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 (based upon the novel by), James Whittaker (screenplay)

Stars:

Jimmy Bennett, Gabriel Basso, Uriah Shelton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jimmy Bennett	...	Moon Blake
Gabriel Basso	...	Hal Mitchell
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 his father's guns, abuses him and has him locked away till majority age for 'assault' within 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, on which only the trio actually follows through. 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 | abuse | bully | death | 

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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

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the book by Watt Key.

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Goofs

Constable Sanders wears the rank of a General (star) on his shirt's shoulders but the rank of a Colonel (eagle) on his collars.

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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, but I can remember her in the bed at night, keeping me warm from the other side.

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Soundtracks

Racing
Written by Rondale Overstreet, Dorothy Overstreet, Jim Coman, Jacquie Snellman
Performed by Rondale

User Reviews

A simple, not simplistic family movie

Alabama Moon is a lovable movie, as long as you can remember what's being a child and dreaming about a grand forest adventure, living off nature, standing by yourself, dodge bullies, defy all odds and make some great friends in the process.

It is, as well, a film about dead, losing and moving on, in life. So fun? yes, simple? ditto, addressed to children? spot on, simplistic? no, I don't think so, the answers Alabama Moon gives to the great questions of life might be simple, perhaps too simple for an adult, but in a world who dodges anything related to death and loss a film that raised this question should not be easily forgotten.

Watch with your 11 years old heart on.