24 Worst Children's Book Adaptations
A Wrinkle in Time, adaptation of the Madeleine L’engle kids fantasy novel and Ava DuVernay’s sojourn into $100 million filmmaking, isn’t getting the best reviews. As the score settles in the lower-40s, Wrinkle would place somewhere in the middle of this week’s gallery: the 24 worst children’s book adaptations, each rated PG and ranked by Tomatometer.
An old-fashioned, if bland, adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s novel.
City of Ember is visually arresting, and boasts a superb cast, but is sadly lacking in both action and adventure.
Unlike its bestselling source material, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fails to place a likable protagonist at the center of its middle-school humor — and its underlying message is drowned out as a result.
Tim Burton’s Alice sacrifices the book’s minimal narrative coherence — and much of its heart — but it’s an undeniable visual treat.
Overly familiar and a bit too reliant on slapstick, the sitcom-like Dog Days fails to improve upon previous installments and will likely appeal to few outside its target audience.
Despite good intentions, Nim’s Island flounders under an implausible storyline, simplistic stock characters, and distracting product placement.
Its leisurely, businesslike pace won’t win the franchise many new fans, but Voyage of the Dawn Treader restores some of the Narnia franchise’s lost luster with strong performances and impressive special effects.
Hathaway is a charming heroine, but the simple storyline gets overwhelmed by silly gimmickry.
Emma Roberts is bubbly and charming as Nancy Drew, the junior detective. But despite her best efforts, Nancy Drew still lacks excitement, surprise, and compelling secondary characters.
Harriet the Spy is a rapid-fire mystery movie that doesn’t have much to offer beyond the two decent lead performances.
Though it may seem like just another Harry Potter knockoff, Percy Jackson benefits from a strong supporting cast, a speedy plot, and plenty of fun with Greek mythology.
A charming, if familiar, makeover movie for young teenage girls.
Blandly inoffensive and thoroughly predictable, Mr. Popper’s Penguins could have been worse — but it should have been better.
Moderately witty and acceptably acted, Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 isn’t much worse than the first installment.
Parents might call this either a spectacle-filled adventure or a shallow and vapid CG-fest, depending on whether they choose to embrace this on the same level as their kids.
It’s pretty and packed with action; unfortunately, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is also waterlogged with characters and plots that can’t help but feel derivative.
Despite the best efforts of a talented cast, Race to Witch Mountain is a tepid reboot that lacks the magic of the original.
Heavy on cliches and light on charm, this kid-lit fantasy-adventure doesn’t quite get off the ground.
Neat performance from Glenn Close aside, 101 Dalmatians is a bland, pointless remake.
Hit-and-miss family fare that bares only the slightest resemblance to Verne’s novel.
With an all-new cast but the same juvenile humor, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul finds the franchise still stuck in arrested — and largely unfunny — development.
Written by a teenager (and it shows), Eragon presents nothing new to the “hero’s journey” story archetype.
The magic of the book is lost in translation with The Seeker, due to its clumsy plot and lack of heart.
Sloppily assembled fluff that won’t have much of interest for anyone who isn’t a preteen girl.
