Watch and Read: Spotlight on Media Tie-ins
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Joy Fleishhacker -- School Library Journal, 11/09/2009
Alien Invasion
Planet 51 (PG), an animated adventure comedy from Sony Pictures, blasts into theaters on November 20, 2009. This turn-the-tables take-off on sci fi movies of the past is directed by Jorge Blanco with a screenplay by Joe Stillman. Captain Charles “Chuck” Baker (voiced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) lands on a planet previously unexplored by humans, fully expecting to boldly go where no one has gone before. However, the astronaut immediately discovers that this new frontier is already peopled by folks with four fingers, antennae, and green skin. In fact, Planet 51 looks much like 1950s suburban America, complete with white picket fences and black-and-white TV.
The greatest fear of its mostly peace-loving inhabitants is the possibility of being invaded by aliens—frightening 10-fingered creatures who look just like Chuck. Aided by Rover, his doglike robot, and several new green friends, Chuck must avoid being captured and get back onboard his ship before it heads home without him. The nonhuman characters include Lem (Justin Long), a likable teenager who risks everything to help Chuck; Neera (Jessica Beil), the sweet-natured girl-next-door (and Lem’s longtime crush); General Grawl (Gary Oldman), a patriot determined to protect his home; and Professor Kripple (John Clees), a small-of-stature, large-of-ego scientist who can’t wait to get his hands on Chuck’s brain.
Kids can visit the movie’s official Web site to view videos and photos, meet the characters (their comically written bios can be read or listened to with a click of the mouse), and sample a selection of video games.
Book Tie-ins
HarperCollins presents several titles based on the movie, all sporting covers emblazoned with the Planet 51 logo in luminous neon green. Two staple-bound storybooks combine clearly reproduced film artwork with streamlined text and an appealingly colorful page design. Featuring a cover image of Chuck in full puffy white spacesuit and an exaggeratedly heroic pose, It Came from Planet Earth! sets the scene on Planet 51 before first encounter, then details the astronaut’s arrival and his initial meeting with Lem. Rover to the Rescue! retells the action from the perspective of this diminutive robot who gets the opportunity to make new friends and prove his courage (PreS–Gr 3).
Two “I Can Read!” (Level 2) offerings will tempt beginning readers as well as the read-aloud crowd. Neatly reproduced images from the movie are well paired with the text to provide visual clues. Welcome to Planet 51 introduces the major characters and quickly sums up the plot. Lem Saves the Day tells the tale from the green teen’s point of view, highlighting the courage it takes to look past his fear of the unknown and show others of his kind “that even an alien can be a friend” (K–Gr 2).
For more confident readers, The Junior Novel retells the story in detail, blending imaginative descriptions with lots of fast-paced action. The narrative incorporates tongue-in-cheek humor along with the amusing dialogue. Eight pages of captioned full-color photos neatly sum up the plot and encourage movie fans to dive right into the text.
You might also want to build on reader interest by displaying some recent picture books about the first Moon landing (it’s the 40th anniversary of this 1969 mission) to which the movie plays homage. Stellar choices include Brian Floca’s Moonshot (S & S), Robert Burleigh’s One Giant Leap (Philomel), and Mark Haddon’s Footprints on the Moon (Candlewick, all 2009).
Pub Info
AUERBACH, Annie, adapt. Planet 51: It Came From Planet Earth! HarperFestival. 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-184416-4.
SANTOS, Ray, adapt. Planet 51: Rover to the Rescue! HarperFestival. 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-184417-1.
HERMAN, Gail, adapt. Planet 51: Welcome to Planet 51. Harper. 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-184411-9.
_____. Planet 51: Lem Saves the Day. Harper. 2009. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-184412-6.
BRIGHT, J. E. Planet 51: The Junior Novel. HarperFestival. 2009. pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-0-06-184419-5.
FLOCA, Brian. Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11. illus. by author. S & S/Atheneum. 2009. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-5046-2.
BURLEIGH, Robert. One Giant Leap. illus. by Mike Wimmer. Philomel. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-399-23883-3.
HADDON, Mark. Footprints on the Moon. illus. by Christian Birmingham. Candlewick. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4440-6.
