Even An Animated Twilight Show Can’t Fix The Book’s Silliest Decision

Even the proposed animated Twilight show can’t fix (or even redeem) the silliest decision Stephenie Meyer made when writing her vampire novels. Lionsgate, the studio that holds the onscreen rights to Meyer’s Twilight Saga, has been shopping around a new project: an animated series based in the Twilight universe. At a time when romantasy novels are having another surge in mainstream popularity, it’s probably the best time to revive the ultra-popular vampire romance series. The first film in the saga, 2008’s Twilight, starred Kristen Stewart as teenager Bella Swan and Robert Pattinson as perpetual teen (and vampire) Edward Cullen.

The first film was a sleeper hit, making $408.4 million against a comparatively modest $37 million budget. Twilight went on to launch an immensely lucrative film franchise, adapting Meyer’s remaining three books. The five films in the Twilight Saga (Meyer’s fourth book, Breaking Dawn, was split into two films) made a whopping $5.28 billion based on how much each Twilight movie made. It’s no secret that Twilight doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel: its forbidden romance between a mortal and a vampire who must rebuke his bloodthirsty impulses isn’t novel — except for one silly wrinkle Meyer invented.

Making Vampires Sparkle Remains 1 Of The Twilight Books’ Silliest Decisions

Stephenie Meyer Invented A Ridiculous Bit Of Vampire Lore

Since Meyer’s first book rose to popularity, fans have wondered why vampires sparkle in Twilight. Without a doubt, Meyer’s choice to inject this original bit of vampire lore remains rather mind-boggling, and has been subject to backlash. It’s one of the key issues that franchise naysayers mock and criticize. The author of the Twilight Saga clearly wanted a more PG way to reference the fact that vampires can’t withstand sunlight. Notably, that’s precisely why Edward and the rest of the Cullen brood relocated to the always-rainy and overcast Forks, Washington.

Still, it’s hard to take the sparkling vampire thing seriously. In the novel, it’s meant to be a beautiful stand-in for Edward’s sun intolerance: the sparkling reveals that he isn’t human, but the teenage vampire doesn’t have to burst into flames. This becomes an even more substantial plot point in the second film and book, New Moon. After breaking up with Bella, Edward hopes to attract the attention of a vampire clan called the Volturi. In order to draw their eyes — and death-dealing fangs — he decides to step into the sunlight in an incredibly public place.

Animating Twilight’s Vampires Won’t Fix The Franchise’s Sparkling Problem

Even Animation Can’t Justify The Vampires’ Look

The Twilight movies never had the best special effects. The first movie, which had a more indie feel, features numerous sequences that come across as visually off-putting. Most often, these sequences center on the Cullen family’s vampire powers. Their super speed and strength looks outright ludicrous in certain moments, especially when Edward is memorably displaying his powers to Bella for the first time. An animated series can fix a lot of these visual issues by making them look more believable within the context of a cartoon world. However, even the most dazzling animation can’t redeem Meyer’s sparkling vampire decision.

The effect in the movies is incredibly cheesy, but also jarring. In fact, it raises more questions than anything else. Even though the Cullens are careful about where they live, favoring cloudy locales, that doesn’t mean they aren’t standing in the sun’s rays. It’s hard to accept in live-action form, and it’s hard to imagine an animated Twilight show doing much to soften the jarring sparkling look. While it may work in the book (and in readers’ minds), the sparkling skin isn’t very appealing or visually interesting. Instead, it’s just one of Twilight‘s more silly and distracting aspects.

The Twilight Remake Should Just Cut This Part Of The Source Material

The Twilight Show Has The Chance To Make Much-Needed Changes

Animated or not, if a Twilight remake comes to fruition, it should just cut the sparkling vampires element. Aside from New Moon‘s ending, the strange skin trait isn’t crucial to the Twilight Saga movies. In the case of New Moon, creators can certainly find some workarounds; there’s more than one way for Edward to flag his vampirism in a public space. According to Meyer, the Twilight vampires’ sparkling skin is also a reference to their hard marble skin. This visual difference also accounts for their superior strength; however, all of that could remain true without Twilight‘s vampires needing to sparkle.