Most of your favorite things from childhood are garbage. New jack swing groups that aren’t Boyz II Men? Awful. The Secret of Nimh? NOPE. Your mom’s breasts? Ha. There are few exceptions to the rule, including Calvin and Hobbes, which is even better now than it was when you were 10. That’s why I’m equal parts ecstatic and distraught about the video below, made by Ugly Americans animator Adam Brown, who put together a cartoon based on one of the comic’s most famous strips using Bill Watterson’s own designs as keyframes. Ecstatic: Calvin and Hobbes brought to life, yay. Distraught: we’ll (probably) never see any new Calvin and Hobbes. Relieved: Calvin doesn’t talk.
According to Watterson in an interview with Comics Journal:
Isn’t it a bit scary to think of hearing Calvin’s voice?
Very scary. For all my admiration of the art, I really can’t decide if I ever want to see Calvin and Hobbes animated. I know I’d enjoy working with the visual opportunities animation offers, but you change the world you’ve created when you change the medium in which it’s presented. Books are almost always better than the movies made from them, because there are things books do well and things movies do well, but usually those things don’t overlap. The: same with comics and animation. Another, more personal reservation I have is that animation, by necessity is a team sport, and the fewer people with input into my work, the better I like it. And, finally, to see it done right, it would also take an awful lot of time and energy on my part, neither of which I’ve got a lot to spare. (Via)
Were this to be made into a TV show today, Luke from Modern Family would be the voice of Calvin. And in the live action film, Manny as Blor-Utar. Some things really are best left undisturbed.
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Calvin and Hobbes is my favorite piece of writing, art, entertainment or whatever you would classify it as so let me say that I am glad Watterson kept it as it is because it is perfect. Absolutely perfect. A cartoon would have ruined it. Him continuing past the point he did would have ruined it. Let it remain as the perfection that it is. The final C&H strip is the greatest ending anyone has ever come up with.
I cut it out of my local paper the day it was issued. It is framed and hanging above my desk as I type this. I have family members that don’t affect me as much as that comic strip still does.
^ It is the only thing that will guarantee I tear up if I see it. It is just so beautiful in every way.
So in my home library, proudly betwixt many literary classics: a massive, 3-part collection of Calvin & Hobbes. To this day my kids are allowed to read any book in our collection except those; I have to personally supervise that. Sorry, must respect the classics
Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite thing as a child and still continues to bring me happiness to this day. Woe unto he who decides to attempt to destroy this memory for profit. WOE I SAY.
Watterson has been pretty hardcore about stopping it.
Calvin and Hobbes is the only thing from my childhood that has really merited any of the nostalgia associated with it, and rightfully so. And let’s hope it’s left alone so it can stay that way.
Off to dig into my hard drive and find the wallpaper of Calvin as a t-rex flying an F-16
I wonder if Watterson will emerge from his cave long enough to comment on the animation sequence, other than to have his lawyers fire off a few D&C letters too Brown and YouTube.
Ha, you know it’s funny, the one thing I wished he had never done was the collection where he added his notes and commentary to the pages. I liked reading his work better without knowing he’s kind of a dick.
Lord I hope so. The last thing this world needs is another fucking sell out. The guy who animated this should be ashamed. Leave a masterpiece alone.
Luckily Watterson is reclusive enough to probably miss all this internet hubbub.
My dog-eared copies of his collected works are beyond beat-up, and definitely helped me through some tougher times from broken bones in elementary school to broken hearts in college.
The header said ‘professionally animated.’
I’m just gonna leave this right here: [i.imgur.com]
Wait, someone recreated a favorite childhood piece of media that isn’t dark are gritty? They’re allowed to do that?
Needs more Poochie. He’s extreme! By the way, where is Poochie?
I have a daily C&H feed on my facebook, and it makes me smile every morning. There have been several TV related strips that would deserve a post here
Bob, you have a link to this daily C&H feed, I could use that in my life.
[www.facebook.com]
I have now just been introduced to the only daily feed I will EVER subscribe to.
you sir are a scholar and a gentleman…..
All I could think is no, no no no don’t you fucking ruin this last precious childhood memory but then it did render a smile. Ok, animator you’re gonna live through this one, but it was fucking close I tell you.
I hear ya. My default setting is HATE HATE HATE — especially when it comes to people messing with the impeachable Calvin and Hobbes — but it was well done, by basically doing nothing at all.
My default setting from anyone doing Calvin and Hobbes things is still “murder” from Robot Chicken effing with them. You go to hell and you die, Seth Green.
Never watched a RC after that.
I’d like to see Watterson do SOMETHING though. Even other than Calvin.
Calvin and Hobbes is the best thing to ever come out of Northeast Ohio
I agree with pretty much everyone else has said. I have most of the books. In fact, I bought two in French when I was studying the language. Didn’t quite get to the level of being able to fluently read the comics though.
The only other comic that compares is The Far Side. Much different, but an actually funny comic series that was completely original. I take perverse pleasure from time to time reading the terrible Far Side rip-offs in today’s papers.
That was the comic I was trying so hard to remember. In middle school they started putting them on shirts. I was so jealous.
This was done well ENOUGH in that it was so short and well animated that it stayed true enough to the comic.
Having said that, it also showed me how much I never want to see an animated Calvin & Hobbes cartoon.
Sincerely, Calvin (yes, that is my real first name).
Instead of a cartoon, what if someone animated the strips? 5-15 seconds clips with the longer strips running up to a minute? Could that work?
No. There would have to be voice acting and would RUIN it.
I guess it could if they just did the word bubbles pop up instead of actual recorded dialogue.
Here’s an idea, that seems psychologically impossible for we Americans: LEAVE IT THE FUCK ALONE!
I wouldn’t mind if they started a professional Calvinball league.
But making it professional would completely ruin the idea of Calvinball.
Watterson’s lawyer drafting the C&D’s as we tweet.
Watterson only found about this today, but he is already so mentally exhausted from fighting it that he is going on sabbatical from his retirement.
I appreciate the effort, but for some reason it lacks the warmth of an actual Calvin and Hobbes strip. Something just feels very very off putting.