Product placement – at best, it’s annoying – films and TV shows blatantly pushing brand names and logos down the throats (or the eyes) of a captive audience. A famous soda here, some underwear there, maybe some fancy sneakers. Isn’t enough that I’ve already paid to see the movie?
I’m against it – at least I was, until this weekend when I was watched Arthur (Warner Brothers 2011). I was initially put off by a zoom-in shot of the label for an expensive bottle of whiskey, but then, I saw the best product placement ever. What was it, you ask?
None other than Arnold Lobel’s, Newbery Honor winning, Days with Frog and Toad (Harper & Row 1979). In the movie, Arthur and Naomi 
climb down the Strawberry Fields steps into Central Park to visit the pond that reminds Arthur of “Alone,” the final chapter in Days with Frog and Toad. Together, under a moonlit sky, they recite a line or two from the book. Later in the movie, viewers see a closeup shot of Lobel’s lovable characters as they appear in the book, and are treated to a longer excerpt.
I thought I hated product placement, but this one won my heart. Can you think of any other great children’s books that are featured prominently in film?