The movie is based on the popular children's book series, illustrated by Dedham's Peter Reynolds, and brings the characters to life.
High Street will turn into Hollywood Boulevard for a few hours Saturday as the Dedham Community Theatre will give lottery-winning Judy Moody fans the chance to see the premiere of the book series hitting the big screen.
More than 12 hours before the Hollywood premiere, series-loving kids in the area will have the chance to see Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, which doesn’t hit national theaters until June 10.
“I’m excited that the film is going to film is going to fuel more kids reading the books,” said Peter Reynolds, who illustrated the internationally popular children’s series.
Around the corner from where the movie will premiere, Reynolds said he was “beyond excited.”
“It’s kind of hard to put into words how cool this is. Especially for a kid who was doodling in school and used to get in trouble for drawing,” Reynolds said in an interview. “You flash forward a couple decades and it’s not only how I make my living, but my art is reaching around the world.”
In 14 years, Reynolds went from hearing the book pitch and drawing illustrations on 50 note cards over a Memorial Day weekend, to sitting in as an extra in a film that he helped inspire.
Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer sticks very close to the Judy Moody series, brings in elements of the previous nine books, and author Megan McDonald, of San Francisco, co-wrote the screenplay, Reynolds said.
The book version of The Not Bummer Summer is available now with pictures from the movie. The illustrated version is due out in the fall, Reynolds said.
While his signature illustrations might not appear in the movie – Reynolds hasn’t seen the film – they’ve transformed the drawings to fit the actors on set, and created some 3D animation based on his work.
“In the book series I drew [Frank] with a hilarious haircut,” Reynolds said. “When I met the actor on set, [Preston Bailey] was joking, ‘Thanks a lot for making me look so goofy.’ But he looked just like Frank Pearl.”
By turning Dedham into Hollywood East for a day, Reynolds, 50, said he is working toward his mission to “put Dedham on the map.”
“Dedham is a really cool place and deserves the spotlight,” he said. “If I can use my celebrity to help draw people to Dedham […] I’ll be very happy.”
The movie will show at 9:30 a.m., followed by a book signing and party at Reynolds’ bookstore, The Blue Bunny, and then a book-reading play at the Fiddlehead Theatre at 1 p.m. and at 2 p.m.
Crowd expectations are unknown, but with the number of Judy Moody fans out there, many could storm Dedham Square to make their pilgrimage to the “birthplace of Judy Moody.”
“Predictions are that there are going to be 1,000 people in the Square celebrating,” he said. “I’m excited for kids to celebrate their favorite book.
