I’m not going to lie: I’m not really up on the Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise, given that the first volume of Jeff Kinney’s enormously popular novels about a beleaguered middle school-aged kid named Greg came out in 2007, a full 17 years after I left middle school myself. However, I do know a decent movie trailer when I see one, and Disney’s CG-animated adaptation seems to be one.
In fact, I’d say this is a definite improvement over the 2010 live-action Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie. See for yourself:
Admittedly, it’s a lot easier to capture Jeff Kinney’s simplistic but striking art in animation, but that’s a huge part of the series’ charm that the live-action film just didn’t have. Plus, this movie was actually written and produced by Kinney, which gives it a significantly higher level of authenticity to the books.
Meanwhile, if you’re still unclear about this whole measly child concept, here’s the official synopsis:
“The first book in Jeff Kinney’s worldwide bestselling series comes to Disney+ in the all-new animated adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous – he just has to survive middle school first. To make matters worse, Greg’s loveable best friend Rowley seems to coast through life and succeed at everything without even trying! As details of his hilarious – and often disastrous – attempts to fit in fill the pages of his journal, Greg learns to appreciate true friends and the satisfaction that comes from standing up for what is right.”
As I’m still processing my own trauma from going through middle school, I’ll probably give this one a miss. But for everyone who’s interested, Diary of a Wimpy Kid will premiere on Disney+ on December 3.
Editor’s Note: Release dates within this article are based in the U.S., but will be updated with local Australian dates as soon as we know more.