Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie

Cert

Age group5–12

Duration74 mins

Snoopy and Charlie Brown: The Peanuts Movie(2015)

Much-loved Charlie Brown attempts to navigate school life and falls in love with the new girl as Snoopy embarks upon an adventure of his own.

The Peanuts comic strip is one of the most influential and well-known in US history, debuting in 1950 and running all the way through to the year 2000. Despite using 3D CGI animation, this film adaptation remains faithful to the look of the much-loved characters. Other adaptations of classic US comics include ‘The Addams Family’.

Cert

Age group5–12

Duration74 mins

Moomins On the Riviera(2014)

The Moomins set sail for a glamorous adventure in this sweet animation.

The quintessential Scandinavian selection are the Moomins, originated in a series of books and a comic strip by a Swedish-speaking Finnish illustrator in the 1940s. In this hand-drawn animation whose plot is taken directly from the comic, the hippo-like creatures decide to take a vacation from their Moominvalley home and head for the glamour of the Riviera.

Cert

Age group8–12

Duration87 mins

Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion(2018)

Best friends Asterix and Obelix accompany their village druid on his search for a successor to teach the secrets of his magic potion.

France has a long history of comic book creations, many of which have become successful films. More recently these include ‘The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales…’ and ‘April and the Extraordinary World’, but the country is best known for its Asterix tales, which originated in 1959. We have a number of Asterix titles – which combine language-learning with history – on our catalogue.

Cert

Age group8–15

Duration111 mins

Whisper Of The Heart(1995)

14-year-old Shizuku is mad about reading and writing stories in this charming Studio Ghibli anime.

Japan’s Studio Ghibli have adapted a couple of their films from manga, including ‘The Wind Rises’ which came from Miyazaki’s own source material. ‘Whisper of the Heart’ – which is notable for being one of the few Ghibli titles not directed by either Miyazaki or Takahata – is a coming-of-age romance in which two teenagers are drawn together through a love of reading.

Cert

Age group8–15

Duration90 mins

Rock Dog(2016)

Comedy animation about a Tibetan Mastiff dog who develops a love for music and seeks to become a rock star.

Though the premise has been significantly altered, music-based animated adventure ‘Rock Dog’ is actually based on a Chinese graphic novel written and illustrated by a Chinese rock star. As a result, the film – which follows a teenage Tibetan Mastiff who heads to the big city in order to follow his dreams of becoming a musician – is a US-China co-production.

Zipi y Zape y el club de la canica (Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang)

Cert

Age group8–15

Duration92 mins

Zipi y Zape y el club de la canica (Zip & Zap and the Marble Gang)(2013)

Spanish adventure in which unruly twins Zip and Zap are sent to a strict summer school, where they form a gang of rebels to defy the cruel director.

This title is taken from a series of Spanish comic books published from 1947 to 2002, ‘Zipi y Zape’, named after the titular twins. This also has a double meaning in their native language, with the Spanish word “zipizape” translating as “turmoil” which hints at the trouble they get themselves into. In this case, they find themselves pitted against a cruel school principal.

Cert

Age group8–15

Duration95 mins

Ethel & Ernest(2016)

Beautifully animated life story of The Snowman creator Raymond Briggs.

Raymond Briggs is an English author and illustrator perhaps best known for ‘The Snowman’. In this work however, adapted from his 1998 graphic novel, he explores his parents’ lives, from their first meeting through to the days of World War Two, and the influence they would have upon him.

The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn

Cert

Age group8–15

Duration103 mins

The Adventures of Tintin - The Secret of the Unicorn(2011)

Adventure based on the Hergé comics about a young investigative reporter.

The ‘Tintin’ comics come from a Belgian cartoonist, though they were first published in French in 1929. Since then, the character’s popularity has seen ‘Tintin’ being published in more than 70 languages. This adaptation – influenced by three stories – was directed by Steven Spielberg, co-produced by Peter Jackson, and written by Steven Moffat, Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish.

Cert

Age group8+

Duration117 mins

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse(2018)

Dizzying animation in which numerous Spider-Man incarnations from different dimensions team up to defeat villain Kingpin.

There are many examples of modern US comic books making their way to the big screen including ‘Captain Underpants’, ‘Big Hero 6’ and ‘Teen Titans Go! to the Movies!’ This, however, is arguably the most significant. Based upon the Spider-Verse storyline from Marvel Comics in 2014, the film’s entire aesthetic makes it look and feel like a comic book brought to life.