Mary and Max (2009)

Director:

Adam Elliot

Writer:

Adam Elliot (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 2009 (Australia)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Two unlikely people. Two different worlds come together in a story about a most unusual friendship.

Plot:

A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Chocolate | Neighbor | Birthmark | Alcoholic Mother

Awards:

5 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Toni Collette	...	Mary Daisy Dinkle (voice)
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Max Jerry Horovitz (voice)
Barry Humphries	...	Narrator (voice)
Eric Bana	...	Damien (voice)
Bethany Whitmore	...	Young Mary (voice)
Renée Geyer	...	Vera (voice)
Ian 'Molly' Meldrum	...	Homeless Man (voice)
John Flaus	...	(voice)
Julie Forsyth	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher Massey	...	Additional Voice
Shaun Patten	...	Additional Voice
Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen	...	Additional Voice
Leanne Smith	...	Additional Voice
Michael Ienna	...	Lincoln (uncredited)

Directed by
Adam Elliot

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Adam Elliot		writer

Produced by
Iain Canning	....	co-executive producer
Melanie Coombs	....	producer
Mark Gooder	....	executive producer
Paul Hardart	....	executive producer
Tom Hardart	....	executive producer
Henry Karjalainen	....	post-production producer
Andrew Mackie	....	co-executive producer
Bryce Menzies	....	executive producer
Jonathan Page	....	executive producer
Richard Payten	....	co-executive producer
Pauline Piechota	....	associate producer
Tom Wild	....	line producer

Original Music by
Dale Cornelius

Cinematography by
Gerald Thompson

Film Editing by
Bill Murphy

Casting by
Brooke Howden

Production Design by
Adam Elliot

Art Direction by
Craig Fison

Set Decoration by
Isabel Peppard
Claire Tennant

Production Management
Bridget Callow	....	art department production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sue Collins	....	first assistant director
Jemima Daly	....	assistant director: continuity

Art Department
Daniel Agdag	....	sets and props
Michael Bazeley	....	sets and props
Darren Bell	....	lead sculptor
Darren Burgess	....	sculptor
Lindsay Cox	....	sets and props
Jonathan Daw	....	sculptor
Jonathan Daw	....	sets and props
Scott Ebdon	....	armature
Fiona Edwards	....	plasticine colourist
Roger Ferdinando	....	sets and props
Craig Fison	....	sets and props
Robert Gudan	....	armature assistant
Robert Gudan	....	sets and props
John Lewis	....	sculptor
Rob Matson	....	sets and props
Colin Moore	....	sculptor
Colin Moore	....	sets and props
Kailem Nutt	....	lead sculptor
Shaun Patten	....	set construction manager
Shaun Patten	....	sets and props
Isabel Peppard	....	character painting
Isabel Peppard	....	sculptor
Darcy Prendergast	....	lead sculptor
Darcy Prendergast	....	sets and props
Sophie Raymond	....	sets and props
Luhsun Tan	....	model maker assistant
Claire Tennant	....	sets and props

Sound Department
Laurent Boudaud	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Carden	....	sound effects editor
Nick Foley	....	adr recordist
Rick Gould	....	adr recordist
Jason Hancock	....	foley recordist
Doron Kipen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nick Kray	....	adr mixer
Frank Lipson	....	sound effects editor
Andrew McGrath	....	sound re-recording mixer
Erin McKimm	....	location sound recording coordinator
Erin McKimm	....	sound editor
Erin McKimm	....	sound effects editor
John Simpson	....	foley artist
Keith Thomas	....	sound editor
Peter Walker	....	adr supervisor
Peter Walker	....	dialogue editor
Peter Walker	....	supervising sound designer

Special Effects by
Isabel Peppard	....	mould maker
Claire Tennant	....	key mold maker

Visual Effects by
Michael Allen	....	visual effects supervisor
Darren Bell	....	visual effects artist
Giselle Hunter	....	visual effects artist
Leath Mattner	....	visual effects artist
Reece Sanders	....	visual effects artist
Curt Sundberg	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Glen Anderson	....	camera engineering
Jon Billington	....	camera operator
Yen Ooi Chi	....	additional camera assistant
Nic Kocher	....	assistant camera
Calista Lyon	....	assistant camera
Robin Plunkett	....	camera operator
Garry Sneesby	....	camera engineering
Benjamin P. Speth	....	camera operator
Gerald Thompson	....	motion control design and build
Scott Venner	....	assistant camera
Scott Venner	....	motion control assistant
Suzy Wood	....	behind the scenes stills photographer

Animation Department
Daniel Agdag	....	animation assistant
Darren Burgess	....	animator
Lindsay Cox	....	animation assistant
Pierce Davison	....	animation assistant
Jonathan Daw	....	animation assistant
Dick Jarman	....	animator
Anthony Lawrence	....	animator
John Lewis	....	animator
Jason Lynch	....	animator
Al Oldfield	....	animation assistant
Darcy Prendergast	....	animation assistant
Sophie Raymond	....	animation assistant
Craig Ross	....	animator

Editorial Department
Rachel Knowles	....	digital intermediate producer
Patrick McCabe	....	second assistant editor
Dee McClelland	....	DI colorist
Nic Smith	....	digital intermediate technical director
Glen Whelan	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Dale Cornelius	....	music editor
Will Larsen	....	arranger
Will Larsen	....	conductor
Will Larsen	....	music editor
Leanne Smith	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Stephen Carroll	....	production runner
Melanie Etchell	....	title design
Samantha Fitzgerald	....	assistant: mr elliot
Monika Gehrt	....	production accountant
Lynn Johnson	....	caterer
Anna Kaplan	....	set/prop librarian
Stella Kinsella	....	set/prop librarian
Anthony Lawrence	....	mould maker
John Lewis	....	mould maker
Jason Lynch	....	on-set nurse
Patrick McCabe	....	digital post production assistant
Patrick McCabe	....	first aid officer
Bryce Menzies	....	legal services: Marshalls & Dent
Shaun Miller	....	legal services: Marshalls & Dent
Isabel Peppard	....	mould maker
Elvis Pramod	....	additional production assistant
Leanne Smith	....	producers associate
Claire Tennant	....	mould maker
Rita Walsh	....	set/prop librarian
Bree Whitford	....	digital post production assistant

Thanks
Scott Meek	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Melodrama Pictures

Distributors

• Icon Film Distribution (2009) (Australia) (all media)
• Alcine Terran (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Gaumont (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• MFA Filmdistribution (2010) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2009) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Bioscop (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Belgium) (all media)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Luxembourg) (all media)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Netherlands) (all media)
• Mongkol Major (2011) (Thailand) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2009) (Canada) (all media)
• PlayArte Filmes (2010) (Brazil) (all media)
• Soda Pictures (2010) (UK) (all media)
• Sundance Selects (2009) (USA) (TV) (video-on-demand)

Other Companies

• Adirondack Pictures  funding
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Mana Music  soundtrack
• Soundwaves  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"Mary & Max" - Japan (English title) (imdb display title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | Yiddish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec) | Brazil:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (DVD) | Japan:G | South Korea:12 | USA:Not Rated

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Melodrama Pictures

Trivia:

All of the water scenes were created with lubricant.

Goofs:

Factual errors: When Max is seen in court the judge is seen to be wearing a old powdered wig, back dropped by an American flag. This wig however identifies a magistrate operating in a court in a country that is part of the British Commonwealth (such as Australia, Canada, Britain, etc) and is not worn by American judges.

Quotes:

Max Jerry Horovitz:When I was young, I invented an invisible friend called Mr Ravioli. My psychiatrist says I don't need him anymore, so he just sits in the corner and reads.

Movie Connections:

References Harvie Krumpet (2003)

Soundtrack:

Russian Rag

lovely oddball and admirably complex

Coming from Australia, Mary and Max is one of these few films you'll remember all your life. This amazing claymation touches upon an unlikely friendship between two pen pals: a young girl living in Australia and an aging Jew from New York. It's unbelievable what a precisely structured narrative this is. Director-writer Adam Elliot blends odd scatological, yet clever humour with poignant dramatizations to a splendid effect creating one of the best tragicomedies of the past few years. The fact that it's in the form of claymation only helps to enhance uniqueness of the whole experience. The movie was 5 years in the making and this is visible in its every frame. Elliot masterly captures the motion in an endlessly creative manner. Most importantly though, his lovably oddball characters are well developed and admirably complex with all their awkward traits and quirks. Due to its serious themes and dark tone, Mary and Max is an adult movie aiming much higher than its big studio counterparts. It happens to be more contemplative, and intelligent mimicking the real life with all its ups and downs. Calling Elliot's movie an extraordinary piece of art is certainly not an overstatement.