When a story becomes a classic, it’s because it resonates with audiences and stands the test of time. Yet as the years pass, some elements of the story may be out of fashion, leaving room for a modern retelling.
Modernizing a classic is both exciting and scary. You don’t want to change the core elements that readers come to expect, but you also need to make your story feel fresh, modern, and original. I faced this challenge while writing my middle grade Christmas adventure, It’s a Squirrely Life.
Everyone knows and loves the film It’s a Wonderful Life from 1946. It’s one of those films that people watch every year when the holiday season rolls around. The film is based on a short story, The Greatest Gift, which was a modern retelling of Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, all the way from 1843! This goes to show that story elements are constantly being revamped and rearranged to create new, yet familiar, tales.
The classic film still airs in black and white, the pace feels slow for current times, and it has some very dark elements that might not be appropriate for kids, like when George tries to jump off a bridge and end his own life.
I endeavored to create an original story that would be appropriate for kids ages 7 and above, so I examined what works about the classic and used it as a loose framework to tell a completely new adventure with lovable animals in Oak Creek Forest. Here’s a breakdown of the process I used that may help you modernize your own classic.
What works about the classic? Universal fantasies.
First, I looked at the universal fantasies that work well in It’s a Wonderful Life. Everyone’s constantly making tough decisions in their lives that can often lead to regret or wondering “What if…” The classic film took the universal fantasy of being able to see what life would be like without you. Our friends and family really do care about us? Seeing how important we are within our community makes us feel good, and therefore, is a powerful universal fantasy.
The strongest universal fantasy of It’s a Wonderful Life comes at the end, when everyone pitches in to help George. After all, he’s always helped them! The idea that our community will support us during the tough times is something that will always resonate!
Even though we want to play an important role, we don’t want to feel like everything is on our shoulders alone. The moment when a community bans together serves up all the feels, and could not be taken out of a modern retelling. This is what the audience expects, wants, and needs from the story.
Adding your own touch
The universal fantasies and tropes of the original provides a great framework, but next you have to bring your own creativity into the mix to create something no one has read before. Since my book is for kids, I wanted to make it assessable to them. Making the characters animals in a forest was a fun way to revamp the world.
I created new characters like Betty the Bear. At first, the animals think she’s the villain. She’s been scaring them away from their foraging efforts, but turns out to be a red herring.
Once we meet her, I twist expectations by making her super friendly. She’s actually allergic to nuts, which provides George with a key clue to unravel the mystery of who really stole everything from the Oak Creek bank. In the end, they use this key information to find even more nuts to make it the best Christmas ever!
I also added more strong female characters because I feel it’s important to show girls they can get in on the action too! Mary, Noel, Betty the Bear, and even the evil ant queen, Maddy, are all strong personalities that play a key role in saving the day.
It wouldn’t be a call back to It’s a Wonderful Life without an angel getting his wings. In my story, Ángel is George’s best friend and guide. He takes George to see the shaman caterpillar, CP, who puts them into cocoons.
This kicks off the dream sequence, but it also adds another element of magic. When Ángel breaks out of his cocoon, we discover that he’s now a flying squirrel. Ángel got his wings, and I got to have fun adding a diverse character with his own unique story arch.
Knowing your audience
Another key component to modernizing a classic is knowing your intended audience. Since It’s a Squirrely Life is for kids, I made George a kid squirrel. He’s been given way too much responsibility for his age running the bank for his Grandma.
Kids want to see characters that reflect themselves, and children these days have a lot of agency. While they take on family responsibilities, they also want to laugh! So, comedy helps drive my crazy cast of characters through their adventure to save Christmas. While the heartfelt ending is the similar to the original, the overall tone of my retelling is more light and fun.
I hope It’s a Squirrely Life becomes a new Christmas classic for generations to come. I’ve adapted it into a screenplay and hope to produce it as an animated film. In the meantime, children and their families can enjoy it as an easy-to-read chapter book to get into the holiday spirit.
Which classic novel deserves to be modernized next?
Author bio
J.P. Cawood is an author who has also worked in live-action TV and film, animation, and comics. The screen adaptation of her novel, Love from Mars, was a recent semi-finalist in both Screencraft and Stage32 screenplay competitions. She was also named Top 50 Screenwriter by the International Screenwriters’ Association in 2021. Her preschool picture book, The Wrong Rock, streams on YouTube as an animated film that was Oscar long listed. She’s also written the middle grade space adventure, Sam & The Secrets of the Universe.
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