90-Second Newbery

Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

1973 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Parker, Beatrice, Crew, Max, and James of Treehouse Children’s Museum (2022)

From Ogden, UT

Judges’ Remarks: The original Frog and Toad short story “The Garden” is a gentle lesson about learning to be patient with natural processes. This movie implies that the original story is perhaps a bit too gentle, and what the story really needs is three ruthless assassins who are out to destroy Frog and Toad! Luckily, the three bumbling hunters never accomplish their goal. The performances are what make this movie so fun to watch: Toad’s earnest eagerness for his seeds to grow and Frog’s gentle and calm nature ground the movie, which makes the over-the-top performances of the three manic assassins even funnier. The infectious enthusiasm and ace comic timing of the actors make this movie super fun to watch. Stick around for the post-credits sequence!

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Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

1953 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Georgia and James with help from Will at the Treehouse Children’s Museum (2022)

From Ogden, UT

Judges’ Remarks: What an ingenious way to retell Charlotte’s Web: in the style of The Hunger Games! From the very beginning, with the title screen “Mockingpig” done in a Hunger Games manner, we feel we’re in good hands. The charismatic performances for Fern, the Effie-Trinket-like person, and the county fair announcer were full of energy and great details (I particularly liked the way Fern looked back sadly at Wilbur as she walked away, and how Wilbur was thrust up into the air, Lion King style), and I was impressed with Wilbur’s performance too, playing his role with innocent sincerity. Charlotte’s voiceover performance was sensitive and comforting too, and gave the movie an emotional heft. The movie made resourceful use of the sets, costumes, and puppets at the Treehouse Children’s Museum. I especially liked the black-and-white nightmare vision of pork, and how Wilbur bests the other pigs in an explosion-heavy insult battle at the fair! Good use of emotion-setting music and the occasional stock footage too. This movie was a delight!

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Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

2014 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Wren, Lyla, Evie, Faith, and Parker with help from Caden at Treehouse Children’s Museum (2022)

From Ogden, UT

Judges’ Remarks: It was a clever and effective idea to tell the story of Flora and Ulysses in the style of a movie trailer! The performances of all the characters were engaging and funny—I loved Flora’s put-upon exasperation, the mom’s snarling pushiness, the dad’s hapless manner, the evil cat, and of course Ulysses’s energetic heroic nature. The scene with the vacuum cleaner and Ulysses was ingeniously shot (and I loved the delivery of the line “Oh no! I think I killed a squirrel!”) and the final around-the-world fight between Ulysses and the mom was ludicrous fun. Outstanding performances, snappy camera work, and ace editing really made this movie come together amazingly well!

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Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel

1973 Newbery Honor Book

Adapted by Vivian, Esme, Sabrina, and Theo (2021)

From Boulder, CO

Judges’ Remarks: I loved how this Frog and Toad story got reimagined to an interaction between “Frogalina” and “Toadette”! The growly disembodied voice did a good job of bullying Toad into the various onstage challenges. The costumes for Frogalina and Toadette worked well to show their characters, and I liked the in-camera effects that showed how Frogalina was “shrinking” as Toadette boasted one achievement after another. And the Star Wars twist, where it was revealed that Frogalina’s “father” was some rogue Jedi, was fun and clever! The piano, high wire, and dancing scenes of Toadette were funny (I especially liked the way Toadette randomly bashed at the piano), and I liked how Toadette finally found a way to reconcile with Frogalina. The performances were so charming and charismatic! Swift, accurate, and entertaining to watch!

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Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

1992 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Molly of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: This was a really impressive movie that did everything right! It told the story so clearly that I could understand what was going on even if I hadn’t read the book—which is very hard to do in under two minutes, so congratulations! I loved that you used a real dog to play Shiloh. The movie kicked off with a great first scene in which “Marty” clearly expressed the premise of the story and the initial problem while we saw him play with Shiloh. The following scenes flowed naturally and logically from each one to the next, with Marty’s commentary linking them together. The engaging and convincing performances really sold the movie for me, and of course the dog stole every scene it was in! This movie is a real standout.

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Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

1973 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Avery, Isla, and Pelin of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: Brilliant! I admired how this movie addressed the problem of telling a wolf story without actually having wolves on hand—by using clips of stock photos of wolves with wolf-ish sound effects! I love how the movie started with Julie’s monologue about what’s going on, making it clear exactly who she is and the challenges she is facing. Shooting the whole thing outside helped it feel like a genuine wilderness adventure. The script zipped through the plot of the book pretty accurately and effectively, and there were great performances all throughout, especially with Julie—she truly carried the movie!

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A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

2001 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Avery, Emily, Holden, and Keillor of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: Fantastic work! This movie has it all: a tight script that zips through most of the plot clearly and efficiently, crisp cinematography and editing, and emotionally committed performances from everyone in the cast. I like how the Mary Alice clearly states the premise and how she feels about it in a monologue in the first scene, which gets the movie off and running right away … and the abrupt introduction of the gruff Grandma Dowdel in the very next scene gave an extra jolt of energy. I liked that a lot of the movie was shot outdoors, which is often much more fun to look at than indoors. The resourceful deployment of splashing water, a fake snake, and an improvised priest’s collar etc. were more instances of this movie going the extra mile. My favorite scene was the one with the woman running by in the sheet with a snake, and Mary Alice’s and Royce’s totally chill reaction. The movie wraps up nicely too with a wedding, and we see how Mary Alice’s attitude has changed. A great movie!

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Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

1998 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Ela and Meg of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: This movie had fantastic cinematography and editing—well-framed shots and brisk cuts made the story feel propulsive and energetic, and everyone’s performances were committed and authentic-feeling! I liked all the resourceful touches too, like the stethoscope on the doctor, or the way Billie Jo’s hands are shown to be swollen and burnt. The final scene, in which Billie Jo says “I’m just glad we have a family,” was a much-needed hopeful touch after so many tragedies and bad turns of fortune. Snappy, clear, true to the book, and well-made!

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Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly

2018 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Gage, Henry, and Owen of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: This was a fun, energetic sprint through the book! I liked how this movie kept the numerous characters straight, giving them each a snappy introduction that exemplifies who they are. I appreciated how the movie has the first scene dubbed so that the dialogue would be clearer, and how the characters used each other’s names so we know who they are from the start. The part where Virgil gets trapped in the well, and rescued by the girls, was particularly well handled, with a resourceful use of a jump rope which made it look like he was really being rescued from a well. Fast and clear with some great performances!

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The Giver by Lois Lowry

1994 Newbery Medal Winner

Adapted by Alexandra and Slater of The Foote School (2022)

From New Haven, CT

Judges’ Remarks: This was a really creatively done and resourceful retelling of the story! I liked all the little touches, like the use of stock images to portray the Giver’s memories of “sledding” and “war,” and also how the color changes from black-and-white, to a transitional yellowish filter, and finally to full color. It was a simple but effective idea to put the characters “in costume” by wrapping them in robes and blankets. I loved all the performances, which were emotionally engaging but never overdone, and the Giver’s subtle accent was a nice touch. The scene with the “releasing” of the baby was particularly well shot, and I liked how Jonas reacted with such excitement to his freedom at the end, and the portrayal of the “music” that he hears. This was an entertaining trip through the book, a pleasure to watch!

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