E.B. White’s The Trumpet of the Swan is headed to the big screen again.
HarperCollins Productions and Hobie Films are developing an animated movie based on White’s popular children’s book, the companies announced in a news release.
White’s novel, published in 1970 with original illustrations by Edward Frascino (and later Fred Marcellino), tells the story of a voiceless trumpeter swan who courts a fellow bird by learning to play the trumpet. The book was a finalist for a National Book Award in 1971.
The screenplay for the film adaptation will be written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. The two previously teamed up on scripts for movies including Dinner for Schmucks, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, and Harold and the Purple Crayon, and are writing a screenplay for a film adaptation of Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle books.
The Trumpet of the Swan was adapted into a 2001 animated film directed by Richard Rich and Terry L. Noss and featuring the voices of Jason Alexander, Mary Steenburgen, and Reese Witherspoon. The movie was mostly panned by critics and bombed at the box office.
Caroline Fraser, one of the producers of the new adaptation, said, “The Trumpet of the Swan is one of the most powerful stories ever written about a character with a disability who learns that what makes them different makes them extraordinary. The story will take audiences on a breathtaking visual and musical journey as this beloved character finds his voice.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
