The New Famous Five

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I wonder if anyone has thought about Thomas the Tank Engine becoming a High Speed Train, or giving Peter Rabbit Cargo Pants and an aversion to vegetables?

Viv

[Lucky Star]

Rusty??? Not rusty-very good Lucky Star!!!Where did you learned it or have you used a translating program online perhaps?

Thank you for that peppermint peppy. I spent a year living in Germany way back in 1992. I lived in a popular ski resort called Berchtesgaden in Bavaria. before going I took night classes and a home study course to try to learn some of the language, the rest I picked up while there. I visit Germany at least once every couple of years and had a German flatmate for a while so all in all it helps me to keep up some proficiency in German.

I must agree with Tony's point that this new series is NOT aimed at us, it is aimed at children, modern children. It is too not something that I would have any interest in watching but it remains to be seen what, if any, impact it has upon sales and appreciation of the original 21 books. If it helps interest a new generation in Blyton then its a good thing. If it turns modern kids off Blyton's "old fashioned" stories then its a bad thing. If it sinks without trace then who cares? We shall just have to wait and see.

[Tony Summerfield]

I must agree with Tony's point that this new series is NOT aimed at us, it is aimed at children, modern children.

It is indeed, and as I have now read all the publicity blurb, I can correct my original statement as it is actually aimed at 7 to 11 year-olds. I can only imagine that the awful extract on The Sun website was pirated during the press preview, which probably explains the terrible sound quality, there are warnings in cinemas that people will be prosecuted for doing this!!

I have now watched the first three episodes and there is no way that this is an attempt to update Enid Blyton, her name isn't even mentioned! Nor do I know where the Daily Mail got that title about the Thief who Drinks from the Toilet from - it wasn't on any of the press handouts. The action is not based at Kirrin at all, but at Falcongate in Devon.

As I said in my previous post, I feel that this series needs to be judged on its own merits, by the audience that it is intended for.

Going on from this after your excellent piece of translation LS, there are many children's TV serials from early eras that I would like to see on DVD - for example Gary Russell in The Phoenix and the Carpet - but sadly very few of these programmes ever get released on DVD. Clearly the various copyright holders think that they would not be a commercial success and understandably they don't want to lose money just for the sake of it. This is possibly the case with the 78 Famous Five series. The fact that a few vociferous adults would like to see it released (and I would too), does not mean that masses of children are necessarily going to go out and buy it. You only have to walk into a shop and look at the children's section and you will quickly realise that almost everything on sale is a cartoon. This alone must speak volumes about what children want to see and I think perhaps that I have now completed my circle!

[Kitty]

I would love the opportunity to see the Gary Russell Phoenix - and the Enchanted Castle that was made around the same time, too (I think). Not to mention The Children of Green Knowe, and so many others that I either was too young for originally, or that I remember with fondness. Quite a few of my jumble sale bought childhood paperbacks had interesting looking TV tie-in photo covers from series that I never had the chance to see.

I was quite surprised to get a copy of the 1970s film of Swallows and Amazons with the Daily Mail last week. It used to be repeated on television every holidays when I was little (or it felt like it was ). Very much comfort viewing to see it again.

[Anita Bensoussane]

[Tony:] Nor do I know where the Daily Mail got that title about the Thief who Drinks from the Toilet from - it wasn't on any of the press handouts.

It does sound a weird title but then so does the other one they mentioned - The Case of the Impolite, Snarly Thing - and that title came up on the clip in the link from The Sun.

Am I imagining things, or did I read somewhere that the proposed TV series about the Famous Five reuniting as adults is going to tie in with the cartoon (ie the four adults will refer to their children, who will be the children in the cartoon series, or something like that?) Funny that Julian, Dick, Anne and George all grew up to have just one child and that all four children are fairly close in age (unless Dylan and the others have siblings who are not part of the "gang"?)

Anita

[peppermint peppy]

Sorry Tony,I can't believe that children prefer to buy or watch a cartoon commonly.
Ok,to my mind there are some characters in cartoons on which giant hordes of children are crazy about.And that's ok!!!
But in my humble opinion they also prefer good made movies with authentic people
or do we have a too meagre choice of good made and modern movies maybe series ?
Why not make a movie of,for example,the Mystery series?
I don't mind if the storyline will be changed and transfered into the times of today.
But please...mercy...no further cartoons.There are too many of them on the market.

PS: I'm already curios when we can get some plastic figures of the new F5 at Mc Donalds
by ordering "Happy Meal"!!!

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

I had never heard of the Spiderwick Chronicles, but have now seen a few clips from the new feature film. It gives me heart that film-makers may be able to make a good film of The Wishing Chair or Faraway Tree - and do it well enough to please die-hard old farts like us and entrance the children who have never read the books.

Viv

[Tony Summerfield]

die-hard old farts like us. Viv

Speak for yourself!

[Jen-Jen]

Viv, your quotes from the Telegraph appeared in The Age - an Australian newspaper - yesterday.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/books/fam ... 60916.html
Thought you might be interested to know your words are appearing in papers around the world.

My thoughts on the series...
I think this series is just inspired by The Famous Five, not really based on it, and so you are not really meant to compare it to the original books. With a lot of films and tv shows that are made today and inspired by other works you often have to watch it and not relate it back to the original to fully enjoy it - think of it as a whole new show, rather than a show trying to update an original. Obviously there are some tilms/tv shows that are meant to be an update of the original or completely based on the original book which you can't help comparing to the original - but I don't think this new Famous Five On the Case is.

[Viv of Ginger Pop]

Thanks for that, Jen-Jen, I had no idea I'd been quoted in Aus!

Happy Easter everyone!

Viv

[Rob Houghton]

The main thing I would say about the new series is that it is using the name 'The famous Five' to cash in on something that is totally unrelated. Its a bit like re-naming Enid Blyton's 'The Play's the Thing' 'High-school Musical 3' just to boost sales.

also, who's to say that modern children like cartoon illustrations? Which children have been canvassed? The secret seven, Malory towers, st Clares, find outers - all have been re-published recently with cartoon covers of rather horrific looking characters, but did the kids really demand that they be depicted in this way? I happen to think this is a somewhat out of touch adult idea of what kids want. It's the publishers way of 'dumbing down' to an imagined audience of 'typical modern kids'.

[Pippa-Stef]

Can I make a point? Or even better a suggestion?

Q) Are we obessing about this because it has the name Famous Five in the title and it's related back to the orginal books and the genius of a Woman who created them?

( I know I've probably been the most upset about this whole thing- and I'm sorry- but I've only just hit upon this question Sorry )

[Rob Houghton]

Yes,I think maybe we are obsessing. It has a lot to do with the fact that Disney are using the name Famous Five. they could have called this series absolutely anything, but they chose an already-established title. If it had been called 'Four Kids and a Dog' or 'Adventures of Four children' or some other equally-boring name, it would have had trouble selling, I guess!

It's the very fact they are using the name 'Famous Five' that gets my goat. I don't see the point, as the characters and adventures they will have don't even relate to the real Famous Five at all.

[Tony Summerfield]

It's the very fact they are using the name 'Famous Five' that gets my goat. I don't see the point, as the characters and adventures they will have don't even relate to the real Famous Five at all.

I can see what you are saying, Rob, but it is not entirely accurate. If you look at the summary below, you will see what I mean:-

Episode 4
The Case of: The Sticks and Their Tricks
Written by: Tuber & Maile

When a huge tree falls on George’s house, the family is relieved by the timely appearance of handyman Ed Gumptybum, who sets about repairing the damage. But the kids, suspicious of the tree’s demise, investigate and discover it was caused by Ed, who is really Edgar Stick, a nemesis of George from her Famous Five days. Stick wants access to George’s old journal, to get a map of Kirrin Island; when his plan fails, he kidnaps George and forces her to show him around Kirrin Island, while the new Five unravel the mystery of George’s whereabouts and track her down in time to rescue her and foil Stick’s plan.

[Pippa-Stef]

Sounds delightful!

Since when has Edgar been George's Nemesis?