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March 22, 2008 12:29 PM
TELEVISION NEWS: The New Famous Five
I admit I was kind of horrified when I saw this picture of Disney's new, updated Famous, um, 5 series, but I know that I have to accept that things move on and classics have to keep up with the times in order to find a new audience.
Don't worry, though, pictured aren't the characters you grew up loving, no - Jo, Max, Allie and Dylan are the children of Enid Blyton’s original
characters and together with their pet dog Timmy embark on a new series
of adventures. The new series starts in May.
What do you think? A relevant update or Blyton blasphemy?
Related posts: Thursday Trailblazer - Enid Blyton | Helen's Heroines - George Kirrin | Best children's book of all time
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Posted by Keris on March 22, 2008 in Classic Novels, Series, Television | Permalink
Comments
No. No. NO!!
I know things have to move with the times but I really do not like this idea at all. At least they are the children of the originals though.
I say things have to move with the times but then why should they? Why not keep it in the 1940's? Other books from 'the olden days' are kept in that period. Why not just get a group of children - nothing to do with The Five - and give them adventures, ipods and all. Why tarnish the memory of the original?
Posted by: Helen | March 22, 2008 6:19 PM
I agree. I don't see why it has to be The Famous Five at all (except for the cachet that comes with the name).
When I said about updating stuff I was thinking of things like Scooby Doo, Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh. People complain about all of them, but if, say, Mickey had never been updated, he'd still look like he did in Steamboat Willie and kids just aren't going to be interested (never mind kids, I wouldn't myself).
Posted by: Keris | March 22, 2008 6:58 PM
Keris, I saw this and had a little bet with myself that you'd mention it! I agree with you (and Helen) completely - horrific. Why not just write about an all-new group of five modern kids? (Yes, I do know the answer - it begins with M and rhymes with 'funny'.)
Posted by: Sarah Painter | March 23, 2008 9:01 AM
I refuse to believe any of the original characters would let their daughter dye her hair purple.
Of course, when I was young all this was nowt but fields... *grumble*
Posted by: Gemma | March 25, 2008 1:19 PM
I generally agree with everyone, it doesn't have to be "Famous Five" at all. I think Enid Blyton would be horrified that one of her central characters was portrayed as someting other than white, middle class and English. I grew up with books that have now been withdrawn from the shelves for being racist, sexist, imperialist and generally not PC. I think the dilemma facing animators is whether to set their characters in the original context or bring them up to date. Setting characters in their origianl context means having to explain the conext, and since many stories were told for a purpose (usually a moral) the moral would still require some modern relevance, look at what Disney has done with European folk tales, many are hardly recognisable from the stories written 100 or more years earlier.
Posted by: Lew Comstock | October 12, 2008 7:17 PM
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