The first in the broader series of The Land of Elyon, The Dark Hills Divide, is a true accomplishment in its genre. It is efficient and atmospheric, with a fantastical world that harbors mystery and inspires awe within every detail. Its ability to capture its audience’s imagination speaks volumes to the author, Patrick Carman. Unfortunately, for all the series’ success in the literary world, it still remains untouched regarding adaptation.
Given how long it took Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl to finally receive a film, the chances that The Dark Hills Divide will also receive an adaptation are higher than one might think. However, unlike Artemis Fowl, this new adaptation should be animated. For The Dark Hills Divide, animation is perhaps the best way for an adaptation to play to its strengths.
This isn’t to suggest by any stretch that every piece of literature needs any sort of screen-based adaptation. Sometimes it’s best just to leave well enough alone and leave the piece of art in question in its original state. But because the world that Patrick Carman crafted is so interesting, the animation that could come out of it stands to be gripping enough to stand on its own. So here’s why The Dark Hills Divide should get an animated adaptation.
The Atmosphere of Childlike Wonder and Mystery are Best Captured Through Animation
Studio Ghibli
This isn’t a blanket claim. Plenty of live-action films can tap into a child’s imagination, such as Narnia. However, imaginations, especially that of a child, are fluid things. And so, just as the imagination can be anything on a whim, so can animation. Especially since animation is so closely associated with children’s entertainment, in no small part due to Disney and Disney properties such as Pixar.
But in specific regard to The Dark Hills Divide, animation provides the chance to bring its world to life in an extremely atmospheric and stylish way in order to accentuate the feelings of mystery and intrigue. For example, take the underground tunnels in the book or even the mountain where Alexa discovers the magic stone that lets her speak with animals. Both of those scenes carry with them a feeling of discovery and mystery. In a live-action medium, the audience is more acutely aware of how things appear to the characters, and space is expected to operate just as it does in our world.
In other words, the scenes would be more recognizable; thus, they would lose out on a chance to crank up the atmospheric feeling. In animation, dark scenes can be colored almost completely black, giving the audience no chance to try to figure out where Alexa may discover something. Also, the surprises wouldn’t necessarily have to be limited by real-world physics, allowing for more sudden twists and turns. There are also the designs of the world itself, which wouldn’t be limited.
Animation Allows for More Freedom in Capturing the Audience’s Attention with Fantastical Elements
Buena Vista International
Talking animals, magic stones, cryptic gemstones, and pint-sized men are among the more fantasy-based tropes found within The Dark Hills Divide. However, these are things that may not translate themselves that well into live-action. It can certainly be done, and it has in the past successfully with Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones. But for a more child-centered story, animation would be best. To restate the point of the demographic, children have historically responded incredibly positively to animation.
So it stands to reason that animation would be the best at holding their attention. Live-action is undoubtedly also capable of doing this, but as stated in the header, there’s less freedom involved. Good animation is something that seldom goes bad with the passage of time, unlike some effects and costume design. This frees up the character designers and other artists/animators to really delve into creative freedom without worrying about how well it will age.
But even going beyond the demographic point, animation can be so different and so stylized compared to live-action that it’s visually gripping no matter anyone’s predisposed biases against it. An animated adaptation of The Dark Hills Divide would probably end up looking something like The Secret of Kells, which falls into the same sort of category. It’s obviously meant for children, but the way the feelings of wonder and magic are conveyed are so stunning that anyone with any appreciation for good illustration and animation would immediately feel drawn to it.
Furthermore, even though it shouldn’t have to be stated, animation is for everyone, not just children. It’s capable of appealing to any age bracket, and even though The Dark Hills Divide is a children’s story, adults needn’t be dissuaded from it by the sheer virtue of it being animated.
