People often ask me to tell them about Disney’s future. What sorts of movies the Mouse will soon be releasing to theaters. What kinds of attractions will be popping up in the theme parks.
Well, if you’d like to get your very own peek at Disney’s not-so-distant future, then I suggest that you pick up a copy of Clive Barker’s latest book, “Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of Wars” (Joanna Colter. September 2004).
For those of you who don’t remember: A few years back, the Walt Disney Company shelled out $8 million for the movie & theme park rights to a four part series of children’s books that the acclaimed horror author was planning on writing.
Please note the “planning on writing” part of that last sentence. So the story goes, Barker was able to sell Disney executives on the idea of acquiring the theme park & movie rights to the “Abarat” saga simply by showing them some paintings. (Okay. It was two whole houses full of paintings. Which Clive himelf had created. Which supposedly revealed all of the major characters that would appear in the “Abarat” saga as well as some of the major events from the story. Mouse House execs allegedly took a look at the paintings, listened as Barker spun out the story, and supposedly immediately thought: “This could be our ‘Harry Potter.’ Which was why Mickey was so quick to pull out his checkbook.)
Anyway … As I mentioned above, that was a couple of years back. The first book in the “Abarat” series was published ‘way back in October of 2002. That volume first introduced the world to Candy Quackenbush. A quiet teenager growing up in boring old Chickentown, Minnesota. One day, Candy ditches school and takes off across the prairie. Where — out in the middle of a sea of grass — she stumbled upon an abandoned lighthouse. As well as John Michief, a strange little man with antlers on his head. (Oh. And did I mention that — seated on the prongs of each of John’s antlers — are one of Mischief’s seven brothers?)
Sounds like a pretty strange start for a story, don’t you think? Wait. It gets weirder.
Suddenly a great tide surges in. And Candy & John are carried off by the waves to the archipelago of Abarat, a magical realm composed of 25 islands. Each of the island represents one hour out of the day, with the mysterious 25th island being where “Time Outside of Time” supposedly exists. As Ms. Quackenbush begins exploring this fantastical place, she comes to the attention of Christopher Carrion, the Lord of Midnight. Who seems quite anxious to get his hands on Candy, thinking that this young girl may hold the key to his plan to plunge all of Abarat into a permanent midnight.
The first “Abarat” book (for those of you who haven’t already read it) was really a great read. Full of interesting characters (Which you have no trouble picturing. Thanks to the 100+ paintings by Clive Barker that were used to illustrate this volume) and amazing set pieces. My only complaint about Barker’s first book in this series was that — in spite of being over 400 pages long — it ended way too soon. I was anxious to see what would happen next to Candy & Malingo (the geshrat she rescued from an evil wizard) next.
Well, earlier this week, the second volume in the “Abarat” series was finally released. And “Days of Magic, Nights of War” picks up right where the first book left off. Candy & Malingo are is still on the run from Christopher Carrion’s henchman, the Criss Cross Man. To keep from falling into the Lord of Midnight’s clutches, they will jump off high bridges into seemingly bottomless gourges, battle nasty flying Zetheks, even find themselves fighting among freaks.
Then Ms. Quackenbush and the geshrat are separated. Candy eventually finds herself cold, wet and alone on a far-away shore. While Malingo is determined to do whatever he has to in order to be re-united with the human teenager. Fearful of what may happen to Candy should she falls into Christopher Carrion’s hands and/or remember any more of what she’s forgotten.
To reveal anymore of “Days of Magic, Nights of Wars” ‘s story would really spoil the fun. So I won’t … Other than to say that some of my favorite characters from the first “Abarat” book (I.E. Kaspar Wolfswinkel, the previously mentioned evil wizard, as well as the Tarrie-cats) do make return appearances. But as to what happens when Kaspar meets up with Candy again (Or — for that matter — whether or not Christopher Carrion actually gets his hands on Ms. Quackenbush in this book) … Well, here. I think Clive Barker (On Page 438 of the second “Abarat” volume) puts it best:
“But then the Abarat and its occupants have always been full of surprise; right to the bitter end.”
“Why ‘bitter’?,” you ask. Ah — in order to find that out, folks — you’re going to have to pick up your very own copy of “Days of Magic, Nights of War” and burrow through its 498 pages.
Here’s another bit of “Abarat” – related bad news, though: Based on the speed that Barker (to date) has been turning these books out, it will probably take Clive ’til the Fall of 2008 to deliver the final volume in this four part series. On the upside, screenwriter John Harrison is reportedly already at work on the screenplay for the “Abarat” movie. And — provided that two very high profile projects that Walt Disney Studios currently has in production (I.E. Summer 2005’s “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and Christmas 2005’s “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe”) do well when they’re released to theaters next year, we could see an “Abarat” movie as early as the 2006 holiday season and/or the summer of 2007.
And — as for an “Abarat”-based Disney theme park attraction — I’m told that this aspect of the project is entirely dependant on how the “Abarat” movies do. But — should these proposed motion pictures which will be based on Barker’s books do well at the boxoffice — I told (by Imagineering insiders) that these films could serve as the inspiration for not just a single attraction, but rather an entire land at a theme park.
But — like I said earlier — if you want to get a peek at this possible piece of the Walt Disney Company’s future — you really need to get your hands on the “Abarat” books. Both the first part of the series as well as the recently released Volume II, “Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of Wars.”
Admittedly, it’s a weird bunch of books. But — that said — I can’t wait ’til September of 2006 to get here. So that I can get my hands on Volume III of the “Abarat” series and find out what happens next to Ms. Quackenbush.