Animorphs: The Movie...

[Allie DeLarge]

... Is an utterly retarded concept.

Now, before you dismiss me - rightfully so! - as yet another naysayer of adaptation as a whole, here's my real point:

Movies are the film equivalent of novels, right?
And novels - individual novels - are encapsulated, single works. The same goes for movies.
Smearing multiple novels into one movie has, historically, never worked.
Even the abysmal Harry Potter franchise - my go-to whipping-boy of examples from here on out - recognized this, allotting each book its own separate movie.
Any novel of the length we're dealing with (aka basically any novel at all; anything much shorter than an Animorphs book is skimming the upper branches of Novella Forest) has enough material in it to constitute its own distinct film adaptation. Therefore, even if you discount the books most people see as 'filler', we're talking at least a ten-movie franchise, here. No studio greenlights that, not without the sort of eye-popping fandom size that Harry Potter has. Let's be cynical here: the only reason that series made it to screen in all seven parts is because of the sheer numbers at hand. In short, a cash cow. Delicious, succulent, plump-to-the-bursting cash cow.
Animorphs, as I think we can all admit, is not that.

And there's one more notion I'd like to publicly reject, here: these 'filler' books.

I read a good half of this series (not the first half or second half, or the middle half, but random books here and there, including the first and last books) as a chubby-faced 5-to-12-year-old, a sort of casual fan. I return to it now, age 18, dashingly handsome and roguishly charming, to hunt down and read physical copies of every single book - excluding, of course, the Alternamorphs. As it currently stands, I'm about to start book 30, and I have yet to encounter a single book that struck me as 'filler'.
Take, for example, the last book I read, which I have seen listed as 'filler' in topics much like this one: Elfangor's Secret.
I understand, of course, why this book could give the misleading impression of irrelevancy.
After all,  SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT AVERT THINE EYES YE WHO HAVE NOT READ,


[at the end, none of it ever happened in 'reality'.]


(Well, I tried to find a way to hide my spoiler TvTropes-style, but to no avail.)

SPOILER HAS PASSED, RETURN TO YOUR DAILY LIVES

Anyhow, given said spoiler, my argument:

It doesn't matter. The book's value is NOT invalidated, even on basis of 'lack of plot development' (the usual grounds for dismissing something as filler, and the reasoning I'll be attacking in a moment); some say it didn't advance the plot, I say it let the kids learn about the Time Matrix and its location, something that, while small and not really touched upon after, still advances things, even a wee bit.
Now, even if it DIDN'T, it did something that every other book I've heard referred to as 'filler' has also done, and quite, quite well:
characterization. (If you're wondering what I'm referring to, just examine the way each character comes to deal with the existence of war, when faced with the ultimate brutality and grotesquery of it)
Even if nothing happens that directly effects the central plot, if characterization occurs, I consider it canon and necessary.
Take, for example, Cowboy Bebop, or its sister-series, Samurai Champloo; in both, the vast majority of episodes have no relation to the central storyline at all, but instead focus on providing the characters with opportunities to flesh themselves out organically. We learn about Spike, Jet, Faye, Mugen, Jin, and Fuu a little bit in every episode. That's what allows them to become such naturalistic, fully-featured, excellently-written, HUMAN characters by series' end. And that's what K.A. Applegate has done.
'Filler' is a term reserved for bloated, neverending series... series? serieses? Whatever...
'Filler' is a term reserved for A bloated, neverending, masturbatory cash-machine franchise like Bleach, Inuyasha or Dragonball Z.
Not something fit, tight, and focused, like Bebop, Champloo, or Animorphs.

To circle back to my original argument (why a movie series is an awful idea):

If you accept my argument that there is no 'filler' - no 'fat' that can be easily, bloodlessly trimmed - then a potential film franchise has yet another obstacle, provided it is even remotely intended to touch upon the essence of the series:

It would have to include events from nearly every book.
This is VERY obviously unfeasible, if only by the monumental constraint of TIME.

In short (don't you hate me for having the nerve to say that AFTER that giant wall of text?), adapting the Animorphs series into a movie franchise WHILE capturing its essence as a work of literature is inadvisable, and likely impossible.



Post Merged: November 26, 2010, 08:34:58 AMAND NOW FOR PART TWO: ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE REVENGE: THIS TIME IT'S PERSONAL - AGAIN


Of course, I would never even attempt to imply that I do not pine for this series, filled with desperate, fangasmic imaginings of how absolutely amazing it could be on screen. The potential ALONE is beautiful to behold.

I have a solution.
Two, actually. And I think both are VERY feasible, VERY advisable - and one of them may even be probable.

1. Anime adaptation. Making it into an anime series removes virtually all constraints as far as special-effects go, making it VASTLY more viable to portray repeated morphings without dropped the Cheesiness Anvil on the audience's heads. Get good voice-actors, and I daresay thought-speech would actually be a lot more believable in an animated format (as opposed to live-action). In fact, thought-speech type devices are pretty commonly-handled in the anime medium - just look at Dragonball Z, for starters.
So has this type of storyline and heartwrenchingly, awesomely horrible thematic content - see Gundam Wing. It's even got the same number of 'hero' characters, if you count Zechs (on the basis of there being no easily-definable bad guys in that show, along with him also being a Gundam pilot). My point being, it has been tried and it is true. The right anime studio could blow this right out of the goddamn WATER. Anime fans - both the Naruto-type and the Evangelion/Bebop-type - would eat this series UP if it were presented the right way. Critics could sing its praises. Therefore, it is easily financially-viable.
Finally, there's the crux of my entire argument: it's serialized! A TV series can afford to really take its TIME with plot- and character-arcs, to really, thoroughly develop and portray them. That's been THE leading problem with the Harry Potter movies - they take MASSIVE (except the first two) books, that could easily accommodate two movies apiece, and cram and slice and chop and cram and squeeze indiscriminately. That sort of forced trimming does not allow for much subtlety - which, whether you like them or not, the books have in spades - leaving the movies filled with beat-the-audience-over-the-head, Michael-Bay's-Transformers-level stupidity and insipidness. That, and it destroyed any sense of adequate pacing in the movies post-Azkaban. I do and will always contend that Harry Potter belongs on the small screen.
And if a seven-book series is better fit for our living-rooms than our Cinemarks, then you bet your happy ass a 62-book series is, too.
Which brings me to my second solution, for all you anime-haters...

2. Give it to HBO.
They've proven, time and time and time again, that they are the one bastion of unrelenting artistic integrity on all of TV. No derivative, gimmicky cop-shows, no mindless reality TV, no hackneyed Lost-clones or substandard revivals of longed-for, 'golden-days' shows, no jackassery - just artistry, pop- or otherwise. They do drama, and they do it WELL - as you can tell from the legions of viewers who hang on every True Blood finale, or the collective aneurysm of the entire TV world when they realized that, yes, that IS how the Sopranos ended for good. Why? Because it's not an ad-driven network.
One hour of uninterrupted, unsoiled-by-the-hand-of-advertisement live-action TV with excellent production values, tight direction and a solid budget could successfully contain an honest-to-the-fandom adaptation of an entire Animorphs volume. That's one book an episode, with two-parters for the longer/more important books or the specials.
Example Time!:
Rather than being crammed into the last hour of a haphazard Hollywood production, we could see David as he truly should be - his own sub-arc of the story. We could see subtle developments leading slowly-but-inexorably to a thrilling, shocking conclusion. We could see it as K.A. Applegate wrote it: sweet, succulent, gritty sci-fi gold.

And, as I said before, one of my proposed solutions may even be probable.
That'd be this one.
Consider True Blood: it, too, came from a long, lesser-known series of genre fiction, with a solid fandom and lots of material to work with. It blew straight past the obvious choice of Twilight and on to a much-less-popular relative - the quirky, peppy goth cousin to Twilight's pedestrian cheerleader. Consider Animorphs to have a similar relationship to Harry Potter - and now excuse me while I go in this corner here and quietly cry while I eat my own balls for having used Twilight in an analogy with Harry Potter - and it becomes rather appealing to the executive at HBO. Consider ALSO the impending re-release, and ALSO the fact that, as this forum demonstrates, the vast majority of the fandom is of that lovely target demographic of 18-24, you have a VERY appealing concept. Adults could enjoy it, teenagers would love it, preteens would seethe at their parents for not allowing them to see it - it's a goldmine.

Could do with a name-change, though...

[Terenia]

You aren't wrong - and suffice it to say I'm sure most fans would be happy to see ANY sort of adaptation, whether it be movie, tv series or otherwise. I like the idea of HBO picking it up - I think that would likely do it the most justice, whereas presenting it as an anime would pigeon-hole it to a niche audience. Let's face it, a lot of people don't watch anime just because it's anime (I'm not sure I understand the stigma surrounding this genre, but it does exist).

I will have to say that I think you're wrong about the lack of filler, though. The ghost-written books start around #25, so you haven't yet delved too deeply into the realm of filler books, so I find it forgivable. No, really, if you can find a redeemable quality in books like Buffa-human, please please relay it to the crowd. I understand your argument about character development - something I think pretty much all of the Megamorphs achieve (I never considered those filler books, as they aren't even a part of the main canon); however, one of the unfortunate side effects of some (SOME) of the ghost writers is that they manage to not only tell a lackluster story with next to no plot, but they also fail to understand the characters KA has created and thusly either stagnate or deteriorate characterization already in place. Rachel is a prime example of this; as the series progresses she loses her three-dimensional edge, that battle between light and darkness (excuse me while I enter the realm of Kingdom Hearts analogies ), when the ghost writers come along and envision her as nothing but a pretty psychopath. The struggle is lost, or at least very poorly glossed over.

The only exception I see to this (out of the proclaimed filler books) is #48. Largely regarded as irrelevant, I would say that the entire book redeems itself in the last page which gives Rachel's character a huge step forward. But I'll let you comment on that when you get there.


As far as adapting it into a movie....it can be done, but it would effectively butcher most of the series. The underlying meaning and message would be the same, the 'kids turning into animals' gimmick, the main players...but the plot would have to be entirely reworked into something that can be seen in a few movies. I see this as something that would only work if AppleGrant had their hands heavily involved.


((btw, you can put spoiler tags around something with this code: [ spoiler]  [  /spoiler] minus the spaces))

[LisaCharly]

If you can find a good reason for 36 and 41 to exist, you are a more forgiving person than I am. That said, I'd classify #24 and #11 as filler too, not just because nothing happens to really forward the plot, but because I don't think it does anything to forward characterization, just kind of highlight what we already know about the characters.

I would love an HBO series, or AMC. Both of which could totally pull it off - has anyone else been following AMC's Breaking Bad? It's fantastic, and while it's full of drugs and guns, has the kind of introspective, deteriorating-sanity vibe that I think would work excellently for a series like Animorphs.

That said, an anime adaptation may just ruin my love for the series. Animated? Sure. But drawing the racist, fetishizing weaboo crowd into Ani fandom is just something I wouldn't want to happen, and making it an anime would be like honey to the flies. Anime fandom is often riddled with fetishists that make it uncomfortable for Asian-Americans. /cranky Japanese girl

Of course, these are all pipe dreams.

[Semeir-Cooraf-Armaheen]

It could be an American cartoon, ala Gargoyles. (Gargoyles was AWESOME and it got GRITTY at times.)

[LorenF15]

I absolutely LOVE the idea of HBO taking this series and running with it. I adore True Blood, and i'm going to ignore your Twilight bashing 

Anime is way too gimmicky and a specific demographic, so that idea doesn't excite me at all.

I agree an HBO series would need a re-name....True Morph? Morphing Empire? The possibilities are intriguing!

[Allie DeLarge]

You aren't wrong - and suffice it to say I'm sure most fans would be happy to see ANY sort of adaptation, whether it be movie, tv series or otherwise. I like the idea of HBO picking it up - I think that would likely do it the most justice, whereas presenting it as an anime would pigeon-hole it to a niche audience. Let's face it, a lot of people don't watch anime just because it's anime (I'm not sure I understand the stigma surrounding this genre, but it does exist).

I will have to say that I think you're wrong about the lack of filler, though. The ghost-written books start around #25, so you haven't yet delved too deeply into the realm of filler books, so I find it forgivable. No, really, if you can find a redeemable quality in books like Buffa-human, please please relay it to the crowd. I understand your argument about character development - something I think pretty much all of the Megamorphs achieve (I never considered those filler books, as they aren't even a part of the main canon); however, one of the unfortunate side effects of some (SOME) of the ghost writers is that they manage to not only tell a lackluster story with next to no plot, but they also fail to understand the characters KA has created and thusly either stagnate or deteriorate characterization already in place. Rachel is a prime example of this; as the series progresses she loses her three-dimensional edge, that battle between light and darkness (excuse me while I enter the realm of Kingdom Hearts analogies ), when the ghost writers come along and envision her as nothing but a pretty psychopath. The struggle is lost, or at least very poorly glossed over.

The only exception I see to this (out of the proclaimed filler books) is #48. Largely regarded as irrelevant, I would say that the entire book redeems itself in the last page which gives Rachel's character a huge step forward. But I'll let you comment on that when you get there.

Hm. I cannot adequately argue past this point, excepting this:

From what I remember of my original read-through, it's possible the slippage you mention in character is simply something you just disagreed with; after all, if K.A. kept that struggle going forever, dangling Rachel back and forth between good and evil forever like a hypnotist with a watch, that would be a form of stagnation itself.
All struggles, barring that of Ellimist and and Crayak, must have resolution. Eventually, Rachel had to either teeter over the edge and start of fall, or recover herself and seek redemption. Otherwise, it'd be a sort of LACK of development.
And, from what I remember, she DID start to fall. Rachel slipped over the edge, little by little, spiraling ever-closer to amorality by series' end.
But that's a rather limited memory. I'll get back to this when I finish in a month or so.
And, if someone could attempt to provide a list of proposed 'filler' books (perhaps in another, more appropriate thread), I will investigate each as I come to it. My contribution to the fandom, if you will.

Thank you! You've given me a reason to look forward to #48 especially.
Post Merged: November 26, 2010, 11:59:21 PM

If you can find a good reason for 36 and 41 to exist, you are a more forgiving person than I am. That said, I'd classify #24 and #11 as filler too, not just because nothing happens to really forward the plot, but because I don't think it does anything to forward characterization, just kind of highlight what we already know about the characters.

I would love an HBO series, or AMC. Both of which could totally pull it off - has anyone else been following AMC's Breaking Bad? It's fantastic, and while it's full of drugs and guns, has the kind of introspective, deteriorating-sanity vibe that I think would work excellently for a series like Animorphs.

That said, an anime adaptation may just ruin my love for the series. Animated? Sure. But drawing the racist, fetishizing weaboo crowd into Ani fandom is just something I wouldn't want to happen, and making it an anime would be like honey to the flies. Anime fandom is often riddled with fetishists that make it uncomfortable for Asian-Americans. /cranky Japanese girl

Of course, these are all pipe dreams.

Which one was #11, again?
I can't remember.

I'm shocked by how little I remember in detail about #24, considering I read it a few days ago.
But I picked it up for a brief examination as I changed for dinner, and I do seem to remember that the slaughterhouse battle affected them. Changed Ax, at least, in subtle ways.
I couldn't accurately pin it down at the moment, as I'm about to leave for dinner.


[EDIT: WHOOPS. THAT WAS DEFINITELY BOOK #28 I JUST REFFERED TO. The book I actually picked up WAS #24, the one with the Helmacrons. I don't have a justification for that one at the moment - and, for that matter, no desire to seek one. I WILL investigate, but I have no intention of defending either Applegate or my own point. I only wish to determine, in some pseudo-objective form, which books (if any) are 'filler'.]

I think it's a bit irrational to allow the fandom to colour your understanding or enjoyment of a series.
Evangelion has a pretty atrocious fandom, if I recall, but I still love and admire it.
The shows themselves need not be inherently 'fetishistic'.
Fanservice-y, yes (Ex.: Faye Valentine). But so is ALLLLLLLLL live-action, American television. That's why only pretty people are allowed on TV.

[LisaCharly]

^A huge part of my enjoyment of any franchise comes from the fandom and the interactions therein. I don't think that's irrational. And the fetish aspects I'm talking about are not the same thing as the way only pretty people are on TV - there's a specific, racist racial component to a lot of anime fandoms that I would hate to see infect Ani fandom, as a person of Asian descent. It just never really gets addressed because the racism is disguised as compliments, like the whole "everything Japanese people do is awesome!" and "I wish I was Japanese" thing. Anyway, this is a digression, but it's why I cringe whenever anyone mentions turnings Anis into an anime.

#11 was the South America one, and I feel like all it did was establish the Sario Rip, which was a silly plot device anyway.