With Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live! on tour for 2017 and 2018, families who adore the animated series can enjoy a musical stage show featuring their favorite characters. The show will be presented in hometown theaters all the way from California to Massachusetts. Produced by Mills Entertainment, the neighborhood draws on stage magic to present a brand-new story about Daniel Tiger and his friends. The characters are costumed in brightly colored costumes with extra-large animal heads. It’s high energy and filled with dancing, singing, and cute scenery.
But, for all the theater magic possible in a musical stage show, one must wonder what more might be possible if Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood was made into a live action show. Consider a few brilliant films which have successfully transferred children’s stories into movies:
- Popeye (Director Robert Altman) – who can forget Robin Williams in the lead role, big arms and all, plus loveable Olive Oil played by Shelley Duvall?
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Director Ron Howard)- Jim Carrey and cast were adorable on the big screen, as was Whoville.
- Alice in Wonderland (Director Tim Burton)- featuring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway, the classic story took on a bold new interpretation.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Director Tim Burton)- Both the Gene Wilder classic and the newest Johnny Depp version brought the storybook illustrations to life with amazing set design and costuming.
Now, for Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, think out of the box and give imagination free rein!
Well… think CATS on Broadway, and it’s obvious that people have become convincing felines. It requires an expert make-up artist to lead the way and some fabulous costumers. Wouldn’t it be amazing if John Napier, CATS Designer, would come on board as designer? After all, he was the creator of the Siegfried & Roy Show at the Las Vegas Mirage. He understands real tigers, or at least how to include them in productions. He also understands magical stories, as he was the designer for the film Hook… Steven Spielberg…yes, indeed.
Casting all the characters for a live action film would require auditions on a large scale- viewers are used to the voices portrayed by voice actors for the animated version. But, here are a few suggestions for Daniel Tiger and his family:
- Daniel Tiger– talented and adorable Jacob Tremblay, who is currently young enough to create the part
- Mom Tiger– Heather Bambrick is the voice of Mom Tiger, and she’s a 2017 Juno Award nominee for the Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
- Dad Tiger-Ted Dykstra is the voice of Dad Tiger, and he’s a theater guy at coal Mine Theater in Toronto, Canada
- Baby Margaret– this one is up to the casting calls, as babies grow up so quickly
- Grandpere Tiger-Canadian Christopher Plummer- he’s in his 80s now, and still acting-wouldn’t he be great! One can dream…
While dreaming, here’s a thought about The Trolley:
How much fun would it be to ask Starship Technologies, the startup in London which is making delivery robots, to create a bright red Trolley for the film? Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, who co-founded Skype, raised more than $17 million from investors such as Daimler. Starship is already manufacturing and testing robots locally around the world. The cute delivery robots already have the boxy shape that The Trolley has. The delivery robots can carry about 3 shopping bags of goods, can map an area and then drive autonomously along a route, and can travel within a 3-mile radius at a speed of about 4 miles per hour over sidewalks and even up and down curbs. Imagine the excitement when The Trolley would arrive at a child’s door delivering lunch? For Starship Technologies, an alignment with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood could be a wondrous match.
For the rest of the cast and production, Angela Santomero, creator of the show, would do a great job. Prince Wednesday and the Royal Family, the Museum-Go-Round Family, the Cat and Owl families, and the rest of the neighbors have been portrayed by a combination of voice over actors and experienced live actors.
Santomero has faithfully carried on the legacy of Fred Rogers with this award-winning series. In writing about Mister Rogers, for the New York Times, she described how she would talk to him daily when she was four. She sat in front of her television and carried on conversations with him, believing that he was telling her she was special, just the way she was.
She went on to develop her own career in developmental psychology, and met Fred Rogers in person. Though she had created the successful series Blue’s Clues, and was seated at Rogers’ table at an event honoring him, she could eat. She finally told him that he was the entire reason she wanted to influence children’s television as he had done. He invited her to his TV set. She wrote that it was equal to “stepping into Mr. Wonka’s chocolate factory”. The two kept in touch for years. The Fred Rogers Company contacted her directly, three years after his death, to ask her how she would continue the Mister Rogers legacy in a completely new show.
Anyone who intuitively gets the connection between Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory and the set of Mister Rogers, gets it. Perhaps Angela Santomero could put in a call to Tim Burton, or Ron Howard, or any of the talented artists mentioned here, to test the waters. Perhaps she could start with an advertisement which reads “Applications open ONLY for talented individuals who loved Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Must be able to sing Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and It’s You I Like.” She could easily take it from there.
Follow Us
