So say The USA Today, Shawn Levy - the Michael Bay of safe, empty family-comedy - will direct a live-action (huh?) adaptation of "The Berenstein Bears" for Walden Media:
http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-11-03-Berenstainbears03_ST_N.htm
A series of children's books spanning a few decades or so by now, the main setup is basically your average nuclear-family sitcom cast with talking bears: Doltish but well-meaning father, emminently wise mother, troublemaking son, bratty daughter. I always thought Mama Bear came off as kind of a bitch, honestly...
This, I guess, is the price we'll have to pay for "Where the Wild Things Are."
The books are basically self-contained life-lessons without much in the way of antagonists or continuity, so apparently Levy's film will make use of "kiddie franchise adaptation plot #6:" Transporting the characters to "the real world" to interact with incredulous humans. Because that was such a good idea in "Fat Albert." I eagerly await seeing which popular youth sport Brother Bear will show hitherto unheard of proficiency at, what sort of "wacky" modern clothes Sister Bear will wind up in during the innevitable makeover-with-new-friends scene, and finding out which big chain store will plunk down the product-placement dollars for the honor of having Mama and Papa get lost in - amazed at all the crazy technology and gadgets. I think I remember that Papa was supposed to be a lumberjack, so hopefull there's a scene where he gets his hand on a chainsaw. (You can have that one for free, Shawn.)
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