History Main / TruerToTheText

* ''Anime/SwanLake1981'': An unintentional version because this anime preceded the [[WesternAnimation/TheSwanPrincess two]] [[WesternAnimation/BarbieOfSwanLake other]] animated film adaptations, but it's by far the most faithful to the original ballet out of the three. Siegfried's name remains Siegfried, Odette was cursed to be a swan by Rothbart prior to the story, and Rothbart turns into an owl instead of a bat-like creature or vulture.

** The OVA special ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' is a much closer, [[CompressedAdaptation if abbreviated]], adaptation of a ''VideoGame/{{Pokemon}}'' game than the [[Anime/PokemonTheSeries TV anime]], following the storyline of ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'' very closely. In fact, even taking the pick-and-choose nature into account, it's even more faithful than the previous title holder, the ''Manga/PokemonZensho'' manga[[note]]That had most of the quest but didn't have actual captures[[/note]].

It's important to keep in mind that changes from the source materials have often been [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools a good thing]], and sometimes very necessary. Sometimes being more faithful is a technicality rather than anything significant and, if done badly, will displease those who wonder why the new adaptation was made in the first place if it wasn't going to do anything new.

* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey Origins Collection'' for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, released in 2023, consists of remasters of the first three games in the series. In the case of ''[[VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyI Etrian Odyssey I]]'' (originally released in 2007) and ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIHeroesOfLagaard'' (originally released in 2008), these lack the new content from the earlier 3DS remakes ''Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl'' (2013) and ''Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight'' (2015), respectively (most notably Story Mode and classes backported from later games). This means a lot of these games' EarlyInstallmentWeirdness is retained and the 3DS versions' changes reverted, such as enemies having still sprites instead of animatated 3D models, [[RoamingEnemy FOEs]] being represented as glowing spheres when exploring the dungeons rather than the monsters' 3D models, certain skills' balance changes being rolled back[[note]]One notable example is the Medic's Immunize skill in the first game. In the DS original, it mitigates all types of damage. In the 3DS version, [[{{Nerf}} it only mitigates elemental damage]]. The ''Origins Collection'' version goes back to the DS version's behavior.[[/note]], and the games charging fees to rename characters and store items as opposed to being free services in the 3DS games. However, some of the quality-of-life features from the 3DS games were kept, such as multiple DifficultyLevels, the more streamlined auto-walk tool, and the skill upgrade interface presenting skills as a visual TechTree rather than a list.
* The 2021 ''Pixel Remaster'' series for ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' are brand new remakes of the first six games in the series. Those games have seen earlier re-releases and remakes that have added content, but the ''Pixel Remaster'' versions are closer to the original releases content-wise. For example, the ''Pixel Remaster'' version of the first ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' game lacks the new {{Optional Boss}}es and dungeons that were added in the UsefulNotes/GameBoyAdvance and UsefulNotes/PlayStationPortable versions, and also reverts back to using a Spell Charge system for magic versus a ManaMeter.

* When ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid'' was [[VideoGameRemake remade]] for the UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube as ''The Twin Snakes'', all the voice acting had to be re-recorded due to the [=GameCube's=] higher quality sound chip revealing outdoor traffic noises that were inaudible in the original release. In the process, most of the 1998 script's changes were reverted, resulting in a more faithful translation of the original Japanese script. Unfortunately, this was mostly ''negatively'' received due to [[{{Woolseyism}} most of the changes being regarded as superior]].

* The first ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo'' [[Film/ScoobyDoo2002 film]] was originally conceived as an AffectionateParody of the series, and it showed, recharacterizing most of the cast based on longstanding fandom in-jokes. The film's sequel, ''Film/ScoobyDooMonstersUnleashed'', was able to be more in line with the cartoons, featuring fan-favorite monsters and a haunted house for a central location.

* The [=TPCi=] dub of ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' (starting with the ''Battle Frontier'' seasons) is known for being more faithful to the original Japanese scripts than the one by Creator/FourKidsEntertainment, which frequently altered characterization and morals. This is most evident when the series revisits characters or stories from the [=4Kids=] era; Misty keeps her ProudBeauty traits after they were largely removed from the [=4Kids=] dub, and ''Anime/MewtwoStrikesBackEvolution'' retains the original "ClonesArePeopleToo" [[AnAesop Aesop]] instead of replacing it with the notoriously [[BrokenAesop broken]] "fighting is wrong."

* The [[Film/TheAddamsFamily 1990s films]] based on ''ComicStrip/TheAddamsFamily'' took on the much darker humor and more genuinely malicious and occasionally murderous characterisation of the protagonists from the original newspaper cartoons, compared to the significantly fluffier [[Series/TheAddamsFamily TV series]] (in which the family are essentially just DarkIsNotEvil bohemian proto-{{Goth}}s in a stereotypical white-picket-fence American suburb). Some fans of the TV show found them quite unpleasant. The [[WesternAnimation/TheAddamsFamily2019 2019 animated film]] is similarly much closer to the visual style of the comic strip; among other things, Gomez is depicted as quite pudgy and homely (unlike the thin and handsome Creator/JohnAstin and Creator/RaulJulia), Morticia's facial features are noticeably exaggerated, and Wednesday is cartoonishly thin.
* Zigzagged with ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017''. ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' was loosely inspired by the original American comics written by Creator/CarlBarks. While it did adapt a small number of stories from the comics, it lacked a number of elements from said comics: most glaringly, WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck, who played a large role in many of the original stories but was barred from appearing in the show due to ExecutiveMeddling. The 2017 reboot adds a ton of visual references to the works of both Carl Barks and Creator/DonRosa (the show's intro recreates several Carl Barks' illustrations in animation) and name drops or even introduces concepts and characters that had never been introduced in animation, such as Plain Awful and Bombie The Zombie; the show also combines aspects from all other areas of the ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse, the video games, and even a number of WesternAnimation/TheDisneyAfternoon shows into an UltimateUniverse. On the other hand, the 2017 reboot's tone leans more on self-aware comedy than straight adventure and the characterizations differ a lot from the characters' comic book counterparts, and even the episodes' plots take little inspiration from Barks' and Rosa's stories, so much so that even [[WordOfGod Don Rosa himself]] described the reboot as having "virtually no similarity to whatsoever" to the comic books while noting that the older series was at least "very loosely based" on the comic books.
* ''Film/{{Dredd}}'' is considered much closer in tone to the titular judge's characterization in [[ComicBook/JudgeDredd the original comics]] than [[Film/JudgeDredd Sylvester Stallone's version]]. It helps that Creator/KarlUrban's Dredd kept his helmet on for the entire film.
* 1987's ''WesternAnimation/TheNewArchies'' and 1999's ''WesternAnimation/ArchiesWeirdMysteries'' fixed Veronica's UnexplainedAccent from previous adaptations. In ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', Veronica is a New Yorker, yet ''Radio/TheAdventuresOfArchieAndrews'' radio show and [[WesternAnimation/TheArchieShow cartoons influenced by it]] portray her with a Southern accent.
* ''Film/Hellboy2019'' demonstrates more closeness to [[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} the source material]] than Creator/GuillermoDelToro's films. Del Toro's ''Film/Hellboy2004'' and ''Film/HellboyIITheGoldenArmy'' were more specifically based on the first volume, ''Seed of Destruction'', which itself was rife with a few {{Early Installment Weirdness}}es while this film brings to focus the expanded lore in later volumes such as Hellboy's ancestral connections to Myth/KingArthur and Nimue being the BigBad after Rasputin was quietly defeated and done away with. There's also the B.P.R.D.'s expansion from mostly consisting of generic men in black {{Red Shirt}}s to including weird and colorful characters like were-jaguar Ben Daimio.
* The ''WesternAnimation/HellboyAnimated'' animated movie duology is the closest an Hellboy adaptation has come to faithfully adapting the source material's tone. The "Iron Shoes" short, in particular, is an almost panel-by-panel recreation of the original story.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoysDiabolical'' has the short "I'm Your Pusher", which is a direct adaptation of a story from the comics (helmed by one of the comic's writers, no less), and as such, is a much straighter adaptation of [[ComicBook/TheBoys the comics]] than [[Series/{{The Boys|2019}} the Amazon Prime series based off of it]]: Billy Butcher doesn't have a beard and is always smirking, Hughie is a Scot instead of an American, Queen Maeve is blonde instead of a redhead, and Jack from Jupiter makes an appearance.

* ''[[Magazine/{{Mad}} MAD Magazine]]'' has been on a rollercoaster of this. [[https://www.vulture.com/2019/07/mad-magazine-animated-tv-special-abc.html Their first TV adaptation was in 1974]], with an animated special that faithfully adapted the magazine. In 1995, ''Series/{{MADtv|1995}}'' began as a late-night, live-action sketch show. However, after its' first 3 seasons, it largely dropped any pretenses of connection with the magazine aside from the name. It ended in 2009 (with a brief revival in 2016)... and the following year, Creator/CartoonNetwork's animated ''WesternAnimation/{{MAD}}'' went on the air, and was perhaps even more faithful than the 1974 attempt, to the point of having animated versions of the MAD Marginals!

* [[Film/KingKong2005 The Peter Jackson adaptation of King Kong]] is a lot closer to [[Film/KingKong1933 the 1933 movie]] than the preceding [[Film/KingKong1976 Dino De Laurentiis remake]] (which removed the dinosaurs, shifted the setting to the then-present day, and heavily altered the human characters, among other changes), right down to setting the movie ''in'' 1933. The Jackson version goes so far as adapting the "Spider Pit" sequence, a notorious DeletedScene from the original film.

* ''Literature/{{Dracula}}'': ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' and [[Film/CountDracula1977 a 1977 BBC series]] are more faithful adaptations than most, including the iconic ''Film/Dracula1931''. Creator/ChristopherLee enjoyed ''Film/CountDracula1970'', as he felt it was this. The BBC series is considered the most faithful adaptation period.
* ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'':
** ''Film/MaryShelleysFrankenstein'' is a more faithful adaptation of the book than most adaptations, including the iconic ''Film/Frankenstein1931''.
** The ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' episode "[[Recap/WishboneS1E17Frankenbone Frankenbone]]" is notable for being one of the more faithful filmed adaptations of the story, despite being [[CompressedAdaptation condensed]] to fit a series of vignettes in a half-hour episode of a children's TV show. Appropriate, given that ''Wishbone'' is an educational show intended to familiarize children with classic works of literature.
** The 2004 Hallmark mini series is even more faithful than the 1994 film, with a book accurate design for the Creature, a version of the De Lacey’s story (although Safé is AdaptedOut) and far less liberties taken. Although some details are still changed (Walton is older than described, Elizabeth nurses Victor back to health instead of Henry, William’s death is an AccidentalMurder, Victor attempts to prove Justine’s innocence, Ernest is AdaptedOut and the locations are reduced to Geneva and Ingolstadt), the overall story is considered to be the closest to the book.
** The 2008 off Broadway musical adaptation is also a faithful retelling, although some details are changed such as Henry being a priest and [[spoiler: Victor living long enough to apologize to the Creature for abandoning him.]]
* The 2000 ''Series/FrankHerbertsDune'' miniseries took some liberties with [[Literature/{{Dune}} Frank Herbert's book]], but compared to the [[Film/Dune1984 1984 David Lynch movie]], its fidelity is nigh-slavish.
* The 1997 miniseries of ''Literature/TheShining'' was far closer to Creator/StephenKing's book than the [[Film/TheShining 1980 film]], [[spoiler:apart from the miniseries' {{Bowdlerise}}d ending]].

* Creator/TheCoenBrothers said this was their intention when they made their film adaptation of ''Film/TrueGrit''.
* [=Carson McCullers=] adapted her novel ''The Member of the Wedding'' for the stage herself, despite never having written a play before, to preempt the production of a more conventionally theatrical adaptation by another writer.
* ''Film/TheThing1982'' compared to ''Film/TheThingFromAnotherWorld''. The older film uses [[Literature/WhoGoesThere the book]]'s beginning with the researchers finding a UFO in the ice containing an alien, but from there diverges quite a bit. The 1982 movie has the alien keep its assimilation powers and overall stays much closer to the plot of the book.

* ''Film/TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo2011'' is often mistaken for a simple remake, when in fact it's an example of this trope: [[Film/TheMillenniumTrilogy the Swedish film]] suffered from some really bizarre adaptational choices, whereas the American version was an almost 1:1 adaptation of [[Literature/MillenniumSeries the original book]] with [[AdaptationDistillation some very minor cuts to make the story flow better]].

* ''Literature/PeterPan'':
** ''Film/{{Hook}}'' arguably captured the spirit of the Peter Pan original stageplay and book better than [[WesternAnimation/PeterPan the Disney film]], despite being more of a sequel.
** The 2003 live-action ''Film/PeterPan'' is a straighter example.
* ''Literature/LandOfOz'':
** The 1939 movie of ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'' makes fewer changes to ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'' than [[Film/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz1910 some silent movie adaptations did]].
** The 1985 ''Film/ReturnToOz'' comes even closer to the style and tone of the original ''Literature/LandOfOz'' books despite being a blend of the first two sequels, ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' and ''Ozma of Oz''. Dorothy is played by a more age-appropriate child actor, details like the Tin Woodman's backstory from the books and the presence of the Deadly Desert around Oz are included, and the plot adheres closely to the book elements it brings together, including grim elements. However, it also catered to viewers of the MGM film and posed as a sequel with details like the color of the magic slippers and the use of the AndYouWereThere trope, confusing people who [[AdaptationDisplacement didn't know of the books]] and found the film a jarringly frightening follow-up.
** A 1984 TextAdventure from Windham Classics (an offshoot of educational software company Spinnaker) was a shockingly faithful adaptation, almost going scene by scene, save for splitting off at the point where the party hunts for the Wicked Witch of the West by incorporating a ''huge'' chunk of ''The Marvelous Land of Oz'' by finding Tip, Jack, and Sawhorse and quelling Jinjur's revolt. They did have to cut the GenderBender aspect of Tip, though.
** ''Film/TheMuppetsWizardOfOz'' while including lots of jokes and meta humor, also has a lot more plot points from the original novel than many adaptations. (Such as there being four witches.)

* ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'':
** The MadeForTVMovie [[Film/Carrie2002 from 2002]] is much closer to the book than the [[Film/Carrie1976 original film]]. Like the book, the story is [[ScrapbookStory told in flashbacks]] via the interviews that the few survivors give to the police (the book did this through memoirs, investigative reports, and news articles), Carrie destroys the entire town as opposed to just the school and her house, and she [[spoiler:kills her mother with a psychically-induced heart attack rather than stabbing her]]. The only major difference is that [[spoiler:she [[SparedByTheAdaptation survives the ordeal]] and goes into hiding, which was meant to [[PilotMovie lead into a TV series]] which never came about]].
** A [[https://archive.org/stream/pdfy-zl-5PZocV84e4zCB/Carrie%20%282013%29%20Movie%20Script%20%5B10-31-2011%5D_djvu.txt leaked script]] for the [[Film/Carrie2013 2013 adaptation]] also indicated a film that was meant to be closer to the book. The initial teaser indicated that this film, like the 2002 version, would feature the destruction of the town from the book, and hinted at the book's use of flashbacks and witness testimonies to tell its story. ExecutiveMeddling, however, turned it into something close to a ShotForShotRemake of the 1976 film. Naturally, there have been [[http://thetruthinsidethelie.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-carrie-remake-even-if-youve-seen-it.html rumors]] that a lot of scenes (up to 40 minutes' worth) were cut from the finished film, rumors that have been backed up by some of the actors, which has led to a fan petition asking the studio to release an extended cut or at least the deleted scenes.
* The 1971 BBC eight part mini-series adaptation of ''Literature/TheLastOfTheMohicans'' is the most faithful adaptation of the second part of ''Literature/TheLeatherstockingTales'' to date.
* The two-part Richard Lester film adaptation of ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|1973}}'' is extremely close to [[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers the novel]] despite combining, cutting, and killing off some characters. It is more faithful than all other film adaptations.

* The candidates for the most faithful adaptation of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' are the 1959 film ''Film/TheDoctorsHorribleExperiment'', 1971's Film/IMonster and the 1980's Creator/BurbankFilmsAustralia adaptation. Later Broadway revivals of ''Theatre/JekyllAndHyde'' hew closer to the show's original vision, which was darker and edgier than the 1997 version and closer to the book, having Jekyll revel in the freedom Hyde gave him and paraphrasing directly from the book as he contemplated his dual natures. Some play versions also keep the twist a surprise and have Utterson keep his investigatory role. In Noah Smith's stage version of ''Theatre/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'', Jekyll and his friends are middle-aged, Jekyll's hypocrisy is acknowledged by himself and other characters, and Utterson's investigatory role is kept; much of the major incidents from the book are kept, with the exception of Carew's murder, which is given to Enfield. However, it must be noted that no matter how faithful the adaptation is a lot of the story will be changed in some way or another and new characters may be inserted.
* The most faithful adaptation of Literature/TheIliad is ''The Fury of Achilles'', a little-known SwordAndSandal film from 1962.

* The 1972 Italian animated adaptation of ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfPinocchio'' called ''WesternAnimation/UnBurattinoDiNomePinocchio'' (A puppet called Pinocchio) is by far the most faithful adaptation of Pinocchio, having dialogue taken from the book and respecting its topics and times. It shows the Busy Bee Island, for example, which is taken out of many adaptations. The Green Fisherman who almost eats Pinocchio is also present in this adaptation when [[AdaptedOut he's usually not seen in other Pinocchio adaptations.]]

* The 2002 film version of ''Literature/TheQuietAmerican'' was much more faithful to the novel than the 1958 film, which was a product of the UsefulNotes/ColdWar years and was criticised by author Creator/{{Graham Greene|Author}} for being too propagandistic. The biggest change made in the 2002 film was the addition of an epilogue showing newspaper stories by Fowler about [[UsefulNotes/TheVietnamWar the events after]] the novel was first published.
* Creator/MartinScorsese's 2016 adaptation of ''Film/{{Silence}}'' by Creator/ShusakuEndo was far more faithful to the text than the 1971 adaptation by Masahiro Shinoda which took massive liberties with the novel's final section and deleted many important elements from the book. Scorsese's adaptation includes virtually the entire novel, including the WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue.
* The graphic novel of ''Literature/TheBookOfTheNamed'' is this to the 1980s animated special. It keeps the character designs more intact and is significantly less toned down than the cartoon version.
* ''Film/It2017'' and its sequel have the advantage of a bigger budget and an R rating, making them both closer to the book than the 1990 two-part miniseries ''and'' a lot scarier.
** Zig-zagged. Although the 2017-2019 duology is more violent and actually includes the Niebolt house, ''Film/It1990'' is actually more faithful to the plot of the novel, not to mention the fact that ''Film/It2017'' adds a SecondActBreakup and turns Beverly into a DamselInDistress.
* ''Literature/TheJungleBook'':
** The Creator/ChuckJones specials and ''Animation/AdventuresOfMowgli'' have proven to be the most faithful adaptations. The former for the most part are the stories themselves with some minor changes, the latter covers Mowgli's life from childhood to adulthood and keeps the tone of the stories.
** ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'' is also a lot closer to the original books than the Disney adaptations. Tabaqui and Messua have roles in the story when in most adaptations they're AdaptedOut, Shere Khan has a bad leg, Mowgli goes back to the jungle because he struggles at adjusting to human society, Baloo is a serious teacher, Bagheera used to live among humans in a cage, and Kaa (while [[GenderFlip female]] like in the 2016 live-action film) is wise and not a villain.
** ''Film/TheJungleBook2016,'' the Film/{{Disney Live Action Remake|s}} of ''WesternAnimation/TheJungleBook1967,'' keeps most of Disney's changes but adds some material and characters back in, most notably roles for [[NobleWolf Raksha and Gray]] (though the latter [[AgeLift is a pup instead of an adult]]). It also has a darker tone like the books. Shere Khan is [[DisabledInTheAdaptation disabled again]], though it's changed from a club foot to a burned face, providing a FreudianExcuse for his hatred of man and fire.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad'' is one of the most faithful adaptations of ''Literature/TheLegendOfSleepyHollow,'' oddly enough. It's one of the rare versions that leaves the Horseman open to [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane possibly just being a prank]], keeps the AmbiguousEnding, and leaves Ichabod as more of an AntiHero to Brom's AntiVillain. The same movie includes an adaptation of ''Literature/TheWindInTheWillows'' that's much looser, however.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheWindInTheWillows1995'', in turn, is TruerToTheText than the Disney version, cutting almost nothing from the book.
* ''Theatre/TheLightningThief'' musical is a much more faithful adaptation of the [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians first Percy Jackson book]] compared to the [[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians 2010 movie adaptation]]. The [[Series/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians2023 Disney+ series]] also promises to be more faithful to the books, especially since Creator/RickRiordan, the author of the books, is producing the series.
* The second ''Literature/KinosJourney'' anime uses Kino's design from the light novels. The first anime featured a slightly different design with AnimeHair.
* Literature/AChristmasCarol
** In ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol1971'', Scrooge remembering the storybook characters he loved in the Past sequence is usually left out for brevity's sake, with this version being one of the few that keeps it. It also keeps in the many other spirits that Scrooge sees outside his window, the ever-changing appearance of the Ghost of Christmas Past, the lighthouse workers celebrating Christmas, and Ignorance and Want.
** Likewise, ''WesternAnimation/AChristmasCarol1997'' also keeps the storybook characters.
** ''Film/AChristmasCarol1999'' is one of the closest adaptations of ''A Christmas Carol'' filmed, retaining three scenes almost always omitted from other adaptations — the lighthouse workers, coal miners, and sailors on a ship at sea celebrating Christmas. Ignorance and Want are also included, as are the young debtors relieved at Scrooge's death and the other chained spirits Marley shows Scrooge.
* Out of the [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer four]] [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1998 adaptations]] of ''Literature/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer''. [[note]] ''WesternAnimation/RudolphsShinyNewYear'', ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'' and ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys'' don't count. [[/note]] Only two adapted the [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/38/Rudolph%2C_The_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_Marion_Books.jpg original 1939 story/poem by Robert May]]. [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1948 The 1948 cartoon by Max Fleischer]] and the obscure 1996 direct-to-video adaptation ''WesternAnimation/RudolphsLessonsForLife'' by Montgomery Ward are the only versions of Rudolph that actually adapted the original story. ''[[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6aobcs Rudolph's Lessons For Life]]'' even keeps the [[RhymesOnADime rhyming scheme found in the original story]]. The [[Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer Max Fleischer cartoon]] and the 1996 adaptation both show [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture2_0.PNG Rudolph properly meeting Santa in his bedroom]] [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/capture_9285.PNG where he finds Rudolph sleeping]], and Rudolph's red nose glowing all the time ([[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rudolphtherednosedreindeer1948.jpg such as still glowing while Rudolph's sleeping]]), unlike the 1964 and 1998 adaptations where his nose works like a light bulb. [[Creator/RankinBassProductions The Rankin-Bass Special]] and the 1998 movie by Creator/GoldenFilms also adapted the song, while the 1998 movie uses small bits from the 1939 story/poem.

* ''Literature/TheDayOfTheTriffids'' has been adapted for the screen three times. The most faithful was the [[Series/TheDayOfTheTriffids1981 1980s BBC adaptation]], which [[CompressedAdaptation pruned a few subplots]] and overhauled a couple of character backstories to fit with a downplayed SettingUpdate[[note]]the book was set TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture from the perspective of the late 1950s, while the series was set definitively in the then-PresentDay[[/note]] but otherwise stayed very faithful to the text. The [[Series/TheDayOfTheTriffids2009 2009 miniseries]] was much looser, with several {{Composite Character}}s and others having their backstories changed heavily, not to mention some major alterations to the titular [[WhenTreesAttack triffids]]. The [[Film/TheDayOfTheTriffids 1960s movie adaptation]] was [[InNameOnly so different one wonders why they even bought the rights.]]
* ''Series/OnceUponATime'' does this with a lot of the stories it adapts (which were adapted into popular films).
** When [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Oz]] appears, there are four witches to represent the four points on a compass. The witches are given magical items to focus their powers. The shoes are also silver like they are in the book (the MGM film famously made them ruby).
** WesternAnimation/{{Mulan}} is closer to her counterpart in Chinese mythology - a proud young woman who wished to become a warrior and prove herself.
** [[WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians Cruella de Vil]] is [[AdaptationalUgliness attractive]] like her book counterpart, and there's a reference to her being married (she had a husband in the book).
** [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid1989 Ursula]] appears this time as a benevolent sea goddess, referencing that the sea witch was a neutral entity in the original story. When another take on Ursula appears (this one [[NamedAfterSomeoneFamous said to be named after]] the goddess) she too is an AntiVillain who gets redeemed.
** {{WesternAnimation/Pinocchio}} is shown to be very flawed like his book counterpart. While Disney made him a naive child who got talked into bad things because of his innocence, the book version knew right from wrong but still chose wrong more often.
** When the ''{{WesternAnimation/Frozen|2013}}'' characters appear, the show ties them into ''Literature/TheSnowQueen'' tale. The actual Snow Queen appears as a separate character from Elsa (who was inspired by her in the film) and her plot involving a mirror making everyone see the awfulness in humanity comes from the devil's mirror in the story. Anna and Elsa's mother is renamed Gerda after the heroine of the tale (and {{Fanon}} has the father named Kai to follow suit).
** Literature/PeterPan is portrayed as a villain, which isn't too far off his book counterpart - where he was a morally ambiguous AntiHero who would frequently switch sides during fights with the Lost Boys and the pirates.
* ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo'': The [[Series/CatchTwentyTwo 2019 six-part miniseries]] is more faithful to the original book than the [[Film/CatchTwentyTwo 1970 film]], though it still takes considerable liberties due to the book's abundance of plot lines and tons of characters.
* ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'': Both the 1987 Soviet film adaptation ''Desyat Negrityat'' and [[Series/AndThenThereWereNone2015 the 2015 BBC miniseries]] retain the book's EverybodyDiesEnding and deep cynicism. In particular, the Soviet version's ending is nearly 1:1 with the novel's, with the only major deviation being the fact that [[spoiler:Wargrave's confession takes the form of a soliloquy rather than a MessageInABottle]].

* When it comes to ''Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes'', truer to the text adaptations have been minor in their approach. ''WesternAnimation/ReturnToThePlanetOfTheApes'' featured the apes with the advanced technology analogue to the era the show was produced in like how the novel had the apes with technology analogue to the era it was written in, and ''Film/PlanetOfTheApes2001'' keeps the titular planet as being a separate planet rather than a future earth. As previously stated, these more faithful changes are relatively minor.
* ''Franchise/TolkiensLegendarium'':
** As the book had for decades been considered unfilmable, there are only a handful of attempts to adapt ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' to film.
*** Peter Jackson's ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' is by far the closest to the text of the few, starting by ''actually'' breaking it into three films, as opposed to Creator/RalphBakshi's [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings incomplete two-parter]], and Creator/RankinBassProductions only adapting ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing''. Jackson's films also keep more of the large cast and subplots intact.
*** The Extended Editions of the trilogy are this compared to the theatrical release, restoring more content, characters, and explorations of Tolkien's setting that was cut from the theatrical release for time, and concerns that ViewersAreMorons.
*** WXP's licensed [[VideoGame/TheLordOfTheRingsTheFellowshipOfTheRing video game adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheFellowshipOfTheRing'' from 2002 is most notable for being considerably closer to the plot of the book than the Creator/PeterJackson movie. This is because it was adapted directly from the book, and wasn't officially a tie-in with the movie released the previous year (WXP only had the rights to adapt the books into video games, while Creator/ElectronicArts had the rights to adapt the movies). Among other things: Tom Bombadil has a prominent role, the subplot about Frodo selling Bag End and pretending to move to Buckland is added back, much of the dialogue is lifted word-for-word from the text of the novel, and it features an extended prologue set in the Shire where nearly every minor Hobbit character from the books is an {{NPC}}.
** Likewise, there have only been a handful of adaptations of ''Literature/TheHobbit''. Rankin and Bass' animated ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'' is generally viewed as more faithful, as Jackson's [[Film/TheHobbit live-action film]] [[AdaptationExpansion invented numerous subplots, as well as incorporating material from other sources]] (such as the appendices to ''The Lord of the Rings'') to more closely tie his adaptation into ''The Lord of the Rings'', while also inflating the single, relatively short book, to three three-hour films. The 1966 short film was an InNameOnly adaptation.
* When it comes to faithful animated adaptations of {{fairy tale}}s, Creator/{{Sanrio}} was able to successfully pull this off with [[RidiculouslyCuteCritter their characters]] in 1989 and 2000.
** In the summer of 1989, Sanrio created two anime adaptations based on the original [[Creator/TheBrothersGrimm Grimm versions]] (''Hello Kitty no Cinderella'' [[Literature/{{Cinderella}} starring]] Franchise/HelloKitty, and ''My Melody no Akazukin'' [[Literature/LittleRedRidingHood starring]] My Melody). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1uJVsjgjrQ These adaptations are a unique example]], since both were able to keep the company's [[UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} cuteness factor]] while simultaneously sticking to the stories' dark and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Cc1tvo56fk frightening tone.]]
** Sanrio returned to doing more adaptations of fairy tales in 2000 with the [=OVA=] series ''Hello Kitty's Animation Theater'', [[note]] not to be confused with the western made ''WesternAnimation/HelloKittysFurryTaleTheater'' by Creator/DicEntertainment. [[/note]] which also adapts the works of Creator/HansChristianAndersen with other Sanrio characters. The best example is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfkmeoMLSpI their adaptation]] of ''Literature/SnowWhite'' and ''Literature/TheLittleMatchGirl'', which the latter [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrmW8z6NE1E kept the stories']] BittersweetEnding.
* The little-known [[Film/AliceInWonderland1949 1949 film adaptation]] of ''Literature/AlicesAdventuresInWonderland'' is ironically one of the most faithful. The narrative sticks relatively closely to the book without incorporating elements of ''Through the Looking-Glass'', and the puppets that represent the inhabitants of Wonderland are designed to closely resemble the original John Tenniel illustrations. Some characters rarely seen in adaptations, such as the giant puppy, also appear.
* The [[Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1989 1989 version]] of ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' is essentially a SlasherMovie that features time-travel, a deal with the Devil and the flaying/harvesting of skin for the Phantom's mask...but at the same time, it's actually pretty faithful to the original novel in many respects. It features a ''lot'' of details that have often been left out of the various adaptations over the years, such as constant references to Gounod's version of Faust and Christine being cast as the lead role of Marguerite; Erik playing the violin for Christine at Monsieur Daae's grave; the punjab lasso; the rat catcher; Erik having a black mask rather than a WhiteMaskOfDoom like most adaptations. This line especially is used from the original novel:
--> "This is either a wedding march or a funeral mass. You decide."
* The 1962 Broadway musical based on ''Literature/ICanGetItForYouWholesale'', with a script adapted by author Jerome Weidman, is far closer to the original novel than the InNameOnly 1951 movie, despite a few plot changes. In particular, while the movie erases all traces of the main characters' Jewish heritage, the musical plays them up to the point of including a ''bar mitzvah'' scene.
* [[Series/{{Reacher}} The Prime Video adaptation of]] ''Literature/JackReacher'' stars Creator/AlanRitchson, wanting to depict the title character as the big burly blonde of the novels after [[Film/JackReacher the movies]] went for the clear opposite of that in Creator/TomCruise.
* The 2018 (and ongoing) adaptation of ''Literature/LegendOfTheGalacticHeroes'', ''Die Neue These'', not only does a SettingUpdate to the original [=OVAs=], but also sticks more closely to the original novels than the previous anime.
* ''Animation/HeroicTimes'' is a mostly faithful but [[CompressedAdaptation heavily compressed]] retelling of all three ''Literature/{{Toldi}}'' books, told as a flashback via the [[{{Narrator}} narration]] of the bitter elderly Toldi. [[NoNameGiven No characters are named]], [[AdaptedOut some don't appear at all]] and it's so dark and depressing that almost none of the original text's colorful poetry shines through. The 2021 ''Toldi'' animated series and its 2022 theatrical cut, which adapts only the first book, is literally the poem read out aloud word-for-word by the omnipresent ghost of author János Arany talking to the audience (with only a handful passages left out), even visualizing the poem's metaphors and [[ArtShift changing the art style]] every few minutes to follow suit. It's less of an adaptation of the story and more so a whimsically meta visualization of the poem's text, with only small changes to the content.

* The [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 2003 anime adaptation]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' was made when the manga was very early in the author's planned storyline (four volumes into what eventually became a twenty-seven volume series). [[OvertookTheManga Consequently]], its first half adapts then-existing manga chapters with some liberties, and [[GeckoEnding its second half is wholly original]]. By the time the manga was reaching its final year, it had remained popular enough to receive a direct adaptation called ''Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood''.
* ''Manga/{{Hellsing}}'', in a rather similar vein, got a more faithful adaptation in the form of an [[OriginalVideoAnimation OVA]] series, titled ''Hellsing Ultimate''. The fact that creator Kouta Hirano ''hated'' the 2001 TV anime is probably a big reason for that.
* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' is an interesting case. The OVA releases have been faithful to the manga, but they're so deep into a story that none of its [[AdaptationOverdosed multiple previous adaptations]] properly covered, that they won't make much sense to anyone who hasn't read the manga.

* ''Anime/LupinIIITheWomanCalledFujikoMine'' is the most faithful adaptation to the original manga in spirit, tone, and content -- even more than [[Anime/LupinIIIPart1 "Green Jacket."]]
** Some fans, however, argue that ''Anime/LupinIIIPartIII'' is truest to the manga's tone; it lacks the DarkerAndEdgier aspects, but the manga also had plenty of zanier moments both previous and later TV series wouldn't quite reach the levels of. Tonally, at least, ''Pink Jacket'' came closest to reaching the manga's DenserAndWackier aspects. Many fans will argue [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools this isn't a good thing, however]].

* ''Manga/GunslingerGirl Teatrino'' is this to the manga. The art style resembles the manga more closely, it's more of an action/thriller like the manga, and it diverges less from the manga's plot. Henrietta also smiles a lot more in comparison to her perpetually stoic-looking original anime version. Note it being TruerToTheText is seen as a ''bad'' thing by many fans, as the changes are widely scorned, and there are manga fans who are dissatisfied with the adaptation nonetheless.
* The 2011 ''Manga/HunterXHunter'' anime is a straightforward adaptation while the 1999 adaptation included many original ideas and scenes. This does not apply in every facet, however. The 2011 adaptation contains notable moments of censorship and missing scenes such as cutting a character who would later prove to be very important from the first episode.

* The 2001 anime adaptation of ''Manga/FruitsBasket'' only covers the first seven volumes of the manga, is generally LighterAndSofter with more emphasis on comedy, makes several changes to the plot and characters (including unintentionally [[spoiler:[[GenderFlip changing Akito's gender]]]]), and would have [[OvertookTheManga overtaken the manga]] entirely [[WhatCouldHaveBeen had it gone on any longer]]. The 2019 anime adaptation, however, covers the entire story and sticks much closer to the original manga's plot and tone than the first adaptation did. The fact that Creator/NatsukiTakaya ''[[DisownedAdaptation hated]]'' the 2001 adaptation even while it was being made undoubtedly has something to do with it, and she serves as chief production supervisor to the 2019 anime.
* ''Franchise/OnePiece'':
** Though a major case of AdaptationDistillation, the TV special ''[[Anime/OnePieceEpisodeOf Episode of East Blue]]'' contains elements from the [[Manga/OnePiece manga]] that weren't in the original anime, such as Makino having black hair (as opposed to dark green) and Koby getting shot while trying to save Zoro.
** ''Series/OnePiece2023'' keeps Zeff {{Autocannibalis|m}}ing his own leg to survive after he and Sanji are marooned on a barren rock intact, in contrast to the anime (where it was cut off by an anchor when he saved Sanji from drowning).
* The anime adaptation of the ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' spinoff manga ''Manga/TheDisappearanceOfNagatoYukiChan'' restores some characteristics of the original series that were absent in the manga, such as Kyon's FirstPersonSmartass narration and Koizumi's AmbiguouslyGay moments.

* In purely visual terms, the DirectToVideo movie ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}: The Legend Reborn'' stays very true to the designs of the Toys/{{LEGO}} models compared to the earlier Creative Capers movie trilogy, in which many characters were based on unfinished prototypes and got drastically redesigned to look more "real" and organic. They got hands, mouths, visible muscles, altered proportions, some [[ShowAccuracyToyAccuracy resembled their original selves only loosely]]. ''The Legend Reborn'''s characters were almost exact replicas of the toy designs, with only minor changes like emotive eyebrows, odd "lips", less gaps and loincloths. Arguably, the designs were ''too'' accurate: some characters wore "life counters" (a play feature on the toys with no relation to the fiction) and more bizarrely, a replica of Telluris, the rider of the Skopio toy, was designed into the Skopio beast as if he were a part of the animal's anatomy. The film's characters were also indisputably robotic just like the toys, contradicting fiction in which they were organic beings wearing armor and cyber-enhancements. Fans often point out the art styles of the original trilogy and ''TLR'' should have been swapped.

* The anime adaptation of ''VisualNovel/{{Tsukihime}}'' left many fans quite bitter over how much it deviated from the source material to the point of often [[FanonDiscontinuity being declared nonexistent]]. However, the manga adaptation retells the original story more faithfully.
* The 2006 anime adaptation of ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' by Creator/StudioDEEN, while focused on the Fate route, also includes elements of both the "Unlimited Blade Works" route and the "Heaven's Feel" route. However, Creator/{{Ufotable}}'s ''Anime/FateStayNightUnlimitedBladeWorks'' is a version more focused on the titular route. The ''Anime/FateStayNightHeavensFeel'' film trilogy is more of a downplayed example, as while it's more faithful to the "Heaven's Feel" route in some ways, it differs from the source material in others, particularly with its AdaptationExpansion.

* ''Film/InspectorGadget1999'' based on [[WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget the cartoon]] had little in common with the cartoon with the exception of the characters' names. ''Film/InspectorGadget2'' remedied it by having Claw's face not shown, a clumsy Gadget and Penny being a key character.

* ''VideoGame/FromTheFog'': Unlike mods that turn them into an actively malicious monster who can cause griefing levels of damage, or other fan-works that depict him as a ghostly or godly deity in the context of the ''Minecraft'' world, this mod sticks closer to their {{Creepypasta}} depiction as a haunted entity that seems to exist in the world as another PlayerCharacter, who oftentimes stay out of the player's view in a [[StalkerWithoutACrush stalker manner.]]

** The [[WesternAnimation/DiaryOfAWimpyKidRodrickRules 2022 animated adaptation]] of ''Rodrick Rules'' had Greg and Rowley remain trapped in the basement for the rest of the night during Rodrick's party, unlike the live-action film in which Rodrick had to let them out after receiving a call from Susan checking in on him and Greg.

* Though a major case of AdaptationDistillation, the ''Franchise/OnePiece'' TV special ''[[Anime/OnePieceEpisodeOf Episode of East Blue]]'' contains elements from the [[Manga/OnePiece manga]] that weren't in the original anime, such as Makino having black hair (as opposed to dark green) and Koby getting shot while trying to save Zoro.
* The anime adaptation of the ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'' spinoff manga ''Manga/TheDisappearanceOfNagatoYukiChan'' restores some characteristics of the original series that were absent in the manga, such as Kyon’s FirstPersonSmartass narration and Koizumi’s AmbiguouslyGay moments.

** ''Film/{{Mowgli}}'' is also a lot closer to the original books than the Disney adaptations. Tabaqui and Messua have roles in the story when in most adaptations they're AdaptedOut, Shere Khan has a bad leg, Mowgli goes back to the jungle because he struggles at adjusting to human society, Baloo is a serious teacher, Bagheera used to live among humans in a cage, and Kaa is wise and not a villain.

** The ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'' episode "Frankenbone" is notable for being one of the more faithful filmed adaptations of the story, despite being [[CompressedAdaptation condensed]] to fit a series of vignettes in a half-hour episode of a children's TV show. Appropriate, given that ''Wishbone'' is an educational show intended to familiarize children with classic works of literature.

* The ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey Origins Collection'' for UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} and UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, released in 2023, consists of remasters of the first three games in the series. In the case of ''[[VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyI Etrian Odyssey I]]'' (originally released in 2007) and ''VideoGame/EtrianOdysseyIIHeroesOfLagaard'' (originally released in 2008), these lack the new content from the earlier 3DS remakes ''Etrian Odyssey Untold: The Millennium Girl'' (2013) and ''Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight'' (2015), respectively (most notably Story Mode and classes backported from later games). This means a lot of these games' EarlyInstallmentWeirdness is retained and the 3DS versions' changes reverted, such as enemies having still sprites instead of animatated 3D models, [[RoamingEnemy FOEs]] being represented as glowing spherees when exploring the dungeons rather than the monsters' 3D models, certain skills' balance changes being rolled back[[note]]One notable example is the Medic's Immunize skill in the first game. In the DS original, it mitigates all types of damage. In the 3DS version, [[{{Nerf}} it only mitigates elemental damage]]. The ''Origins Collection'' version goes back to the DS version's behavior.[[/note]], and the games charging fees to rename characters and store items as opposed to being free services in the 3DS games. However, some of the quality-of-life features from the 3DS games were kept, such as multiple DifficultyLevels, the more streamlined auto-walk tool, and the skill upgrade interface presenting skills as a visual TechTree rather than a list.

* ''Theatre/TheLightningThief'' musical is a much more faithful adaptation of the [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians first Percy Jackson book]] compared to the [[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians 2010 movie adaptation]]. The [[Series/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Disney+ series]] also promises to be more faithful to the books, especially since Creator/RickRiordan, the author of the books, is producing the series.

* ''[[Theatre/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians The Lightning Thief]]'' musical is a much more faithful adaptation of the [[Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians first Percy Jackson book]] compared to the [[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians 2010 movie adaptation]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Lucky Luke|1983}}'' (1983-1984/1991-1992). The previous animated entries, the feature films ''[[WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeDaisyTown Daisy Town]]'' and ''[[WesternAnimation/LuckyLukeBalladOfTheDaltons Ballad of the Daltons]]'', didn't adapt any story from the [[ComicBook/LuckyLuke comics]] in particular and instead used various characters and situations from the comics. The animated series went for a straight adaptation of the existing comics canon at the time. The following series, ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfLuckyLuke'', went for wholly original stories meanwhile.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBoysDiabolical'' has the short "I'm Your Pusher", which is a direct adaptation of a story from the comics (helmed by one of the comic's writers, no less), and as such, is a much straighter adaptation of the comics than [[Series/TheBoys the Amazon Prime series based off of it]]: Billy Butcher doesn't have a beard and is always smirking, Hughie is a Scot instead of an American, Queen Maeve is blonde instead of a redhead, and Jack from Jupiter makes an appearance.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers 1984]]: Simple and blocky\\
[[Film/Transformers2007 2007]]: Complex and more organic\\
[[Film/{{Bumblebee}} 2018]]: Simple and blocky again]]