Three Reasons a 'Maus' Movie Needs to be Made!

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
   I’ve been thinking a lot recently about a graphic novel that I read a few years back by the name of Maus, specifically about how it would work as a film. Maus was required reading for my World History class; however, it was so good that I ended up reading ahead and finishing it a week or so before we were supposed to. It had a similar effect on many other people in that class, and I was surprised to figure out that many people finished it about the same time I did. I’ve talked to many people since then that already knew what Maus was.
   So with its popularity why hasn’t there been a film based upon this amazing graphic novel yet? With some research, I’ve discovered that author Art Spiegelman is holding onto the film rights and saving them for a rainy day. However, let’s say he decided to sell those film rights. Here are three reasons I’ve come up with for why a film based upon Maus would be a great idea!

1. Rich Source Material
   Maus, being the first graphic novel to ever win a Pulitzer Prize, is the type of graphic novel that everybody needs to read, even if you aren’t a fan of the craft. The entire story is told in a variety of flashbacks while in present-day author Art Spiegelman is interviewing his father about his life as a Jew living in Poland during the Second World War.
   The real kicker, however, lies within the artwork. Throughout the entire novel, all of the characters are depicted as different species of animals. The German Nazis are cats, the Polish were depicted as pigs, and the Jews were mice. It is by far, one of the most interesting parallels I’ve ever seen. It’s a very emotional story, made even more emotional by the artwork. This artwork would be the cause for the film to be animated because it’d be weird to do that in a live-action film, and the art is part of the spirit of the book. Personally, I’d prefer it to be in a traditional 2-D hand drawn animation like older animated films were, not the new 3-D animation that dominates the market today.

2. Huge Expansion for Animated Films!
   The animated film genre is, for the most part, very confined. Here in the United States, a vast majority of animated film are targeted towards children. We seem to be one of the only major countries to do this. Japan has proven with films such as Akira that animated films for adults can be very successful. When most Americans hear that a film is animated, they assume it’s for children and are instantly disinterested.
   That is one major reason why we need to see a Maus movie. The animated film genre here in the U.S. is very one note. While it has produced some truly amazing films, they are all relatively for kids (some more than others). A film like Maus could do wonders for animated films. It could really open up the doors to some really big expansion; an expansion that we are all ready for.

3. Small budget, big profit
   This final point is more from the point of view of any movie studio. A Maus film could be done on a very low budget. With the 2-D drawn animation style, it would be extremely cheap to produce. Hire a small team of animators, get a few good voice actors (no need for big names, just talented actors/actresses), and it’ll be a relatively easy process.
   You won’t need to give the film an extremely wide-release as it’s not going to be the next Toy Story 3 or Schindler’s List.  ​With some well-done marketing, Maus could potentially turn out some really big profits. Plus, if it’s anywhere near as good as the graphic novel, chances are it’ll get some Oscar buzz!

   So those are a few reasons why a film based on Maus could be a really great idea! Would you be interested in seeing a Maus film? Why or why not? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this article, share it on Facebook and Twitter. It really helps! Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so check back then for more movie reviews and miscellaneous movie thoughts!