Arts & Entertainment
Names in the News: Downers Grove Man Writes Live-Action 'Calvin and Hobbes' Film
Northern Illinois alum Taylor Jacobs is the writer and star of "Reaching Autumn," a film that explores what would happen if the comic strip's characters reunited as adults.
When 24-year-old Downers Grove resident Taylor Jacobs was first introduced to the classic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes as a kid, it didn't take long for him to develop a deep appreciation and love for the characters and stories.
The comic, illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson from 1985 to 1995, is centered on Calvin, a precocious and highly imaginative 6-year-old who spends much of his time with his stuffed tiger, Hobbes. Although Hobbes is seen as an inanimate toy by all other characters, to Calvin, he's a real-life friend and partner in crime.
"I think Calvin and Hobbes was just something a lot of people could relate to," Jacobs said. "It's entertaining, but there's always a deeper message about life and relationships."
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Jacobs, an aspiring film and television producer, still enjoys reading the comic as an adult. Like many life-long fans, he has often wondered what it would be like if Calvin and Hobbes were to grow up.
"I always knew Calvin as a young kid who had this really strong bond with his stuffed animal, but what if he was my age?" Jacobs said. "What if he was 24, just out of college and had maybe lost touch with some of the people from his childhood?"
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Those questions were the inspiration for "Reaching Autumn," a live-action short film Jacobs wrote to explore what would happen if 24-year-old Calvin reunited with Susie Derkins, one of his former neighbors and classmates, after both went to college and became adults.
"For fans of Calvin and Hobbes, like myself, the film is about these characters we know and love, and paying homage to everything Bill Watterson created," Jacobs said. "It was fun to put Calvin and Susie in my shoes as a young adult, and imagine what they would be like and what they would be doing."
Click here to read more about Taylor Jacobs.
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