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

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:

AUD 500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Highly Spirited, Passion Pictures Australia

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color (HD)

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

A masterpiece found: "The Lost Thing"

The lost thing rises as a breath of fresh air against an ever rising tide of wise cracking or sickly cute fur balls and violent comic animation fueled by the American market. At around 15 minutes in length "The lost thing" had a production time line sprawled over nearly ten years with the bulk of work done over three years. The required creative control in adapting and complementing a very popular book have clearly been kept in check buy the directorial hand of the original illustrator and author Shaun Tan and very small production team principally Leo Baker, the main animator and computer graphics artist Tom Bryant.

It is a simple story which reflects on human natures diminishing observation and appreciation of a world out side the day to day pathway we are all forced to travel by both greater authority and selfish ambition. Childlike observations laced with surrealistic circumstance create the distinctly dream like world of "The Lost Thing"

"The lost thing" is short but so visually rich with Shaun Tans remarkable eye for detail it feels complete and invites repeated viewing. If your a little over street wise dudes with stand up comic sarcasm, over blown CGI action coupled with misfiring plots take a medicinal shot of "The Lost Thing". You can not go wrong.