13 Best Children’s Movies Adapted From Books
This year, many children’s books are being filmed. Some of them look faithful to their source material, such as Dreamworks’ The Wild Robot . Others, like the live-action film Harold and the Purple Pencil , have already made me wonder why Hollywood is ruining a good thing.
When compiling this list of movies based on children’s books, I wasn’t concerned about how closely they followed the books. I just cared if they were any good. Here are 13 movies I loved that you can share with your kids and maybe inspire them to pick up a related book.
The Phantom Toll Booth (1970)
Author Norman Juster was not a fan of this animated adaptation of his beloved book. However, there are many fans of this film about an indifferent boy who travels to the Realm of Wisdom in the Lands Beyond in a toy car with his “watchdog” Thok, who has a large pocket watch instead of a body. It also features great animation from Chuck Jones, the artist who animated many Looney Tunes cartoons, and the original TV special of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas .
Where to watch: digital rental, YouTube.
Bad Boys (2022)
Aaron Blabey’s graphic novel series is getting the Dreamworks treatment. Oscar winner Sam Rockwell plays the soft-spoken Big Bad Wolf, who believes society hasn’t given him and his team of outlaws a chance to be good. Borrowing its style from heist films Ocean’s 11 and neo-noirs like Pulp Fiction , there’s plenty here for kids and parents alike to love.
Where to watch: digital rental, Prime Video.
Freaky Friday (1976, 2003)
There are many adaptations of Mary Rodger’s novel about how a mother and daughter switch places for one day. If you have to pick one, go for the 2003 version, which features a wild performance from Jamie Lee Curtis that should have earned her an Oscar nomination even before she won the award last year. The original, starring Jodie Foster and the hilarious Barbara Harris, also has plenty of laughs.
Where to watch: digital rental, Disney+.
Coraline (2009)
Portions of this stop-motion animated film, based on the book by fantasy and horror author Neil Gaiman, may be a little intense for younger viewers. However, if your kids can handle it, they’ll love the story of a girl who finds a parallel universe in her home where all her dreams come true, but at a price.
Where to watch: digital rental.
101 Dalmatians (1961)
With all due respect to Glenn Close and Emma Stone, the original animated version of Dodie Smith’s tale of puppies in peril is the best of the many remakes and remakes. The Walt Disney classic also boasts the most dastardly villain of them all: Cruella de Vil, voiced by the brilliant Betty Lou Gerson.
Where to watch: digital rental, Disney+.
The Neverending Story (1984)
Despite the misleading title, this fantasy film, adapted from Michael Ende’s novel, ends around the 90-minute mark because the producers decided to adapt the first half of the book. Perhaps this is one of the many reasons why Ende hated this film . Despite this, the film pleased many Gen Xers and those who discovered it through the inclusion of the title song in Stranger Things .
Where to watch: Digital rental, Hoopla.
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
Dav Pilkey’s book series about a duo of high school comic book writers who turn their tyrannical principal into the titular Wedgie Warrior has a lot that parents might not like, like scatological humor and a plot where almost no one learns any moral lessons. Maybe that’s why kids like it so much.
Where to watch: digital rental, Netflix.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
Not to be confused with the recent series of horror films made now that the silly old bear has been forced into the public domain. This animated film is actually a collection of shorter films made by Walt Disney based on stories by A. A. Milne about the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood. Creative and whimsical, this movie will appeal to almost any child (and adult, too).
Where to watch: digital rental, Disney+.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
While this computer-animated classic may not be a direct sequel to Cressida Cowell’s book series, it is still a stunning adventure about a young Viking who befriends a dragon and realizes that his village’s war with the species was wrong. The film was such a success that it inspired a franchise that includes two sequels, an upcoming remake, and numerous television shows.
Where to watch: digital rental, Prime Video.
Mary Poppins (1964)
Walt Disney’s attempts to obtain the rights to P. L. Travers’s beloved book became his own film. Although she was ultimately unhappy with the end result, the live-action/animation hybrid about a nanny who changes the lives of a British family became the highest-grossing film of 1964 and received 13 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. I can also confirm that my two boys loved it, which is proof that the 60-year-old musical is still relevant.
Where to watch: digital rental, Disney+.
Charlotte’s Web (1973)
Rumor has it that E. B. White, who wrote the beloved novel on which this animated film is based, rejected Walt Disney when he tried to adapt his story of a pig saved from slaughter by a spider. White wasn’t a fan of this version either, but in the years since its release, its legions of fans have continued to grow, leading to the creation of a remake in 2006.
Where to watch: Digital rental, Hoopla.
Holes (2003)
Louis Sachar only had himself to blame if he didn’t like Disney’s adaptation of his young adult novel—he wrote the script. He can relax, though, because this story of a child sent to a detention camp for a crime he didn’t commit gives families something to dig into, and touches on themes of racism, masculinity and child labor. It’s also a lot of fun for adults and teenagers.
Where to watch: digital rental, Disney+.
Orion and the Darkness (2024)
Kudos to screenwriter Charlie Kaufman for turning Emma Yarlett’s 40-page picture book about an overly timid child overcoming her fear of the dark into a delightful feature-length film, and shame on Dreamworks for making its first attempt at the existential territory that occupied by Pixar. so straight to Netflix. This is a bold and fun film that deserves to be seen on the big screen.
Where to watch: Netflix