October 17th, 2013 
James Shotwell 
If you have spent more than five minutes poking around the internet today you’ve likely seen someone mention the fact Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Waterson recently participated in a rare interview ahead of the release of a fan-funded documentary about his beloved comic strip later this year. The article is great (and long), but for those of you looking for a juicy tidbit to liven up the afternoon watercooler talk we figured the following quote would help spark plenty of debate.
Speaking with Mental Floss, Watterson was asked about the possibility of seeing his characters adapted to movies or television. Bill replied:
The visual sophistication of Pixar blows me away, but I have zero interest in animating Calvin and Hobbes. If you’ve ever compared a film to a novel it’s based on, you know the novel gets bludgeoned. It’s inevitable, because different media have different strengths and needs, and when you make a movie, the movie’s needs get served. As a comic strip, Calvin and Hobbes works exactly the way I intended it to. There’s no upside for me in adapting it.
As much as this reveal is likely to sadden some fans of the strip it’s hard to argue with points being made. Garfield probably seemed like a great idea for a movie until it became a movie (two, actually).
Dear Mr. Watterson, the fan funded documentary mentioned above, will be released November 15. Stay tuned for information regarding screenings and availability in the weeks ahead. The trailer can be found below.
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Good on Bill. Peanuts and Hobbes need to remain 2D.