Popular children’s novel series The Boxcar Children will be adapted into a trilogy, thanks to a partnership between Shout! Factory and Legacy Classics.
The films will be animated family features, and the companies hope to have the first film completed in 2017, in time to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the first book’s release. The Boxcar Children is just the first piece of classic children’s literature that will receive a film adaption by Shout! and Legacy. They have formed a longterm partnership and plan to release a minimum of four films, animated and live action, based on various children’s books over the next two years.
“Our films will be based on some of the most cherished books in children’s literature,” said Dan Chuba, founder of Legacy Classics, who has been previously known for his visual effects work on films like X-Men and The Fast and the Furious. “Shout’s ongoing success with family entertainment and their entrepreneurial spirit make them an ideal partner. Together, we are committed to creating family entertainment that has a positive social impact on children and families around the world. We could not be happier!”
Chuba and fellow Legacy Classics founder Mark Dippé have already adapted the series once in 2014. The film was also animated and featured voice talent from J.K. Simmons and Martin Sheen. It was a low-budget venture only released to 100 theaters, going to VOD quickly.
The story of the Alden siblings, who are orphaned and live in a boxcar until taken in by their wealthy grandfather, is still read by more than one million children every year. Originally written by first grade teacher Gertrude Chandler Warner and published by Albert Whitman & Company in 1942, the series now includes 150 books. Warner wrote the first 19 stories, the rest being written by various authors and always noting “created by Gertrude Chandler Warner.”