Reel that book in

You may have watched them but get down to reading them too.

The Ant Bully by John Nickle

Filmmakers find inspiration from many works in literature, and bring characters and places alive onscreen. Children’s literature has long been a source for infinite stories. And animated movies are a whole class apart. Let’s take a look at books that have been made into animated movies.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett

“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” (part I and II) sure was a fun and yummy ride with Flint, Samantha, Baby Brent and others, but the book narrates a different tale — of a grandfather narrating to his grandchildren a story about a town named Chewandswallow, where it rains food and the people don’t have to grow and obtain it like we normally do. But, of course, things go horribly wrong in due course. Read and find out what happens to the townsfolk of Chewandswallow.

Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary Wolf

Technically, the movie adaptation of this book is not entirely in animation form. There are 2D cartoon characters who interact with human beings in a world where they co-exist. Kind of like “Space Jam”! Much like its film adaptation “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, this is an investigative story. Cartoon characters speak in word balloons and create doppelgangers to move the story forward. The plot, however, is different in the film version. Roger Rabbit enlists the services of Eddie Valiant, a detective to find out why his employers backed out of giving him his own cartoon strip! What happens next?

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

You can’t say no to Dr. Seuss, even if you try! The Lorax , before being adapted into an animated movie of the same name, was the outcome of Dr. Seuss’ exasperation over environmental degradation. The Lorax personifies the environment and speaks for the trees. A man named Once-ler narrates the story of how his town was a beautiful place and how he had ignored the words of the Lorax only to expand his business at the expense of the environment. Unless...

The Ant Bully by John Nickle

Lucas Nickle is a boy caught at the hands of a bully almost all the time. And how does Lucas deal with it? By taking it out on a colony of ants. And how do the ants deal with it? By shrinking Lucas to the size of an ant! Lucas is made to live and work like an ant, which eventually gives him a whole new perspective. The film has gotten the basic plot right from the book, but you will find stark differences as you read ahead.