This article explores the two film adaptations of Roald Dahl's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory": Mel Stuart's 1971 "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" and Tim Burton's ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," Warner Bros., Burbank, CA, 2005). It champions Robert Stam's approach to adaptation, which looks at the…

As a child god from Chinese legends, the figure of Nezha has a strong appeal to children, and his story has been adapted to various media. This article examines Nezha's image in three animated films, exploring how this figure has been altered to represent Chinese children and youth and symbolize their subjectivity. From a revolutionary hero to a…

The numerous ecological catastrophes of the twentieth century caused by humans have found their way into mass culture. Among them is the Chornobyl nuclear accident that took place in Ukraine in 1986. This disaster became a subject of reflection not only in Ukrainian literature but also in world films and computer games. Along with other works on…

This article analyses texts intended for child audiences--picturebooks, a poetry book, and a film--that deal with the Chilean dictatorship (1973-1990). The memorialization practices within children's media appear to be modelled on the difficulties of finding a national consensus regarding the events that transpired during the dictatorship and the…

While there has been a multitude of studies of "Harry Potter" since its first appearance, including studies analyzing individual characters, social classes in the wizarding world, and a number that examine the "'Harry Potter' phenomenon" as a whole, there are none that systematically analyze and compare the characters in terms…

Mainstream American culture still commonly considers disabilities as defects. Whether physical, emotional, or mental in nature, these features are hindering an individual, separating them from the perceived norm, and having a negative impact on their acceptance. Films and literature targeting children and young adults currently are seeking to…

The article is a comparative analysis of three films focusing on anti-religious and religious propaganda (targeting both Orthodoxy and sectarianism) and featuring children among the main characters: "The Miracle Worker" (1960), "Armageddon" (1962) and "Serafima's Extraordinary Journey" (2015). The three films feature…

As critical study of adapted texts moves away from a focus on fidelity to explore questions of adaptive practice, picturebook to film adaptation offers unique opportunities to redirect discourse related to the value of adaptive changes. Because feature-length films made from children's picturebooks "require" filmmakers to add substantial…

The paper presents findings from a reader response study conducted in February 2013 with 150 children aged 7-11 in which they discussed extracts and clips from Roald Dahl's "Matilda" (1988) and its cinematic adaptation (1996). Dahl and "Matilda" were chosen because they provoke emphatic responses from adults, often commenting…

This essay makes the case that during the American cold-war era, Disney's animated film classics worked in tandem with their True-Life Adventure series of nature documentaries to reproduce traditional mothering ideology under patriarchy. The animated films do this not by animating the realities of marriage, childbirth, and mothering work for girls…

This article compares the models of subjectivity and identity in William Steig's 1990 picture book "Shrek!" and in DreamWorks' "Shrek" films. Steig presented his ogre hero as a model of the crises of subjectivity all children must face, and then reassured readers by showing how even a hideous figure such as…

This article considers Guillermo Del Toro's "Pan's Labyrinth" as a text which utilises key codes and conventions of children's literature as a means of encountering the trauma of Fascism. The article begins by placing "Pan's Labyrinth" at a contextual crossroads involving fairy tale and a Spanish cinematic tradition and…

Christmas literature and film produced for children is an important, albeit under-researched, site for the production of cultural values and norms. This paper analyses Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 picture book "The Polar Express", the 2004 Warner Brothers feature film of the same title, the film's official website, and resources for teachers…

Challenges two assumptions: that children are naturally disposed toward the animated cartoon, and that translating Shakespeare's plays into this medium automatically simplifies and gives them child appeal. Examines the confusions and cross-purposes that surrounded the making of the "Animated Tales" videos, and argues that there are…

Discusses the three media of books, films, and videos and how they connect the reading, seeing, and watching of children's literature. Considers all three to be powerful forces and opportunities to appreciate children's literature. (MG)