The Neverending Story and 3 Other Great Children's Book Adaptations Perfect for a Family Night

Books about wise and kind characters create the same kind of readers, and their adaptations bring the magic of childhood to the big screen. We present four movies for the whole family, made with love for the original sources.

1. The Neverending Story, 1984

The film adaptation of Michael Ende's story tells about Bastian, who does not get along with his classmates and feels lonely after the death of his mother.

His real friends are adventure books. When he accidentally finds himself in an adult library, the boy, unable to resist, steals a book called The Neverending Story. He spends a whole day with it, hiding in the attic of the school.

Bastian is transported to the land of Fantasia, which is threatened with destruction by the merciless Nothing. A warrior named Atreyu sets out to explore the borders of Fantasia to find a cure for the Empress and save the land.

2. A Series of Unfortunate Events, 2004

A Series of Unfortunate Events is an adaptation of the first three books in the literary series by Daniel Handler. The movie tells the story of the misadventures of three children of the Baudelaire family: Violet, Klaus and little Sunny.

After a fire destroys their house, the three kids are left without parents or a roof over their heads. For a while, their guardian is Count Olaf, a swindler whose main goal is to seize the Baudelaire inheritance.

Later, the children find temporary shelter with the eccentric herpetologist Uncle Monty and the half-crazy Aunt Josephine, but Olaf never leaves them alone, hiding under a new mask each time.

3. Pollyanna, 2003

Pollyanna is a faithful adaptation of the original text of Eleanor H. Porter's novel of the same name, which has become a classic of children's literature.

The plot revolves around the orphaned Pollyanna, who is forced to move in with her rich and strict Aunt Polly. The girl quickly wins the sympathy of those around her thanks to her desire to see the positive in every situation.

Her late father taught her this way of perceiving reality. It seems that nothing can shake Pollyanna's optimism, but a tragic event changes her outlook on life. Now the people she once gave hope to must help her.

4. The Secret Garden, 1993

The Secret Garden is a movie directed by Agnieszka Holland, based on the novel of the same name by Frances Burnett. The main character, Mary, is a girl unloved by her parents, born and raised in India.

After the death of her parents, Mary is sent to England to live with her uncle Archibald, who misses his late wife. On the gloomy estate, the girl once again feels like a stranger. The maid Martha and her brother are the only people who treat Mary with real warmth, and they help the girl unravel the mystery of the abandoned garden.