THE VELVETEEN RABBIT Is Getting a New TV Adaption From the Writer of BBC's WATERSHIP DOWN
The classic children’s tale The Velveteen Rabbit is getting a new TV adaptation that will feature a mix of live-action and animation.
The series is being developed by Tom Bidwell, who recently worked on the series adaptation of Watership Down for BBC and Netflix. He’s also teamed up with Magic Light Pictures, who has worked on animated specials that include adaptations of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and several of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books, including The Gruffalo, Stick Man, and Zog.
The Velveteen Rabbit was written by Margery Williams , and the classic 1922 story centers on a boy and his beloved toy rabbit.
At first a brand-new toy, now a threadbare and discarded nursery relic, the velveteen rabbit is saved from peril by a magic fairy who whisks him away to the idyllic world of Rabbitland. There, he becomes "Real," a cherished childhood companion who will be loved for eternity.
The timeless story of a toy rabbit that becomes real through the love of a child appears for the first time in an elegantly slipcased picture book and audio-cassette format.
Magic Light Pictures co-founder Martin Pope said that with Bidwell’s “captivating characters and the heart-tugging story, we are hoping to create a film that will prove essential Christmas family viewing for years to come.”
Bidwell added, “like all great works of children’s literature The Velveteen Rabbit tells a story about important themes like love and loss, yet it does so with breathtaking imagination and joy. I love the fact that it’s a vignette set at Christmas. It’s almost like our audience is pulled inside the picture on the front of a Christmas card into a world of magic and wonder.”
What do you think about The Velveteen Rabbit getting a new adaptation?