In his memoir, Steve Alpert relates translation issues between Disney and Hayao Miyazaki once the former obtained the rights to dub and distribute Princess Mononoke in the United States. By “Americanized” I refer to a change in values such as competition, individualism, and self-reliance (amongst others) that on the surface may not seem very significant but completely alter the meaning behind many of the story’s events and the overall message the film tries to convey. It is this Americanized interpretation of events in Amélie that, in my opinion, constitutes the musical’s greatest weakness. Perhaps the most important distinction between the film and the musical is the shift in perspective due to cultural differences between French and American storytelling, specifically a more nuanced approach from French cinema to a more explicit method conveyed through an American production. On paper, it seems like the perfect story to capture in a musical setting: ludicrous enough to justify elaborate costumes and scenery, grounded enough to explore the complexities of a single woman living in the Paris of 1997. When it comes to Amélie, however, something is not quite there.Īmélie, the story of a young woman working as a waitress in Paris as she navigates the complexities of her love life through daydreams and convoluted strategies to bring about her fantasies into reality. This success depends not only on whether the essence carries over into a musical format but also on how the story is expanded upon when set on stage. In past years we’ve been given a slew of adaptations of films to musicals, with hits such as Mean Girls, School of Rock, Legally Blonde, Beetlejuice, Billy Elliot, and many others with varying degrees of success. This can be said of all manner of adaptations: book to film, video game to film, book to musical and, in today’s case, film to musical. Much like the work of a translator, a word-for-word scene from the original means nothing if the message conveyed isn’t presented in its best possible format. You zoomed in on the wrong parts and produced something that didn’t capture the original.” Part of what makes or breaks an adaptation is whether the essence remains the same. You zoomed in on the right parts and made something that captured the original. Thinking this, we’d watch The Last Airbender and say one of two things: either A) You got it. In his video analysis of The Last Airbender, YouTuber essayist Big Joel states that “An adaptation can or ought to maintain the essence of its source material.
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