Jennifer Dussling

This is a collection of brief, lukewarm adaptations of Disney feature films, a lot of them being direct-to-DVD sequels. The stories hold little interest for me, so I made a game of trying to track down the original sources for them, since this collection is published without any creator credits, which I always find annoying and rather slimy.

The copyright notices on the verso page generally point at some storybooks that were published at the time the movies were released. But when I was able show more to locate and look inside some of those books I found that the versions presented in this collection tended to be abridged. It uses the exact same pictures -- though some are omitted, for space I suppose -- but the scripts are fairly consistently cut down or fiddled with. I've included comparisons of first sentences below when I was able to find them.

A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing

This tedious counting story has one ant finding a tasty treat that she wants to bring back to the anthill, and she recruits one new friend every page to help until they reach the number twelve. Most of the other stories in here seem like adaptations, but I don't remember anything like this from the film, though it has been decades since I've seen it. Boring.

So while not an adaptation of the movie, it is rather an adaptation of the book A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing (1998, ISBN 0786831987), with story by Lou Fancher and paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. The illustrations are straight out of that book, though Fancher's script has been abridged and altered throughout.

Opening line of the original book: "In late summer, Princess Dot waited eagerly for the circus bugs to return to the ant colony for the harvest."
Opening line of this version: "Princess Dot was eagerly waiting for the circus bugs to return to the ant colony for the harvest."

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand

The climactic battle of the movie is recounted. It's all slam-bang action without any context as to who the characters are beyond a shallow good vs. evil interpretation. I think I saw the movie when it came out, but I don't remember for sure and this does little to remind me.

Source book: Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand (2001, ISBN 073641083X), adapted by Tennant Redbank, illustrated by Judie Clarke, Samantha Clarke, and Caroline Egan.

The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers

This is a loose adaptation of the three-minute "Round My Family Tree" song sequence by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman that happens in the middle of the movie, wherein Tigger imagines all the wonderful things his Tigger ancestors must have done throughout history. It's mostly amusing, though the sexy, long-legged female Tiggers in miniskirts are a little disturbing.

Source book: The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers (2000, ISBN 0786832649), written by Victoria Saxon, illustrated by Josie Yee.

Opening line of original book: "Afternoon sunlight lit up the Hundred-Acre Wood when Owl invited Tigger and Roo for tea."
Opening lines here: "Afternoon sunlight lit up the Hundred-Acre Wood. Owl had invited Tigger and Roo for afternoon tea in his tree house."

Dinosaurs: Aladar's Story

Another movie I saw long ago and have mostly forgotten. I can see why, based on this nothing little story about walking to water.

The Little Mermaid II: An Icy Adventure

A simple but serviceable adaptation of the movie. Not sure why the sub-title was changed, nor was I able to find the original source from which this version may be drawn.

Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story

An adaptation of the 1999 film, the illustrations are lifted from the book Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story (1999, ISBN 0786832339), which was adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld with concept art by Judith Holmes Clarke, drawings by the Disney Storybook Artists, design by Susan Saroff, and painted by John Alvin. The script is abridged and significantly altered from Zoehfeld's.

Opening line of the original book: "I could see the potential for trouble."
Opening line here: "I could see trouble coming."

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Three Friendly Tales
Bare-bone adaptations of the "Pooh Gets Stuck," "Rabbit Gets Lost," and "Bounce, Tigger, Bounce" sequences from the film. The same illustrations were also used in Winnie the Pooh CD Storybook: The Many Adventure of Winnie the Pooh / Piglet's Big Movie / Pooh's Heffalump Movie / The Tigger Movie by Karen Comer, but the text is very different.

Chip N' Dale: A Nutty Visit to the Zoo
Inspired by the Donald Duck animated short film, "Working for Peanuts" (1953): Directed by Jack Hannah; Story by Nick George and Roy Williams
Illustrations directly taken from the Little Golden Book Chip n Dale at the Zoo (1954, 1974): Title page info: Told by Annie North Bedford, Pictures by the Walt Disney Studio, Adapted by Bill Bosche from the motion picture "Working for Peanuts"
images at https://www.ebay.com/itm/274395786111

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents:
• A Bug's Life: The Quest for the One Big Thing / written by Lou Fancher, illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher (originally published 1999, ISBN 0786831987)
• Atlantis: The Lost Empire - The Final Stand / adapted by Tennant Redbank, illustrated by Judie Clarke, Samantha Clarke, and Caroline Egan (originally published 2001, ISBN 073641083X)
• The Tigger Movie: Family of Tiggers / written by Victoria Saxon, illustrated by Josie Yee (originally published 2000, ISBN 0786832649)
• Dinosaur: Aladar's Story / adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, illustrations by Judith Clarke, Brent Ford, John Alvin (2000, ISBN 0786832592)
• The Little Mermaid II: An Icy Adventure / unknown
• Toy Story 2: Buzz's Story / adapted by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld
• A Goofy Movie: Cross-Country Chaos
• Mickey Mouse: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Monsters, Inc.: The Big Boo Rescue
• 102 Dalmatians: Going to the Dogs
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Three Friendly Tales
• Chip 'n' Dale: A Nutty Visit to the Zoo
• Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure - One of the Pack
• Mickey Mouse: Brave Little Tailor
• Aladdin: The Return of Jafar - Iago to the Rescue
• Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World - A Princess Pleads for Peace show less

This is the most lovely book about comparisons, relativity, and opposites. Sweet little Marta is an ordinary girl, "una nina". But to a bug, she is "grande", very big. To a horse she is slow, to a lion she is quiet. The peaceful progression of comparisons continues until Marta encounters a snake. Will she be tasty or can she get herself out of trouble? The story ends with a spread detailing all the ways Marta is like animals - loud like el leon, slow like la tortuga. Most of all, she is show more "clever, very clever, like una nina." A simple glossary in the back lists all the things that Marta is and their English translations and all the animals Marta meets.

Dominguez' sweet illustrations show colorful animals and foliage against a white background. Each creature, as well as Marta, has a soft, colored outline that makes them pop off the page. Marta is a cheerful, active little girl with a rounded face and plump little hairbuns and sandy brown skin.

The genius of this story is that it blends both the concept and the Spanish language into the tale so children who don't speak Spanish can easily pick up the sense of the words while Spanish-speakers can follow the story and pick up the English. On top of that, it's a great story to teach young children about how things change in comparison - Marta might seem fast to one animal and slow to another, even though she is the same. In the end, there is a celebration of imagination as she mimics each of the animals.

Verdict: A delightful choice for toddler or preschool storytime, this would also make a good beginning reader for kids, especially those who want to be introduced to Spanish and/or English.

ISBN: 9781626722439; Published 2016 by Roaring Brook Press; Borrowed from another library in my consortium show less

I'm reading this as part of my Pooh Project as there are several Pooh stories herein.

This collection is full of not very scary stories targeted at very young children. Many of the stories are adaptation of Disney animated features, shorts, or TV episodes, but there are quite a few original stories also. It's bland, corporate creativity, but kids will probably like it. As for me, the Pooh stories were the best part, of course.

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack's Story / Tennant show more Redbank, author; adapted from the story by Tim Burton, adaptation by Michael McDowell, and screenplay by Caroline Thompson
~ 2 stars ~
I've never watched this movie. This adaptation seems pretty bare bones (see what I did there?), but it makes me think I should finally give the movie a try.

Winnie the Pooh: Frankenpooh / Bruce Talkington, author; John Kurtz, illustrator; adapted from the teleplay by Mark Zaslove and Carter Crocker
~ 3 stars ~
This adaptation of an episode of "The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" actually amused me with it's meta bits as Tigger injects horror into Piglet's happy and cheerful story, turning it into a Frankenstein homage. And there's a fine twist ending. I immediately pulled up the show on Disney+ (season 2, episode 2) and rewatched it.

Mickey and Friends: Haunted Halloween / Diane Muldrow, author; Tilley Scott, illustrator
~ 2 stars ~
A storm and unreliable electricity cause Mickey Mouse and his friends to be briefly scared in turn by a series of mild misunderstandings. Super tame.

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad: The Headless Horseman / Jasmine Jones, author; adapted from the short film with story by Erdman Penner, Winston Hibler, Joe Rinaldi, Ted Sears, Homer Brightman, and Harry Reeves; adapted from the short story by Washington Irving
~ 2 stars ~
This adaptation strips away too much to just get to the slapstick of Ichabod Crane riding fearfully down the dark road on Halloween. The romantic triangle and the implications of Brom Bones involvement with the Headless Horseman are just gone, leaving a pretty thin and too straightforward ghost story.

Winnie the Pooh: Pooh's Bad Dream / Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, author; Robin Cuddy, illustrator
~ 3 stars ~
I already reviewed this story earlier in the Pooh project when I read the original book:

It's "A Nightmare in Elm Tree" as a dream fiend comes for Pooh's true lifeblood -- his honey!

Or rather Pooh and friends provide comfort to young readers about bad dreams. After Pooh has a heffalump nightmare, he gets some reassurance from Christopher Robin and Piglet and is able to immediately master lucid dreaming (much to the jealousy of my daughter) and confront his fears. Nice.

It totally reminds me of the third Elm Street, "Dream Warriors" and the classic line, "In my dreams I can walk. My legs are strong. In my dreams I am the Wizard Master."

And, hey, since it's Pooh, I don't even mind putting up with dream sequences, which I usually hate.

Mickey Mouse: Runaway Brain / Kathryn Cristaldi, author; adapted from the animated short film directed by Chris Bailey from a story by Tim Hauser
~ 2 stars ~
Mickey forgets an anniversary with Minnie and accidentally promises an expensive gift to make up for it. To earn cash, he answers an ad in the paper from a mad scientist and ends up swapping brains with a monster. Very dull shenanigans ensue.

I was going to watch the original short film on Disney+ to see if this adaptation was really bad or if the source material was the problem. But it turns out the film isn't on Disney's streaming service, and this article claims Disney is intentionally suppressing the Oscar-nominated short because of internal disapproval of it:
https://www.polygon.com/features/22738384/runaway-brain-evil-mickey-short-stream...

Winnie the Pooh: Boo to You, Winnie the Pooh! / Bruce Talkington, author; Robin Cuddy, illustrator; adapted from the teleplay by Carter Crocker
~ 2 stars ~
It's all pratfalls and misunderstandings in a story that isn't nearly as funny as it wants to be. Piglet is scared of Halloween, but ends up being braver than he thinks and saves it from being a Hallowasn't. I'm not a fan of the TV special upon which this is based either. Very meh.

Donald Duck: Donald Duck and the Witch Next Door / [originally an uncredited Little Golden Book]
~ 3 stars ~
Donald learns you shouldn't start feuds with your neighbor, especially if she is the witch Madam Mim. I quickly bored of Donald acting the ass, but I did like how Huey, Dewey, and Louie made the most of the situation in the end.

Aladdin: Who's that Ghost? / Kim Ostrow, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
On a rainy day, the Genie decides to spice things up with a prank that turns the palace into a haunted house. Dull.

Tarzan: One Brave Gorilla / Jasmine Jones, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
A trio of gorillas don't want young Tarzan tagging along with them, so they try to scare him off and get him lost, but it all backfires predictably in the end.

Peter Pan: Captain Hook's Shadow / Jasmine Jones, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
Michael Darling gets a bit of a solo story as he learns that some nighttime shadows are more ominous than others. I was almost liking it until it turns out the whole story happens because Peter Pan is a dick . . . which I guess is the point of Peter Pan. I really should try to read that book again some day.

The Little Mermaid: The Sunken Ship / Kathryn Cristaldi, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 1 stars ~
Ariel hears a mysterious sound in a shipwreck that gives her a nightmare, but she confronts her fears and finds the source. But the source is one of those things only a really bad author would come up with: a small child's wind-up toy that can run continuously underwater for 24 to 48 hours. I'll suspend disbelief for mermaids but not for that crap.

Beauty and the Beast: The Haunted Castle / Jasmine Jones, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
One of those tired tales where a misunderstanding makes a character think something scary is happening when rather a very good thing is happening. Meh.

Toy Story and Beyond!: Where's Woody? / Jasmine Jones, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
Woody falls out the window, so Jessie and Buzz set out to rescue him. Once again, nothing is as scary as it seems.

Monsters, Inc.: The Spooky Slumber Party/ Kim Ostrow, author; Disney Storybook Artists, illustrators
~ 2 stars ~
Mike gets stuck in the human world when a transporting door malfunctions, so Sulley sets out to rescue him. Once again, nothing is as scary as it seems.

(My Pooh Project: I love Winnie the Pooh, and so does my wife. Having a daughter gave us a chance to indoctrinate her into the cult by buying and reading her every Pooh book we came across. How many is that? I’m going to count them this year by reading and reviewing one every day and seeing which month I finally run out. Track my progress here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/23954351-rod-brown?ref=nav_mybooks&she... ) show less

This is a simply written non-fiction book. Most non-fiction books are written for older kids, or for younger kids only as read-alouds. A *factual* book that early readers can read to themselves?

Brilliant.

Not every kid wants fairies and talking dinosaurs all the time. Sometimes, they really just want plain facts.

I really like this book, have I said?

I do have one minor problem with it, and that is that the text is really not laid out in the best way for this stage of reader. It can be a little show more distracting, jumping from section to section, and the text-boxes aren't any help - the information they contain should really be integrated into the main text instead. show less