History SparedByTheAdaptation / LiveActionFilms

* ''Film/DDay'', a remake of ''Film/{{Commando}}'', omits the shootout in a shopping mall halfway through, where the original have a few policemen killed but the remake has zero casualties.

* ''Film/TheDeep'': In the book, Treece loads his boat with explosives and rams Cloche’s boat after the salvage job, killing both men. In the film, Cloche dies earlier, in the underwater fight, and Treece survives.

** John Hammond in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'', likely due to being [[AdaptationalNiceGuy portrayed in a much more positive light]] than in the book. Ian Malcolm as well, which may have led Michael Crichton to make him NotQuiteDead in the [[Literature/TheLostWorld1995 book sequel]], despite it being mentioned that he died in [[Literature/JurassicPark the first one]]. It's actually an ''inversion'' of the deaths (ignoring Malcolm being {{retcon}}ned as NotQuiteDead): In the book, Gennaro and Muldoon survive while Hammond and Malcolm are killed. In the film, Muldoon and Gennaro [[DeathByAdaptation are killed]] by the rampaging dinosaurs and the survivors are Hammond and Malcolm. It's eventually mentioned that Hammond died sometime prior to ''Film/JurassicWorld'' (presumably due to [[Creator/RichardAttenborough his actor]] having [[TheCharacterDiedWithHim passed away in real life]]), though it was from natural causes.

** In the [[Film/DeathNote2017 American remake]], both Light and L survive the events of the story]]. However, the movie's AmbiguousEnding strongly suggests that L may use the Death Note to kill Light now that he knows he is Kira.

* Possibly the case with Weena in ''Film/{{The Time Machine|1960}}''. In [[Literature/TheTimeMachine the original novel]] she is separated from the protagonist in the midst of a forest fire and he it unable to find her. Ultimately her fate is left ambiguous, but the protagonist (who narrates the story) isn't optimistic about her odds of survival. In the movie she very clearly survives and almost joins the protagonist in his own time (which is only prevented when the Morlocks trap him in the statue and he is forced to use time travel to escape, as in the book).

* In the ''Literature/BookOfExodus'', the Pharaoh drowned when the Red Sea crashed underneath him and his army once Moses and the Hebrews reached the other side of the sea. But in ''Film/TheTenCommandments1956'', Ramses never accompanied the soldiers when the sea receded, returning home humiliated as he never captured the slaves. Justified (as in ''WesternAnimation/ThePrinceOfEgypt''), since the real UsefulNotes/RamesesII died of natural causes after living a long life.

* In the [[Film/TheHobbit film adaptation]] of ''Literature/TheHobbit'', Azog The Defiler survives the Battle of Azanulbizar by getting his arm cut off and being presumed dead, instead of [[OffWithHisHead getting his head cut off]] like in the book. [[spoiler: He finally dies during the Battle of the Five Armies when Thorin stabs him through the chest.]]

* Atreyu's horse, Artax, in the movie adaption of ''Film/TheNeverendingStory''. While it does die by sinking in a swamp through despair just like in the book, it comes back to life at the end of the movie [[spoiler:thanks to Bastian presumably wishing it back to life]]. And it appears in the second movie, still alive.
** It's implied that in the film, the effects of the Nothing were completely reversed by Bastian saving Fantasia, so everyone who died as a consequence is alive (including the characters who survived the novel without ''ever'' dying); in the novel, they stay dead but Fantasia was recreated when Bastian saved it (with new areas and such being formed). Given that the realm is [[spoiler:the manifestation of human wishes and dreams, taking on a physical form]], this makes sense in context.

* The Renfield-type character in ''Film/{{Nosferatu}}'', both the original and in Werner Herzog's remake.
* In the Creator/MNightShyamalan film ''Film/{{Old}}'', [[spoiler:siblings Trent and Maddox]] are able to escape the RapidAging effects of the beach with their lives. In ''Sandcastle'', the graphic novel the film was based off of, no one survives.

* Charles Cheswick in ''Film/OneFlewOverTheCuckoosNest''. WordOfGod states that Cheswick was spared in order to [[spoiler:make Billy's death all the more shocking.]]

* In the film version of ''Film/RawheadRex'', the eponymous BigBad is [[spoiler: sealed away by an ancient totem but escapes at the end of the movie.]] In the [[Literature/RawheadRex original short story]], he's [[spoiler: killed by an angry mob.]]
* The 2001 Direct-to-Video adaptation of John Steinback's classic novel, ''Literature/ThePearl'', [[spoiler:doesn't kill off Kino and Juana's baby son, Coyotito at the end. In fact, the novel's iconic ending where Kino throws his pearl back into the sea is retained with his wife Juana holding the not-really-dead Coyotito beside him, when the death of his son in the novel is what ultimately makes Kino decide the pearl isn't worth keeping]].
* Norman Bates in the ''Film/{{Psycho}}'' follow-up movies.
* In ''Literature/ReadyPlayerOne'', Daito's real world counterpart is killed by the Sixers. In [[Film/ReadyPlayerOne the film]], he survives the events and is made co-controller of OASIS along with the rest of the High Five.

* In TheMagicalLegendOfTheLeprechauns, a LighterAndSofter version of ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'', all of the dead characters are brought back and it ends with Mickey and Jessica and Jack and Kathleen's weddings.

* ''Film/{{Rosaline}}'': Unlike in the play, [[spoiler:Paris, Romeo, Juliet, and Lady Capulet all survive]], since Rosaline and Dario's intervention means [[spoiler:Romeo is informed of the FakingTheDead plan in time.]]

* In the ''[[Franchise/StarWarsLegends Legends]]'' continuity of ''Franchise/StarWars'', Chewbacca got KilledOffForReal in ''[[Literature/NewJediOrder Vector Prime]]'', which was set approximately 21 years after ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. In ''Film/TheForceAwakens'', set 32 years after ROTJ, Chewbacca is alive and well [[spoiler:and in a truly tragic sense of irony, it's Han Solo who dies instead.]]

* ''Film/{{Surrogates}}'': At the end of the original comic [[spoiler:Maggie Greer]] committed suicide after the Surrogates were all shut down. In the movie [[spoiler:she and her husband]] instead just face each other physically for the first time in years.
* Again if you count real life as source material, Kim Sa-bok died in 1984, years after helping a German journalist film the uprising in Gwangju in 1980. In ''Film/ATaxiDriver'', his counterpart Kim Man-seob lives for at least 23 more years.

* ''Film/ThatDarnCat:'' Gregory's mother has recently died in the book, but in the film, she's alive, [[TheGhost albeit offscreen]], and Gregory is a MommasBoy.
* The 2011 film version of ''Film/{{The Three Musketeers|2011}}'' spares Milady de Winter, the Duke of Buckingham, and Constance Bonacieux. Cardinal Richelieu's survival is not an example; his deaths in previous adaptations are actually examples of DeathByAdaptation (he survives the original book).
* The 1948 film adaptation of ''Theatre/TheTimeOfYourLife'' spares Blick the offstage death which he meets in the play.

* Both the kids and the would-be killer in the remake of ''Film/WhenAStrangerCalls''.

** Mariko Yashida, who was killed in the comics, but survives till the very end of ''Film/TheWolverine''. [[spoiler:Well, at the time, as the later ongoing ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'' revealed that the Hand resurrected her and turned her into the Scarlet Samurai.]] This is also the case for her fiancé Noburo.

** In ''ComicBook/OldManLogan'', Professor Xavier and ComicBook/{{X 23}} were already dead. ''Film/{{Logan}}'', which is inspired by it, sees Xavier [[CompositeCharacter take over]] ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}'s role and X-23 is the crux of the plot. [[spoiler:That said, it's a case of "Dies Later" for Xavier as he's killed near the end of the movie.]]

SparedByTheAdaptation in {{Film}}s.

* In ''Film/BlueIsTheWarmestColor'' [[spoiler:Adèle lives unlike [[AdaptationNameChange Clémentine]] in the [[ComicBook/BlueIsTheWarmestColor comicbook]]]].
* In ''Film/TheBlueLagoon1949'', Emmeline and Michael (Dick in the book) embark on a perilous journey from the island and succumb to hypothermia, whereas their child Paddy (Hannah in the book) survives. In contrast, [[Literature/TheBlueLagoon the source novel]] portrays Emmeline, Dick, and Hannah stranded in a lagoon, [[spoiler:only to be found by Arthur Lestrange unconscious but still breathing]], highlighting their dire situation. The sequel, ''The Garden of God'', further unveils Em and Dick's fate, leaving Hannah as the lone resilient survivor.

* ''Film/TheBravados:'' [[spoiler:Primo]] is absent during the jailbreak in the film and never encounters the convicts afterward. In the book, Taylor drowns him in a bucket of drinking water as [[spoiler:Primo]] distributes it to the prisoners.

* The 1930s adaptation of ''Theatre/TheChildrensHour'', ''These Three'', doesn't have [[spoiler:Martha]] kill herself. This combined with censoring the lesbian plot completely changes the plays meaning.

* ''Film/{{Closer}}'': Alice Ayres/[[spoiler:Jane Jones]] breaks up with Larry Gray and goes back to New York. In the original play, she was outright dead.
* ''Film/CloudAtlas'': [[spoiler: Joe Napier from ''Half-Lives'', Timothy's brother Denny from ''The Ghastly Ordeal'', and Zachry from ''Sloosha's Crossin[='=]''.]]

** In the ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' comics, Billy Batson's parents are {{Posthumous Character}}s who, depending on the continuity, either died in a car accident or were killed by ComicBook/BlackAdam. In the 2019 ''Film/{{Shazam|2019}}'' movie, [[spoiler: Billy's mother is still alive but gave him up for adoption. His dad, meanwhile, is said to be in prison after having committed an unspecified crime.]]
** ''Film/TheSuicideSquad'': [[spoiler: In the original ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'' comics, Weasel's one and only mission with the team ended with him being killed by Rick Flag. In the film, Weasel seemingly drowns during the opening scene, only for TheStinger to reveal he was merely unconscious.]]

* Misa Amane is heavily implied to have committed suicide at the end of ''Manga/DeathNote'' and its anime adaptation, but survives the live-action movies. She does die [[SequelGap ten years later]] in the sequel movie, ''Film/DeathNoteLightUpTheNewWorld'', which barely escapes this trope by virtue of being an original film not adapted from any previous work.
** Ukita also survives the film, Mogi [[DeathByAdaptation dying in his place]], as does Soichiro Yagami. The tradeoff for Soichiro, though, is that [[spoiler: he knows just what kind of monster Light is.]]
** In the [[Film/DeathNote2017 American remake]], [[spoiler: both Light and L survive the events of the story]]. However, the movie's AmbiguousEnding strongly suggests that [[spoiler: L may use the Death Note to kill Light now that he knows he is Kira]].
* ''Film/TheDeep'': In the book, [[spoiler: Treece loads his boat with explosives and rams Cloche’s boat after the salvage job, killing both men. In the film, Cloche dies earlier, in the underwater fight, and Treece survives.]]

* Thufir Hawat is shown in the crowd watching Paul's duel with Feyd-Rautha at the end of ''Film/Dune1984''. His death scene just before that duel was filmed, but was cut.

* The originally filmed ending to ''[[Franchise/{{Rambo}} First Blood]]'' was much closer to the novel by David Morrell, which had John Rambo forcing Trautman to kill him. However, due to Rambo's more sympathetic portrayal in the film, a new ending was filmed which had Rambo being arrested instead, making the sequels possible. [[AdaptationDisplacement Due to the relative obscurity of the novel]], not many are aware that Rambo was supposed to die in the first film. Ironically, Morrell adapted the film's sequels into novels; as such, he took note of the CanonDiscontinuity in the first sequel, throwing said discontinuity out the window just as quickly.

* Two characters in ''Film/TheGoldenCompass'': Tony Makarios, whose daemon is severed from him, and Roger. In the book, both are killed. There may have been plans for Roger to die in the following movie (though his death was in the end of the first volume of the book series, not the second,) but since that movie will apparently not be made, as it actually stands Roger survived in the film. The script did, in fact, include Roger's death and that scene was filmed before being removed.
** Tony is an odd case, as in the movie his character is [[CompositeCharacter merged with Billy Costa]] - Billy loses his daemon the way Tony did in the book (and she has the same name as Tony's did), but the reference to the severing of daemons unavoidably killing their human counterparts, if they're just a child (all children who lose them in the novels are stated to die later on) is removed, and Lyra in the film's last scene comments on the need to help the kids who lost their daemons. ExecutiveMeddling actually ''forced'' the writers to NeverSayDie in the movie adaptation - a minor character mentions that several children separated from their daemons escaped, but were found dead later on (with the character simply falling silent after being outright ''asked'' if they were alive) - which is also the reason that 30-minutes were chopped off the end of the movie (and one sequence was moved into an earlier point of the story). If the film had [[WhatCouldHaveBeen gotten sequels]], their adaptation of ''The Subtle Knife'' would have reputedly opened with these deleted scenes.
*** Roger's death is also critical to the plot, as it highlights the lengths to which Lord Asriel is [[WellIntentionedExtremist willing to go in order to free the multiverse from the Authority]] (and create the contrast with Lyra), so the delaying measure of removing these scenes only served to weaken the movie (and might have saved it from becoming a StillbornFranchise - giving the movie better earlier reviews and potentially drawing more viewers into theatres).
* ''Film/TheGunsOfNavarone''. Stevens shatters his leg, contracts gangrene, and [[YouShallNotPass pins down a German assault single-handedly to buy time for his teammates to escape and continue their mission]] in the book. Major Franklin is captured, and though there's no hint of when or whether he'll be repatriated, he's at least shown alive and knows that the team's mission was a success.

* ''Film/HarryPotter''
** Barty Crouch Jr. in ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire''. In the book, he got Dementor's Kiss. The movies state that he will be send back to Azkaban. He also suffers from ChuckCunninghamSyndrome as in later movies, all the Death Eaters are freed but he never appears alongside them. Some people simply assume that he did get a Dementor's Kiss and that filmmakers simply counted on that anyone who watched the movies simply read the books. Alternatively, he could be in the crowd of Death Eaters and simply not shown.
** Possibly Wormtail, who's book death is replaced by a TapOnTheHead. It's not clear if this was supposed to kill him or not, as it's presented somewhat comedically and that trope is (at least in fiction) usually not fatal, but he doesn't appear again after this scene. His original death was filmed, but had to be cut as the sequence was deemed too dark and would have bumped up the film's rating. Some have also argued Voldemort might have killed him during his rampage at Gringotts, or just for [[YouHaveFailedMe failing him one too many times]].

* ''Film/HeartsOfThree'':
** The native Queen survives to the end, so that they can have a PairTheSpares ending. In Creator/JackLondon's [[Literature/HeartsOfThree original novel]], she is shot by the BigBad without much fanfare.
** Subverted with Hedwig. In the book, Harry takes her with him when he leaves the Dursleys and she's killed in the following chase scene. In the film, he lets her go before the chase scene, only for her to return and die [[TakingTheBullet taking a spell]] [[HeroicSacrifice for him]].

* The population of planet Earth in 'Film/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy2005''.

* Played with regarding Marsha in ''Film/TheHowling1981''. The final scene confirms that Marsha survived the destruction of the Colony; her [[Literature/TheHowling1977 book]] counterpart [[AdaptationNameChange Marcia]] is [[MoeGreeneSpecial shot through the eye]] with a silver bullet and drops dead, although the sequel does {{retcon}} her death to reveal she actually survived, albeit seriously injured.

** John Hammond in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'', likely due to being [[AdaptationalNiceGuy portrayed in a much more positive light]] than in the book. Ian Malcolm as well, which may have led Michael Crichton to make him NotQuiteDead in the [[Literature/TheLostWorld1995 book sequel]], despite it being mentioned that he died in [[Literature/JurassicPark the first one]]. It's actually an ''inversion'' of the deaths (ignoring Malcolm being {{retcon}}ned as NotQuiteDead): In the book, Gennaro and Muldoon survive while Hammond and Malcolm are killed. In the film, Muldoon and Gennaro [[DeathByAdaptation are killed]] by the rampaging dinosaurs and the survivors are Hammond and Malcolm. Though Hammond, would eventually be mentioned to have died sometime prior to ''Film/JurassicWorld'' (presumably due to [[Creator/RichardAttenborough his actor]] having passed away in real life).
** Dodgson is eaten in [[Literature/TheLostWorld1995 the second book]], but in [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark the second movie]], a CanonForeigner plays his role. He eventually returns in ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'', where [[spoiler:he finally does die, [[DiesDifferentlyInAdaptation although under totally different circumstances]]]].

* ''Film/KnockAtTheCabin'': In ''Literature/TheCabinAtTheEndOfTheWorld'', Wen is accidentally shot dead. Author of the source material Paul Tremblay confessed that no studio would greenlight the adaptation unless the DeathOfAChild was replaced, so the film ends with Wen surviving [[spoiler:and Eric subjected to DeathByAdaptation in her stead]].

* Mari and Justin in the 2009 remake of ''Film/TheLastHouseOnTheLeft''.

* In the musical film version of ''Film/LittleShopOfHorrors'', Seymour and Audrey both escape their fate of being eaten by the plant, which is killed. Partly subverted in that, in the stage musical, Audrey was a victim of DeathByAdaptation, having survived in the original film, while the plant, who died in the original film, ends up surviving.

* Saruman and Wormtongue in the theatrical versions of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' movies. Not so much in the Extended Editions (which explains why the palantír is in the water when Pippin picks it up).
** Additionally, in the books the Isengarders set one of the Ents ablaze and it's implied he burned to death. In [[Film/TheLordOfTheRingsTheTwoTowers the film]], the Ent survives long enough to douse himself in the monstrous flood (actually, it's more like the flood came earlier), turning an off-screen moment of villainy into a FunnyBackgroundEvent.
* In the play ''Film/MadchenInUniform'' is inspired by [[spoiler:Manuela]] succeeded in her suicide. In the film it was an InterruptedSuicide.

* In ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'', [[spoiler: the titular character and her [[TheDragon Dragon]] Diaval]] both survive thanks to LoveRedeems, whereas in ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'' [[spoiler:Maleficent]] was killed by Prince Phillip and [[spoiler:Diaval]] was TakenForGranite by the fairy godmothers.

** In ComicBook/UltimateMarvel universe, ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}} had a wife named Laura and three kids, all of whom were killed by Comicbook/BlackWidow during ''ComicBook/TheUltimates 2''. Laura and the kids appear alive and well in ''Film/AvengersAgeOfUltron'', with Black Widow (who isn't a traitor in this continuity) serving as the children's [[HonoraryUncle Honorary Aunt]]. [[spoiler: They later die in ''Film/AvengersEndgame'', but are revived by the end of the movie.]]

*** Likewise, in the comic, Iron Man, Thor, and Hulk are all killed during the first battle with Thanos. In the films they all survive despite losing the battle [[spoiler:though Iron Man does die in the final battle in Endgame]].

* ''Literature/TheMist'' has [[spoiler: Jim Grondin]] still alive at the supermarket when David and his group make their escape. In the book, [[spoiler: he was killed during the pharmacy expedition]].
** The unnamed mother who left the store early in the film [[spoiler: is revealed to have been rescued, along with her children, in the climax]]. Her fate was left unknown in the book, but she was generally presumed to have been killed like nearly everyone else who left the store.

* The original novel ''Literature/MySistersKeeper'' [[spoiler:has a TwistEnding in which ''Anna'', the healthy sister, is killed in a freak car accident, and one of her kidneys is given to Kate, allowing the latter to survive.]] The film [[NotHisSled flips this around]] to the more expected ending, [[spoiler:where Kate dies and Anna does not]].

* ''Film/SevenDaysInMay'': Prentice is last seen telling Scott that they need to abandon the coup right before Lyman's radio broadcast in the film. In the book, he either commits suicide or gets distracted and runs off the road by accident as he listens to Lyman's speech.

* Rapunzel in the film version of ''Film/IntoTheWoods''.

* ''Film/InTheHeartOfTheSea'', a film portrayal of the Essex whaleship disaster, has William Bond, the black steward, survive the disaster, probably because the filmmakers feared being accused of racism if none of the black crewmembers survived, never mind history. The film, in fact, does him a bigger disservice by taking a heroic feat he committed in reality (diving into the flooding ship to retrieve the navigational equipment, which undoubtedly saved the lives of the crew) and giving it to first mate Owen Chase instead.

* In the novel ''Film/TheLastDetail'', the main character, Billy "Badass" Buddusky is killed, but since in the film, he's played by Creator/JackNicholson, he survives in the film.

* At the time ''Film/{{Superman}}'' was made, both Ma and Pa Kent were dead in the comics by the time Clark becomes Superman. In the film, however, only Pa Kent dies. In the Post-Crisis comics both Kents are still alive making Jonathan Kent dying on ''Series/{{Smallville}}'' DeathByAdaptation. He's dead again in the Comicbook/{{New 52}}.

* ''Film/GetCarter''. Jack Carter dies at the end of both the novel and 1971 film, but survives at the end of the 2000 remake.

** In the ''Film/{{Aquaman|2018}}'' film, Arthur's father Thomas is still alive in the present day, and serves as part of the supporting cast. In Aquaman's original [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfComicBooks Golden Age]] origin story from ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (1941) and his [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] origin from ''Adventure Comics'' #260 (1959), Thomas died when Arthur was still a young man. In the ComicBook/New52 ''Aquaman'' run (which the movie is mostly based on), Thomas Curry's death is a ''very'' significant part of Arthur's backstory, as the one who accidentally caused Thomas to have a heart attack was David Hyde, the man who would later become ComicBook/BlackManta.

* In the novel ''The Last Detail'', the main character, Billy "Badass" Buddusky is killed, but since in the film, he's played by Creator/JackNicholson, he survives in the film.

* ''Film/MaxPayne:

** In the game, Nicole Horne dies when Max causes an antenna to fall on her hhelicopter. In the film, Max shoots BB on the helipad and Horne escapes and becomes a KarmaHoudini. The stinger sequence suggests that Max doesn't intend to let her stay that way.

* Nicole Horne becomes a KarmaHoudini in ''Film/MaxPayne''. The stinger sequence suggests that Max doesn't intend to let them stay that way.

* In ''Film/TheBlueLagoon1949'', Emmeline and Michael (Dick in the book) embark on a perilous journey from the island and succumb to hypothermia, whereas their child Paddy (Hannah in the book) survives. In contrast, [[Literature/TheBlueLagoon the source novel]] portrays Emmeline, Dick, and Hannah stranded in a lagoon, highlighting their dire situation. The sequel, ''The Garden of God'', further unveils Em and Dick's fate, leaving Hannah as the lone resilient survivor.

* In ''Film/TheBlueLagoon1949'', Emmeline and Michael leave the island but succumb to exposure to the ocean, leaving their fate ambiguous. Meanwhile, in the [[Literature/TheBlueLagoon novel]], Emmeline, Dick, and Hannah are stranded in a lagoon without oars, with their survival uncertain. The film emphasizes the child's survival, while the novel presents a more dramatic ending, highlighting the characters' precarious situation.
* King Pellinore is a supporting character throughout the musical ''{{Theatre/Camelot}}'', and is with Arthur in the final scene. In T. H. White's ''Literature/TheOnceAndFutureKing'', upon which the musical is based, he [[DroppedABridgeOnHim gets a bridge dropped on him]] half-way through the third book.

* The 1962 version of ''Film/CapeFear'' ends with Sam Bowden arresting Max Cady. Both the original novel, ''The Executioners,'' and 1991 remake, end with Bowden killing Cady instead.

* In ''Film/CasinoRoyale1954''[[note]]The first screen adaptation of a Franchise/JamesBond novel, released in 1954 as a television movie/episode of the anthology series ''Series/{{Climax}}''[[/note]] Valerie (this film's version of Vesper Lynd) survives.

* ''Film/CocaineBear'': The titular bear survives to the end of the film. The real-life bear that inspired the film died by OD.

* In ''Film/CasinoRoyale1954''[[note]]The first screen adaptation of a Franchise/JamesBond novel, released in 1954 as a television movie/episode of the anthology series ''[[Series/{{Climax}} Climax!]]''[[/note]] Valerie (this film's version of Vesper Lynd) survives.

* John Hammond in ''Film/JurassicPark1993'', likely due to being [[AdaptationalNiceGuy portrayed in a much more positive light]] than in the book. Ian Malcolm as well, which may have led Michael Crichton to make him NotQuiteDead in the [[Literature/TheLostWorld1995 book sequel]], despite it being clearly implied that he died in [[Literature/JurassicPark the first one]].
** It's actually an ''inversion'' of the deaths (ignoring Malcolm being {{retcon}}ned as NotQuiteDead): In the book, Gennaro and Muldoon survive while Hammond and Malcolm are killed. In the film, Muldoon and Gennaro [[DeathByAdaptation are killed]] by the rampaging dinosaurs and the survivors are Hammond and Malcolm. Though Hammond, would eventually be mentioned to have died sometime prior to ''Film/JurassicWorld''.
** Dodgson is eaten in [[Literature/TheLostWorld1995 the second book]], but in [[Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark the second movie]], a different character plays his role, and he eventually returns in ''Film/JurassicWorldDominion'', where [[spoiler:he finally does die]].
** The 1993 movie does [[FridgeLogic spare a lot of background employees]] by having them board a ship to the continent before the hurricane hits the island. Among the saved is chief geneticist Henry Wu, who is killed by raptors in the novel, but is still alive in the 2015 sequel ''Film/JurassicWorld''.

* In the movie version of ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'', Spiker and Sponge aren’t crushed by the peach as they are in the book and arrive in New York to confront James one last time. Fortunately, it turns out they’re scared of insects, and once James' insect friends show up, they are quickly restrained by Miss Spider and lead away by the police for what we can assume is a well deserved punishment.

* The 2001 Direct-to-Video adaptation of John Steinback's classic novel, ''Literature/ThePearl'', [[spoiler:doens't kill off Kino and Juana's baby son, Coyotito at the end. In fact, the novel's iconic ending where Kino throws his pearl back into the sea is retained with his wife Juana holding the not-really-dead Coyotito beside him, when the death of his son in the novel is what ultimately makes Kino decide the pearl isn't worth keeping]].