Lela Lee’s ‘Angry Little Girls’ headed for TV and film adaptations
By Carl Samson
“Angry Little Girls,” the 2000 webcomic from actress, cartoonist and writer Lela Lee, is being adapted into a new television series and several movies.
About the brand: “Angry Little Girls,” whose roots can be traced to a 1994 video called “Angry Little Asian Girl,” follows Kim, a 6-year-old Korean American girl angered by gender and racial stereotypes. For the upcoming adaptations, Lee has partnered with Gamechanger Films, according to Deadline.
- Lee says the idea’s inception in 1994 came at a time when “being angry for a young woman was taboo.” The creator, who was expressing herself through Kim, felt ashamed of what she had made, so she kept it in the closet until several years later.
- Lee eventually added more episodes to her work. By 2000, “Angry Little Girls” became the umbrella term for the comic strip world she had created, which was starting to gain recognition.
- “Angry Little Girls” became incorporated in 2003 as Lee sought to license her art for merchandise companies. Her first book was published in April 2005 and has since been translated into Korean, German and French.
- Today, the comic’s first 12 episodes are available on YouTube. Weekly comics are available at GoComics.
What to expect: Aside from Kim, Gamechanger’s scripted projects will feature diverse characters originally depicted in the comic strip, including Deborah, Maria, Wanda, Xyla, Pat and Bruce. The company will also “look to support the brand’s expansion in the realm of merchandise,” Deadline noted.
- Gamechanger Films Chief Executive Officer Effie T. Brown said Lee’s “honesty, humor and moxie” perfectly aligns with their mission to elevate diverse and singular voices. “[We] have no doubt that ‘Angry Little Girls’ is a brand that will speak to and captivate viewers from a massive spectrum of backgrounds,” she said in part.
- In a new YouTube video, Lee released a statement explaining why it took so long for her work to come to TV and film. “She tried to walk in the doors that others used, but she was told, ‘no.’ No one wanted to give her a chance, or they presented her with tricky documents. She trusted herself only, did her own thing, and perfected her work,” she wrote.
- The upcoming adaptations will amplify the voice of the angry little Asian girl who was kept silent 27 years ago. Lee continued, “Over two decades later, as more women got into decision-making positions, she got a woman agent who introduced her to a fierce woman producer, and they knew it was TIME TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.”
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