Spiderwick Chronicles
Spiderwick Chronicles
by Paramount Home Entertainment, 2008
Based on a the Spiderwick Chronicles series of books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Plot Summary
From the series of books comes “The Spiderwick Chronicles,” a fantasy adventure for the child in all of us. Peculiar things start to happen the moment the Grace family, (Jared, his twin brother Simon, sister Mallory and their mom) leave New York and move into the secluded old house owned b their great, great uncle Arthur Spiderwick. Unable to explain the strange disappearances and accidents that seem to be happening on a daily basis, the family blames Jared. When he, Simon and Mallory investigate what’s really going on, they uncover the fantastic truth of the Spiderwick estate and of the creatures that inhabit it. “The Spiderwick Chronicles” is an extraordinary fantasy adventure, filled with creatures form an unseen world. When the Grace family comes face to face with these magical and sometimes scary creatures, they must not only test themselves but overcome their family conflicts as well. The story revolves around the three Grace children.
Evaluation:The film is fundamentally about discovery. It’s about city kids discovering nature; discovering their families and the heritage of their families – the people who preceded them and their own immediate family, for better or worse, and the transition that kids go through between their wild imaginations and into the world they never know. It deals with family issues like divorce and sibling rivalry, and there are subtle messages that relate to learning about his own family’s history (Lore). Most important, I can see how tweens can relate to the messages in the movie. In addition, since the movie is based of a series of novels, this movie could inspire those reluctant readers.
Curriculum tie ins can be with language arts in studying characters and plots; not to mention writing alternative endings or continued stories based on characters. For Arts creative projects can be redesign the cover or create posters to drawing characters or molding them. Social study tie ins can include researching the author, family history, family secrets, family lore.
Challenge issues: There are some scary moments, brief language, and some violence.
Why this movie?
It is a tale of the good guys versus the bad guys, packed with action adventure suspense and fantasy. The characters and scenes move back and forth between reality and fiction. I chose this movie because it mixes fiction and reality together and includes some really interesting characters. Rated PG for some violence. I would recommend this titles for ages 11+.
Karrie's Corner 