When Steven Spielberg reportedly looked into making a Calvin and Hobbes animated movie, the comic strip's creator Bill Watterson rejected the legendary director. Over the years, Spielberg was said to be among the many directors and companies that tried to adapt Watterson's iconic series into a property beyond the comic strip. However, like everyone else who wanted to put a price on creating an expanded Calvin and Hobbes universe, Spielberg failed.
A news report from Neely Tucker from the Washington Post in 2005 confirmed that Steven Spielberg approached Bill Watterson about potentially making an animated movie based on the influential comic strip. Neely wrote that in 1988, Calvin and Hobbes' syndicator, Universal Press Syndicate, was called up by Spielberg's assistant, who requested a meeting with the elusive cartoonist. However, when Lee Salem, president of the syndicate, approached Watterson about talking with Spielberg and tried to set up an appointment, Watterson immediately shut the idea down; as Salem recounted, he "simply was not interested" in turning Calvin and Hobbes into a movie.
Bill Watterson Was Adamant About Not Licensing Calvin and Hobbes
Bill Watterson stuck to his guns when it came to not merchandising Calvin and Hobbes, as he's lost an estimated hundred of millions of dollars by refusing to have movies, cartoons, toys, and more products created from the comic strip. Watterson, who rarely makes public appearances and has always been elusive, said that he refused commercialization to maintain the integrity of Calvin and Hobbes. It's hard to argue his reasoning as the comic strip remains so special because it is entirely contained to the stories themselves.
Spielberg wasn't the only major player in the world of film to try to make Calvin and Hobbes a movie. Watterson admitted in a conversation with Mental Floss that Pixar tried to make a movie based on his iconic characters, and while he enjoyed the work from the animation giant, he had zero interest in animating Calvin and Hobbes. There are also longstanding rumors Star Wars creator George Lucas wanted to make a Calvin and Hobbes film, however, it appears Watterson and his close associates have never addressed that particular story publicly.
It's pretty impressive to see a creator be so staunchly opposed to the commercialization of their work - as Bill Watterson refused to grant anyone or company the rights to Calvin and Hobbes, rejecting potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in doing so. Considering Spielberg was calling him while coming off a stretch in the 1980s of acclaimed films, which included Raiders of the Lost Arc, E.T., and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Watterson's rejection spoke to his incredible character and devotion to Calvin and Hobbes. Bill Watterson didn't want his work to be adapted, regardless of how impressive the creator wanting to adapt the comic, including Steven Spielberg, was.