Animorphs - film series: The Plan
Disclaimer: I spent a few days drafting this in Microsoft Notepad.
Directed by: J. J. Abrams, James Cameron, or some other director known for sci-fi and special effects.
Music by: Michael Giacchino, Hans Zimmer, John Powell, John Williams, Harry Gregson-Williams, or James Horner. Each main character has their own leimotif, or theme melody, that repeats throughout the series.
Screenplay by:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Best_Adapted_Screen play_Academy_Award_ winners Any of these adapted screenplay winners; or
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Best_Original_Scree nplay_Academy_Award _winners any of these original screenplay winners.
Teleplay(s) by: ? (Haven't researched this.)
Based on the book(s) by Katherine Alice Applegate and Michael Grant, with co-writing credit to Ellen Geroux and eleven other ghostwriters.
Art Direction by K. A. Applegate and Romas Kukalis
Assistant Art Director: David Burroughs Mattingly
Theatrical Film #1 (live action):
"Animorphs: The Invasion Begins"
Aspect ratio 1.83:1
Covers just the first book, in great detail. Get actors who look like how they're described in the books and can play their parts well. If that film's successful...
TV Miniseries episode #1 (live-action): Based on
The Visitor (book 2)
(TV Miniseries aspect ratio: 1.78:1, or 16:9, with space to cut off the sides to 4:3 if needed)
TV Miniseries episode #2 (live-action): Based on
The Encounter (book 3)
This continues until book (7/8), when we have the first Megamorphs adaptation...
(In all honesty, I can see an animated adaptation working for the main series books, at least the ones in the middle, or the books that were ghostwritten. But the stories at the beginning and the end of the series are too important and really ought to be live-action. Plus, you can't be switching back and forth between live-action and animation that frequently. Choose one and run with it, I suppose. The technology exists to fully realize any special effects that may be needed for live-action, and given the amount of money this franchise would be expected to make with its potential popularity, anything could be done, even in live-action. With the obvious choice of mixing in animated CGI stuff.)
Megamorphs books as feature-length made-for-TV movies separate from the TV series. (Aspect ratio 1:85:1)
Then, for the David Trilogy, this one can either be one big episode longer than normal, or three separate episodes aired at different times like usual. A side note: Due to the complexity of each book, a proper adaptation into an episode of approximately half an hour would allow for perhaps a new episode (book) every month, just like the original releases of the books.
The "Chronicles" books would be released as theatrical films, all live action except maybe The Hork-Bajir Chronicles and the Ellimist Chronicles, which due to their lack of human characters, could easily be all animated. (Aspect ratios of 2.35:1, because that's the epic "cinemascope/panvision" choice.)
The Alternamorphs books would probably best be adapted as video games, if at all. Maybe a video/DVD release where you use your remote control to select a choice and jump to specific titles/chapters on the disc.
Andalite and Hork-Bajir characters would be performed by actors in motion-capture suits. Andalites: dots from the waist up, and dots all over their face, but not the mouth. Hand-animate the stalk eyes and lower body (and the extra two fingers?), like with centaurs in "The Chronicles of Narnia" films (the actors wear all-bright-green pants that get erased digitally). Hork-Bajir: Motion-capture suit for the whole body, except the face. Hand-animate the face and tail. One actor per character for performance and voice. (This CGI would be similar to how Jar-Jar Binks, Gollum, Dobby, and the Na'vi were realized on film.)
Yeerk characters would be performed by whoever is the actor portraying their host, but when the book shows us internal Yeerk dialoge with a host (Books 6, 19, and 29, for example), the Yeerk would have their own voice-over actor who sounds similar to the voice of their primary host body. Example: Aftran 942 sounds similar to Karen, but Karen's actress (young girl) would primarily play the role of Aftran. When Aftran talks to Cassie in her head, a different, older actress (young adult) would do her voice.
All other alien species, including Gedds, Leerans, and Helmacrons, would be fully CGI like Stuart Little.
Unlike what has been done with the German-language audiobook and the Nickelodeon TV show, thought speech would not have an echo effect applied to it. The only time an echo effect would be used is for
italicized thinking text from the narrator of the book, like most visual/audio mediums do for thinking. Thought speech would have no special effects applied to it, and regular expository narration would have a room-tone ambience applied to it. Distinguishment/disambiguation of narration vs. thought speech would be in how the line is delivered/received, or movement of the thought-speaker.
More examples:
"Actor A" portrays Alloran-Semitur-Corass in all appearances (motion capture and voice), and "Actor A" also, for the most part, portrays Esplin 9466 Primary, when controlling Alloran (ditto on the mocap and VO). "Actor A" is also the live-action portrayer of Visser Three/Alloran/Esplin 9466 Primary's human morph.
"Actor B" portrays Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, mocap and VO. At the end of
The Andalite Chronicles film, he is also the live-action actor for Elfangor's "Alan Fangor" human morph. (Some of this stuff is just obvious or common sense.)
When Esplin 9466 Primary is controlling another host, he is portrayed by whoever does the voice of that host. In most cases, this would be the actor doing motion capture for Esplin's Hork-Bajir. The only time we would hear Esplin 9466's "real" voice would be in
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, where he narrates part time. Same thing for Edriss 562. Most of the time, she's portrayed by "Actress A" who plays Eva, Marco's mom. "Actress B" performs Edriss' voice when we get inside Eva's head during the
Visser film. Actresses A and B should sound similar, to avoid confusion while also showing that they are different individuals. Other: Jake's actor plays Temrash 114 in "The Capture" (except where Temrash 114 speaks to Jake in his head, where it's a different VO actor), and Aftran 942 is played by Cassie's actress, Karen's actress, Mr. Tidwell's actor, and - briefly - Ax's actor.
That's another thing - Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is played by "Actor C", in motion capture as described above, voice, and (obviously) the live-action actor who plays his human morph. (Well duh, that's how the TV show did it!)
The Ellimist would be portrayed by "Actor D", who always does his voice, and also performs his human form when he appears like that. (Maybe the Ellimist, as Toomin, might have a different voice as a younger Ketran, who knows?) For the times that the Ellimist appears as a frumpy man-like thing (like on the cover of
The Ellimist Chronicles), either fully-animated CGI or motion capture could be used.
Crayak would be a voice-only character, supported by CG. Who would be a good voice for Crayak? Dee Bradley Baker? Kevin Michael Richardson? Mark Hamill? Likewise, the Drode would also be a voice-only character, unless some sort of motion capture would be appropriate...
Many of the books/episodes each have their own unique, one-time that-book-only character, who could be played by a special (and/or celebrity?) guest. Occasionally, these guest characters return for at least one more appearance, but I will
only list characters that appear in only one book. For any other new characters that appear more than once, check the AniBase computer application for their name. For example:
(Book 1 - The policeman that captures Cassie) (film)
--Jake says "Until then, we fight." - cut to black - credits.
Book 3 - Dealin' Dan Hawke
4. Dolphin trainer(s)?
5. Visser One's Hork-Bajir-controller guards
6.
Temrash 1147.
Older Rachel8. Mr. Pardue and his Yeerk (one actor), Ithileran-Halas-Corain, Lirem-Arrepoth-Terrouss, Noorlin-Sirinial-Cooraf,
Gary Kozlar/Eslin 359 (one actor), Derane 344 (mentioned)
9. Mr. Farrand
10. Jenny and Maria (Chee)
11. Polo and his friends
12.
Barry and Cindy Sue, Bart Jacobs, and Jeremy Jason McCole14.
Crazy Helen, Captain Torelli, others at Zone 91.
15. Voice actors for the parrots and parrot morphs (anyone who can do a good parrot voice), the Leeran-Controller
16.
Joe Bob Fenestre/Esplin 9466 Lesser (only one actor for both)
17.
George Edelman/his Yeerk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the other six celebrities at the Planet Hollywood concert (played either by themselves or impersonators), human-Controllers (who speak) in the Yeerk Pool Complex
18.
Samilin-Corrath-Gahar, Hareli(n)-Frodlin-Sirinial, Dr. Coaldwin-Ashul-Tahaylik, Prince Galuit-Enilon-Esgarrouth, and the four Leeran-Controllers (voice)
19.
Aftran 942 and Karen, of course
20.
David!
21. Saddler and his family
23.
Aria ("Actress C" is credited as "Aria", and Aria would be another alternate name on Visser Three's IMDb character page.)
----Play Kansas' "Carry On My Wayward Son" during the end credits.
24. Helmacron leader (female voice actress who can do shrilly voices) (Does the same exact character reappear in the second Helmacron book, or did they kill her?)
25. Marian and Derek
26.
Guide, the Iskoort28. No guest characters important enough to get opening credits credit.
29.
Mr. Tidwell and Illim
31. Grandpa G. (seen?)
33.
Taylor/Sub-Visser 51 (obviously the same actress for both), Mr. Feyroyan, Professor Powers, and Rick Stathis (Are they seen or only mentioned? I haven't read this book in a long time.)
34.
Quafijinivon, (Aldrea's (voice) actress reappears.)
35.
William Roger Tennant36.
Queen Soco, Naca, and Hahn Tunad
37. Garatron Inspector
38.
Estrid-Corril-Darrath,
Arbat-Elivat-Estoni, Cmdr. Gonrad-Isfall-Sonilli, Aloth-Attamil-Gahar, and Ajaht-Litsom-Esth
39. Chapman's actor does double duty here...
40. Gafinilan-Estrif-Valad/Henry McClellan and Mertil-Iscar-Elmand
41. Niss and Justice?
43. Bobby McIntyre?
44.
Yami45. Grath
46. Visser Two/
Admiral Carrington47.
Richard Carpenter and the campers,
Isaiah Fitzhenry and the Civil War soldiers.
48. Those guys that helped David?
50.
James and the Aux. Animorphs (appear more than once, but they're more major)
Start movie:
51. The Governor, Frank/his Yeerk, Collins, Ltn. Col. Larsen, Mj. MacDonald
52. Captain Olston
53. Gen. Sam Doubleday
54. Aculan-Semitur-Langor, Ronnie Chambers, Mendrash-Postill-Fastill, Caysath-Winwall-Esgarrouth, Santorelli, Jeanne Gerard, Effit 1318, and The One (those last two are voice-only)
----- Jake says "Ram the Blade Ship." Cut to black. Credits play.
As you can see in my write-up, I think it would be best to end the entire film/TV series with one last theatrical film, at 1.83:1 aspect ratio. Lenth may vary, but I think books 51 through 54 can fit comfortably into a feature-length film. If you think more or less books would make a good length ending film, please let me know.
