There are many differences between the book and the movie version of a Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’engle. Even though there are many differences, there are also some similarities. But in the movie, there are many more differences in characters and relationships, plot sequencing, and details compared to the book version.
One of the biggest differences is the plot sequencing in the movie. This is demonstrated in three different ways. First, in the beginning of the movie, it starts out with Meg at school, daydreaming about herself and her father talking with each other on their “star-gazing rock”, where in the book, it starts out with Meg in her attic room talking to herself commenting on the thunderstorm happening outside. Second, in the middle of the movie, Meg meets Calvin when he breaks up a fight between his brothers and Meg. That never happens in the book. Third, when all of the kids meet the “man with the red eyes”, they lose Charles Wallace and then go see IT where Meg recites the things that her father tells her to. She doesn’t do that when “the man with the red eyes” tries to get into her mind. Another difference is characters and relationships. For example, in the middle of the movie, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace meet the rest of the three W’s, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, on Uriel with Mrs. Whatsit. Though, in the book, the characters meet the rest of the W’s at the haunted house. Another difference is details. For example, at the end of the movie when Meg sees IT, she was really supposed to see IT with Calvin and her dad when they first see “the man with the red eyes” in the book and the movie.
Although there are many differences, there are also some similarities. An example for plot sequencing is that when they use the tesseract to tesser to different planets, they are actually going from Earth to Uriel to Camazotz etc. An example for characters and relationships is they meet Mr. Murry on Camazotz in a disappearing column. Finally, an example for details is the thing that Mrs. Whatsit turns into on Uriel. Again, there are many differences with characters and relationships, plot sequencing, and details, but even though the differences between the novel and the movie versions of A Wrinkle in Time are astounding and deserve thorough examination, there are still some minor similarities.
