl's descriptions of the crazy inventor alongside Quentin Blake's fantastic illustrations. The story is timeless and perfect to read to younger children or let them read it themselves as they get a little older - after all, it didn't receive seven awards and get published in 22 editions for nothing!" Film Facts Book Facts 5. The film was a box office success, grossing around £315 million worldwide. score 3.35 out of score 4.08 JANIS CURRY MARY POPPINS written by directed by MPs Mary Poppins BOOK WINS PAMELA LYNDON TRAVERS ROBERT SNDOR 1934 STEVERSON 1964 STEVENSON wwW.REALLYKIDFRIENDLY.COM PLTAAVIAS 1. Travers' great aunt, Ellie, was the inspiration behind Mary Poppins, as she came to stay to get "spit spot into bed!" 1. The child actors were often not told what was about to happen, such as the colour-changing medicine or the range of items that Mary Poppins pulled out from her carpetbag. 2. Some of the nannies lined up at the beginning of the film are actually Film What a lovely, magical story! We were genuinely stunned by how accessible the book ins cted children who is, especially given that it was published over 80 years ago. The author, Travers, really 2. It's said that a wooden peg doll inspired the appearance of Mary Poppins who had a turned-up nose, shiny, painted black hair, small, bright blue eyes, and rosy red cheeks. 3. In the stories, Mary Poppins has spoken to a bird, a dog, a snake, sea creatures, the sun and the planets. In one story, she danced with the planets and was kissed by the sun. The following morning, she had a small burn on her cheek from the sun's kiss. 4. Mary Poppins has turned-out feet, as if in a ballet position. This is because Travers was a dancer when she was in her teenage years. 5. Mary Poppins has been translated into 17 languages.l. brings the story to life with incredibly vibrant descriptions and snappy dialogue. We also love how she says that she'll stay until the wind changes - it makes her seem even more magical. Our favourite part of the book is where she's chatting with a dog in the park with the children looking on in amazement - you can just picture their faces! It must have been difficult finding just the right person to play Mary Poppins, especially with an exacting author such as Travers was reputed to be, but Julie Andrews really is the perfect fit. The movie is charming and the songs been a hit with everyone in the family for generations, but the book is the front runner men. Facts 3. The iconic Walt Disney Studios' songwriters and brothers, Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman, worked on the music for the film for two and a half years. Book Facts 4. The film was voted Channel 4's (UK) third "Greatest Family Film". 5. Mary Poppins was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, winning five of them, which is the most ever in Walt Disney's history. have by far! score 4.06 out of score 3.90 out of LETS GO WITH The MATILDA ChiLDRen Roald written by directed by MATILDA Dahl Matilda ROALD DAHL BOOK WINS 1984 1996 DEVITO wwW.LETSGOWITHTHECHILDREN.CO.UK 1. Matilda was published around the same time of the birth of Roald Dahl's fourth grandchild. 2. It was the first story Roald Dahl had to completely rewrite, as he was not happy with how he had created the characters. 1. The picture of Miss Honey's father, Magnus, is actually a portrait of Roald Dahl. 2. When Matilda described her love of Charles Dickens to Miss Honey, she mispronounces his name as "Darles Chickens", just as the "The BFG" had in another of Roald Dahl's novels. 3. Pam Ferris (Trunchbull) would often stay in character to scare the children on-set so that their fear "Like The Witches and Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl's Matilda, a story of a girl with telekinetic abilities, was adapted into a live action film. Surprisingly, though a critical successland now considered a family favourite, it was not a box office hit when it was released in 1996. Despite the special effects providing a big screen wow factor, Matilda'sirevenge on her cruel teacher and parents perhaps keptithe grown-ups from taking their kids and inspiring any copycat behaviour. The film is pleasurably grotesque, but the fact is, the book with its dark Dickensian vision of the adult world, is very much a child's secret delight; one in which using Dahl's delicious words as a springboard, they get to imagine themselves misunderstood heroes like Matilda, indulging in their mischief and triumphing over such otherwise uncontrollable and unjust forces as bedtimes and lessons. And who wants to share that with the enemy!" Film Book Facts Facts 3. Matilda was Roald Dahl's last long children's book. 4. Prior to Dahl's rewrite, Matilda was a wicked girl who eventually used her powers to help her teacher solve her financial problems by fixing a horse race. appears real when the camera began to roll. 4. Wormwood, Matilda's family name, is a name given to a poisonous plant or something extremely unpleasant. 5. Matilda won the Children's Book Award shortly after it was published in 1988. 5. Matilda won three awards and a further five nominations. Score 4.25 out of score 3.40 out of Ann lazim THE WIZARD OF OZ written by directed by The Winard of Or FILM WINS VICTOR 1939 LYMAN FRANK BAUM 1900 WiZARD FLEMING939 www.CLPE.ORG.UK & wwW.FREEFILMFESTIVALS.ORG 1. Despite the publisher deeming the book unsuccessful, by 1956 the sales of Baum's novel grew to three million copies in print. 2. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is considered the first American fairy tale because of its references to American locations like Kansas and Omaha. 1. The Cowardly Lion costume weighed almost 45kg and was made with real lion fur. "This was the first American children's book to bring fantasy to the fore. A loved classic since its publication, its influence has stretched far beyond the original story. However, it musical film 'The Wizard of Oz' that has made this story live on in popular culture, inspiring many spinoffs such as the stage musical "Wicked' and catchphrases such as 'Toto, I don't think we 2. Many scenes featuring the Wicked Witch of the West were either shortened or deleted as the performance was thought too frightening for audiences. 3. In the film, The Wizard is seen wearing the original coat that was once made for the author, Baum. By chance, it was picked by the wardrobe department in a second-hand store. 4. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards. 5. Dorothy's slippers changed to ruby in order to take advantage of the technicolour wow factor. Film is undoubtedly the iconic 1939 Facts Book Facts The 're in Kansas anymore'. The 3. Many of the characters, props, and ideas in the novel were drawn from Baum's experiences. As a child, he was afraid of scarecrows and his school path was yellow. The witches were inspired from his mother-in-law who spent time researching them. 4. There were 13 sequels around the land of OZ. Somewhere memorable songs, especially Over the Rainbow', have contributed to the film's The desire to show off new longevity. developments in Technicolor influenced the change of colour of Dorothy's sparkling slippers and it was also used to frame the story, as Dorothy and her dog Toto whirl from sepia to sunshine, from Kansas to Oz, and eventually back again as There's no place like home'. The symmetry this provides is part of what makes the film so enjoyable to revisit, as the link between the characters in the two lands emerges, made explicit by visual rather than verbal clues that couldn't have been conveyed in the same way in the written text." 5. Dorothy's slippers were silver. score Score 3.96 out of 4.05 out of PETER PAN & WENDY Boung written by directed by Walt Disney's FILM WINS P1958 PETER PAN CLYDE GERONIMI WILFRED JACKSON HAMILTON LUSKE JACK KINNEY 1. When Walt Disney was a child, he played Peter Pan in a school function. 2. In the original, Hook loses his right hand, but the Disney artists felt that this would limit his actions too much, and switched the hook to the left hand. JAMES MATTHEW BARRIE 9 wwW.YORKSHIREDAD.CO.UK 1. Peter Pan first appeared in a section of The Little White Bird, a 1902 novel written by J.M Barrie for adults. "Peter Pan is one of our favourite movies within our family as it's a timeless classic. It's a film I want my son to watch when he's old enough. It's an inclusive movie that is fun for every family member to watch and can laugh as well as covering serious topics in family-friendly relationships formed we liked how the Disney version received a stronger 2. Two years later, in 1904, Peter Pan became a play before it turned into a book. Book Facts We can relate to the manner. story; however ien of Wendy within the 3. JM Barrie gave all the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital. 4. Barrie was constantly updating the story and the script was rewritten and changed each year. The Peter Pan we know was set in the late 1950s and early 1960s. 5. In the original stage productions Peter Pan's main outfit colours were auburns, tans, browns and cobwebs unlike in the movies where he wore Film 3. The original version had Nana go to Neverland with Peter Pan and the Darling children. 4. One of the early concepts of the film involved it being narrated from Nana's point of view. 5. The melody for "The Second Star to the Right" was originally written for Alice in Wonderland female role unlike the Facts stereotypical traits she had in the book, We particular liked the character of Hook, who stayed the same, scared of the ticking crocodile; this really helped add an element of humour into the story and took away from Hook's evilness. The film however had a less sinister ending for Hook as he sails away in his dingy from Neverland whilst the book tragically ends Hook's life with a hungry crocodile." Captain and remained green. score 3.70 out of score 4.10 Out of THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA SIAN ELVIN written by ,directed by Narnia FILM WINS CLIVE STAPLES ANDREW ADAMSON 2005 www.SIANELVIN.CO.UK 1. It is the first of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia. 1. While filming the snowball fight scene, the four children had a snowball fight with director Adamson between takes. "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a story definitely best experienced through film for children rather than the book. The 1950 novel, one of the seven Chronicles of Narnia, is a pretty hard slog and I remember not being able to finish it until I was a teenager - I think the religious symbolism went straight over my head as a child. The film however makes the world of Narnia child's eyes and despite the film being 10 years old now, it still carries a certain kind of magic. This is probably due to Lucy (actress Georgie Henley) having a genuine reaction to Mr Tumnus and the snowy landscape after being carried onto the set blindfolded." 2. The story symbolises the Christian Easter story as Aslan sacrifices himself for Edmund even though he is Film 2. The actress, who played Susie, Anna Popplewell, is afraid of mice, so her scenes involving mice had to be shot with her double. 3. The inscription on the blade of Peter's sword reads, "When Aslan shakes his mane, Narnia shall know spring again." 4. Aslan means "Lion" in Turkish.." 5. The reaction of the actress who played Lucy, Georgie Henley, when she saw Mr. Tumnus at the lamp post was genuine. She had not seen the costume before the scene was filmed. The same is true of her first reaction to the snowy world of Narnia. She was carried on to the set blindfolded. seen as a traitor. Facts 3. The story was inspired by an image of a faun, as well as three girls who lived with Lewis during World War II. to life right before a come 4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe took 10 years to write. 5. Lucy is based on Lucy Barfield, Lewis's goddaughter, she was four years old when he started the book. Book Facts Score 4.15 out of Score 3.45 Qut of HARRY POTTER AND THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE Emily Murráy HARRY POTTER written by directed by BOOK WINS JK1997 CHRIS COLUMBUS ROWLING COLUMBRIS 001 www.MINTYFILMS.BLOGSPOT.CO.UK 1. The concept of Harry Potter came about when Rowling was on a train back to London after spending a weekend flat hunting in Manchester. 2. Before the book was taken on by its publisher, the 90,000 word story too long. 3. In the first year, the book won the National Book Award and a gold medal in the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize. The following year, Philoso- pher's Stone won almost all the other major British awards that were decided by children.. 4. By March 1999 300,000 UK edi- tion copies had been sold, and the story was still the UK's best-selling title in December 2001. 5. By mid-2008, official translations of the book were published in 67 languages. 1. By February 2002 this was the second highest grossing film worldwide after Titanic (1997). 2. Actor Alan Rickman (Snape) was handpicked by Rowling. She even provided him with vital details on Snape's back story that weren't revealed until the final novel. 3. Warner Bros. originally considered animating the films and even attempted to combine several of the novels into a single movie. They were worried over the quick ageing of the child actors. 4. Child actors in the film had to do their actual schoolwork in the movie to make the school setting more real. 5. The actor for Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane, was the very first person to be cast. "The case of the Harry Potter series is a rare one as the books and the films are equally great, and there is not a bad egg in the mix. However, the books possess that extra sprinkle of magic that provides an engaging xperience and lets your imagination flow, especially in the case of the first book The Philosopher's Stone. A book about magic of course is going to be overrun with creative be Film Facts ost others considered juices, and therefore children can astounded by the spells and really let their imagination run wild with all the fantastical events. Originally rejected by publishers for being too long, it is in fact a good length for children with simple enough language but a well-developed and exciting story to keep them involved throughout. There is a reason why the book won so many awards and inspired such a fantastic franchise!" Book Facts Score 4.39 out of score 3.75 out of JANIS, CURRY THE JUNGLE BOOK written by directed by JimaleBok T Ju Bo FILM WINS WOLFGANG 1967 KIPLING 1894 wwW.REALLYKIDFRIENDLY.COM REITHERMAN 1. According to Kipling's daughter, "Mowgli" is pronounced "MAU-glee", not "MOH-glee". 2. The stories and illustrations were first published in magazines in 1893-94. 3. In the book, Kaa the snake is a friend and advisor of Mowgli, and the one who rescues him from the monkeys. 4. Hindi animal names were used for the characters that are related to their species. 'Baloo' means bear, 'Bagheera' means panther, and 'Hathi' means elephant. 'Shere Khan' means Tiger King. 5. In the original, The Jungle Book was dark and dramatic, featuring a lot of anger, death and revenge. 1. Jungle Book was the last film personally overseen by Walt Disney. 2. The vultures were originally going to be voiced by The Beatles. 3. In the film, Kaa the snake is a villain determined on eating Mowgli. 4. Kaa's song "Trust in me" was originally written for Mary Poppins. 5. For the film's background, Disney animators visited real jungles in India and studied the wildlife. Kipling is one of our favourite authors of all time, and re-reading The Jungle Book was a real joy; the book has such vibrant descriptions of the jungle and its creatures right from the first paragraph. Like many classic tales, however, it's quite gruesome and dark, especially toward the end where Shere Khan meets a decidedly violent and gruesome Film Facts fate and Mowgli cast out of the Man is Village. Yet Disney transformed the story into a fun, accessible movie with positively infectious songs and proper belly laughs. We were surprised about the differences between the book and the movie in terms of the main characters - in the book, Baloo is a wise teacher, responsible for teaching the wolf Mowgli) the Jungle Law and the calls of all the animals, Kaa is the most feared of all the creatures and actually Bagheera and Mowgli from the monkeys in the ruins, and our favourite character King Louie isn't in the book at all! Book Facts cubs (and Baloo, score score 3.96 out of 3.80 out of Karl Young BAMBI, A LIFE IN THE WOODS Bambi written by directed by WALT DISNEYS FILM WINS JAMES ALGAR BILL ROBERTS NORMAN WRIGHT DAVID HAND SAMUEL ARMSTRONG PAUL SATTERFIELD ambi ELIX 1928 1942 SALTEN wwW.YORKSHIREDAD.CO.UK AND GRAHAM HEID 1. The film received three Academy Award nominations: Best Sound, Best Song and Original Music Score. 2. The film ranked third in the American Film Institute's top 10. 3. Disney had to take 12 minutes away from the film to save on the production cost as it swallowed the equivalent of £571,000. 4. Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk were new characters added into the film to make it child-friendly. 5. There are approximately only 1,000 words of dialogue throughout the entire film.. 1. The story was grim and sombre, therefore making the book aimed at adults. "Reading Salten's original take on Bambi is very emotional and includes a lot of negative events throughout the book involving threatening danger and death. Even though this may be the reality of animals living in the woods, it's a story too grim to read to a child, especially at a young age. I think Disney has done a fantastic job of taking these emotional moments from within the book and making them film-worthy and engaging without too much sombre detail or upsetting the children who enjoy the movie too much. The relationships between the characters are also strengthened within the movie making Bambi's one true love, Faline, a genuine feeling, whereas the book again makes it only last during the rutting season. Again, Salten's take was very realistic. Disney, on the other hand, went to great lengths, such as introducing new child-friendly characters, to ensure their movies could be enjoyed by the younger market." Book 2. It became very popular after its release and received 'book of the month' having sold 650,000 copies in the US by 1942. Facts 3. The book was banned in Nazi Germany in 1936 and many copies were burned. Original first editions are therefore now rare and difficult to find. 4. The book was translated and pub- lished in over 20 different languages. 5. A sequel was released called "Bambi's Kinder: Eine Familie Im Walde" (Bambi's Children) in 1939. Film Facts score Score 4.80 3.70 out of out of