The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Directed by Guillermo del Toro
Ruiz Zafon’s novel deserves no less than a sweeping, three-hour epic filmed on location in Barcelona, and scripted in its original language. The portions of the story that take place in modern times would be washed out in a misty grey with few colors peeking through. This would starkly contrast with the instances from the past, which would feature blends of deep reds, vibrant oranges, and aged yellows. The film would mix elements of cinema noir as well as touches of high fantasy. Dario Marianelli would compose a soundtrack of grand orchestral music as well as a signature piano ballad. The film would win every major award and feature a breakout performance by a Spanish version of young Leonardo DiCaprio as Daniel Sempere.
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Directed by Lee Unkrich
Siddhartha would be an animated film with a rich, flowing, hand-drawn appearance. Shapes would be finely detailed in the style of ancient Indian artwork and backgrounds would be cool, clear watercolor paintings. The film would tell the traditional tale of Siddhartha, but with a lighthearted, airy feeling that gives the entire movie a sense of meditation and exciting self-discovery. A. R. Rahman would provide a minimalistic but textured score that drives the story, as there would be little dialogue throughout.
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Directed by Wes Anderson
Anderson would first ask the directors of all of those Dr. Suess movies how to turn a book with less than fifty words into a full-length film. Then, unlike the Dr. Suess movies, this one wouldn’t suck and ruin childhood dreams. Goodnight Moon would be a slice-of-life tale about a boy who forms stronger bonds with inanimate objects than humans. His parents are both high-strung, turtleneck-wearing psychiatrists who attempt to analyze him at any given opportunity. Conflict arises when the boy begins attending school and realizes that he is not like the others in his class. He befriends his babysitter when she tells him she doesn’t think he’s weird. The film would have a color palette of bright turquoise, faded orange, and sporty yellow. The soundtrack, composed by Mark Mothersbaugh, would feature simplistic acoustic guitar riffs and twinkling glockenspiels.
