American film production company
Weston Woods Studios (or simply Weston Woods) is a production company that makes audio and short films based on well-known books for children.[1]
It was founded in 1953 by Morton Schindel in Weston, Connecticut, and named after the wooded area near his home. Weston Woods Studios' first project was Andy and the Lion in 1954, and its first animated film was The Snowy Day in 1964.[2] In 1968, Weston Woods began a long collaboration with animator Gene Deitch. Later, they opened international offices in Henley-on-Thames, England, UK (1972), as well as in Canada (1975), and in Australia (1977). In addition to making the films, Weston Woods also conducted interviews with the writers, illustrators, and makers of the films. The films have appeared on children's television programs such as Captain Kangaroo, Eureeka's Castle, and Sammy's Story Shop.[3] In the mid-1980s, the films were released on VHS under the Children's Circle titles, and Wood Knapp Video distributed these releases from 1988 to 1995.
Beginning in 1968, Weston Woods also made filmstrips and audio recordings synchronized to them, which became known as the Picture Book Parade. Many of these recordings were narrated by actor Owen Jordan and were often different or expanded recordings from the films.
In 1996, Weston Woods was acquired by Scholastic Corporation.[4]
DVD releases
In 2002, a DVD collection of Weston Woods films entitled Scholastic Video Collection was released.[16] Many compilations of Weston Woods films have been released under the title Scholastic Storybook Treasures.
- Where the Wild Things Are and Other Maurice Sendak Stories (Where the Wild Things Are; The Nutshell Kids; In the Night Kitchen) (2002)
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and Lots More Learning Fun (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom- 1999; Trashy Town- 2001; Rosie's Walk- 1970; The Caterpillar and the Polliwog- 1988; The Foolish Frog- 1971; Joey Runs Away- 1988; Changes, Changes- 1972) (2002)
- Chrysanthemum and More Kevin Henkes Stories (Chrysanthemum- 1999; Owen- 1995; A Weekend with Wendell- 1998; Picnic- 1991; Monty- 1992; The Wizard- 1985) (2002)
- The Night Before Christmas and More Christmas Stories (The Night Before Christmas- 1997; Max's Christmas- 1988; Morris' Disappearing Bag- 1982; Owl Moon- 1989; The Clown of God- 1982; Too Many Tamales- 2002) (2002)
- Click, Clack, Moo – Cows That Type and More Fun on the Farm (Click, Clack, Moo - Cows That Type- 2001; The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash- 1991; The Pigs' Wedding- 1990; The Cow Who Fell in the Canal- 1970; Charlie Needs a Cloak- 1977) (2003)
- Pete's a Pizza and More William Steig Stories (Pete's a Pizza- 2000; Doctor De Soto- 1984; The Amazing Bone- 1985; The Three Robbers- 1972; The Great White Man-Eating Shark- 1992; Moon Man- 1981) (2003)
- Harold and the Purple Crayon and More Harold Stories (Harold and the Purple Crayon- 1959; A Picture for Harold's Room- 1971; Harold's Fairy Tale- 1974; The Mysterious Tadpole- 1986; Drummer Hoff- 1969; Smile for Auntie- 1979) (2003)
- Miss Nelson Has a Field Day and Miss Nelson is Back (Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall; Miss Nelson is Back by Harry Allard, illustrated by James Marshall; Panama by Janosch; The Three-Legged Cat by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen; The Bear and the Fly by Paula Winter) (2003)
- Red Riding Hood and More James Marshall Fairy Tale Favorites (Red Riding Hood- 1992; Goldilocks and the Three Bears- 1993; The Three Little Pigs- 1991; Chicken Little- 1998; Rapunzel- 2002) (2003)
- The Snowy Day and More Ezra Jack Keats Stories (The Snowy Day- 1964; Whistle for Willie- 1965; Peter's Chair- 1971; Pet Show!- 1992; A Letter to Amy- 1970; The Trip- 1981; Apt. 3- 1977) (2003)
- Good Night, Gorilla and More Bedtime Stories (Good Night, Gorilla- 1998; How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?- 2002; Happy Birthday, Moon- 1985; The Napping House- 1985; The Paperboy- 2000; Patrick- 1973; The Hat- 1982) (2003)
- Harry the Dirty Dog and More Terrific Tails (Harry the Dirty Dog- 1997; Officer Buckle and Gloria- 1997; Angus and the Ducks- 1998; The Beast of Monsieur Racine- 1974; Fourteen Rats and a Rat-Catcher- 1982; John Brown, Rose, and the Midnight Cat- 1982) (2003)
- Is Your Mama a Llama? and More Stories About Growing Up (Is Your Mama a Llama?- 2001; Leo the Late Bloomer- 1999; Elizabeti's Doll- 2000; Goose- 2002; Five Creatures- 2002) (2004)
- Corduroy and More Stories About Friendship (Corduroy by Don Freeman; Yo! Yes? by Chris Raschka; Here Comes the Cat! by Frank Asch, illustrated by Vladimir Vagin; The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Jim LaMarche) (2004)
- The Scrambled States of America and More Stories to Celebrate Our Country (The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller; This Land Is Your Land illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen; The Star-Spangled Banner illustrated by Peter Spier; John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney; Johnny Appleseed by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen) (2004)
- Make Way for Ducklings and More Robert McCloskey Stories (Make Way for Ducklings- 1955; Blueberries for Sal- 1967; Time of Wonder- 1961; Burt Dow: Deep-Water Man- 1983; Lentil- 1957) (2004)
- Strega Nona and More Caldecott Award-Winning Folk Tales (Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola; Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback; Stone Soup by Marcia Brown; The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson, illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon) (2004)
- There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly and More Stories That Sing (There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback; Antarctic Antics by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey; Musical Max by Robert Kraus, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey; Keeping House by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Wendy Smith; Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert) (2004)
- Curious George Rides a Bike and More Tales of Mischief (Curious George Rides a Bike- 1958; The Great White Man-Eating Shark- 1992; Flossie and the Fox- 1991; The Happy Lion- 1990; Cat and Canary- 1994) (2004)
- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears and More Stories from Africa (Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears- 1984; A Story, A Story- 1973; Who's in Rabbit's House?- 1995; The Village of Round and Square Houses- 1986; Hot Hippo- 1989) (2004)
- The Teacher from the Black Lagoon and More Slightly Scary Stories (The Teacher from the Black Lagoon- 2003; What's Under My Bed?- 1989; By the Light of the Halloween Moon- 1997; The Three Robbers- 1972; A Dark, Dark Tale- 1983; Georgie- 1956; Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman- 1980) (2004)
- Giggle, Giggle, Quack and More Funny Favorites (Giggle, Giggle, Quack- 2003; The Most Wonderful Egg in the World- 1986; Wings: A Tale of Two Chickens- 1991; The Foolish Frog- 1971; Picnic- 1991; The Three-Legged Cat- 1994) (2004)
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? and More Stories That Rhyme (How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?- 2002; In the Small, Small Pond- 2001; Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin- 1999; All the Colors of the Earth- 1997; The Napping House- 1985; Joey Runs Away- 1988; Picnic- 1991) (2004)
- Bark, George and More Doggie Tails (Bark, George by Jules Feiffer; Dot the Fire Dog by Lisa Desimini; No Roses for Harry by Gene Zion, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham; A Boy, A Dog, and A Frog by Mercer Mayer; Whistle for Willie by Ezra Jack Keats; Angus Lost by Marjorie Flack) (2004)
- Swimmy and More Classic Leo Lionni Stories (Swimmy- 1986; Frederick- 1986; Fish is Fish- 1986; It's Mine!- 1986; Cornelius- 1986; Each Peach, Pear, Plum- 1992; Hush, Little Baby- 1970; Let's Give Kitty a Bath!- 1985) (2005)
- The Emperor's New Clothes and More Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (The Emperor's New Clothes; The Ugly Duckling; The Swineherd; The Nightingale) (2005)
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and More Magical Tales (Sylvester and the Magic Pebble- 1993; Possum Magic- 2001; Princess Furball- 1993; The Wizard- 1985) (2005)
- The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash and More Back-to-School Stories (The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Steven Kellogg; Shrinking Violet by Cari Best, illustrated by Giselle Potter; Will I Have a Friend? by Miriam Cohen, illustrated by Lillian Hoban; The Sweater by Roch Carrier, illustrated by Sheldon Cohen; Many Moons by James Thurber, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin) (2005)
- Tikki Tikki Tembo and More Favorite Tales (Tikki Tikki Tembo by Arlene Mosel, illustrated by Blair Lent; Hot Hippo by Mwenye Hadithi, illustrated by Adrienne Kennaway; The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin by Janet Perlman; The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; The Magic of Anansi by Sugith Varughese; Little Red Riding Hood by Rhoda Leyer) (2005)
- Danny and the Dinosaur and More Friendly "Monster" Stories (Danny and the Dinosaur- 1990; The Island of the Skog- 1999; The Beast of Monsieur Racine- 1974; Here Comes the Cat!- 1992; Stanley and the Dinosaurs- 1988) (2005)
- Bear Snores On and More Beary Adorable Tales (Bear Snores On- 2005; Henry Hikes to Fitchburg- 2001; Bear Wants More- 2006; Goldilocks and the Three Bears- 1993; Panama- 1982; The Bear and the Fly- 1985) (2005)
- The Wheels on the Bus and More Sing-Along Favorites (The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky; Dem Bones illustrated by Bob Barner; Over in the Meadow by John Langstaff, illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky; I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Rose Bonne and Alan Mills; I Want a Dog by Dayal Kaur Khalsa; The Chinese Violin by Madeleine Thien, illustrated by Joe Chang) (2005)
- The Dot and More Stories to Make You Feel Good (The Dot- 2004; Amazing Grace- 1994; Brave Irene- 1989; Flossie and the Fox- 1991) (2005)
- Martin's Big Words and More Stories from the African-American Tradition (Martin's Big Words- 2001; John Henry- 1998; Seven Candles for Kwanzaa- 1997; Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa- 2003; Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra- 2000) (2005)
- Bear Snores On and More Stories to Celebrate the Seasons (Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman; Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert; Come On, Rain! by Karen Hesse, illustrated by Jon J. Muth; Snow Cat by Dayal Kaur Khalsa; Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey) (2005)
- I Love You Like Crazy Cakes and More Stories About Families (I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis, illustrated by Jane Dyer; Three Cheers for Catherine the Great! by Cari Best, illustrated by Giselle Potter; Five Creatures by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Tomek Bogacki; Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel) (2006)
- Chicka Chicka 123 and More Stories About Counting (Chicka Chicka 123- 2004; How Much is a Million?- 2000; If You Made a Million- 2002; Millions of Cats- 1955) (2006)
- Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel and 3 More Stories about Trucks (Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton; I Stink! by Kate and Jim McMullan; Trashy Town by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino; Dot the Fire Dog by Lisa Desimini; The Remarkable Riderless Runaway Tricycle by Bruce McMillan) (2006)
- The Man Who Walked Between the Towers and More Inspiring Tales (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers- 2005; Snowflake Bentley- 2003; Miss Rumphius- 2000; The Pot that Juan Built- 2004) (2006)
- The Little Drummer Boy and 4 More Holiday Stories (The Little Drummer Boy- 1968; Merry Christmas, Space Case- 2002; Sam and the Lucky Money- 1999; The Tomten- 1982; The Twelve Days of Christmas- 1971) (2006)
- Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman and 4 More Spine-Tingling Tales (Teeny-Tiny and the Witch-Woman- 1980; Space Case- 2000; The Boy with Two Shadows- 1994; The Witch in the Cherry Tree- 1994; King of the Cats- 1984) (2006)
- James Marshall’s Cinderella and More Beloved Fairy Tales (Cinderella- 2006; Hansel and Gretel- 2005; The Three Billy Goats Gruff- 1991; The Elves and the Shoemaker- 2004; The Fisherman and His Wife- 1993) (2007)
- Open Wide: Tooth School Inside and 4 More Fantastic Children’s Stories (Open Wide: Tooth School Inside by Laurie Keller; How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague; Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, illustrated by Julie Vivas; Doctor De Soto by William Steig; Joey Runs Away by Jack Kent) (2007)
- Beverly Cleary’s Ralph S. Mouse and More Exciting Animal Adventure Stories! (Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; Stanley and the Dinosaurs by Syd Hoff; Uncle Elephant by Arnold Lobel) (2007)
- Diary of a Worm and 4 More Great Animal Tales (Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss; Anatole by Eve Titus, illustrated by Paul Galdone; Frog Goes to Dinner by Mercer Mayer; I Lost My Bear by Jules Feiffer; The Three-Legged Cat by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Jonathan Allen) (2007)
- Arnie the Doughnut and 4 Other Fantastic Adventure Stories (Arnie the Doughnut- 2005; Roberto the Insect Architect- 2005; Hondo and Fabian- 2006; That New Animal- 2006; Swamp Angel- 2001) (2007)
- Noisy Nora and More Stories About Mischief (Noisy Nora- 1994; T is for Terrible- 2005; Cannonball- 1984; Goggles!- 1974; Munro- 1960) (2007)
- Emily's First 100 Days of School and More Great School Time Stories (Emily's First 100 Days of School by Rosemary Wells; Reading to Your Bunny by Rosemary Wells; If You Made a Million by David M. Schwartz, illustrated by Steven Kellogg) (2007)
HBO Max
In 2021, the company's Mo Willems book adaptations were released on Warner Bros. Discovery's SVOD service HBO Max. Mo Willems' Storytime Shorts! include all 14 of the company's Mo Willems book cartoons.[17]
