I was very excited to discover this year’s program for the Little Big Shots International Film Festival for Kids. Some of our favourite picture books are going to be included on the big screen! The beloved Oliver Jeffer’s book, Lost and Found AND the classic Mo Willems picture book Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
Here’s a wrap-up of the book-related highlights and scroll down for a chance to win a double pass…
I missed seeing Lost and Found when it was aired here on Christmas Day last year – but now that there’s the chance to see it on the big screen, I’m kind of glad to wait! You can read more about our reactions to the trailer for this multi-award-winning animation at our previous posts here and here. It will screen at the festival as part of Big Shots, Small Packages 3 (for 4 to 10 year olds) .
The animation of Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus features the voice talent of picture book veteran, Jon Scieszka and Mo Willems himself. The short film won the American Association for Library Service to Children Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Home Video. Find out what Mo Willem thought about it all on his blog. The animation will screen at the festival as part of Big Shots, Small Packages 1 (for 2 to 5 year olds).
Another picture book adaptation will also feature, with the Australian premiere of The Bake Shop Ghost, based on this book by Jacqueline Ogburn and Marjorie A. Priceman. The film trailer is just as delicious and spooky as you would expect, and stars Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives’ Karen McCluskey) and Academy Award nominee Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Without a Trace’s Vivian Johnson). It will be part of the Big Shots Small Packages 5 (for 6 to 10 year olds). Check out the trailer here:
Now that most of my film festival attendance is stymied by the necessity of babysitters, and my own sleep deprivation, Little Big Shots seems like a brilliant way to combine international cinema with parenting. The films are aimed at children aged 2 and up; perfect for sharing that other-worldly experience of cinema with toddlers and preschoolers (minus the leisuirely dinner at a funky restaurant before and drinks after …)
Each screening of the festival includes an informative introductory session, and there is access to an education kit, designed to encourage kids to think further about the films, as well as the craft of filmmaking. There is also a film reviewing competition and the top ten film reviewers are awarded a spot on the festival’s 10-member children’s jury for the following year!
Need any more inspiration to get to the festival? Check out their trailer here:
We have a generous number of double passes to give away to three of the screenings of the Big Shots Small Packages 3 (for children aged 4 to 10). To win, leave a comment on this post with the title of a picture book that you would love to see adapted for the big screen…
Double passes will be for screenings at Melbourne’s Fed Square on Wednesday 9 June at 10am, Thursday 10 June at 1.15pm or Friday 11 June at 11.30am.
The Red Book wins hands down for me.
I would LOVE to see how an amazingly creative kids film person would bring this to life on the big screen without a script to go by.
I have really enjoyed reading The Knufflebunny with my girls. Given that the book has photographs from one of the schools in New York, I would love to be part of the film crew (and do a bit of sightseeing while I was there!)
‘The Snail and the Whale’ definitely. Full of cinematic potential.
I agree with Georgie, Knufflebunny would be great, with the mix of live shots and animation.
My suggestion is “An Awesome Book”… I could see a movie of it being a hit with kids and adults alike, and some of Dallas Clayton’s drawings are just begging to come to life!
We love “Chocolate Mousse for Greedy Goose” and used to spend a lot of time doing different voices for the animals and imaginging which famous actors would voice the animation. Dawn French was always the Mother Hen (“Blow on it then!”)
And if you think that was a fun reading experience, you should hear our musical version of “Never use a Knife and Fork”
The Bakeshop Ghost looks great-I must first find and read the book though.
A very old fashioned favourite-Alfie’s feet by Shirley Hughes our whole family would love to see on the big screen (and also suitable for the very little ones I suspect too).
We have a special family favourite-Sleepy Bears by Mem Fox, illustrated by Kerry Argent-which we would love to see on the big screen perhaps as a silent animation.
Sean Tan’s ‘The Red Tree’ would make an amazing animated film (if it hasn’t already!)… and Moomin sprang to mind too – I can’t wait to see that film later this year & hear Bjork’s accompanying song.
I would love to see ‘The Story About Ping’ (by Marjorie Flack, illustrated by Kurt Wiese) made into a film – perhaps it has been, sometime during it’s long life?
I love to see original movie works for kids as opposed to the traditional disney type.. so am super excited to go to this!!
My daughter and I would love to see a film of Baby Boomsticks – the King Kong of babies – by Margaret Wild and David Legge.
Festival looks very interesting. Books I’d like to see turned into film would be Josephine Wants to Dance (or any of that series would be good), Where’s the Green sheep would be a great animation and one of my childhood faves that would be great animated is The 3 Robbers by Tomi Ungerer.
My daughter Evie votes for Milly Molly Mandy, in particular she says ‘Milly Molly Mandy runs Errands’. But I am voting for an amazing book we just read this morning called ‘When Elephants Lived in the Sea’ by Jane Godwin and Vincent Agostino.