Animorphs: The Movie (Your Way)

[riay_night]

Alright, so allow my to preface this by saying, No, this is not a post about an actual movie coming out. This is something different, and idea that spawned out of reading about a possible live-action Animorphs movie over at Hirac Delest.

So i've been rereading Animorphs recently, and i've been falling in love with the series all over again. I think it would be EPIC if someone was to make it into a movie. I literally think I would faint if I saw a trailer in the movie theater. But, I thought, how in all hell would they be able to convey the sheer awesomeness of 54 books into ONE film??? Which got me thinking, how would I do it if the project was in my hands? What would I include, what would I leave out? Would I have a narrator, like Jake, or would I scrap that completely? What would you do?

Personally, I think that it would definitely have to be more than one movie. I'm thinking trilogy, but who knows. I would love for it to begin with, 'My name is Jake', but it would suck to never hear the narration of other characters like you get if you're reading the books. There's so much amazing stuff from the books, like Elfangor being Tobias's father, and Visser One being Marco's mother that would HAVE to be in the movies in my opinion. Then there's other stuff, like Rachel being allergic to the alligator morph--it's still an awesome book, but would it have a place in the movie? Probably not. That's an obvious one.

But what about Jake becoming a controller, and starving the yeerk to death? Cassie morphing a yeerk? Would that stuff have a place in the movie?

I feel like you would HAVE to include the Crayak and the Ellimist...

Anyway, this stuff has been swimming around in my head a lot lately, and I have no friends that read the series to share with. So, what do you guys think???

Also, feel free to mention any actors that you feel could play the characters. For instance (though I think she isn't quite dazzling enough to play her) I feel like Evan Rachel Wood (acting wise) could play a good Rachel, haha.

In advance, I apologize if there has been a previous post that is really similar to this one.

[goom]

In advance, I apologize if there has been a previous post that is really similar to this one.

perfectly fine, off the top of my head i can only think of one or two.
we can always merge threads if it's a dupe.
http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php/topic,940.0.html
http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php/topic,3192.0.html
http://animorphsforum.com/forum/index.php/topic,952.0.html

[Chad32]

Yeah, I remember posting in another thread like this.

I would definitely do multiple movies, because there's just too much in there to condense into a two hour timeframe.

The first movie would consist to the fist five books, and book eight. An intro, if you will.

The second movie would introduce the Chee, Free Horks, and YPM. It would focus a bit on them, because those are good factions that I think weren't expanded enough.

The third movie is where everything comes out in the open. Animorphs on the run, expanding the numbers with Auxilaries to help against an open war. All the factions coming together to stop the Yeerks.

That's what I can think of off the bat. I may do others, and include the Ellemist and Crayak. I may have David simply be one of the Auxilaries, and have him go bad.

[Bustercloud]

I don't think the 54 book series would do well, even taking out fillers and put into multiple movies. Maybe if it was an 8 hour movie like the 10th Kingdom.

 Really, I think The Andalite Chronicles mixed with Hork-Bajir(sorry if I misspell any of this stuff, its been years) would be best.

 Start off introducing the Yeerk home world with the original Andalites there. With the whole Gedd Stealing ships scene. Give a brief rundown of the Hork-Bajir homeworld being taken, and the Taxxon treaty, with a foreshadowy mention of Earth being secretly invaded. Switch to Elfanger on the domeship, follow him to the Taxxon world, continue with the book up to him giving Jake and gang the morphing power.

 Then end the movie with scenes of humans being taken by Yeerks, Hork-Bajir/Taxxons fighting the animorphs, and have a large andalite watching a fight near the kadrona area, then starting to morph into one of the huge hideous morphs.

[riay_night]

Yeah, my problem, as i'm rereading the series, is that there is just SO MUCH good stuff that would have to hit the cutting room floor, which bums me out. I just can't see it being done in three movies even. The stuff that would have to be in the first movie would be the construction site, the preliminary attack on the yeerk pool, rescuing ax, and then maybe Jake becoming a controller and it ends with the yeerk dying? Or some introduction of the Ellimist?

It just seems like it's almost too difficult to do. I mean the Yeerk pool attack is a big big story in itself, and going right from that into another big story line (rescuing ax) seems like it would throw an audience off, especially if the movie is trying to appeal to a large audience, not just the hardcore fans.

I love the three books with David in them, but I guess they wouldn't be able to fit that into the movie.

I started thinking maybe a TV Show-- like a well done TV show-- but nothing is really quite as EPIC as a big screen big budget movie, you know?

[MoppingBear]

and if the tv show is a cartoon, budget wont totally ruin the series like it did the first time.

[aggiematt86]

Personally I wouldn't make a movie. I would make a show, but not a crappy low-budget show like they did on Nickelodeon. It would be a bigger budget, like Stargate SG-1 or something. The main characters would still be young teenagers, but rather than sugarcoating it for kids, I'd want it to be as graphic and dark as the book. Each episode would be based directly off the story of one of the books, and there would be no filler episodes that aren't based off any of the books. No books would be left out either. The Andalite Chronicles, Hork Bajir Chronicles, Visser, and Ellimist Chronicles would be there as well, to be aired in the same order the books were released in. It sounds ambitious, but I think it could be done.

[Venus]

Hmm. It could work but since most television seasons are roughly 22 eps in length you'd get roughly 3 seasons before having to cancel it if there's no filler eps.

[Chad32]

You'd never be able to put on TV everything you can put in books. Media watchdogs and moral guardians would be all over you.

[Marco]

Well, if i were to make the movie i would only add in the things that caused a major change to their lives and make sure it didn't look too much like a series. Like for example i would add in book #1 and no #5 where Marco meets his mother. Then jump straight to number #13. Of course  Marco's mother appearing in no @15 is important because it shows the conflict between her and Visser Three.  Then probably to number 19 and then to 30 and 31,32. I think number 31 is important because it actually repeats the lesson in number 6 but wastes less time while no 32 introduces Rachel's personality. The we jump to 38 WHICH CONDENSES All AX has been feeling in his books. Then we jmp to 41 , Crayak. But of course you can't do that without going to 26. Then 48 where Crayak tried to use Rachel. Then jump to 49 where the yeerks discover their secret then go to50 and then 52 thwn 53 3nd 54. To be honest the film would have to be in four parts taking about two hours and a little over thirty minutes. It's almost impossible. Almost.

[poparena]

As a screenplay writer (no, none of them have been made into movies...yet), I've put maybe waaaay too much thought into this topic. If you really wanted to tell just the core Animorphs story, without the Chronicals and all that, you'd have to make at least six films.

[VisserZer0]

Yeah, there would have to be alot of movies.
Anyway, for a TV show, I agree with aggiematt86. One show for each of the books.  That would rock!  I think the Chronicles should be double-length episodes, if we're assuming that each show would be a half-hour long.  I don't see how Ellimist Chronicles would fit in with anything, though.  It should be one of those made-for-TV movies instead of a show.
I doubt anything like this would ever happen, but it would be EPIC!

I think I would scream at the top of my lungs in a movie theater if I saw a trailer for an Animorphs movie.

[Chad32]

I think hour long animated segments would be best.I would do everything according to release date. Including the Chronicles.

[EscafilDevice]

I think about this a lot when I go running, actually.

If I had unlimited resources and the rights, I'd make a 6-part series. Like Star Wars.

I'd cast unknowns for the Animorphs and put in big-name actors for the smaller roles. Ralph Fiennes could be Visser 3, Penelope Cruz could be Visser 1/Eva, James Franco could be Erek, who the hell cares as long as they're big names that can draw people in but also good actors that can get **** done.

I'd exaggerate and flesh out the Animorphs' personalities to strengthen the conflict and update the story. Rachel would be the jaded cheerleader, Marco would be the internet geek, and Tobias would be the Ren McCormick/Holden Caulfield/Nick Andopolis.

Movie 1: Obviously includes most of Book 1, but compresses material from the other books. When they try to rescue Tom from the Yeerk pool, they get taken up to the Blade Ship to meet Visser 1 and they learn that the war is bigger than they thought it was (politics, etc.). Marco decides that he has a reason to fight and Tobias gets trapped.

Movie 2: They meet Ax and try to destroy the Kandrona. While they do this, they meet the Ellimist. Rachel first realizes that she's out of control. The Chee are introduced here.

Movie 3: Tobias gets his morphing power back when they form the Hork Bajir colony in the first half hour (hints are dropped in earlier movies). Then they discover David, who is the center of the movie. The main conflict is between Rachel and David who are more similar than they want to admit, but want different things from the war (David wants revenge, Rachel wants to save her family/friends/Tobias). There is a sub-plot about Rachel trying to force Tobias out of the war. (Erek has a smaller role in this movie.)

Movie 4: This focuses on the Iskoort homeworld, the Crayak vs Ellimist. A sub-plot involves Crayak tempting Rachel with David, but she resists. (Erek has a large role in this movie, obviously.)

Movie 5: Build-up to Movie 6. Marco frees his mom, Jake's parents get captured. After the battle on the destroyer (maybe that can be where they rescue his mom?), they all move into the Hork Bajir colony.

Movie 6: Visser 3 and Ax fight to the death, Ax kills him. Jake fights Tom but doesn't kill him. They still flush the pool. Erek is tricked into helping them and is angered. Rachel doesn't die and Tobias traps himself as a human to stay with he.

The timeline is a little wonky, but I think that includes the big things people want to see. It does justice to the Crayak/Ellimist story, I think most fans would want to see that in there. I also think David is important to have in there too, especially because of his conflict with Rachel.

Unfortunately I don't think the Taylor story arc could make it in, even though the scene where Jake and Visser 3 "face off" was one of my favorites (I think #33 was one of, if not the best, ghostwritten book.) It'll be hard to give Tobias' actor enough screen time if he gets his morphing power back kinda late, but he can't get it back too early. The scene where he turns back to human for a bit in #7 might work, but the producers could actually combine the Kandrona/Hork Bajir plots to create enough time for the David/Rachel plot in movie 3.

The big thing that I'm undecided about is how the Auxiliary Animorphs would be treated. They weren't handled well AT ALL - the characterization in #50 was completely ignored afterwards and they were just turned into a plot device - so there's no point putting them in there if the producers can't/won't do it right. However, I LOVE the idea of James being a foil to David (admit it, in a perfect, non-ghost-written world he WAS), so hopefully he's worked in there somewhere.

Animorphs is kind of an ensemble cast with 6, so except for Erek and villains, side-characters probably won't get much screentime. (ex: Rachel's mom or Cassie's parents could maybe give comic relief)

Do any of these ideas sound okay? It's a rough outline, obviously.

[Venus]

I actually like it. It'd still be tough to pull off, each movie would still need to be pretty long, as in at least 2 and a half hours each to not seem rushed. But it could be pretty epic if done right.

Are you among the members here with a background in some aspect of the film industry? It seems like several people here are or at least are trying to be, (myself included).