6. Finding Neverland Clip: "He's JUST a Dog"
Through all of David Almond's work, we see the mundane and ordinary transformed into the extraordinary, the mysterious, and the miraculous in subtle, small ways that encourage us to look at things in new ways. His books, undeniably, make "the familiar unfamiliar" - whether it is through science, mythology, superstition, or magical realism. In this clip from the 2004 movie, Finding Neverland, playwright J. M. Barrie captures the heart of David Almond's work, which we hope will be one of our presentation's biggest takeaways. It captures the idea that maybe some things are worth a second look or a little imagination, and maybe some things deserve to be seen as more than just some things.
The video clip can be retrieved at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1CmucfqRGY.
(Back-up video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYi1nQf-GlE - 0:20-2:04).
The video clip can be retrieved at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1CmucfqRGY.
(Back-up video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYi1nQf-GlE - 0:20-2:04).
"And looked at in the right way, some of these things, which from the outside look very ordinary, actually seem very exotic and quite extraordinary and filled with kind of potential magic."
- David Almond (BooksforKeeps, 2011, 2:50-3:00)
"Stan gasps again. He goggles at the man. What is he doing here? How on earth did he end up like this? He wants to yell: 'I'm just an ordinary boy! I don't want to be in a tent that looks like the world, searching for a half shoal of goldfish!'" (109) |
"'He's bonkers!' came a call. 'He's a madman! Lock him up!' 'He's a hero!' 'But I'm just the boy from the basement called Paul!' called Paul" (79). |