Book-to-Movie Adaptations That Get It Right
Jon Wilkinson · · 4 min read
Films based on books that either do justice to their source material, or at least do better than the adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time.
The book-to-movie adaptations that get it right for families include Charlotte's Web, The BFG, Paddington and The Wild Robot, all films that do justice to their source material. For older kids and teens, A Monster Calls is a powerful PG-13 adaptation with much heavier themes, covered in the note for parents below.
Choose tonight’s movie
Quick Picks
Charlotte's Web — A classic about empathy and friendship that all ages can enjoy.
The BFG — A fun, unique story about courage and creativity.
Paddington — Humor kids will love, with characters parents may relate to.
The Wild Robot — Vibrant animation and a moving story about what it means to be alive.
Movie Knight guide
The Full List
Charlotte's Web is a classic story that kids will love. The film follows Wilbur, a runt pig who doesn't want to be tomorrow's dinner. The film is filled with kindness, silly moments, and a fate that Wilbur must elude.
Charlotte's Web teaches about empathy, friendship and saying goodbye. This film's story will keep children engaged while showing them what empathy is. The film has life-or-death stakes, though nothing too violent or scary happens. I recommend Charlotte's Web as a film all ages can watch and enjoy.
The BFG is a fun and unique story. The film follows Sophie, a little orphan girl, and the Big Friendly Giant (BFG). The BFG is filled with friendship, adventure and fun, though with this comes tension and fiends that must be stopped.
The BFG teaches kids about courage, protecting others and creativity when dealing with problems. This film is an adventure filled with fun; before showing young children, keep in mind that The BFG has a few intense scenes, including physical violence and verbal abuse. I recommend this film for families to watch together.
Paddington is a fun adventure film with a pinch of emotion. The film follows Paddington, a bear making his way to London, England. The film is filled with humor that children will love, as well as characters parents may relate to.
Paddington teaches about kindness, optimism and creativity. The film is filled with many fun moments for the little ones to laugh along with, as well as tension that will keep them invested. If you get anxious easily, I wouldn't recommend this film for you; otherwise I recommend it for the whole family to watch together.
The Wild Robot is an adventure-filled story with great, vibrant animation. The film follows Roz, a robot that ends up on an island uninhabited by humans. The Wild Robot has many moments that kids will love and that parents will relate to and enjoy.
The Wild Robot teaches about adapting, the difficulties of parenting, and what it means to be alive. This film has many fun moments for everyone to laugh along with, as well as emotional scenes to keep everyone in their seats. There are a few intense scenes closer to the end to keep in mind for young children, though I highly recommend this film for all ages.
Before you press play
A note for parents
A PG-13 warning: A Monster Calls. A Monster Calls is a great film that everyone should watch. It follows Conor O'Malley, a young teen who is visited by a monster, and has a much more intense and serious tone than the other films on this list. It explores grief, guilt and fear: the fear of losing someone and the grief of being unable to help. It has scenes of violence, creepy moments and deep themes involving death, so do not watch this film with young children. I highly recommend it for everyone old enough to watch at least once.
For more ideas, see Best Movies Based on Children's Books and Gentle Adventures: Movies for Kids Who Scare Easily. Find parent guides for every movie here at movie-knight.com.
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Jon Wilkinson
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