This is the first ever British animated feature film. It was made by the husband and wife team of John Halas and Joy Batchelor. This made Animal Farm the first animated feature directed by a woman since The adventures of Prince Achmed. The film was made from 1951-1954 (the book came out in 1945), so it was greenlit just after George Orwell’s death. It is known for being very faithful in spite of some major changes, and I actually want to defend the changes.
Style
One major adaptation point is for getting the style. Some people have compared this to an audio book due to the reliance on the narrator. He narrates most scenes, but that is actually good. The book does not read like conventional fiction but like a history book. The narrator captures that by making this seem like a documentary.
Benjamin
I think this is one of the most notable change. In the book he is the cynic representative of… We fans debate and debate what he represents. I think he is the elderly who never seem to die, but there are hordes of theories. He is probably the most central character in the book, and he is the protagonist of the film. He is cynical and knows what the pigs are doing but never tries to do anything about it until his best friend is dead. In the film he is still Boxer’s best friend with some of the same roles, but he is much more of a hard worker. He does not have the stubborn and cynical attitude.
Jones’s wife
In the book he has a wife who runs away. She was adapted out understandably.
Fights
They are very accurate. There are three, and they keep some key details like Snowball’s retreat plan, Boxer being shot in the knee, and the dead sheep. Sure they add in a dog dying, but that is small.
Narrator
The narrator in the book is much more supportive of Communism and ironic about Stalinism working. This is shown in a scene amidst the tough times where everyone is happy thinking of Animal Farm as theirs, as they are free. The narrator is especially critical of Mollie, but that seems to be irony, as she did escape. The narrator in the film is more open about their failures.
Wings as Legs
Squeeler, not Snowball, now comes up with defense of wings as legs. It shows his usefulness outside of evil. One detail I liked is it perfectly captured Squeeler’s speech at Boxer’s death down to the suspicious glancing and silence.
Planned or not
In the the pigs are more diabolical and planned with stealing milk and apples. Napoleon told everyone else to leave and work, while he took all the milk. In film it seems to be spontaneous.
Commandments
It is not in the book about “without cause” being written in blood. A good change. Both versions after have Napoleon constantly saying X is punishable by death.
Cat
In both versions the cat shows up to the meeting late, and just naps not listening. In the book she has a larger role of always skipping work. She tries to take advantage of animalism to illegally eat sparrows. She eventually vanishes, but was always a source fo comfort. In the film the dogs just kill her.
Napoleon becoming more human
In both versions the dogs wag at Napoleon after removing Snowball. “They kept close to Napoleon. It was noticed that they wagged their tails to him in the same way… used to do to Mr. Jones.” (58). In the book he starts wearing a bowler hat after world war 2. In both versions he wears medals, and his 31 new piglets wear green ribbons. In the book he also wants a schoolhosue built for them. Not mentioned in film now they are not allowed to play with young animals, and everyone must step aside for all pigs. Pigs walking on hind legs giving more importance and Napoleon holding a whip.
Dogs
They are nearly perfectly adapted with a few minor changes. In book it is ambiguous if they caught Snowball. They got him in the book. Napoleon was secretive with raising them in the book unlike the movie. A detail I really like is that the dogs are chaperoning the pigs at the end. In the book one tried to kill Boxer and Boxer dominated them all and only Napoleon stopped him from killing them. It makes the reader wonder if they were terrified of Boxer and wanted him dead anyway. In the film that is still shown as when everyone runs to try and save him only the pigs stay behind.
Jones
He breaks the allegory by destroying the windmill, but it does suit the narrative structure. I t also seems to represent how disunity in the USSR in world War 2 hurt them.
Snowball
I think he comes off slightly better in the book, but in both versions he seems to ambitious and misguided. Instead of letting the farm run he is becoming mire human like with his projects and hostility to man.
Sugarcandy Mountain
This was omitted from the film where Moses just looks scared when a few animals are murdered. In the book he represents the Orthodox Church. He flees the farm with Jones, and is later brought back for World War 2 to help make the animals think the afterlife will reward them for their hard work. This is a ploy to remove the promised retirement.
Ending
Famously the book ends with the animals noticing the humans and pigs are identical now. In the film they kill them after this. This was foreshadowed. The animals did not fall for Squeeler’s speech about Boxer’s death. I think it still captures the ambiguity of if this is good. Are they just going to get the same tyranny again. Nobody is happy, and the music is very ominous. Were they trying to predict how they thought the Soviet Union would fall or how they thought Stalin would die (production finished a year after he died but started two years before it). If it was completely accurate his dogs would have killed him. Still I prefer the book ending. When I first read it I had to walk for 1.2 miles to think it through.
This image is so satisfying.
Overall this is the worst adaptation review I have done (other than The Black Cauldron of course). It has many crucial changes, but I think it still kept the most important parts and did a great job with the tone. They clearly cared about the source material and wanted to use it; just with a critical eye. I think this will for be the definitive adaptation for many more decades. I give it five tree stars in spite of its flaws thanks to how great most of it is.
Next time on February 2nd as I promised a long time ago (I think)
Scooby-Doo in Where’s my Mummy
If I remember right this has a chance at being another zero tree star review.
This is the first ever adaptation of Rudolph. Yes, that makes it older than the song, which was based off a book.
Time for some dates. The book by Robert L. May was released in 1939. The first ever adaptation is this one by Max Fleischer with Paul Wing doing the voices. The song came out one year later, and in 1951 it was redone with the famous song replacing “Silent Night.”
Since it is public domain you can easily find the 1951 version on youtube. The original version is here. I prefer the original version, as “Silent Night” fits the mood better.
This is a very faithful adaptation. Like in the book they make just as much of a deal about his nose being twice as big as it is bright. Unlike all other adaptations the deer are a weird hybrid of anamorphic and animal like. Previously I have a problem with this, but I let it slide here , because it is consistent. The deer walk like deer sometimes(needed for the sleigh imagery). Besides that they sometimes wear clothes, eat at tables (unlike the book they at least have food there), and they even have beds. Despite this being the first adaptation it really sticks out as a result.
Is the toy deer the equivalent to a doll? Is the human toy the equivalent to a teddy bear?
Despite being the shortest adaptation it has the most dramatic paste. This is the only adaptation where Santa Claus actually tries to do his job during the storm. In the Rankin-Bass film the storm plot is just a quick add on. In the GoodTimes film it is ending fatigue. Here it is the plot, and that is why this is the only one where Rudolph being recruited to lead the sleigh is actually a powerful moment.
Then it is the typical story of using your perceived flaws to be the hero, a message that always appealed to me. It is my favorite of the adaptations despite easily being the most simple. There is no snow witch or yeti, just the unity of plot. There is no plot of not living up to a family name. Rudolph’s father is nobody important, and I like that in a hero.
I just like how the old guy looks.
Being a Fleischer cartoon made for theaters it is not surprising the animation is great, and it was actually fun watching a scene in frame by frame to appreciate it.
For the first time I am reviewing a bad adaptation and one that is not adapted from a comic book. It is not helped that it adapts the first two books in the series mostly the second one. The two books have very different moods. It should be noted that producer, Jeffrey Katzenberg feuded with the creators. He wanted a much lighter tone (more similar to the later Disney Renaissance) than the dark tone of the second book. With two different visions I am not surprised that watching it feels nothing like reading the book.
One of the major changes is trying to get the cauldron by bargaining. In the film Taran offers his magic sword finally learning that there are better things in life than fighting. In the books Taran realized this when Adaon died. He offers his nice sword there very quickly. What the witches accept is Adaon’s broach that he passed on to Taran, which is for a different lesson. Besides being a keepsake of his deceased friend the broach makes the wearer wiser and offers the gift of making the wearer far more alert. It helped Taran be a better friend, and leader. This completely changes the mood from bittersweet to just bitter setting up some very dark chapters (that the movie removed entirely). The witches come off very differently. In the film they act like sex crazed women. In the movies they are act like doting but foolish mothers.
The sword is very different. In the film it is a super weapon, but in the book it only works for the worthy. Taran cannot use it until book 5. In the books Eilonwy is the one who keeps it and carries with her everywhere knowing it should have use in the future, and Gwidion is the one who uses it to defeat the Horned King. In the film it is a deus ex machina keeping with the light hearted first book. For these scenes in the second book the heroes are instead meeting defeat after defeat.
The Horned King is completely different. Film Horned King is the villains’ leader similar to book Arwan. In the books he dies in the first one and is more like their toughest foot soldier. He never talks, and the readers are basically given nothing to figure out his motivations or personality. Still a better adaptation of than the minions. In the film they are bumbling clumsy, and unthreatening. In the books these are probably the best evil minions I ever read about. This means the main villain (Arwan) still has them available for the next three books. The Cauldron born are unkillable and fight as well as they did while alive, but they cannot go more than fifty miles from the Cauldron. While spirits from the dead they remember nothing of their time amongst the living, and are deprived of their souls. They are just empty shells of warriors stuck in an unending Hell. A small group will almost always give the heroes casualties, they have been stripped of all humanity, are unkillable or incredibly skilled soldiers, and are very scary. Sure the Cauldron Born in the film are like this, but they are barely in it. In the books the villains begin with The Black Cauldron and Cauldron Born soldiers. Even when it is destroyed at the end of book 2 that just means they cannot make new ones. They still have the existing ones for the last 3 books.
The biggest change is the part about sacrificing somebody to destroy the Cauldron. In both versions someone must sacrifice himself by going into the Cauldron. When I watched the film all I could think is put some manure in their, and a fly will come in and problem solved. The book fixed this by adding that the sacrifice must know exactly what they are doing and do it by their own free will This was announced when Gurgi was inside it trying to destroy it from within. He immediately jumped out, so this did not destroy it. It was not destroyed by Gurgi in the book but by Elidyr. Elidyr is selfish, cruel, arrogant, rude, and violent. This unlikable guy jumps in to destroy the Cauldron, and I have not cried that much from a book since Watership Down. It is a great case of even the worst of humanity being good and selfless. In the book and not the movie there was a body.
This is the part where the movie completely misses the entire part of the book. Elidyr never comes back to life. The side characters drop like flies, and none of them ever come back. The biggest moral of the series is that War brings death, farming brings life. The movie completely changes this by bringing Gurgi back from the dead.
The film is based off two books. It honestly takes more from The Book of Three than The Black Cauldron. Many scenes like Taran escaping the castle, hunting for HenWen, The Horned King rescuing Fleuwder, and finding the fair folk are from the first book.
His hair should be wilder.
Most of the characters are simplified versions of their book counterparts, which is understandable. Eilonwy is very toned down but he same character. The changes is her film counterpart is way too clean and well dressed, and she would never introduce herself as “princess.” In the books Dallbern had to tell Taran about that. On paper Taran is perfectly adapted, except the film misses his internal discussions. He is arrogant out loud, but in his head he is humble and scared. Missing this really hurt the character. Still I always read the books in his film voice and picture him. Fleuwder is missing his backstory of being a runaway king and a great fighter, but honestly they adapted his personality pretty well. Gurgi is missing his helpful moments and his great friendship with Taran. Gurgi in the books is the most popular character. Despite his stupidity he has survival instincts and is very sacrificial.
Here is one change that did not bother me until I read the book. In the first book HenWen ran away from Caer Dallbern (she is not important in the actual Black Cauldron book). In the film Dallbern sends her away declaring Caer Dallbern to not be safe. After reading the book all I could think was-
Caer Dallbern is the good guy’s greatest stronghold, and where they keep everything they do not want Arwan to get. Sending her away is the dumbest idea possible.
Here is the big credit to Disney. They got the pronunciations right. They are notoriously bad at this, so I am very surprised.
The author, Lloyd Alexander, was much more positive than I would have been. He said the movie has no resemblance to his book, but he praised it as a movie. He said if looked as its own story it was good, but inferior to the book. I have to praise him for showing no anger.
This adaptation get plenty of the small things right, and I can tell they at least read the first two books. They got the names right (not an easy task), the looks for everyone but Eilonwy, the villains act similar to their book counterparts, and the heroes act similarly. Unfortunately they fail at at the big pictures. By removing crucial backstory elements, slow development, and internal monologues (granted these all work better on written mediums), the heroes lose their essence. In addition they completely spit in the moral (or Jeffrey Katzenberg forced them to). The entire point is to tell the audience that people die and death is permanent. It is really not a good idea to use a huge budget movie to tell that (it was the most expensive animated film ever until… I think The Lion King.) The higher a budget the more the executives force changes. This adaptation needed one main guiding voice. It adapts a story with a clear message into a story with no message.
Next time on Tuesday October 20th. Obscure Animation is back with a film I am surprised is not incredibly beloved by the animation community
Season 1 is based off Stars and STRIPE, JSA, New 52’s, Justice League of America, and a few pieces of other comics. It is overall very faithful with a few changes mostly due to the medium change and Johns’s growth as a writer. The morals and tone are left intact, as they were deemed more essential than the smaller details.
Cosmic Staff
The absolute biggest change is that none of the comic weapons are sentient (the closest are STRIPE’s really expressive eyes). This can be viewed as an adaptation of how the Cosmic Converter Belt is augmented in different ways by the user, and it gave Courtney and Sylvester different powers.
Character development
Compared to the show the comics are more character focused, but only Star and Pat have major arcs. When it starts Pat is presented as the clear hero to Star being a potential super villain who currently happens to be fighting evil too. As the story progresses Star becomes more heroic gradually, and Pat’s flaws are revealed more.
Origin
Art by Tom Derenick
You have probably heard about a few major changes, In the Comics Star did not get the staff until two years later and went by “The Star-Spangled Kid” for four years. While not in Post-Crisis she had both the staff and name immediately in New 52. If this confuses anyone DC has been rebooted multiple times. Star was created in Post-Crisis, and since then New 52 Reboot gave her a different origin. Like in New 52 Courtney was bored, snooped in Pat’s things, found the staff, and just had a ton of fun flying. In the comics she then saved several people from a fire. Show also adapts Star’s deontology vs. Pat’s consequentialism from New 52, but the show amps it up. The basic plot and location are from Stars and STRIPE but much of the characterizations come from New 52. Like in Post-Crisis comics she wanted to form/join the JSA, Pat said no, and she did it anyway (JSA Secret Files and Origins #1). TV Starman is a cross of Jack Knight Starman and the original star-Spangled Kid just like in Smallville.
Filler usage
While every episode of the show advances the plot heavily, the comics do not do this. Plenty of issues advance the characters and their dynamics, but can easily be removed from the ongoing story otherwise. Some of their stories might be used in future seasons like Day of Judgement, Skeeter, Paintball, and the Seven Soldiers flashback.
Stargirl
Art by Scott Kolins
Overall she is nearly perfectly adapted. Her affectionate, caring, forgiving, impulsive, and emotional personality is from the comics. Her main character arc is the same, and it is triggered by the slow progress of being a superhero instead of a huge event. There are plenty of minor changes. As you have probably heard she is meaner to Pat in the comics most notably she got away from him to join the JSA by putting a pineapple (he is allergic) under his pillow. Meaning Pat’s allergy has saved the world time and time again. She is worried about Pat and Mike taking her weapons, thus she keeps them on hand at all times. Comics Star would have put the crate in her closet or under the bed. Her original motivation (basically the beginning of episode 10) was to make Barbara decide Pat put them in danger by moving them to Blue Valley and divorce him. It is not until the end of Issue 4 that it is clear she is a hero. Before then she saves people, but it can always be argued she is just saving herself. Safe to say her heroic motivations in post-Crisis came from saving someone (and confirmed in New 52). In the show they ironically came from failing to save someone.
Pat
As a guilty failed father with all of his friends dead he has more issues than in the show. He seems to have no friends outside of Barbara, Ted Knight, and later Star. Part of this is due to being in continuity with the Infinity Inc series. In it Pat is so angry he makes Rick look like Stargirl. Comics Pat put a tracker on the Cosmic converter belt, and hates the name Stripesey. When angry Star always calls him that, like when he is tracking her every move or using his surveillance cameras around the house. He is not in the JSA, mainly as he has little interest in protecting the world outside of Blue Valley. In issue 4 he tried to stop her from helping in a crisis level threat resulting in the first time it is confirmed that she is a new superhero rather than a super villain emerging.
Star: Is this the type of hero you want me to be? One refusing to help? No matter what you can’t watch me all the time. You couldn’t have saved Sylvester… [she switches to a whisper] even if you were there.
Pat: No kid… I just want you to… I mean… Ah, hell. Here comes [switch to shouting] Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E.
In spite of never being on the team they did have a statue of him that was never taken out of storage until Star brought it out of the basement. I presume Sylvester had it made thinking Pat would eventually join. His role with the JSA is being an occasional mechanic, and he very occasionally helps. Comics Pat seems to lose every almost fight he is in, and he is regularly the damsel in distress. The poor guy has to resist the urge to call his bratty step-daughter for help. In the comics he regularly talks with Ted Knight, the wisest character in the comics. TV Pat has to take that role in the show. This small detail does make him come off as wiser. While less flawed TV Pat does keep his survivor’s guilt (he, Vigilante, and Justin are the only remaining soldiers), stern fatherly nature, devotion to Barbara, skill set, consequentialism, and helpful nature, which are the essence of the character.
Star and Pat
Art by Lee Moder
Comics Star is more emotional, and Comic Pat has an occasional temper and is more overprotective. As a result, they fight much more, and their banter is much funnier than in the show. Their first fight did not result in a happy conversation where they accept each other’s new roles but a big verbal fight that was not cleared up until the final arc. She does constantly save him showing she does care. They are starting to get along for the Young Justice Crossover, but when they offer Star to join them (the guys all have crushes on her) he immediately chases them away making Star hate him again for the next issue and a half until he tries to save her. Like the show contrary to their colors it is Star’s red oni to Pat’s blue oni, and Star is much more affectionate when they get along. He regularly tells her to respect her elders, but this backfires after she joins the JSA, since she has great relations with their old time displaced members. One notable change is that in the comics Star openly accepted Pat as a valued partner and equal (despite her superior commitment, power, and superhero connections) before Pat openly accepts her as Sylvester’s successor. In the show they do this in episode 2 with Pat doing it first. One thing I have trouble seeing TV Pat doing is threatening to take Star’s weapon by force, and this made comic Star very happy. (This is never confirmed to my knowledge but a few lines and action in New 52 makes me think he tried and failed to do this]) Like the show Star is the more domineering one and is more likely to take charge. Episode 2 did a great job at capturing how often Star barks orders at Pat. This is toned down after her character development, but she is still the dominant personality. By the last few episodes their relationship heavily resembles what it is at the end of Stars and STRIPE and JSA.
I find this surprisingly relatable despite having both of my parents. I am a deontologist with a consequentialist dad. I spend a lot of time with my dad. We are very close despite how much we fight, and many of their interactions in both the comics and show hit me close to home.
Mike
It would take a whole post to describe how different Mike is from his Post-Crisis counterpart, which makes TV Mike look like a saint. He never showed up until Stars and STRIPE was halfway over, as he was in military school until he stole the dog (never said who from) to get kicked out. He already knew all about Pat being Stripesy, and invites himself into the home (his mom is a female Sam). Pat is horrified and hoped he would live with his mother, and Mike is spending all of his time trying to steal the Cosmic Converter Belt. It is very obvious if he actually became the new Star Spangled Kid he would use it to be a super villain (something about wanting to break his girlfriend out of jail; the arc was dropped). By his last few appearances Pat makes no secret that he likes Courtney more, and this end’s Mike’s post-crisis appearances. On the other hand, his new 52 version has very little panel time (he is never named), but he seems pretty similar to his show counterpart, except he dies.
Joey’s death
All the details are changed, but the results and concept are from New 52 with Mike. Even the way Star reacts by working on a new team is similar, but Pat did a 180. New 52 Pat then taught Star more about using the staff and then fully supported her role as a hero.
Mike and Star
Early on just very hostile with Mike trying to take on the role by stealing her weapons (and later her underwear to sell it on ebay). After 4 issues Star is shown trying to make things better with Mike still being bitter about not getting his dream role. He starts as a jealous guy, and he ends that way too. One thing I am glad they cut is they often talked in perfect unison. That made them seem like toxic lovers.
Barbara
Her role is expanded, but her personality and basic role are the same. The main difference is the Jordan equivalent captures her at work, and she accepts her family’s secret identities much better in the comics. Her temper is never shown, but both Pat and Star are terrified of making her angry.
Villains
Of these guys only Dragon King and Shiv were in Stars and STRIPE However, Star has battled basically all of these guys or their legacy villain a few times. Wizard is less powerful, while Shiv and Icicle are seriously beefed up. TV villains are way more complex. The comics mostly had cartoony villains until JSA’s “The Hunt for Extant.” Jordan’s decision to kill Mike is similar to Per Degaton’s order in “JSA/JSA”, and Brainwave has a similar personality to Per Degaton.
The Icicles
Still a better love story than “The Killing Joke.” Art by Lee Moder.
I do not know of Cameron ever being interested in Star romantically. Jord (slight name change in the show) has a no killing policy, and this disgusts his son. Cameron cares about his fellow ISA members, and nobody else. He does care for his father, but he will not show it publicly. Jordan has a similar role to Principal Sherman but little in common personality wise. Cameron did battle Star in her very first appearance (picture above), but he really has no importance in her storylines.
Shiv
She is way different. Comics Shiv lives for two things only, please Daddy and throwing knives at people. He has been training her since childhood to be his sidekick (no stealing the costume). She is much more murderous, and comic Shiv would have chopped Courtney’s head off in episode 8 (and killed Barbara and Mike for good measure). After she lost to Star (she did beat STRIPE in two seconds twice) Dragon King picks up her unconscious body and locks her up. Comics Shiv would never threaten to kill him, and she was horrified when he died. When she gets out Dragon King declares that mind-controlled Star will lead his army to his actual daughter’s horror. I found it pretty finny that he finds Star more worthy of being his daughter and refuses to hide it. After this she joins the Injustice Society and now lives to kill Star in return for helping to kill her father. Shiv has never, ever beaten Star in a fight, but presumably told the entire ISA her secret Identity. Part of this is that if Shiv ever won it means death for Star, thus characters like the scientist can beat her but not Shiv. Most later fights had Star effortlessly clobbering her. Both versions have the same role at school and the part about Shiv being ambiguously in lust with Star.
I hope this is adapted in season 2. In a later fight Shiv tried to make Star made by going into detail how she would kill Pat, and instead of being angry Star apologized for her disastrous family life and how often she has to shut down her body parts. After that Shiv is just a piece of pity with no actual use to the ISA.
Snapdragon Insult
Not used but very similar to insults Star used on Eclipso, Despero, and a few others.
5
I wonder if this was planned. In both the show and comic, the 5th issue/episode heavily features Grundy’s past murder, key character development for Star and an angry member of the team, is mostly set up, and is the worst of the group despite its importance.
Shining Knight
He is accurate at first, but not after he regains his memory. In the comic he then immediately regains his sanity, shaves his beard, dons his old costume, and retrieves his winged horse. He battles Dragon King in the air and slays him. I prefer this flawed character in the show.
Villain Plan
Mind control project is simply to make minions. It only works on children, so Stars vs. STRIPE fight is reversed. Visually the technology looks very similar.
Stars vs. STRIPE
In the comic Star was mind controlled, and it was a fight where she trashed him, broke free of the mind control, which blew up the satellite dish (I think it was badly built). The fight was faithfully adapted as STRIPE vs Grundy with many images and moves being pulled from it. This includes Star/Grundy ripping STRIPE’s arm off, using it as a weapon, and tearing the chest off, putting him/her in position to kill Pat. STRIPE put up more of a fight in the show.
Costume
Art by Lee Moder.
In the comics Star designed it like that for a dance that required a patriotic outfit (everyone else dressed like soldiers) and to steal Cindy’s boyfriend. It is homemade. Pat made the mistake of revealing it made him mad, so the design stays. She also wants tattoos (thanks to Jack Knight) and belly piercings, which Pat will not allow. The comics have more emphasis on her patriotism, making it easier to see how the suit would appeal to her. After Barbara finds out she constantly wears it around the house (to Mike’s anger, as it reminds him of his “stolen birthright), and normally falls asleep in it. I guess it smells like dirty bed sheets. Shiv, Tigress, and Star all have less revealing costumes than their comic counterparts, but still look very similar to them.
Powers
The cosmic converter belt gave her powers gradually and different from Sylvester. for the first few issues her only power was super strength. The belt turns on and off at random during early fights. Like the staff in episode 10 the Cosmic Converter Belt got removed from the picture (Mike ripped) it forcing Star into a fight without it where she did surprisingly well. Some of the imagery for it was adapted at the end of “Shiv Part 2,” as Comics Shiv struggled against a depowered Star Spangled Kid.
Braces
Art by Dale Eaglesham
Comic Star wears braces. It gives her a unique look.
Hobbies
In the comics Star’s big hobbies are kick boxing and TV watching. She speaks with a few pop culture references. She uses a few kick boxing techniques when fighting, and it is implied she took it up not just for fitness but also attracting boys. In both Post-Crisis and New 52 she got the costume’s design from a show about The Zoo Crew. This is a reference to Johns basing it off Yankee Poodle’s costume (he is a big fan of The Zoo Crew).
Drones
Mentioned to be very fast instead of zombie like. Are all students from Blue Valley High, and throughout the series a minor character will be kidnapped (often with Shiv’s help). Many issues start with Stars and STRIPE chasing a few of them trying to figure out what they are. With all the disappearances I am surprised Pat did not order her to drop out of school.
School Friends
In the show Mary is star’s childhood friend from before the move. In the comics she was from Blue Valley and is basically the conspiracy theorist who is trying to figure out why everyone is disappearing. All the side characters from school are adapted out entirely except for Shiv.
Secret Identity
In all versions Star is really bad at keeping it a secret. In the comics Pat is actually worse, as he screams “Courtney” way too often.
Justice Society
Poor Wesley always dies first.
The people are all different, but it fits the messages and even the roles of the JSA All-Star team really well. Like the comics the members are allowed to die and stay dead forcing a new team of their legacy characters whom are mentored by Pat/ Green Lantern, Flash, and Wildcat. They are the surrogate father(s) to all of them with heavy focus on Stargirl being the daughter they never had. Both focus that the legacy characters are inspired by their predecessors, but that does not mean being like them in every way. Comics did focus on them acknowledging their predecessors’ mistakes (Rex’s drug addictions and hiding from his family, Ted losing his son, and Jack’s rebellious, disobedient personality), and fixing them. Yolanda is very similar to a cross between Hawkgirl and Atom Smasher in JSA, and I am convinced the script originally called her “Kendra Saunders.” Star commutes between New York City (base of the JSA) and Blue Valley every day, and it is never explained how she did this before she could fly. I presume Atom Smasher and Green Lantern took turns giving her rides.
Pat and Mike
Very hostile. to quote Mike in JSA #81 “I wish you had died instead of mom.” Both see Pat as a failed father who forced his son away. Other than a time where Mike is trying to butter him up to become the next star Spangled-Kid I cannot think of a single time they seem to like each other at all. Pat views himself as a failed father, and this is why he is trying to compensate by watching Star like Big Brother. Ironically of the Old JSA members this gives Pat a similar parent history to Green Lantern, Star’s favorite father figure.
Home Attack
Art by Eddy Barrows and Tom Derenick
All three versions involve the Whitmore-Dugan home being attacked, and the three have nothing in common. In post-Crisis it is about the rising tensions. In show it is brief relief form the rising tensions. In new 52 it is the darkest emotional point at a surprisingly early stage. The fights themselves and villains are completely different in every version.
Seven Soldiers
As a reference to them the mascot of the school is the Soldiers instead of the Prairie Dogs. Vigilante is still alive and trying to reach out to Pat with Pat ignoring him just wanting to move on from super heroing. There is a flashback issue confirming that they were all time displaced. While time displaced Pat spent a week as an Egyptian Slave who built the Pyramids until he was rescued by Hourman, Starman, and”some guy named Batman I never heard of.” To Star’s annoyance he refused to tell her how he was so youthful until Mike came back. Mike was going to tell her the details he knew otherwise.
Brainwave Jr.
Art by Jerry OrdwayArt by Jerry Ordway
The storyline is very different and longer, but the relationship with Star and Brainwave is spot on. It is very similar to the longer one with Star and Martian Manhunter. In all cases the telepath is distrusted and disliked (at best) by the entire team minus Stargirl.
Fights
Art by Lee Moder
While Star has turned into a distance fighter, she started as a melee fighter like in the show. Stars and STRIPE’s fights are not as well done as the show’s fights, but they are very intense. It is normally very clear that they have to either win or die. Some small details in them show that Star does care for Pat such as saving him from Skeeter, and smiling when he is not looking showing she enjoys the banter. I did not see it in the show, mainly because their hostility was toned down.
Voices
This something I never thought of before the show. I first read it in Pat’s Justice League Unlimited Voice which is the same for STRIPE and Pat. In this show he has a distorted robot voice. In the comics his voice bubbles and only his are square indicating his robotic voice like in the show.
Sam Kurtis
In the comics star never thinks Sylvester is her dad, but this still is faithful to the comic. There she thinks Sam is a great man who just has trouble finding time to see his daughter, and will eventually come back and remarry her mom. When he comes back she immediately embraces him and then straight to the con. At least TV Sam bought her a meal. Star knowing it is a con is more subtle in the comic (ironic, as the show is overall more subtle), but the scene is practically identical in everything except for the exact words. He has two later appearances which will likely be adapted in future seasons. He is never punched by Pat, as he stayed with Star for longer. The closest to that scene is Sam flirts with Barbara and Pat scares him away. In the comics the locket is normally kept under Star’s clothes. I guess it was hard to draw, and its importance is done much better in the show. There are a few red herrings that Sam will play a major role in the final battle with Dragon King as a villain, but he arrives after his death instead.
Ending
All the details are changed, but the mood and concept are adapted perfectly. The order is changed, as it happened right after Sam left.
Ending battle
This is very much how Johns normally ends his arcs, each villain is defeated one by one. The main villain is typically beaten last. Then he sets up the next arc on the last few pages. Ironically the Stars and STRIPE comic has a clear lowest point (when mind-controlled Star is about to kill Pat), and both villains are defeated at the same time.
Moral
Just like JSA it is about finding a new family amongst close friends either in addition to main family, loss of family, or poor family relations.
Overall a very solid adaptation that took the key themes and character dynamics and focused on them. Most of the changes were fro the better (or to deal with the more limited medium story wise) like fleshing out the villains, and being less villain of the week and crossover heavy. All the crucial parts were adapted, and several parts of other comics series featuring Stargirl were used without feeling forced in. Another very solid adaptation. It makes sense, as they have the same writer.
As expected it is incredibly faithful. It makes sense, as the show runner created the character and wrote most of the comics source material, and another producer helped create the character and wrote some of the source material too. I am heavily looking forward to season 2, and expecting it to loosely adapt some more story lines from JSA like “Out of Time,” “JSA/JSA,” “Princes of Darkness,” “The Hunt for Extant,” Stealing Thunder,” and “Black Reign.”
The Early films in the DC Animated Original Movies lineup are known for being very faithful adaptations, and this is no exception. They adapted the comic very well with most of the changes being minor subtractions for the new medium or changes to fit the subtractions better.
Not going to discuss the changes I described in the main reviews.
Modern Day
Likely the biggest change is the setting is ironically the same, the 1980s. The comic, published in 1986, distinctly took place in the then present. Arguably that means Obama should have been the president, Green Arrow replaced by Green Lantern, Soviets replaced by terrorists, Robin’s computer expertise replaced by outdoor skills or something, and cold war paranoia replaced by Civil War paranoia. I cannot blame them for sticking to a direct adaptation, as that is what the lineup specialized in.
Internal Monologue
The other notable change is the omission of internal monologue (except in one scene). I was going to criticize this until I saw the sister film, Batman Year One, which in a similar movie kept the monologue, and I think it failed there. In these films a few key elements are lost, but for the most part they kept the feelings by either converting it to dialogue or with facial and body language.
Monologue in the dump
Here is the part I found lacking in Part 1. In the comic Batman through internal monologue was talking to the empty seat besides him pretending Dick was there. It showed his declining mental health from loneliness It was all internal, but when blacking out against the Mutant Leader he begged Dick for help out loud. When Carrie came to his rescue he called her “Dick” once. He is lucky she did not leave right there.
Robin or Carrie
In the movies Batman never calls her “Carrie.” In the comic he called her “Carrie” once. When recovering in the Bat-cave Alfred called him delirious and was thinking Batman still thought of her as Dick. When Batman for the only time used her real name it confirms that his head is now clear enough to know she is not Dick, he is not young again, and he still want her to be his sidekick. Since the context was removed it makes sense to remove this word. Of note is Bats calls Dick “Dick” and Carrie “Robin” in his monologues.
Robin and Batman’s first meeting
The film added the struggle of Robin carrying Batman up the hill (she has to be really jacked), and her jumping in immediately after Alfred said to run home. The film also added her using what looks like an important pipe to make the sling, as in the comic she made it off panel. I prefer the shorter comic version here. In the Bat-cave they removed Robin looking with an open mouth at the Bat-cave having an unheard conversation with Alfred, and cut down on Bats’s conversation with the bat. Again a net loss. When discussing Robin with Alfred among Bats’s compliments was “young”.” He is seeing if she will be his successor.
Robin mistaken for a boy
Since 1940 there have been plenty of jokes that the Robin suit, name, and idea is better for a girl and women have played Robin in plays. As a joke on that Robin here is a girl regularly mistaken for a boy. They consonantly see her and think “Boy Wonder.” It makes sense with the short hair and that comic Robin is much less endowed than her film counterpart. With those glasses on for both school and crime fighting this is how she keeps a secret identity. I think Alfred and selina are the only ones who call her a girl. In the films she is never mistaken for a boy and Clark calls her “young lady.” I think the creators were worried it would be taken as commentary on transgender or something.
Whole scene missing
This takes place after Superman first shows up. Batman and Robin go to Abner’s place to find potential leads on Joker, and the entire focus is on Batman and Robin’s then struggling mentor-student relationship, and this is where she gets fired. Bats is mad at he for getting spotted, and for the second time threatens to fire her (rule of 3 in comic and 2 in film). It is clear that he is getting frustrated with her. When they arrive at Abner’s home Robin disobeys and impatiently throws caution to the wind and jumps in. Batman has to pull her out before the doll explodes barely saving her and blowing up her glasses. In those thirteen seconds of hordes of material in the film the lines are directly from the comic, but they lost one of the meanings. He was rehiring her after one night with no given reason. I think he was both lonely and tired of Alfred not supporting him, wanting some support. Not an important scene to keep, but very weird to read knowing it has no film counterpart.
Police shoot Batman
Fly Robin or you’re fired.
When getting the information form Yindel about Selina like in the film Bats fled to the Batcycle, but again the film removed the second of a rule of three. In the comic Bats tells Robin to hang on (After she called him “boss” for the very first time), and it looks to be a happy, funny scene where she is hanging on for dear life.
Next panel Yindel shoots him in the shoulder to Robin’s horror. Bats insists it is nothing but next scene he is leaning on Robin, and insists she does the lock picking now. A further sign that he is declining. He is weakening much more in the comic than film so makes sense to cut it if they cut most of the context.
Robin and Bruno
In the comic Robin does not make noise giving her position away. She instead visibly makes Bruno bleed, and Bruno spots her going for another shot, being too slow. Robin does not use her slingshot as a trick but just hides with a door in front of her, and this fools Bruno.
Robin as a fighter
As I said in my review of Part 1 film Robin is beefed up. She wins fights, which comic Robin never did until the sequel. She takes down the bomb in one shot, while in the comic she missed and hit a boy on the head first. She is also shown struggling to jump on rooftops from time to time. The gymnastics medals were film only, and immediately foreshadowed her needing less training.
Robin’s obedience arc
I would probably have ignored this, except it got the last liens of dialogue in the comic. Robin is rebellious, and her obedience is symbolized by Bats telling her to sit up straight. In the Batcopter when he first told her this (After he rehired her) she spites him by putting her head all the way down with a smile. She is more obedient when he is in danger, all the time after that. Afterwards she always obeys him, and at the very end Bats is giving instructions to the SOBs. He then stops in the middle of a sentence and tells her to sit up straight, and she immediately obeys. It indicates that in his new army she is his favorite. In the film this was shown with the last image being their shared smile.
This image is not in the comic, but I think the message it alludes to was in the internal monologue.
Media and the Nuke
In the comic the reporter, Lola Chang, told everyone that if the nuke was detonated over the desert it would be harmless. She said this while an astronaut kept trying to tell everyone that was not true, but she kept talking about unrelated stuff and cutting him off. Clark was listening and believed her resulting in him detonating it there and causing the blackout. The astronaut wrote his last thoughts on the end of the world, as he awaited his inevitable death. He was never seen again. I think this is a great scene that the movie cut for time lengths. The film does tone down just how terrible the media is.
Crime Reports
There are hordes of media reports on crimes throughout all four issues that did not make it (would have been a disaster for a movie medium). They are all about death and mutilation from the Mutants, random citizens who are losing it, the SOBs, or other splinter groups. In Issue 2 one is different. A store owner is inspired by Batman to rescue a woman from ta mugger. Since nobody was hurt this did not make the news (ironically this made the news in the movie). I think the context would not have worked without the other news reports, so the change makes sense. Most of the reports really are well written and frightening, but I do not think the film medium works well for constantly changing the setting like that.
Joker’s bigger role
In the comic Joker awakened almost as soon as Batman did. He has a few scenes where he plans his escape, and he gets Abner to make Two-Face’s bombs and set them to explode early. On a related note the President and Clark talking about taking down Batman happened right after the Mutant leader battle putting more emphasis on why Clark was not there to save Gotham. Since these were moved to Part 2 a few parts had to be removed.
Wolper’s death
The film’s best improvement. In the film the doll just snapped his neck and it is blink and you miss it. The film made Joker kill him, and it put the needed emphasis on killing someone so important. The whole scene is much better. On a related note Wolper got a Hitler-stache for issue 3.
Moving things Around
One way to change a scene is not to cut or add stuff but just move it around. In the film this is the sequence of events. Robin and Batman deduce Joker is going to the fairground. -> Batman tells Robin to bring in the Batcopter. -> Selina tells Bats to not bring Robin. -> Batman kiss her. -> Cops arrive. This shows Batman as caring for Selina and that they still have a spark of romance. In the comic the order is different. Robin and Batman deduce Joker is going to the fairground. -> Batman kiss Selina. -> Selina tells Bats to not bring Robin. -> Batman tells Robin to bring in the Batcopter, both ignoreSelina. -> Cops arrive. This makes it clear that Bats is giving an affectionate good-bye, as their romance and his interest in her is gone. Robin’s clear lack of interest in Selina makes it hard to believe she is trying to imitate her in the first sequel comic.
Added scene with general
In the film Bats talks with the general supplying the mutants and gives him the suicide gun. In the comic the news reports why he armed the mutants, and Batman is just shown carrying his corpse after the suicide. I much prefer comic version.
Two of my favorite things removed.
As I said in my review of Part 1 they removed my favorite joke and image. After Robin saves Batman it shows the smoke around her parents and one asks “Honey, didn’t we have a kid.” No wonder she is trying to please a man dressing as Dracula for 30 years. My favorite image comes from the Bat-cave scene which is much slower in the comic and Bats is much bloodier. When he shows he will live Robin is more joyful.
Robin scenes changed
Two of her scenes were changed, yet the message and tone were kept. In her first crime fighting in the film she challenged a purse snatcher and he did not feel like making a scene fighting her. In the comic she went after a card scam and placed a small fire cracker in the scammer’s pocket and ran off with a great big smile. I prefer the comic scene for being more unique.
The other major change was at the fair. In the comic her loss of innocence was seeing the cub scouts Joker and Abner poisoned. Abner died by no fault of hers. In the film the loss of innocence was that she kicked Abner off her, and that resulted in his death. Here I think the film has it better. She is now responsible for her own loss of innocence, and it ironically makes Batman the only superhero without a kill count.
On a related note in the comic she grabbed Batman’s hand when seeing the bodies. That was a callback to the death of Thomas Wayne, as he grabbed Bruce during his loss of innocence.
Batman and Clark’s meeting
I love the meeting in the film where they converted internal monologues from all over the third issue into dialogue, and this required some changes. In the comic the monologues are how they actually think, but the dialogue is different. They are trying to reconnect, but inside they both know it is not happening. In the film they accept they will come into conflict and are trying to intimidate the other one.
Green Arrow and the soldiers
In the film Green Arrow got spotted when he saved Bats from a sniper. In the comic to Bats’s annoyance he just started killing soldiers nearly getting Batman killed by wasting time. I prefer comic.
Robin and Computers
The film foreshadows it more before the second rescue, while the film is more subtle. In her opening scene her friend says Carrie is failing chemistry but acing computer class. In issue 3 she begs Bats to teach her the controls, and points out various abilities the Batcopter has by looking at it. The film foreshadows it in two ways. One was her trying to hack the Bat-computer (poor). The other was her carefully watching Batman control the Batcopter trying to figure it out. I think the film was too subtle.
Becoming the mask
Robin’s real identity is the mask even more than Batman. This is illustrated by the costume. In the comic after she is rehired she is never seen without it or another disguise until the sequel to the sequel. The film had a shot of her and Batman outside of the costumes. I find this out of place as a big fan of the second sequel.
Robin vs Yindel: Affirmative Action
They are counterparts and look very similar. In the comic a key part of this is Miller’s commentary on affirmative action. They are both replacing a much older man in a dangerous job, but they got the job differently. Yindel was recruited by a man appointed by the mayor. The mayor and him discussed it and the mayor’s first choice was because “he is available, and he is black.” Nothing about qualifications. His subordinate who appointed Yindel did it for the PR points of hiring a woman. That is all the media talk about, and only two characters talk about her actual qualifications, Yindel and Gordon. Gordon always praises her record ad brings it up to he public to make them respect her as a cop, not see her a political tool. Yindel knows she got the job for being a woman, and she is too aggressive in trying to to prove herself.. Comic Yindel is more likable. She is aware of her faults, shown to care for the other cops, has sympathetic scenes where she resorts back to smoking, and at he end removes the hunt for Batman. It was a swat officer in the comic who said to shoot anyone who is not a cop.
Robin meanwhile got the job by being the best and only fit. She is a better Robin than Dick or Jason, thus unlike Yindel she has no issues with her qualifications. Miller wrote that affirmative action makes the supposed beneficiaries paranoid and disrespected, and they are perfectly capable of succeeding in a meritocracy.
Kryptonite
I often wonder where the genuine kryptonite went i this world. In the film only Batman asks Clark who the government sends after him. I think that means in the film they are stockpiling it to kill Clark if they need to.
“…A joke…”
In the climatic battle of titans Bats tells Clark he “…has become a joke.” This was removed due to it either being deemed too mean at Superman or that it is an accurate description of Frank Miller in his later years. Even worse it is accurate for Bruce Timm and the DC Animated Original Movies lineup since The Killing Joke. If they kept the line I am sure internet critics would have constantly used the clip to joke about all of them.
Dent and the media
In the film everyone but Gordon supports Dent going back to society. In the comic the media and spectators are scared and skeptical. Only Wolper, the surgeon, and Bruce support him. Especially as his last crime was killing only one Siamese Twin.
Robin and Trauma
In the Comic the fair traumatizes Robin way more. She only smiles twice afterwards. In the film she is still regularly smiling and making jokes. I do not know which one I prefer but I like the change for clearly being based off the comic but keeping each version different.
Mutant Leader as a human
He is already ambiguously human, but I think he is less likely one in the comic. For one Batman tells imaginary Dick that he is not human, and the way he is drawn. His mouth is so unnaturally round for a human.
“Old Friend”
This line is completely different. In the film Gordon and Superman debate with each other if they were ever really old friends with Batman. In the comic to show Batman’s recovering sanity and people skills he talks to Gordon before the second battle with the Mutant Leader. He asks for his helps and calls him “Old Friend.” I do not know which one I prefer but I like the change for clearly being based off the comic but keeping each version different.
Winterized costume
More dialogue about how Bats views her as the next Batman.
This is just a piece of realism I really like. For the nuclear winter Robin is clearly seen using her cape as a blanket. Later she is wearing a winterized version of the costume that she either made (my theory) or was one of Dick or Jason’s old suits.
Bullet Dodging
There is so much of this in the films. In the comics this is the case for Robin, but it is toned way down for Bats. He almost always disarms them first. With the cops one time it is clear they are trying to take him alive unlike the film where they fired on him after he froze. Another time they hold their fire (except for Yindel), as they do not want to shoot the kid with him.
Overall this is a wonderful adaptation. It keeps the feelings of the comic and the changes just adapt it to the medium. Several changes are great and work better. Most of the removals are about Robin. This probably means the creators wanted to keep the focus on Batman. Almost everything above is a minor change, and that is why these movies are so great.
Next time on May 26th. 4 of these 5 posts were incredibly fun to make, but they were exhausting. I need something much easier, so I am doing something all animation fans are passionate about, Disney twist villains.
The Animation Historian 