There have been all kinds ofDiscworldadaptations over the years, from the animated movies by Cosgrove Hall in the 1990s to the various live-action TV movies and series, yet none of them have been amazing successes. The most recent attempt, theBBC’s controversial adaptation of the Night Watch novels, was critically panned for taking too many arbitrary liberties with the setting. Other adaptations have had their own high points and flaws.
There is one thread that explains why none of these adaptations have achieved any lasting success: none of them have quite landed on the tone that makes the original novels so timelessly endearing, even iftheDiscworldreading order is a little complicated.Emulating Terry Pratchett’s unique mix of satire, slapstick, and parable requires an emotional intelligencethat even the best adaptations have lacked.
Most Discworld Adaptations Almost Get It Right (But They’re Missing Something)
Various Discworld Adaptations Demonstrate Strengths Like Faithful Dialogue & Weaknesses Like Meandering Plots
With studios having spent almost 30 years adapting variousDiscworldnovels, there has been a wide variety of styles and approaches. They have demonstrated varying degrees of faithfulness to the novels, as well as fluctuating success. For instance, in the late 1990s,the animation studio Cosgrove Hall released their versions of the novelsSoul MusicandWyrd Sistersas animated mini-series.These contain some of the most faithful renditions of the novels' dialogue, but their relative obscurity means they sadly don’t exist in high-definition formats.
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Discworld opens with The Color of Magic, and it’s one of the most perplexing starts to a fantasy series I’ve read — but it’s worth powering through.
In the 2000s, Sky One and the BBC released live-action adaptations ofHogfather,The Colour of Magic(which was interpolated with parts of its sequel,The Light Fantastic), andGoing Postal. These films have relatively star-studded casts, including actors like Tim Curry, Sean Astin, and Jeremy Irons. Unfortunately, their pacing is dreadfully slow in comparison with Pratchett’s lively prose, and many of the books' plots were changed.
The most prolific actor inDiscworldadaptations is Christopher Lee, best known as Saruman in theLord of the Ringsfilms from the 2000s and Dracula in the 1950s through the 1970s. Before his death in 2015, Lee voiced Death in both of the animatedDiscworldfilms and the Sky One version ofThe Colour of Magic.
Most recently,BBC America attempted a loose adaptation of the Night Watch novels, combining elements ofGuards! Guards!,Men at Arms, andNight Watchto create a very different aesthetic than the original. This has the notoriety of being the worstDiscworldadaptation, with only a 53% critic rating onRotten Tomatoes. This show tried far too hard to be unique and edgy, alienating new viewers with its hostility and longtime fans with its radical departure from the source material.
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BBC America has revealed a first look at The Watch, based on Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels - and a lot has been changed for the TV show.
All of these adaptations do have their good points, with there being plenty of hilarious dialogue, weird puns, and magical absurdism. However, theDiscworldbooks are about more than jokes about a librarian who just happens to be an orangutan. As a reflection of our own world,the Disc reminds us of our own better angels in a way more serious mediums never could.
Discworld Isn’t About Just Being Silly, It’s About Remembering To Have Empathy
The Perfect Discworld Adaptation Will Be Funny, But Will Also Prompt Viewers To Reflect
No adaptation of aDiscworldbook has yet hit the allegorical nail on the head. The books are objectively hilarious, but that hilarity is a counterpart to some very genuine examinations of human nature. In a sense,Pratchett is the opposite of J.R.R. Tolkien; while Tolkien was notorious for his dislike of allegory in fiction, Pratchett’s works are dripping with it.This is the power of satire, after all — to hold a funhouse mirror up to nature.
A goodDiscworldTV show will have more heart than it knows what to do with. It will balance wonder and whimsy, making us laugh more than it makes us cry, but the laughter must be at least a little self-effacing as we see ourselves in the Disc’s inhabitants and all their troubles. As human beings, we need to tell stories about other stories so we can recognize ourselves in the shadows. Or as Terry Pratchett himself said inHogfather:
They walked in silence for a moment.
“Ah,” said Susan dully. “Trickery with words. I would have thought you’d have been more literal-minded than that.”
I AM NOTHING IF NOT LITERAL-MINDED. TRICKERY WITH WORDS IS WHERE HUMANS LIVE.
“All right,” said Susan. “I’m not stupid. You’re saying humans need…fantasies to make life bearable.”
REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN.TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.
“Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—”
YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.
“So we can believe the big ones?”
