Fox on Elephant

The book may not even be out yet, but Fox has already snatched up Kate DiCamillo’s children’s tale, THE MAGICIAN’S ELEPHANT, for a feature film adaptation. This is likely because DiCamillo’s other works, THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX and BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE have been made into moderately successful movies, and Fox was sharp enough to see the pattern.

The project is being given to Martin Hynes, who you may remember from his days as a love-stricken George Lucas in a classic short film. The story centers on an orphan boy who is told by a fortune teller that an elephant will lead him to his long lost sister. No word if this is going to be live-action, animated or CGI yet, but Hynes knows how he wants his adaptation of the film to feel.

“What attracted me to the project was that Fox wanted to make a fable which could both be a classic but not take itself too seriously…The film we’ve referenced in terms of tone is ‘The Princess Bride’ — something that kids will enjoy, but adults will love on other levels.”

Do that many kids’ fables take themselves that seriously? Yeah, maybe Aesop’s. Those guys were pricks.