Philip Pullman’s controversial The Golden Compass won an Academy Award at the Oscars last night. The award, for visual effects, was considered an upset over its successful competitors, Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
For more on The Golden Compass, see my prior posts on the subject.

It’s a compelling question.  In response to criticisms that the intent of the book, The Golden Compass (soon to be aired on the big screen), was to promote atheism or anti-Catholicism, author Philip Pullman had this to say:
In the world of the story — Lyra’s world — there is a church that has acquired great political power, rather in the way that some religions in our world have done at various times, and still do (think of the Taliban in Afghanistan). My point is that religion is at its best — it does most good — when it is …read more

I previously posted that the Catholic League has called for a boycott of the movie, The Golden Compass. The trailer for the film is here:

This is certainly not the first time that a film or television show based on a children’s book has caused controversy. Many of the Harry Potter books (and movies) were said to promote witchcraft, demons and evil. The Gossip Girl book series lead to calls for banning of the book because of racy themes including sexuality, homosexuality and drug use; the television series has cause similar outcries. Other books to the big …read more

The movie version of UK author Philip Pullman’s 1995 novel, Northern Lights (part of His Dark Materials trilogy) is scheduled for release on December 7, 2007.  The movie, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig (the new James Bond), is titled The Golden Compass (also the name of the book in the US).
The Catholic League has called for a boycott of the film due to themes in the book which were interpreted as anti-Catholic.
Have you read the novel?  Do you plan to see the movie?