It would be a fair assessment to say that most people are at the very least familiar with some aspects of the traditional King Arthur story. Whether these be aspects taken directly fromsources likeSir Gawain and the Green Knight,or aspects taken from the narrative’s representation in pop culture likeCamelot,most people know at least something about King Arthur and his knights. Even in the realm of literature, there have been countless adaptations of the story in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Take 1983’sThe Mists of Avalonby Marion Zimmer Bradley, for example, or the 2008 graphic novelThe Knights of the Lunch Tablewritten and illustrated by Frank Cammuso. Arthurian stories are definitely still permeating pop culture.
Perhaps one of the better-known modern(ish) examples of King Arthur in the literary world is T.H. White’sThe Once and Future King.Divided into three books (though often sold as one), White’s story was the basis forDisney’s 1963 film,The Sword in the Stone.Audience reception to the movie aside, what is objective is that the film was not completely accurate to the books. In fact,The Sword in the Stoneis only one-third of the broader novel. Therefore,The Once and Future Kingdeserves an animation adaptation loyal to the source material.
King Arthur Stories Are Always Profitable & Relevant
The basis for this is fairly evident in the way that King Arthur stories never seem to stop being made. Granted, King Arthur is a very large and dense tale with many sources to draw from, so it’s not as if these films necessarily repeat themselves or make previous entries redundant.2021’sThe Green Knightis living proofthat there is still a market for these types of movies. Furthermore, the presence of Arthurian elements in other media helps to ensure its relevancy in the cultural zeitgeist. For example,the animeCode Geassincorporates a myriad of Arthurian elements into its story by borrowing the name of the organization, the Knights of the Round Table, and naming each mech after a knight of Arthurian legend.
King Arthur doesn’t seem like he’s leaving the collective consciousness anytime soon. And as long as there’s still a market for him and his knights, films will continue to be made out of his story. That is why there is certainly no wrong moment for an animated movie to be made out ofThe Once and Future King.
Animation Would Work Well With a Kid-Friendly Story
This is a point often used to disparage animation. The stigma that it exists solely as a children’s medium is harmful to those who work hard on these projects, just for them to be written off. However, the stigma does have an iota of truth in that most animation known in the mainstream is targeted toward children. Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, and Illumination all market their major films to children. Despite this stigma, though, it doesn’t change the fact that animation is still the perfect medium in which to introduce children to a new story.
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Animation studios like Studio Ghibli have a history of adapting their animated movies from books. TakeHowl’s Moving CastleorWhen Marnie was Thereas examples of this. Although there is also a history of live-action doing the same (often to a more financially successful degree), such asHarry Potter,animation is still the perfect medium to capture the fantastical elements ofThe Once and Future King. Howl’s Moving Castleis the prime example of this. A story about a wizard who lives in a moving castle with a magic fireplace is movie magic that could only be captured through animation.
The Once and Future Kingis truthfully not for everybody. Not everyone enjoys stories about young boys being transformed into various animals or even stories about knights and adventure, and that’s okay. Still, the more people reading (especially young children), the better. In this day and age of remakes, reboots, and adaptations, it’s important to maintain a love of reading. The future generations of filmmakers still need to study storytelling if they’re going to make original films and will especially need to if they intend on creating movies from books.
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Although it may not be for everyone,The Once and Future Kingis worth reading based sheerly on its own merits. Coming-of-age stories emphasize leaving childhood behind is common, but for a good reason – every generation experiences the same growing pains.Movies like Pixar’sTurning Redor books like J.D. Salinger’sThe Catcher in the Ryeborrow from this universal concept. While it may be repeated a plethora of times, the small differences between stories like these are what make them worth reading.
