The Lost Thing (2010)

A boy finds a strange creature on a beach, and decides to find a home for it in a world where everyone believes there are far more important things to pay attention to.

Directors:

Andrew Ruhemann (co-director), Shaun Tan (co-director)

Writer:

Shaun Tan (creator)

Star:

Tim Minchin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 8 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Tim Minchin	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

In a not-so-distant future, somewhere in Australia's sandy beaches, a young boy while collecting bottle tops for his collection, makes an amazing discovery: a humongous and strange, yet friendly creature. Unable to classify this being, the boy soon realises that, in reality, the poor creature is actually lost and it has nowhere to go. But how could someone fail to notice such a magnificent living organism, moreover, how can a little boy find where it belongs?

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Plot Keywords:

creature | boy | beach | australian fantasy | traffic sign | 

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Taglines:

A film for those with more important things to pay attention to.

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Genres:

Animation | Short | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Boy has a sticker on his backpack saying "1974." Shaun Tan, the director and author of the book the film was based on, was born in 1974.

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Quotes

Narrator: Nobody else seemed to notice it was there, they were all too busy doing other stuff, I guess.

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Connections

Edited into The Oscar Nominated Short Films: Animation (2011)

User Reviews

Lovely CGI....

This Australian film is about a young man who finds a very bizarre looking 'thing' at the beach. He has no idea WHAT it is and no one else seems to care or notice. He makes it his job to try to find out where it goes. In the end, he finds a strange land filled with LOTS of strange creatures.

While far from my favorite of the 2011 nominees for Best Animated Short, this is still a very nice film and I enjoyed seeing it. I went to the theater with a friend to see this and we both agreed it was not very likely to win the award--mostly because the story is its weakest aspect. But, I should say that it DID have amazingly wonderful animation. The computer animation is truly wonderful--high quality, unique and impressive. So, in my case, while I didn't love the story (it was a tad weak), the film looked so great that I didn't mind too much. My advice is that it you see it, turn off your brain and enjoy.

UPDATE: I was surprised, but just moments ago I saw that "The Lost Thing" won the Oscar for Best Animated Short. To me, this was a surprise!

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Australia UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 February 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Coisa Perdida

Box Office

Budget:

AUD500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highly Spirited, Passion Pictures Australia

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (HD)