There are a lot of animated movies that are pretty well-known to be based on children's books. You have your Disney fairy tales, your strange Roald Dahl stop motions, and iconic franchises such as Paddington and Curious George. However, some animated movies' source material might have flown under people's radar.
It's always fun to know where some of the most iconic animated classics originally came from. Knowing that these movies were the brainchild of authors who wouldn't have known how far their works would come is pretty amazing in its own right.
The Bad Guys (2022)
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This animated crime comedy film from DreamWorks Animation is actually based on a children's book series by author Aaron Blabey. The story focuses on a group of criminals who collectively decide to "turn over a new leaf" to avoid going to prison for their many, many crimes.
Much to their shock, they end up enjoying the positive attention they get from doing good things. Almost like being good feels good, but that's not something you'll hear any of them admit anytime soon. The upbeat and dynamic animation style is a fantastic way to adapt the story, and the voice cast does their absolute best with their wacky characters.
Coraline (2009)
Rent On Apple TV
While not exactly an unknown fact, the movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline has brought the book to life in an incredible way. The story starts as many coming-of-age movies do, with a family moving to a new place away from everything they've known.
Understandably, Coraline Jones, the heroine, is very upset by this. She spends most of her time exploring the house and accidentally stumbles into the Other World which is better in almost every way than her own. At least, it seems like it is. The movie masterfully introduces new audiences to the surreal yet charmingly dark horror of Neil Gaiman's work and satisfies long-time fans as well.
Meet The Robinsons (2007)
Stream On Disney+
Meet The Robinsons is an underrated classic from the early years of Walt Disney's CGI movie division. Loosely based on William Joyce's children's book A Day With Wilbur Robinson, the movie takes the aesthetic and vibe of the book that elevates the source material from a fun tour of the future to a realistic yet hopeful lesson about failure.
The story is about an orphan named Lewis, who was left in the orphanage 12 years ago by his mother. Ever since then, he has worked hard to invent something that could help him gain closure from this event. His plans get a bit of a shakeup though when a kid named Wilbur Robinson arrives claiming to be from the future.
Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Stream On Netflix
Rise of the Guardians is based on the book series by William Joyce, and also acts as a sort of spiritual sequel to the franchise at that point. Rise of the Guardians reimagines mythological figures of folklore who are deeply associated with certain holidays or concepts. The movie focuses its lens on the journey of Jack Frost.
Jack Frost is a bit of an anti-hero, who has no interest in upkeeping any rules or traditions, content to live his life as a mischievous ice spirit. However, he hides a deep bitterness and wants to become someone who people actually believe in. The movie does a great job of giving a modern update to these classic folklore creatures while retaining that childhood whimsy.
The Secret of Nihm (1982)
Stream On Tubi
Many fans of this Don Bluth classic might be shocked to know that the movie was very loosely based on an old novel from the 1970s by Robert C. O'Brien. The story is about a family of mice who live near a farm and struggle to survive. One day, Timothy, one of the children, becomes sick and delays their plans. On the advice of a mysterious owl, the family asks for help from escaped lab rats from "NIMH."
This movie was Don Bluth's first-ever feature film and is a cult classic amongst old school animation fans. The Secret of NIMH sets the tone for Don Bluth's solo projects going forward. Audiences knew they could expect amazingly high-quality animation as well as darker story elements within Don Bluth's movies. They were beautifully made dark fantasy movies and could be enjoyed by both kids and adults alike.
Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
Stream On HBO Max
Studio Ghibli is known for its preference for adapting fantastical stories, and one of the most fantastical of all is the classic Howl's Moving Castle, based on the novel by Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a sort of fantasy version of World War 1, the story is about a young woman named Sophie, a hatter who is looking for a purpose in life. When she has a chance meeting with the wizard Howl, the jealous Witch of the Waste curses her with the scariest curse of all: being elderly.
Though Sophie surprisingly doesn't mind looking old, she nevertheless wants to reverse the curse, along with a bunch of other wacky characters such as a scarecrow, a fire demon, and a young apprentice named Markl. The movie may not have been able to adapt all the deep character relationships, but it was more than capable of bringing its world to life.
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs (2009)
Stream On Netflix
Considered by many to be one of the best animated movies produced by Sony, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was based on a 1978 novel by Judi Barret, with illustrations by her then-husband, Ron Barrett. Of course, the only thing the movie really adapts from the book is the part about food falling from the sky. Otherwise, they go completely off the rails with the premise.
The story is set in a town called Swallow Falls, where Flint Lockwood, a mad scientist, invents a machine that converts water into any type of food. When Sam Sparks covers this story, he finally gets the respect he had never had before. However, the machine soon grows unstable, and it's a race against time (not thyme, please) to fix everything. The movie is remembered very fondly thanks to its incredibly zany visuals as well as absurd and over-the-top humor, totally deserving of its Certified Fresh on RottenTomatoes.
The Iron Giant (1999)
Stream On HBO Max & Hoopla
Brad Bird's first feature film where he gets to be at the helm, The Iron Giant is based on a classic story by Ted Hughes called The Iron Man (no, not that Iron Man). The story is set in the year 1957 and focuses on a boy named Hogarth Hughes who finds a gigantic iron robot that fell from the sky. They build a friendship, but military forces are aching to use the robot as a weapon of their own.
The movie is a gorgeously animated masterpiece, and despite its box office bombing, The Iron Giant recouped those losses very well on Home DVD and television reruns. A lot of Brad Bird's motifs, such as '50s aesthetics and surprisingly adult themes of socio-economic issues are present in this movie. Mixed with a strong message of anti-war and being able to choose who you are make The Iron Giant a cult classic.
How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Stream On Peacock
How To Train Your Dragon is based on the books by Cressida Cowell, and the movie does a great job evoking the same sense of wonder and fantasy that the books did. The movie does take a completely different path from the books, but it maintains the characters' names as well as all the cool dragon species, which to be fair, is the most important thing to keep anyway.
The story of the movie focuses on Hiccup, the son of a Viking chief who seems to enjoy inventions more than being a warrior. One day, he manages to take down a legendary Night Fury, but when he finally encounters it, he doesn't see a monster. Instead, he seems to be a scared and cornered animal, and so he decides to help it instead. How To Train Your Dragon features great lessons about not letting tradition and bigotry dictate who you are, as well as showing the realities of being a hero.
Shrek (2001)
Stream On Netflix & The Roku Channel
Shrek is an all-time classic franchise now, and it's shocking for many to learn the multi-million dollar franchise was based on a children's book that was a far cry from the actual movie itself. Where the original book was a comedy about a monster who relished in being a monster, the movie offers a surprising amount of depth to the titular Shrek's character.
Shrek is about an ogre who seems content with his life of scaring villagers and generally being a bit of a slobbish thug. However, he gets roped into saving a princess to get a bunch of fairy tale creatures off his property, and soon realizes he might not want to be a "monster" anymore. Shrek is a surprisingly poignant movie about how much appearances and expectations negatively affect lives, in addition to being legitimately hilarious.