The Diary Of Anne Frank Is Being Turned Into A Family-Oriented Animated Feature

Ummm…. 

This definitely sounds like the makings of a bad joke. It’s not. It’s really happening.

“Ari Folman, director of the Oscar-nominated Waltz With Bashir, is on board to write and direct an animated feature based on the life and famous diary of Anne Frank,” write The Hollywood Reporter. “The filmmakers have been granted complete access to all of the archives of the Anne Frank Fonds Basel, founded by Anne’s father Otto Frank as well as to all the branches of the Anne Frank Fonds worldwide.”

“Bringing the Anne Frank Diary to all screens is a fantastic opportunity and challenge,” said Folman. “There is a real need for new artistic material to keep the memory alive for younger generations.”

While I agree on people continuing to learn about Frank and her family’s story, an animated family film just rubs me the wrong way. Of course that’s not to say animation can’t tackle more serious fare, Persepolis is certainly a good example, but is animation the way to go for this particular story? I believe my first introduction to The Diary of Anne Frank was when they showed us the 1980 film by Boris Sagal. I’m not sure I would have taken an animated film as seriously.

What do you think about the project?

[EDIT: Readers more familiar with Folman’s work assure me this project will be good.]

(via The Hollywood Reporter)

Are you following The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?

Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com

Author

Close

Jill Pantozzi

Jill Pantozzi is a pop-culture journalist and host who writes about all things nerdy and beyond! She’s Editor in Chief of the geek girl culture site The Mary Sue (Abrams Media Network), and hosts her own blog “Has Boobs, Reads Comics” (TheNerdyBird.com). She co-hosts the Crazy Sexy Geeks podcast along with superhero historian Alan Kistler, contributed to a book of essays titled “Chicks Read Comics,” (Mad Norwegian Press) and had her first comic book story in the IDW anthology, “Womanthology.” In 2012, she was featured on National Geographic’s "Comic Store Heroes," a documentary on the lives of comic book fans and the following year she was one of many Batman fans profiled in the documentary, "Legends of the Knight."

twitter facebook