Arrietty
Studio Ghibli’s beautifully enchanting animation, Arrietty arrives in cinemas nationwide on 29th July – with a star-studded voice cast including Saoirse Ronan (Attonement, Lovely Bones), Tom Holland, Mark Strong, Olivia Colman, Pyhllida Law and Geraldine McEwan.
The film tells the story of an adventurous 14 year old, Arrietty, who despite being warned by her family of “little” people to never let humans see her, is determined to explore the world beyond the floorboards of a sprawling mansion.
When Arrietty is discovered by a human, she discovers that some people can be trusted and before long a friendship begins to blossom…
Sound familiar? Continuing a long line of incredibly successful film recreations, te story is a magical adaptation of Mary Norton’s well-known, children’s favourite The Borrowers.
To celebrate the release, here’s our pick of the top 10 fantastic films based on classic children’s literature – with not a single mention of the boy wizard…
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Roald Dahl’s children’s classic has been made into two magical movie versions.
In 1971, the slightly creepy Gene Wilder took the lead as Willy Wonka in the best loved version, before Johnny Depp reprised the role some 34 years later. What kid wouldn’t watch a film about sweets and flatulence?
Stuart Little
Back in 1941, E.B. White created a character that is beloved of children and has spawned three movies.
Stuart Little is the story of a little mouse that behaves like a small boy and is treated as a son by the Little family – at least in the film version. Later films were truer to White’s original but all kept sense of fun of the book.
Matilda
The master of dark stories for children, Roald Dahl’s second film in our list is something of homage to the power of books and learning over stupidity.
Matilda is a bookworm who is sent to a school ruled with an iron fist by the wicked Miss Trunchbull. Can Matilda’s brain power win out over evil? Of course it can!
Watership Down
Hankies at the ready? In Richard Adams’ story we follow a group of rabbits who are forced to leave their warren and establish a new home in a hill called Watership Down.
Along the way they face peril and – gulp – death. Couple this with the Art Garfunkel song and there won’t be dry eye in the house.
The Railway Children
The Waterbury family, in E. Nesbit’s novel, fall on hard times when the head of the family is wrongly imprisoned and they are forced to move to a smaller house in the country which happens to be next to a railway.
Along the way the children, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis learn life lessons in pride, charity and bravery to win the day and all our hearts. Aaaaah!
The Wizard of Oz
The book – The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – was written by L. Frank Baum way back in 1900.
Initially he found it hard to get published, but it was certainly popular by 1939 when it was made into the seminal movie starring Judy Garland. The film recreation certainly didn’t hurt book sales - having sold many million copies over the years.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Arguably the perfect film to showcase Jim Carrey’s comedic talents, The Grinch was originally written by Dr Seuss and has proved to be the perfect festive feel-good movie for many years.
It’s a re-working of Dickens’ Scrooge in A Christmas Carol – but with more laughs and a little less humbug.
Charlotte’s Web
Another E.B. White story, perennial essential reading for kids up and down the country. It tells the tale of Wilbur the pig - facing slaughter until a barn spider called Charlotte devises a plan to save him from the axe.
She spins various words in her web all praising Wilbur making him so famous that his life is spared. Charlotte doesn’t fare so well!
Mary Poppins
Everyone’s favourite nanny Mary Poppins was the creation of British novelist P. L. Travers. It took Disney and the musical talents of Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke to really cement the film as a staple of every child’s upbringing.
Remarkably the film garnered 13 Oscar nominations, winning five including that of Best Actress for Andrews.
The Lion, the Witch and the Wadrobe
C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia have had numerous TV adaptations but it wasn’t until 2005’s version of the first of the Narnia books that one captured the magic of the winter wonderland beyond the fur coats in the wardrobe.
Full of magical beasts, it never-the-less explores the familiar theme in children’s literature – the battle of good versus evil.
Arrietty arrives in cinemas nationwide on 29th July
Tagged in Studio Ghibli