A NEW movie coming to streaming giant Netflix next week is to receive a movie premiere in Reading … with a bit of help from its original author, something he says is a birthday present for the original book.
AF Harrold first wrote The Imaginary back in 2014, featuring illustrations by Emily Gravett, and it has been adapted into an animation by Japanese-based Studio Ponoc.
It tells the story of Amanda and her friend Rudger, a boy no one can see except her.
A mysterious threat is chasing Rudger, while Amanda has problems of her own. When Rudger suddenly faces being forgotten – and erased from existence – he must undergo a journey to save his friend, and save the Imaginaries.
Reading Biscuit Factory in the Broad St. Mall is to screen the film on Sunday, June 30, from 2.30pm.
It will include a question-and-answer session from AF Harrold, who is also a poet and Reading resident. The session will be hosted by Damien A Passmore from What’s On Reading and will explore how the book became a film and give the audience an opportunity to ask their own questions.
The film is a first for Netflix, it has acquired the worldwide screening rights to Studio Ponoc’s works.
Yoshiaki Nishimura, founder of Studio Ponoc and Producer of The Imaginary, said: “Studio Ponoc is thrilled to bring our storytelling and innovative hand-drawn, hand-painted animated films to all audiences, and in particular to children and their families to enjoy together, around the world on Netflix.
“Netflix’s genuine commitment to supporting animation as a vital and valuable storytelling medium, and to growing high-quality and trailblazing animation, makes Netflix a truly excellent partner.”
And of the film, he said: “This is a tale of Rudger, neither human nor animal, who is dismissed by adults as a fake, a mere figment of imagination.
“Our vision is to be as true as possible to our own stories, founded on our belief in this outrageous and wild fantasy.”
The UK voice cast includes Louie Rudge-Buchanan, Evie Kiszel, Hayley Atwell, Sky Katz, Jeremy Swift, Kal Penn, LeVar Burton … and a cameo by AF Harrold, who is delighted to see The Imaginary reach new audiences.
“The Imaginary is 10 years old this autumn, so it’s lovely to have something like this as a birthday present for it,” he told Reading Today.
“It’s a story that’s been close to my heart, and it’s constantly trickled along during the last decade, so it’s a nice thought that it might have a little reinvigoration and be introduced to some extra new readers via the medium of Netflix.”
His name is prominent in the movie’s credits, and he said: “It’s surprising how quickly the strange and surreal becomes normal, but that doesn’t mean I expect it to ever happen again.”
The film is an adaption, so there are some parts that are different to the book, while others differ from what AF had in mind when he was creating his fantasy worlds. He is full of praise for the way in which Studio Ponoc have gone about creating the movie.
“The film is really interesting,” he said.
“I always said, when the idea was first being mooted, that a book and a movie are different shaped beasts, that the way a story fits into those two formats is different, not least because of active and passive modes of interacting with them.
“I said to the filmmakers at Studio Ponoc that this was their project to make their version, and I expected it to be different, and they weren’t to worry about what I thought.
“When I finally saw the film, I was really pleased to be able to recognise clearly and strongly the story from the book, it is really quite close to the text, but with a great many differences of detail sprinkled throughout.
“It was respectful, but is very much its own thing.”
Modestly though, he has a soft spot for the original Japanese language version that came out late last year – but not for reasons you might expect.
He joked: “I’ve seen the international version a few times now and I’m very happy sticking with that version, thank you, mainly so I can feel embarrassed at my voice acting – spot the cameos…”
The Reading Biscuit Factory screening is important not just to AF, but also to Netflix, and he is delighted that the town will be able to see the film on the big screen as intended:
“When I heard that Netflix needed to show the film in a certain number of cinemas in order for it to be eligible for certain prizes, otherwise they would keep the screening to streaming to themselves, I was eager to see if we could show it locally and not just in London),” he explains.
“I reached out to the Biscuit Factory to see if they were interested, and then reached out to Netflix to see if we could make it happen, and to my great pleasure the pair of them spoke and it’s happening.
“I’m really pleased to have been able to help organise these screenings at such a fine independent cultural hub as the RBF.”
Of course, with The Imaginary being based on a book, AF is looking forward to seeing a new generation of readers get stuck into the source material. A new version is in the works.
“There will be copies of the book, illustrated by picturebook superstar Emily Gravett, with a Netflix logo on the cover,” he said, adding they are due in the shops in time for the school holidays.
“You may be able to find copies on the shelves, and if they don’t have them they’ll certainly order them, in Fourbears Bookshop in Caversham or in the Broad Street Waterstones.”
Those who know AF Harrold’s works will know that he is not one to rest on his laurels: he has a vast body of work including the popular Fizzlebert Stump series of novels, numerous poetry books, a podcast, and more.
He has some exciting projects around the corner: “In August, my latest middle grade novel (that’s sort of 9+), The Worlds We Leave Behind, will be coming out in paperback with gloriously moody illustrations by Levi Pinfold.
“Then there’s a new kids poetry collection in the new year, and I’m just about to plunge into rewrites on a couple of stories that hopefully might see the light of day a few years further down the road… Secret projects…”
And there is also Imagining The Imaginary, a book that helps explain how the book became a film. There are only 250 copies available and can only be ordered from his website.
For more details, log on to: www.afharroldkids.com
The Imaginary will be streaming on Netflix from Friday, July 5. For more, log on to: https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/81565710
To book tickets for the Reading Biscuit Factory screening, log on to: https://www.readingbiscuitfactory.co.uk/movie/the-imaginary-qa
