I went back
into my childhood
and re-read
James and the Giant Peach,
perhaps my favorite book
by Roald Dahl.
While Matilda
and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
are within reach,
there's something about
that juicy fruit
flying over the ocean
that truly dazzles.
The 1961 book is a quick
and playful read,
full of lengthy songs
sung by centipedes
and spiders alike.
Flying over the Atlantic
while being harassed
by cloud architects
was one particular scene
that I forgot about
as a kid.
I did not, however,
forget about the pit
being relocated
to Central Park,
or about a bunch
of insects traveling
a great distance
with thousands of pieces
of string tied in order to fly.
With that in mind,
is it worth mentioning
that this is the original
version of Pixar's Up?
The only difference here
is seagulls vs. balloons.
Moving forward:
the 1996 movie
is just as good,
combining live action
with stop-motion animation
to create an inventive
experience unlike many others,
not far in style and aesthetic
as the recent Netflix series
Lemony Snicket's Series
of Unfortunate Events.
How fitting that both
book/film combos
feature main characters
as orphans
who go on to live with
horrible caretakers.
Creativity inspires creativity
with a major difference here
being cause of parental deaths:
rhino vs. house fire.
In regards to adaptation,
the movie adds more conflict
than the book, adding content
with the rhino that killed
James' parents, as well as
more chomps
from mechanical ocean sharks.
It's a great ride,
both in book and film form
(the film which
Tim Burton produced).
All hail Roald Dahl,
may he rest in peace,
as well as
illustrator Quentin Blake,
who is still very much alive.
The book version I had
as a child featured
the original artwork
by Nancy Ekholm Burkert
as featured at the top
of this page,
but Blake's version
(a much more playful version)
can be seen in the banner
as well as below:
his rendition of Aunts
Spiker and Sponge.
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