Walden Media is a children's film production and publishing company best known as the producers of The Chronicles of Narnia film series. Its films are based on notable classic or award-winning children's literature, compelling biographies or historical events, documentaries and some original screenplays.
The corporate headquarters of Walden Media are located in Los Angeles, California, and the Education, Outreach, Interactive and Publishing office is in Boston, Massachusetts.
Company history
Walden Media was created in 2001 by Michael Flaherty and Cary Granat. Granat was president of Miramax's Dimension Films division, and Flaherty came from the world of education. Flaherty was called an “entrepreneur in education” by the Boston Globe for his work with innovative programs meant to help underprivileged students gain access to quality education.[1]. The two were housemates at Tufts University before following different paths and then reuniting to form Walden Media[2] as a movie, television, publishing and Internet enterprise whose goal is to teach and entertain kids. The company is owned by the Christian conservative Philip Anschutz, who has said he expects their movies "to be entertaining, but also to be life affirming and to carry a moral message."[3]
The company's notable releases include Holes in 2003, Because of Winn-Dixie for Twentieth Century Fox in 2004, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 2005, How to Eat Fried Worms and Charlotte's Web in 2006, Bridge to Terabithia, in 2007, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian released by Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media in 2008. All of these films are adaptations of popular children's books.
Currently in development are movies based on Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember, Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising series, and the April 2008 release Nim's Island starring Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin.
On August 8, 2006, Walden Media announced a joint venture with 20th Century Fox. Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and The Dark Is Rising will be the first films released under the venture. Previously announced films at other studios will remain in place.[4]
Education program
Walden Media is unique among film production companies in that it works with teachers, museums, and national organizations to develop supplemental educational programs and materials associated with its films and the original events and/or novels that inspire the films.[5]
Walden Media offers in-class teaching tools like educational guides and teacher kits[6] and sponsors seminars and forums for teachers to discuss their craft and to trade ideas on using media in the classroom. Directors, writers, and stars of the productions participate in these events.
In 2006, Walden Media sponsored the "Break the World Reading Record with Charlotte’s Web". At noon on Wednesday, December 13, 547,826 readers in 2,451 locations, 50 states and 28 countries read an excerpt from Charlotte’s Web, breaking the world record of 155,528 students from 737 schools in the United Kingdom who read William Wordsworth’s poem, "Daffodils" in 2004.[7]
Criticism
After the release of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, rumors flew that Walden Media was a means for fulfilling Anschutz's Christian agenda:
We've never had a conversation about religion with him. Period, says David Weil, chief executive officer for the Anschutz Film Group. We all come from different religious backgrounds here. We all believe in a family values approach to positive messages — but religious orientation doesn't factor into it.'"[1]
In July and August 2007, Walden Media came under fire from fans of the Dark is Rising book series for liberties the company is purported to have taken with the plot in its forthcoming movie of the same title [8]. As one critic noted:
"During filming in Bucharest, Romania there was a joke on The Dark is Rising set that only three things have been changed from the original 1973 novel: the nationality of lead character Will Stanton, changed from English to American; his age changed from 11 to 13; and everything else that happens in the story. A solo quest by an 11-year-old is no longer solo; family values have been deemed out of date — the happy, loving Stanton family rewritten dysfunctional; a series of five books bereft of a single love interest has been re-imagined with the lead character chasing the fairer sex, pleading in the trailer “I can't save the world! I don't even know how to talk to a girl!” Angered, disgusted fans are reporting little interest in their hero’s new, most ordinary of plights." [9]
There is considerable speculation that the changes are due in part to the evangelical Christian beliefs of director David Cunningham, and of the 'Christian mission' sometimes attributed to Walden Media itself. The implications of this speculation, however, seem to be inconsistent with Christian values.
Etymology and logo
The company is named after Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts. Its logo is a rock skipping across a pond.
Filmography
Published Books
- The White Giraffe by Lauren St. John
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Hot Hand by Mike Lupica
- Paddywhack Lane by Bob Fuller
- Jim Thorpe: Original All American by Joseph Bruchac
- Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper by Michael Reisman
- Savvy by Ingrid Law
- Dolphin Song by Lauren St. John
- Mike Lupica's Comeback Kid Book Series: Safe at Home by Mike Lupica
References
- ^ "Who we are". Walden Media corporate site
- ^ Jensen, Jeff. "The Family Business". Entertainment Weekly, 28 April 2006: 58-61.
- ^ Berkowitz, Bill. "The movie, the media, and the conservative politics of Philip Anschutz." Media Transparency, 2 December 2005.
- ^ "Fox Filmed Entertainment and Walden Media Enter into Joint Venture to Market and Release Films for the Family Audience". Walden Media press release.
- ^ "Our Company". Walden Media corporate site
- ^ Deahl, Rachel. "Walden Media Works to Make Moviegoers Readers". Publisher’s Weekly, 16 January 2006.
- ^ Toomey, Shamus. "I’ve Never Broken a World Record". Chicago Sun-Times, 14 December 2006.
- ^ "The Dark Is Rising links". Authorblog, 7 August 2007.
- ^ Gillispe, John. "The Dark is Sinking: Book-to-Film Adaptation of Susan Cooper's The Dark Is Rising Angers Fans". Blogcritics Magazine, 26 July 2007.
External links
