Lost Ollie

Last updated

Lost Ollie
Lost Ollie.png
Netflix poster
Genre
Created by Shannon Tindle
Based onOllie's Odyssey
by William Joyce
Directed by Peter Ramsey
Starring
Voices of
Narrated byJonathan Groff
Composers
  • Scot Stafford
  • Stephen Spies
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
CinematographyC. Kim Miles
Running time41–51 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseAugust 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)

Lost Ollie is an American live action/animated television miniseries created by Shannon Tindle. The series is based on the 2016 children's book Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce. It tells the story of a lost toy searching across the countryside for his owner and blends live-action performances with computer-generated animation.

Contents

Lost Ollie was released on August 24, 2022, by Netflix.

Synopsis

A lost rabbit toy, Ollie, finds himself at a lost and found section of an antique shop. He remembered that he was separated from his best friend, Billy. Having only a few recollections of his past, Ollie decides to take a journey to find Billy. Meanwhile, he slowly rediscovers his own fond memories with Billy and his family alongside their misfortunes and sorrows. [1]

Cast

Voice cast

Live-action cast

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Ollie Is Lost" Peter Ramsey Teleplay by: Shannon Tindle August 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)
2"The Quest"Peter Ramsey Joanna Calo August 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)
3"Bali Hai"Peter RamseyMarc HaimesAugust 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)
4"Home"Peter RamseyShannon Tindle & Kate GerstenAugust 24, 2022 (2022-08-24)

Production

Lost Ollie was created by Shannon Tindle, known for his work on Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings . [2] The series was produced by 21 Laps Entertainment, the same production company behind Stranger Things . It was directed by Peter Ramsey, [3] who directed Rise of the Guardians , another adaptation of a Williams Joyce book, and also co-directed Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse . The series uses a mix of live-action and CGI to bring the toy characters to life, with visual effects crafted by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to blend the animated and real-world elements seamlessly . [4]

Development

On October 6, 2020, Netflix director Teddy Biaselli revealed that Lost Ollie had been picked up by the streaming platform, mentioning that the series had been in the works since 2016. [5]

Casting

On March 9, 2021, Jonathan Groff was cast in the title role, with Mary J. Blige, Tim Blake Nelson, Gina Rodriguez, Jake Johnson, and Kesler Talbot also joining the series and production beginning in Vancouver. [6] [7]

Filming

Principal photography for the series began on February 1, 2021, with filming taking place inside and outside College Park Elementary from February 9 to February 11 in Port Moody. According to Production Weekly, filming concluded in March 2021. [8] Scenes were also shot in and around Tindle’s hometown of Shepherdsville, Kentucky. [9]

Soundtrack

On the soundtrack, the Norwegian band, Hayde Bluegrass Orchestra, performed the cover of the Everly Brothers' version of All I Have to Do is Dream . The song was written by Boudleaux Bryant, arranged and co-produced by Scot Stafford. [10] [11]

Release

Lost Ollie premiered on Netflix on August 24, 2022, as a four-part limited series. It became a notable entry in Netflix's growing library of family-oriented programming. [12]

Reception

The series overall was received positively. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 93% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.1/10.The website's consensus reads: "Well-crafted and painfully poignant, the wistful Lost Ollie is rewarding family entertainment." [13]

Rendy Jones of RogerEbert.com gave the series 3.5/4 stars praising its visuals, writing, and characterization. He emphasized the "breathtaking" visuals on the series as well as the dark and sentimental approach to the formula. [14] Stephanie Snyder of Common Sense Media gave the series 4/5 stars praising its cinematography and storytelling while criticizing its "inauthentic" Southern accent of the characters. [15] Joel Keller of Decider similarly praised its visuals provided by the effects team of ILM while criticizing the characters' "unnatural" accent. [16]

Awards

AwardDate of CeremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
ASC Awards March 5, 2023 Pilot, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television C. Kim Miles (for "Bali Hai")Nominated [17]
Children's and Family Emmy Awards December 16–17, 2023 Outstanding Lead Performance in a Preschool, Children's or Young Teen Program Gina Rodriguez Nominated [18] [19]
Outstanding Writing for a Live Action Preschool or Children's Program Shannon Tindle, Joanna Calo, Marc Haimes and Kate GerstenNominated
Outstanding Directing for a Single Camera Program Peter Ramsey Won
Outstanding Art Direction/Set Decoration/Scenic DesignLost OllieNominated
Outstanding Cinematography for a Live Action Single-Camera ProgramC. Kim MilesNominated
Outstanding Lighting, Camera and Technical ArtsBlaine Ackerly, Brad Creasser, Junichi Hosoi and Ryan McGregorWon
Outstanding Editing for a Single Camera ProgramRyan Chan and Debby GerminoWon
Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Live Action ProgramScot Stafford, Stephen Spies and Justine von WinterfeldtWon
Outstanding Sound Mixing and Sound Editing for a Live Action ProgramJamey Scott, Rob Hanchar, Michael Williamson, Jonathan Stevens and Joshua WingetNominated
Outstanding Visual Effects for a Live Action ProgramLost OllieWon [a]

Notes

  1. Tied with Jane

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References

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  2. Failes, Ian (November 18, 2022). "Shannon Tindle and Peter Ramsey: a 'Lost Ollie' conversation". befores & afters. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  3. Zahed, Ramin. "Peter Ramsey Discuss the Deceptively Simple Magic of 'Lost Ollie'". www.animationmagazine.net. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  4. White, Peter (October 6, 2020). "Netflix Orders Family Series 'Lost Ollie' From 'Coraline's Shannon Tindle, 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse's Peter Ramsey, 21 Laps & Industrial Light & Magic". Deadline. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  5. Low, Elaine (October 6, 2020). "Shannon Tindle, Peter Ramsey to Adapt William Joyce's 'Ollie's Odyssey' for Netflix". Variety . Archived from the original on October 6, 2020.
  6. Goldberg, Lesley (March 9, 2021). "Gina Rodriguez, Jake Johnson to Star in Netflix Family Drama 'Lost Ollie'". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  7. Petski, Denise (March 9, 2021). "'Lost Ollie': Jonathan Groff, Mary J. Blige, Gina Rodriguez Among Six Cast In Netflix Family Series". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  8. Asatryan, Tigran (March 23, 2021). "'Lost Ollie' Netflix Limited Series: What We Know So Far". What's on Netflix. Archived from the original on April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  9. Adams, Kirby. “Netflix's newest animated film, 'Lost Ollie,' is set in this small Kentucky town”. Courier Journal. Published August 24, 2022. Accessed May 5, 2023.
  10. "'All I Have to Do Is Dream' Cover from Netflix's 'Lost Ollie' Released | Film Music Reporter" . Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  11. "Netflix' Lost Ollie Soundtrack | Soundtrack Tracklist". soundtracktracklist.com. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. Milligan, Mercedes (June 30, 2022). "Netflix Plans a Summer of Family Fun with First Looks at Lost Ollie, Rise of the TMNT & More". Animation Magazine . Retrieved June 30, 2022.
  13. "Lost Ollie: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  14. Jones, Rendy. "Lost Ollie movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  15. Snyder, Stephanie. "Lost Ollie TV Review | Common Sense Media". Common Sense Media . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  16. Keller, Joel. "'Lost Ollie' Netflix Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider . Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  17. Tangcay, Jazz (January 9, 2023). "'The Batman', 'Top Gun: Maverick', 'Elvis' Nominated by American Society of Cinematographers". Variety . Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  18. Coates, Tyler (November 2, 2023). "Children's & Family Emmy Awards: Disney Dominates Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  19. "With Five Wins, Netflix's 'Lost Ollie' Is Top Winner at Saturday's CAFCA Emmy Awards". Animation Magazine . December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.