Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid turned the middle-school misery of Greg Heffley into one of publishing's most reliable franchises, and the screen adaptations have followed in two distinct waves. The hand-drawn books, represented here by entries like The Third Wheel and Dog Days, built their comedy on stick-figure cartoons and Greg's gift for self-serving narration.

The live-action films (2010 through The Long Haul) cast real kids and leaned into slapstick, while Disney's animated reboot, beginning with the 2021 movie, finally matched the look of Kinney's drawings on screen. The seasonal Christmas entry shows the series stretching into holiday territory. It is comfort entertainment with a mean streak, honest about how petty and anxious being eleven really is. That refusal to make Greg likable is exactly why kids keep reading and watching.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise spans 4 books, 8 films in the CrossBinge catalog.