Status Report

Thanks to Jenny, an Animorphs adaptation has been pushed for today’s PopWatch column in Entertainment Weekly. Here’s an excerpt:

Even though Applegate’s characters all had highly developed senses of humor, the series was also surprisingly dark — at least for the pre-Hunger Games era. Back then, most mass-market middle-grade tales didn’t bother exploring the shades of gray that lie between the poles of good and evil. But as the Animorphs books progressed, the Animorphs themselves grew increasingly jaded and shell-shocked. They did terrible things in the name of their worthy cause, then struggled to live with their decisions; they grew increasingly alienated from their families and non-Animorph friends, who couldn’t possibly understand the harsh realities of war. The book’s battles were reasonably graphic, but not in a way that glorified violence. Even morphing scenes, in which the kids transformed into tigers or dolphins or houseflies, emphasized how grotesque and disturbing it was for the characters to watch each other suddenly sprout claws or tails or a proboscis. (Also, the books taught kids cool words like “proboscis.”)

Animorphs‘ moral universe was also a lot more sophisticated than non-readers might expect. (…)

The full article can be found at popwatch.ew.com

Thanks to Illa for informing us, the new Relaunch editions for #1-3 are now available in French on Gallimard Jeunesse, the French publisher for the series, and Amazon.fr.

It looks like #1 & 2 were released in September 2012, and #3 was released this year in February 2013. Since these were released after the cancellation of the series, it may be an indication that the rest of the books are also being planned to be released in French, provided that they sell well. They were also released with translated covers:

These have been added in our relaunch pages. At the moment, there is no new information regarding other language translations, but if you come across anything, then please let us know!

As a response to our previous post regarding the cancellation of the Animorphs movie, a member named Xaq proposed an idea to create a fan documentary to highlight the Animorphs community for Scholastic. You can read his post here.

Please note: Hirac Delest is not involved in the co-ordination of this project, so Xaq would be the one in charge. To submit content/videos to him, you can either email him at Qaximorp209@gmail.com, or send it directly to his Youtube Channel.

Again, the deadline to convince Scholastic, and to have any kind of impact in their decision to continue Animorphs in one form or another is June 2013. That is the month when the Animorphs movie domains expire. Fans are welcome to use our community board should they wish to discuss or organize this project in a more public forum.

That’s all for now. As always, we’ll keep you updated if there is any further official progress regarding the Animorphs series in any way.

Noah strikes again! Not only does Sony Pictures own animorphs.net, but they also own the following domains:

• animorphsmovie.com
• animorphs-movie.com
• animorphs-movie.net

Following up from our previous post, there is no doubt at all now that Scholastic had something in the works for over a year. However, it still remains to be seen as to whether or not they intend to go ahead with their plans. Remember that the relaunch is cancelled and that these domains are not recent purchases. In fact, they are over 3 years old, and Scholastic still hasn’t released any official statement to make us think this is a sure thing.

One other important thing to note is that the registration for all these domains are a little different from animorphs.net. These movie domains were purchased months before the relaunch was announced, which again confirms the fact that they were testing the market based on the sales of those books.

Also, these domains all expire on June 19th, 2013. So it’s best to disregard the deadline date from our previous post as well, because we don’t have a year anymore. If the fans want to show support, they have to do it fast!

That’s all for now. We’ll post more info as we hear it.

A big thanks to Noah for pointing this out: Sony Pictures currently owns the animorphs.net domain name. However, before you get too excited, you should know that going to that domain simply takes you to a default landing page on their site. As of yet, there is no official announcement regarding an Animorphs movie.

I researched this a bit and it looks like this was not a recent purchase. In fact, Sony bought this domain on December 8th, 2009 — approximately a week before we officially confirmed the Animorphs relaunch here on Hirac Delest. So most likely this was just one of the few possible domain names seized in preparation of the reprints.

As to why it is registered by Sony Pictures and leads to them, instead of Scholastic? The most likely reason is that Sony Pictures owns Columbia TriStar Home Video, which was the company responsible for distributing the old TV Show on VHS. As far as I know, the licensing agreement and distribution rights still stand (Source: Scholastic/Columbia TriStar Press Release, 1998).

But forget about the TV show for a moment, because what we’re all really interested in is the possible production of a movie release, right? So here is what we do know: Katherine Applegate and Michael Grant (co-authors of Animorphs) both replied to a Q&A in early 2008 saying that they had been seriously approached by a producer for an Animorphs movie (Source), but that never seemed to go anywhere past the original pitch.

However, from what I’ve been told, Scholastic still does want to make it happen, and that at one point Scholastic did have plans for a feature length Animorphs movie on the back burner for over a year. Whether or not they still do after the cancellation of the relaunch, I have no idea. But this information has been passed on to me by more than one anonymous source involved with Scholastic.

That all said, this is still not official, and the circumstances haven’t changed: Scholastic still needs to know if there is a market for Animorphs. The relaunch was a way to gauge that, but the low sales and eventual cancellation of the reprints have not been a good sign.

So what can we do to help change this? At the current moment, the animorphs.net domain is registered until December 8th, 2013. If the Animorphs fan base wants to build any kind of campaign to help convince Scholastic, then consider this as the deadline. Until there is something that lets Scholastic know there will a reasonable profit in pursuing a movie or a 2.0 book series, we will not see it happen anytime in the near future.

I think that covers everything for now. As always, we will keep you updated should there be any official progress in the continuation of Animorphs. Also, if anyone comes across anything else that is interesting, then please be sure to forward it to us to have a look. (And if TPTB are reading this up at Scholastic HQ, then get a hold of me too — I want to help make this happen just as much as you do!)

Thanks to Robert for letting us know, Amazon has now removed Animorphs #8 from its Kindle Store, which is currently the only way to legally purchase this book after the late cancellation of the paperback edition. We’re not sure if Scholastic is the one recalling these ebook editions back, but in case it is, our suggestion is to grab the ebook from other stores while you still can.

The Animorphs #8 Relaunch eBook is still available to purchase in ePub format at Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Play. If there are any other legal sources to buy this book, please post in the comments below to let the fans know.

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Update: Thanks to KFY for letting us know, Amazon has now brought the title back on the Kindle. (November 28, 2012)

Dan Letchworth from Scholastic returns again, this time confirming the conclusions we had drawn up in our previous post:

“Hi again, just to put doubts to rest about what we’ve all already deduced–my editor at Scholastic just confirmed with me this morning that Animorphs #8 was cancelled at a very late stage, with no plans for any further rereleases.

Hellfire and damnation!”

-Dan

Sad to say, this also removes the chances of an Animorphs 2.0 or a movie adaptation any time in the near future. We’d like to thank Dan once again, for keeping us and the fans up-to-date on the official progress of the series.

As a side note: If you were holding out on buying any of the new reprints in paperback, then now might be the best time to get them. They are unlikely to ever get a second printing, making these now ‘limited time editions’ even harder to find than the ones from the original Classic run.

That’s everything for now. As always, we’ll keep you informed should there be any further official announcement to the continuation of the series, and you can find us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with those latest Animorphs-related updates. Until next time!

As a response to our previous post regarding the relaunch cancellation, we recently got a surprising email by Dan Letchworth, the copy editor who worked on all eight of the Animorphs books! In the email, Dan asked us pass along his message to the rest of the fans:

Hi Hirac Delest,

My name’s Dan Letchworth; I do regular freelance work for Scholastic, and I’ve been the copy editor for all 8 of the Animorphs relaunches. Animorphs was the most awesome job I’ve ever done for Scholastic, because they were literally my favorite books as a kid. I fixed the inconsistency about Jake being able to use thought-speech in book #1 to Tobias because I remembered that KASU even way back in 1997! I knew what high expectations the fan community would have for the relaunches, and as a devoted fan who still has all 54+ originals on his shelf, I took on each book with the reverence and attention to the greater continuity I felt it deserved.

(Note that not all of the “modernizations” were me– the editors have final say, and sometimes the edits I suggest don’t make it. Personally I thought it’d be fine if Marco still played Doom with his dad, since kids like retro gaming, but I digress…) I actually consulted fan sites listing KASUs and tried to address them where I could! I even called a Starbucks in Santa Barbara (considering the approximate revealed location of the series…) to find out how much the cup of coffee Ax orders at the mall would cost in 2011 money. 😛

So, I’m writing because I share in how bummed out you all are that Scholastic’s not continuing their re-releases past #8. (At least I’ve heard nothing about it since last year.) Honestly I kind of had a feeling they wouldn’t last too long, certainly not through the whole series, though I was holding out hope for at least The Andalite Chronicles to cap things off. So much depends on how much marketing a publisher chooses to put behind a release. Publishers so often “decide” that a book will be a bestseller, while more worthy titles go out of print or aren’t even bought in the first place. But Animorphs had an outstanding original run, and I think of these rereleases as a victory lap more than anything. I’ll put in a strong word of advocacy with the folks I know there to at least get the Andalite Chronicles out, but even if the first 8 is all we get, I have to say I’m still tickled that we got it at all. And I’m encouraged–kids have access to way more resources now than we did in 97, and new fans who discover these 8 and love them will definitely be able to find more if they know where to look.

So glad you’re keeping the love alive here.

–Dan

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Dan Letchworth is a freelance copy editor for Scholastic, and full-time product development assistant at Klutz. His latest project there is Paper Flying Dragons, a book of twelve foldable flyers and fascinating true dragon facts.

Very cool of Dan to drop by, and we thank him for taking the time to let us know of the amount of research and effort it took to relaunching these books.

In related news, it seems like there are still no paperback copies available for Animorphs #8, even though it was released on September 1st. Several fans, including myself, have been unable to find them at any local or online retailer, and no one has been able to provide a direct answer as to why, until I recently received this email stating:

Item Cancelled […]

Your order was a pre-order unfortunately, information ahead of publication is not foolproof so a new title may be cancelled or postponed indefinitely. An edition scheduled for reprinting may be similarly abandoned by the publishers.

So it looks as though the poor sales of the previous paperbacks have brought on a decision to indefinitely hold off on any further printings, at least for now. However the ebook editions for Kindle and NookBook are still available, and Rijab (who has regularly sent us advanced cover previews for Animorphs books in the past) told us:

I bought the Kindle version and there is no preview in the back for the next book – just a preview for a new book about dragons called “Wings of Fire.” (See full comment)

So there you have it; With no new plans at Scholastic, or any advanced previews being marketed, or anymore paperbacks being printed, it doesn’t look like we’re going to get any more of a confirmation regarding the cancellation of the Animorphs Relaunch. Of course, it hasn’t “officially” been cancelled, so there is a glimmer of hope, however small that may be.

In the mean while, you can still expect Hirac Delest to be running (but, of course, at a much slower pace). The archive project will continue as it always has, and this blog will still be updated should any official announcements arise in the future. To keep up with the latest updates, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

That’s all for now. Until next time!

The latest (and possibly last) relaunch book is out this month, in paperback and ebook. Please view our previous post to know the current status of any future Animorphs Relaunch releases. If there are any further updates or official confirmations, we will be sure to update you here on Hirac Delest.

Animorphs #8: The Alien (Lenticular Edition)

Ax is an Andalite, an alien, stranded on a strange planet he’s sworn to defend, even though it’s not his own. Since the Animorphs rescued him, he’s fought at their side, and in that time they’ve come to consider Ax a friend.

But deep inside, Ax knows he isn’t their friend. He can’t ever be. Andalites must always hold themselves apart, even from their allies. As the Animorphs’ past actions start resulting in deaths of innocent people, however, Ax’s loyalty is called into question. Now he must decide whether to reveal the reason for his estrangement — the shameful secret of his people.

PAPERBACK EDITIONS

Order from Amazon.com (U.S.) **

Order from Amazon.ca (Canada) **

Order from Amazon.co.uk (U.K)

eBOOK EDITIONS

Order Kindle Edition **

Please note: Amazon has still listed the paperbacks as “Title has not yet been released”, but we’re assuming that will change after the long weekend. The Kindle version is already available, so no additional delays are expected.

This is unconfirmed, but there is a very strong possibility that there will not be any Animorphs Relaunch releases in the near future. With the release of #8 in little over a week, there has been no official renewal of any further releases for the rest of the year, or the next.

Amazon and several retailers list #8 as the only upcoming book, with nothing planned ahead. Scholastic has been quiet on the subject, and has not publicly released the rights or covers for any future books, which are usually available months before even being listed. The only response I did receive was from a customer service representative saying:

“I researched our system and it shows that we do not have information about other Animorphs books being released. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience this has caused.”

As I mentioned at the start of the relaunch, Scholastic has been using these reprints as way to gauge the interest in the series to start a potential Animorphs 2.0. So for the fans who were looking forward to that, a cancellation or hiatus of the Relaunch series is obviously not very promising.

So the question comes: Where do we go from here? What can fans do to show their continued support? The first is, obviously, to buy the books! ($$$)

Scholastic will not financially support something that is not good for business! If you have been skipping on these releases to only buy the books that are missing in your collection, then you may not get the chance to do that anymore, as the releases of those future books depends highly upon the sales figures of the ones that are currently out now. Buying the books is the most direct way of letting Scholastic know that you are interested in more!

If you have already bought the books, then the next step is to let Scholastic know we are still interested. Customer Care, Twitter, and Facebook are all a good place to start. Email campaigns wouldn’t be a bad idea either, if someone was willing to co-ordinate it. (Skip petitions though — they are a waste of time.) If anyone knows of any direct channels or representatives to send all this to, then please let me know and I’ll post it up on this blog to help spread the word.

The ball is in your court, fans.