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Originally Posted by Brook K
My son and I want to see it. My 9 year old daughter read the book a few years ago and said she didn't like it.
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I breezed through the book one evening early on in the summer. It wasn't my favorite kid's book, though it may have been if I were still a little kid. But it was a smart and well-realized world that broke from the world as we know it in only one crucial aspect. All of the problems Roger Ebert lists in
his review (EDIT: Warning, HUGE spoilers) are not problems in the source material. For some reason, the vast majority of those who direct kids' movies can't resist cheesing up decent source material. Parents' daring escape plans and "obese creatures with slimy tentacles" were definitely not part of the book, and for very specific reasons.
As for Walden, I would add
Because of Winn-Dixie to their hits list. Sure, it only made $32.6 million at the box office, but that's still over double the movie's production budget. Most of the bombs listed haven't actually been Walden releases, but releases by joint-venture Fox Walden (recently absorbed into 20th Century Fox): "Nim’s Island," "Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium," "The Seeker," and now "City of Ember" are all Fox Walden releases. Not only have Walden's collaborations with other studios received a better critical reception, but they've launched to greater financial success as well. The beauty of Walden Media is that it's the product of a rich man who doesn't need to emphasize profit over creativity. Were "The Seeker" and "City of Ember" released with Walt Disney, I bet you would have have more faithful adaptations and better box office. For the last few years, Fox has low-balled and dumbed down their tentpoles.
