10 Classic '90s Movies That You Forgot Were Based On Kids' Books

Summary

• Children’s movies from the 1990s often adapted beloved novels, but not all of them mention their source material.
• Some iconic 90s family classics like Jumanji and The Witches were based on best-selling books.
• The Iron Giant and Stuart Little deviated from the books they were based on, but the kept some of the same ideas.

While some children’s movies are even more popular because they adapt beloved books, other movies aren’t so clear about their source material. The 1990s produced plenty of beloved children’s movies, both live-action and animated, many of which are surprisingly based on novels. Whether the novels were published in the 1990s or decades earlier, adaptations aren’t always easy to spot.

Since kids are less swayed by the names of authors, many children’s movies don’t bother to include the name of the author or any mention of the books they are based on. Only the most famous children’s books tend to raise interest. Some beloved family classics from the 1990s, including Jumanji and Stuart Little, were based on best-selling books, although not everybody knows this.

10 Jumanji (1995)

Based on Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg

It’s now been seven years since Dwayne Johnson took over the Jumanji franchise, and the next Jumanji movie is currently in development. However, for fans of a certain generation, Jumanji will always be associated with Robin Williams. He gives a characteristically heartwarming and likable performance as Alan Parrish, a man who becomes trapped in the titular board game for decades.

Alan Parrish is one of many characters in
Jumanji
who don’t appear in the 1981 picture book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Alan Parrish is one of many characters in Jumanji who don’t appear in the 1981 picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. The book tells a simple story about two children playing a safari-themed board game and discovering that the animals from the game spring to life inside their house. Van Allsburg’s sequel to Jumanji, Zathura, was adapted into a movie directed by Jon Favreau.

9 Matilda (1996)

Based on Matilda by Roald Dahl

A musical adaptation of Matilda became a Netflix hit in 2022, bringing a new wave of love to the children’s novel. 1996’s Matilda was a box office bomb upon release, but it has since become a cult childhood favorite for 1990s kids. Thanks to Danny DeVito’s peculiar direction, some charming performances, and one unforgettable villain, Matilda has eventually gotten the respect it deserves.

Matilda
was a box office bomb upon release, but it has since become a cult childhood favorite for 1990s kids.

Matilda makes some changes to Roald Dahl’s book, most notably by moving the story from its British setting to California. However, it captures the same dark and magical atmosphere of Dahl’s work. Matilda wasn’t one of Roald Dahl’s most famous books in 1996. The movie has helped boost its popularity, but it still isn’t on the same level as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or even Fantastic Mr. Fox, both of which have also had great movie adaptations.

8 The Witches (1990)

Based on The Witches by Roald Dahl

Just like Matilda, 1990’s The Witches is a cult classic children’s movie based on the work of British author Roald Dahl. The Witches is one of the best Roald Dahl adaptations, and it’s certainly the scariest. Although it never crosses the line of being too intense for children, the movie is filled with grotesque body horror and some very frightening ideas. This makes sense for one of Dahl’s creepiest books.

Although it never crosses the line of being too intense for children, the movie is filled with grotesque body horror and some very frightening ideas.

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop were enlisted to provide some of the chilling effects in The Witches, and their work is particularly impressive when Anjelica Huston’s character reveals her true form as a hideous witch. Dahl’s major criticism of the movie is that it changed his ending to make the story more optimistic and sweet. It’s hard to say whether he would have preferred the 2020 adaptation starring Anne Hathaway, but critics did not.

7 Dr. Dolittle (1998)

Based on the series of books by Hugh Lofting

Rex Harrison was the first actor to play Dr. Dolittle in a film adaptation of Hugh Lofting’s children’s stories back in 1967. While that version takes place back in the 19th century, in keeping with Lofting’s vision, the Eddie Murphy movie from 1998 gives the story a major update. The first Dr. Dolittle story was published in 1920, so it was in need of some changes to connect with a young audience in the 1990s.

Although it never crosses the line of being too intense for children, the movie is filled with grotesque body horror and some very frightening ideas.

Hugh Lofting started writing about Dr. Dolittle, the physician who can talk to animals, in letters to his children sent from the trenches of World War I. When the real news was too horrific, he would speak to his children using the fantasy world of Dr. Dolittle and his exploits in the fictional English village of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh. Eddie Murphy’s movie may take place over a hundred years later in a different country, but Dr. Dolittle is just as charming, with a fun cast of animal friends.

6 Father Christmas (1991)

Based on Father Christmas and Father Christmas Goes On Holiday by Raymond Briggs

Father Christmas is a delightful festive animation which has found its way into the hearts and homes of people all over the world every December. It’s particularly popular in Great Britain, since the author Raymond Briggs was from south London. His other famous Christmas story, The Snowman, was adapted into a cartoon in 1982. Just like Father Christmas, it can still be seen on TV every year.

Father Christmas
takes all the positives from Briggs’ work, and it adds some beautiful festive music to make it even sweeter.

The brilliance of both Father Christmas and The Snowman is that they don’t try to change Briggs’ artistic style at all. His sense of warmth is clear to see in every frame of Father Christmas, a cartoon which combines two of his stories but never feels overstuffed. Father Christmas takes all the positives from Briggs’ work, and it adds some beautiful festive music to make it even sweeter.

5 Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Based on Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine

Mrs. Doubtfire is one of Robin Williams’ best movies, and it gives him a platform to do what he does best. As a man who impersonates a Scottish nanny so that he can spend more time with his children, Williams has the chance to balance fast-paced comedy with emotional drama. The premise of Mrs. Doubtfire hasn’t aged well, but it’s still a powerful story about a father’s love for his children.

Fine has written books for children of all ages, and even some for adults, but
Madame Doubtfire
is among her most famous novels.

Mrs. Doubtfire is based on Anne Fine’s book Madame Doubtfire, also known as Alias Madame Doubtfire in the US. Fine has written books for children of all ages, and even some for adults, but Madame Doubtfire is among her most famous novels. The movie keeps a lot of the same story beats from the novel, but it changes the ending so that Daniel can continue portraying Mrs. Doubtfire in a children’s TV show. In the book, he spends time with his children when his ex-wife offers him a job as a gardener.

4 The Iron Giant (1999)

Based on The Iron Man by Ted Hughes

The Iron Giant is a heartwarming story about a boy who discovers and subsequently befriends a giant alien robot, despite the fact that the government is trying to capture the giant. Before he became a leading light at Pixar, Brad Bird directed the 2D animation with just as much of his sumptuous style. The Iron Giant is a gorgeous movie that can also pull at the heart string of older audiences.

The book has the robot travel to Australia to battle a dragon from outer space.

The Iron Giant is based on The Iron Man, written by Ted Hughes in 1968. Hughes was most famous for his poetry and his tumultuous relationship with American poet Sylvia Plath. The Iron Giant deviates a lot from Hughes’ novel. The book has the robot travel to Australia to battle a dragon from outer space, while the movie focuses more on the robot’s relationship with Hogarth in America.

3 101 Dalmatians (1996)

Based on The Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith

1996’s 101 Dalmatians is now remembered as one of the first Disney live-action remakes. The Glenn Close movie does borrow some elements from the 1961 animated classic, but the story is taken from a Dodie Smith novel published in 1956. Close’s performance, and Emma Stone’s Cruella, have ensured that the story remains relevant today, even if many people have forgotten that it is all inspired by Smith.

Dodie Smith’s
The Hundred and One Dalmatians
was a huge hit when it was first published, and Disney decided to stick closely to the story for both the animated and the live-action versions.

Dodie Smith’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians was a huge hit when it was first published, and Disney decided to stick closely to the story for both the animated and the live-action versions. The 1967 sequel, The Starlight Barking, has never had an adaptation.The Starlight Barking is a far stranger story, as every dog on Earth is given magical powers for one night before an alien appears and asks them to accompany him back into space.

2 Babe (1995)

Based on The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith

Babe tells the heartwarming story of a piglet who learns to herd sheep. It was a huge success when it was first released, earning over $250 million at the box office and being nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The movie was praised for its remarkable special effects, which give the illusion that the animals on the farm can talk without appearing creepy.

Babe
was a huge success when it was first released, earning over $250 million at the box office and being nominated for seven Academy Awards.

Babe is based on Dick King-Smith’s award-winning novel, The Sheep-Pig. The movie stays faithful to the template set out by the book, with only a few changes. The sequel, Babe: Pig in the City, is an original story, and it failed to match the success of the first movie. Although the sequel failed to recoup its budget at the box office, the original Babe is still a brilliant adaptation of King-Smith’s work.

1 Stuart Little (1999)

Based on Stuart Little by E. B. White

Stuart Little was inspired by E.B. White’s classic children’s novel of the same name from 1945, but it’s not a very faithful adaptation. The movie made some changes so that the story could take place in the 1990s, although most of the changes have nothing to do with the time period. One big difference is that Stuart is adopted into the Little family in the movie, while in the book he is a blood relative. The book never explains how a human couple can produce a talking mouse.

One big difference is that Stuart is adopted into the Little family in the movie, while in the book he is a blood relative.

Stuart Little tells the story of Stuart’s search for his parents, but the book is about his friendship with a songbird, and his adventures as he travels to reconnect with them. One of the book’s most unusual plot threads is the time that Stuart spends as a substitute teacher in a small town. The subsequent Stuart Little movies borrowed a few other passages from the book, but Michael J. Fox’s mouse character doesn’t become a teacher.