Alabama Moon (2009)

After the unexpected death of his survivalist father, an eleven year old boy raised in the Alabama wilderness must learn how to make a home in the modern world.

Director:

Tim McCanlies

Writers:

Watt Key (novel), Watt Key (screenplay),

Stars:

Jimmy Bennett, Gabriel Basso, Uriah Shelton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jimmy Bennett	...	Moon Blake
Gabriel Basso	...	Hal
Uriah Shelton	...	Kit
Clint Howard	...	Constable Sanders
John Goodman	...	Mr. Wellington
J.D. Evermore	...	Oliver 'Pap' Blake
Elizabeth Jackson	...	Rachael Gene
John McConnell	...	Mr. Mitchell
Michael P. Sullivan	...	Mr.Gene (as Michael Sullivan)
Kenny McLean	...	Officer Pete
Lenore Banks	...	Mrs. Broomstead
Mark Adam	...	Uncle Mike
Walter Breaux	...	Mr. Carter
Gary Grubbs	...	Judge Mackin
Peter Gabb	...	George Albroscotto (as Peter J. Gabb)

Storyline

Moon Blake is raised by his loving but government-paranoid father Oliver in a hidden cave in the Alabama forests. Oliver dies from a leg wound he refuses to have medically treated, so Moon is told to move away, alone, and start a new home in the Alaskan wild-lands. Constable Sanders however, the mean local cop, finds the boy with father's gun, abuses him but has him locked away till majority age for 'assualt' in Mr.Gene's grim Pinson home for boys. Moon soon makes friends with shy, sickly Kit and apparent bully Hal, then sets up a mass escape, which only the trio actually goes trough with. sanders fails to catch them, but the unforgiving elements reshuffle the cards dramatically. An uncle is meanwhile found.

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Plot Keywords:

boy | alabama | escape | constable | bully | 

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Taglines:

An adventure for the boy in all of us.

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic elements, language and a brief injury

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alabama Moon - Abenteuer Leben

Filming Locations:

Covington, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alabama Moon Entertainment, Faulkner-McLean Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[first lines]
Moon Blake: Just before pap died, he told me that I'd be fine as long as I never depended on anybody but myself. I made pap's grave just like he done mama's. All I'd have to remember her face was one picture pap kept. I can remember her in the bed at night, keeping me warn from the other side.

User Reviews

Good heart-felt family entertainment

I got the job of picking the Friday night movie for us to watch with our two boys. Alabama Moon turned out to be a great choice.

Although our youngest drifted off about halfway through, our 9 year-old was enthralled with the adventure story. Moreover, although the themes of death, anti- government sentiment and the realities of survivalism were treated fairly lightly, the movie triggered a few insightful questions from the kids - an indication that the level of the movie was perfectly pitched at their level of understanding and ability to deal with serious issues. A bit like Moon himself, really.

Of course there was corn and humour bordering on slapstick (the Constable is a caricature of the mean lawman), but it's right at home in a gentle family film like this. And if you want your kids to gain some deeper insight into what real friendship means, look no further than Moon and Kit.