How would YOU make an Animorphs film?

[XenomorphLV426]

It's not even the budget, so much as the rating.

An R-rating isn't justifiable when you're using 13 year olds as your actors (no regulation board in the world would get on board with that), and anything less - even a hard PG-13 - is going to be making major thematic and visual concessions.  This isn't Fantastic Four, with adults in spandex saving the world from a naked dude on a surfboard.  This is children fighting brutal skirmishes with claws and teeth.  With people dying.

The effects are a hurdle that can perhaps be overcome once James Cameron's new tech is showcased with Avatar next year.  Traditional CGI won't cut it, but this new thing has potential.

The violence and general themes, though?  Not going to fly in a mainstream studio film, not ever.  When have you EVER seen a movie involving MIDDLE-SCHOOL kids killing people, and being portrayed as the heroes/protagonists?  Unless it's dealing with insanity or mental delusion, it doesn't happen.

You cannot make this movie without excising almost every horrific scene in the books.  It's really that simple.  If you're satisfied with butchering it into a mainstream-friendly telepathic CGI-rendered animals and a trendy emo music soundtrack, then whatever.  That's disappointing.  If you want the war story this series was by the end of the books, you're going to be completely ****ing disappointed. 

But hey, if you're happy with compromise and the director bending over for the studio, that's your issue.

[filmstu2005]

I agree with you Xenomorph (I actually like that name. How did you come up with it?)

But of course, thats just whats gonna have to happen. Compromise. Unless its an R-rated movie, you will not see a bloody and gory Animorphs. You just won't. 

Still, there are ways to make these things work. There's always a way.

In the X-Men movies, wolverine has claws (I HATED X-Men 3. Oh god, i get frustrated just watching it). Its obvious what he does with these claws, and they showed that in the X-Men movies. But of course they showed no blood. See? It can be done.]

Same goes for a Tv show, which I do not think can be accomplished as live action. We've already had that and it ended up looking like a mix between Fraggle Rock and The Tomorrow People.

This topic drains me.

[XenomorphLV426]

What do you mean?  Xenomorph is the term used for the alien in the Aliens movies.  I ain't comin' up with nothin', dawgz.

Your X-Men example is a good one.  To me, Wolverine has to be violent.  If Wolverine isn't chopping up soldiers and ninjas left right and center while screaming in their faces, he's no longer Wolverine.

In a similar way, Animorphs loses all of its impact entirely if you can't really buy the fact that these kids are having nightmares every single night over what they have to do.  That sort of impact doesn't come from turning into a grizzly and growling at someone.  Animorphs needs to be violent, and disturbingly violent at that.

This topic tires me too, but that's born of exasperation.  I DON'T want to see them tone this down, raping the series the way they have so many times before with other franchises so they can sell Happy Meals.

Look, it is simply not Animorphs if you can't believe the fact these kids are completely f'ed up by the end of it.  Reading the words on the page your imagination can create the pictures, therefore little kids aren't going to be too disturbed or affected.  SEEING those animal V.S. Hork-Bajir fights is a different matter entirely.  You either make is visceral and cause MAJOR controversy and be forced into an R rating, or you go for the no blood route and sacrifice credibility for the plot and the character development.

The public was concerned about the last few Harry Potter movies, for God's sakes.  Animorphs should make Harry Potter look like Barney.

[morfowt]

Reading the words on the page your imagination can create the pictures, therefore little kids aren't going to be too disturbed or affected.  SEEING those animal V.S. Hork-Bajir fights is a different matter entirely.

which is exactly why I can't stand reading those kind of things, but scared of movies that have blood and stuff.

[Duff]

Just because they dont show much blood doesnt change the fact that they will be killing and ripping these things apart, the visuals will be affected slightly, and we all know that the movie will be nothing like the books in terms of grit or realism, we want there to be a movie to see a tiger, a bear, a gorilla, a wolf, a hawk and an andalite in an epic battle vs a bunch of bladed aliens, and thats what we would get

[XenomorphLV426]

and we all know that the movie will be nothing like the books in terms of grit or realism,

This discussion has its answer right here.

You all know this, and yet you still support the idea of a movie adaptation.

Really sickens me.

[beachbeagle]

The only change I would make in character is that Rachel is more close to Melissa than Cassie and that they are more casual friends but their relationship grows as the movie progresses.

I like that. I never did understand how Cassie and Rachel were such good friends in the first place.

Why didn't Melissa go with them at the construction site?

Maybe they should have had that important discussion somewhere that isn't a crowded mall.

Hmmmm.... let's see. Cassie and Rachel are such good friends because of the commonly used opposites attract. And don't tell me such relationships don't exist, I have several friends that would seem as odd a pair with me as Cassie and Rachel do. Besides which, it was the author's choice not yours end the end and Applegate made them that way so thus they are. You can't treat them like real people, they are someones creation and thus subject to that creator's whims.

and we all know that the movie will be nothing like the books in terms of grit or realism,

This discussion has its answer right here.

You all know this, and yet you still support the idea of a movie adaptation.

Really sickens me.

I don't support it actually, I just get very opinionated and look at something like this and basically am unable to NOT point out the things I don't like about it. I think the books are too long to do as a movie and besides which it won't happen. They tried the TV series, it lasted for a while. Once something's been filmed once it isn't filmed again for SEVERAL years and usually only then because it's a classic or was very popular. Animorphs..... I highly doubt it will ever happen.

[XenomorphLV426]

Animorphs..... I highly doubt it will ever happen.

Good.  It doesn't need to happen, and that simple fact is overlooked all too often.

It's not even remotely suited to a screen format.

[esplin]

who would want to see them ruin our beloved books anyway

[XenomorphLV426]

Exactly.  It's simple.

The risk is very real, and there (so far) aren't any great inspired solutions to make it viable.

[esplin]

i really think KA made that **** up when she came here to make us all talk about it for EVER, its so impossible and not worth it why would it ever happen anyway?

[XenomorphLV426]

We (the general community) have been talking about it far longer than when Katherine mentioned it.  Longer than RAF's even been around, to be honest.

[esplin]

it was just as pointless then as it is now

[ElementX]

I don't understand where all the cynicism is coming from. Whenever there is book to movie adaptation, things will have to be changed. How much is changed is up to the director, script writes etc. but it's not going to be a 100% faithful visualization of the written series. It's impossible, not only because of the time limits, physical limitations, budget and all those other things, but also because everyone's interpretation of the story is different. It's highly unlikely that my vision of Animorphs is exactly the same as any of yours, because we all imagine things differently.

Does this mean it can't be done. No. You just can't go to a movie suspecting everything to be the same as how you imagined when you read it. It's a director's creative interpretation on it. I think that it's possible to come out with a very satisfying Animorphs movie, just like it's possible to come up with a low budget, unfaithful crap piece. But we not gonna know until someone attempts to do it.

[Yorick Brown]

90-100 million would make a **** movie, the tv show tried to use puppets and trained animals and look what happened

But that was a 1-2 mil per episode budget. Only 60 mil tops is needed.

it would need a 200+ mil budget but thats completely justifiable with the money it could make

It does NOT need a big Spider-Man sized budget.

It's not even the budget, so much as the rating.

There's no way in hell or a studio exec would let an Animorphs film be rated higher than a PG-13.

The effects are a hurdle that can perhaps be overcome once James Cameron's new tech is showcased with Avatar next year.  Traditional CGI won't cut it, but this new thing has potential.

There's no need to wait for Avatar. Tis film does not need to break the bank to finance itself.

But of course, thats just whats gonna have to happen. Compromise. Unless its an R-rated movie, you will not see a bloody and gory Animorphs. You just won't.

It would be violent but just not gory. The Jurassic Park films show plenty of blood and death but they're still PG-13.

You either make is visceral and cause MAJOR controversy and be forced into an R rating, or you go for the no blood route and sacrifice credibility for the plot and the character development.

You completely overstated how violent and gritty these books really were. They were still these Scholastic books marketed to preteens for crying out loud.

And don't tell me such relationships don't exist...

Wasn't planning on it. Chill out.

Just because I was confused, it doesn't mean I was against Applegate's decision to do so.

Good.  It doesn't need to happen, and that simple fact is overlooked all too often.

Nobody said an adaptation needs to happen. We simply WANT it to happen.

People love and look forward to film and Tv adaptations so much because it's fun imagining our favorite characters and scenes brought to 3-D life.

It's not even remotely suited to a screen format.

Your opinion and not mine.

who would want to see them ruin our beloved books anyway

I hate hearing this! How would an adaptation ruin the books? Will it magically make the books physically turn into bad books?

The risk is very real, and there (so far) aren't any great inspired solutions to make it viable.

What risk? Nothing will happen to the books!


Agree completely with Element X.