Mee-Shee: The Water Giant

Last updated

Mee-Shee: The Water Giant
MeeShee.jpg
Directed by John Henderson
Written by Barry Authors
Produced byBarry Authors
Rainer Mockert
Gary Hannam
Ken Tuohy
Starring Bruce Greenwood
Daniel Magder
Tom Jackson
Joel Tobeck
Rena Owen
Jacinta Wawatai
CinematographyJohn Ignatius
Edited byBill Jones
David Yardley
Music by Pol Brennan
Distributed by Screen Media Ventures (Canada)
Universal Pictures (United Kingdom)
ContentFilm (Germany)
Release date
  • 28 June 2005 (2005-06-28)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
Germany
Canada
LanguageEnglish
Budget$40,000,000

Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (also known simply as Mee-Shee) is a British-German [1] family film shot in New Zealand in 2002 and released in 2005. It stars Bruce Greenwood, Rena Owen, Tom Jackson and Daniel Magder.

Contents

The film is based upon the Canadian folklore water monster, known as the Ogopogo. This folklore started with Aboriginal peoples in Canada, and while the film was in production complaints from one Aboriginal chief about cultural appropriation caused the film and its title monster to be renamed "Mee-Shee". These complaints and the renaming drew media attention and generated controversy.

The film itself received some good reviews. Some critics praised the performances, although evaluations of the special effects were mixed. In Canada, Mee-Shee was only released on DVD and never played in theatres.

Plot

A U.S. oil company loses a drill, intended to do work in the Arctic, while flying over a Canadian lake. Company employee Sean is contacted to go to Canada to find it; however, he has to cancel plans to take his son to Walt Disney World. Although his son, Mac, is disappointed, he agrees to go with his father to Canada. Once in Canada, they meet a local native named Custer who helps Sean and another employee on their mission.

They visit the lake using a submarine, and after taking pictures of the bottom of the lake discover incredibly deep giant rivers. The legend of Mee-Shee says that the rivers lead to the ocean. Sean and Mac rent the home of Mrs. Coogan, a kindly lady whom Sean refers to as "Mary Poppins".

Mac, Sean and others see vague images of Mee-Shee that spark their curiosity. Upon meeting Custer's daughter Pawnee, Mac goes with her to a cave where local native woman "Crazy Norma" feeds Mee-Shee. This is where they first meet the unique creature. Mac runs back to the house to tell his father, but Mrs. Coogan warns that Mee-Shee's life could be endangered if the outside world knew of it.

Meanwhile, saboteurs Snead and Watkins, agents of a rival oil company who pose as Greenpeace representatives, destroy Sean's equipment and search for the drill themselves. Their first time under the water, they see Mee-Shee and shoot him with a harpoon. When Mac finds him again in the cave he removes the harpoon, and tells environmental ranger Laura about it. Events lead to a search for Mee-Shee and conflicts with the saboteurs. The saboteurs capture Mee-Shee and attempt to kill him, but an even larger Mee-Shee appears, meaning that the one in the net is a baby and the larger one is an adult. Enraged, the mother attacks the saboteurs and kills them. Out of gratitude, the baby Mee-Shee retrieves the drill but they decide that they don't want it and throw it back. All of a sudden, eight more members of Mee-Shee's family appear out of the water, both old and young (showing that there's more than one).

Production

Background

According to regional folklore, the Ogopogo is a creature that lives in Okanagan Lake in British Columbia. It has been compared to the Loch Ness Monster, another supposed water creature in Scotland, or with a plesiosaur. [2] Aboriginal peoples have claimed that belief in the Ogopogo is a part of their culture, although they called it Niataka or N'ha-aitk, and the name "Ogopogo" was invented by a board of trade in 1926. [2] The folklore has also been commercialized, inspired merchandise and drew tourism for the Okanagan. With this commercialization, one reporter found it natural that the Ogopogo would also inspire a film, saying that "Eventually movie makers were bound to sit up and take notice, and movie makers did". [3]

Canadian screenwriter Barry Authors wrote the screenplay for Mee-Shee after reading about the Ogopogo in a magazine. [1] It was written in 1996, and originally entitled Loch , a Scottish Gaelic word for "lake", but not filmed until six years later. Authors resided in Britain at the time, but eventually opted for a more Canadian feel and renamed his work Ogopogo. [4] Authors also wanted to portray his film as a "showcase for Canadian talent and storytelling" and "a cross between Free Willy and E.T. ". [5]

Filming

The film version was directed by John Henderson, who had previously directed Loch Ness (1996) about the similar folklore in Scotland. [1] They first made plans to film the story on Okanagan Lake, the rumoured domain of the Ogopogo, but had troubles with the scenery and relocated to Lake Winnipeg. US actress Whoopi Goldberg was initially going to play a Native Canadian, which would require makeup since Goldberg is a US black woman. However, due to concerns that Lake Manitoba might experience a winter, the project was moved to New Zealand. Goldberg was unwilling to travel there and left the project. [1] Authors' son Jeff Authors, who had worked on the White Fang TV show, had suggested New Zealand, saying "New Zealand can double for Canada. Not only is it beautiful, but it looks just like Canada in all the remote spots you want, and you'll probably find a more remote lake there". [4]

The creature itself was created by Jim Henson's Creature Shop using both CGI and puppetry and modelled after the late US actor Walter Matthau. [1] The film cost $40 million. [1] The filming in New Zealand took place on Lake Wakatipu at Queenstown in 2002. Authors remarked it was nice to work in New Zealand because "The crews were very, very keen to do anything that was required... New Zealand had just done Lord of the Rings, and they had a taste of major motion pictures". Other filming was done in England with a water tank, and the computer work was carried out in England between 2003 and 2004. [4]

Naming controversy

According to Barry Authors, most Aboriginal-Canadian leaders were supported while using the name "Ogopogo" in the film. However, one Aboriginal complained that the legend was too holy, so Authors renamed the creature "Mee-Shee". [1] The Aboriginal who did not want the name "Ogopogo" used was Stewart Phillip, a Penticton chief. Phillip asked that the names "Ogopogo" and "Okanagan" not be used because "It's an international concern among indigenous people about the exploitation of spiritual entities and being and whatnot for commercial purposes. This is not an isolated incident". The Māori people, natives in New Zealand who owned the land on which the filming was taking place, supported Phillip. [2] Phillip's requests attracted some media attention and generated debate. One newspaper writer accused Phillip of "xenophobia" threatening "free speech". This writer suggested that Aboriginal cultures can be "respected", but others can still appropriate the cultures because "Nobody owns a culture". [6] The well-known Canadian writer W.P. Kinsella weighed in on the issue, criticizing the name change by saying, "Filmmakers can tell any story they want any time they want, and they don't need permission from these troublemakers... Make the movie. F*** them all". [7] A Canadian scientist, Ed Bousfield, even objected to Aboriginal claims to the Ogopogo because he felt the Ogopogo was real. (At the same time, Bousfield attacked non-believers, accusing his "ivory tower colleagues" of "the worst kind of scientific elitism".) [5]

Conversely, The Vancouver Sun suggested that "Obviously, we're best off when native people tell native stories. Witness Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner , the debut film of Inuit film". Meanwhile, the Ogopogo "joins Santa Claus and Christ as cultural icons that have been so celebrated and abused it's hard to view them as any particular group's property". Thus, this newspaper suggested that Barry Authors should be pleased that with this incident, he "raised awareness of the Ogopogo's cultural importance to native people" while the film itself would be "a trifling confection of no particular consequence". [8] Writer Randy Boswell connected this debate with similar controversies over appropriation that had been going on for over a decade, and also noted Aboriginals had been previously upset with a contest to catch or photograph the Ogopogo in 2001. [5]

Cast

When the film was to be made in Manitoba, a local executive Kim Todd told the press that she expected the project would attract major US celebrities, as well as actors from Canada. [9] The cast ultimately comprised:

Release

Mee-Shee premiered in London on 28 June 2005. In the Czech Republic, it was released on 14 July and in May 2006, it reached the Philippines and Russia. [14] In New York City in 2006, the film was played at the Tribeca Film Festival. [15]

While the film was released in some theatres all over the world, in Canada, it was only released on DVD in July 2006. Authors wanted the film to run in theatres, but remarked that "We got caught up in an unfortunate series of events that's very upsetting". He also said the German producers were responsible for the film is not playing in theatres. [1] Later, in October 2006, the film ran in the Fantasy Worldwide Film Festival in Toronto, with one journalist calling it "a family-oriented feature about a giant whale". [16]

Soundtrack

The end credits of the film feature the song "Do You Find" performed by Dreambard and sung by Tara Ni Bihrion. "Sunday Morning Blues" with lyrics by Barry Authors and music by Roger Spoooer features in the film itself with composed music by Pol Brennan.

Reception

In 2002, Maclean's discussed the film and described the Ogopogo creature/legend as a success since it was "ready for a $32-million movie close-up". The blurb also read, "Move over, Nessie", referring to the Loch Ness Monster. [10] Ultimately, Maclean's critic Brian D. Johnson called Mee-Shee a "good yarn" and complimented the acting and setting. However, he claimed that some of the special effects looked "pretty cartoonish". [1] Johnson and a few other Canadian critics also pointed out the irony in the fact that British Columbia has been used in films to portray other places, but this time another place was portraying British Columbia. [1] [4] [17]

One Allmovie critic writes that Mee-Shee is "delightful", approving of some of the special effects and comparing Mee-Shee's appearance to "a plesiosaur, a manatee, a walrus, etc.", although he adds that the CGI is "sloppy" at times. He says that the creature can fuel a person's "curiosity and interest" and the storyline works even though it is typical in describing a man who almost never has time for his son. Like Johnson, Allmovie critic also approved of the acting. [12] The Penticton Western News also called it a "good family adventure". This newspaper explained that the creature is "well done", the story was "good" and the film "is no more violent than Lion King or any other Disney movie". [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea monster</span> Legendary sea-dwelling creature

Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are often pictured threatening ships or spouting jets of water. The definition of a "monster" is subjective; further, some sea monsters may have been based on scientifically accepted creatures, such as whales and types of giant and colossal squid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake monster</span> Lake-dwelling entity in folklore

A lake monster is a lake-dwelling entity in folklore. The most famous example is the Loch Ness Monster. Depictions of lake monsters are often similar to those of sea monsters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogopogo</span> Mythical creature in British Columbia

In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopogo now plays a role in the commercial symbolism and media representation of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penticton</span> City in British Columbia, Canada

Penticton is a city in the Okanagan Valley of the Southern Interior of British Columbia, Canada, situated between Okanagan and Skaha lakes. In the 2016 Canadian Census, its population was 33,761, while its census agglomeration population was 43,432.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan Lake</span> Lake in British Columbia, Canada

Okanagan Lake is a lake in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. The lake is 135 km (84 mi) long, between 4 and 5 km wide, and has a surface area of 348 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanogan River</span> River in North America, through southern British Columbia and north central Washington state

The Okanogan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called the Okanagan Country east of the Cascade Range and north and west of the Columbia, and also the Okanagan region of British Columbia. The Canadian portion of the river has been channelized since the mid-1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peachland</span> District municipality in British Columbia, Canada

Peachland is a district municipality in the Okanagan Valley on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people. Peachland is approximately half-an-hour's drive south of the city of Kelowna and about a 20-minute drive north of Summerland. The Okanagan Valley is very narrow in the area and there are few terraces that mark former lake levels and the former lake bottom. As a result, the city is largely located on a steep sidehill. Like many other areas in the Okanagan, Peachland is rapidly growing, with new residents coming from all across Canada. Across the lake from Peachland is Rattlesnake Island, home of the legendary Ogopogo. Peachland is approximately 370 km from Vancouver, British Columbia, on the British Columbia south coast.

Jeannette Christine Armstrong is a Canadian author, educator, artist, and activist. She was born and grew up on the Penticton Indian reserve in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley, and fluently speaks both the Syilx and English languages. Armstrong has lived on the Penticton Native Reserve for most of her life and has raised her two children there. In 2013, she was appointed Canada Research Chair in Okanagan Indigenous Knowledge and Philosophy.

In Canadian folklore, the Manipogo is a lake monster said to live in Lake Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada. The creature was dubbed Manipogo in 1960, the name echoing British Columbia's Ogopogo. It is the namesake of the Manipogo Provincial Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Champ (folklore)</span> Alleged lake monster in Lake Champlain, United States

In American folklore, Champ or Champy is the name of a lake monster said to live in Lake Champlain, a 125-mile (201 km)-long body of fresh water shared by New York and Vermont, with a portion extending into Quebec, Canada. The legend of the monster is considered a draw for tourism in the Burlington, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York areas.

<i>Magic in the Water</i> 1995 film by Rick Stevenson

Magic in the Water is a 1995 American family adventure fantasy film directed by Rick Stevenson and written by Icel Dobell Massey and Stevenson from a story by Stevenson, Icel and Ninian Dunnett. It stars Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, Harley Jane Kozak and Sarah Wayne. The plot follows two siblings and their preoccupied father who take them on a vacation to a remote Canadian lake in British Columbia, where the siblings discover the lake is said to be inhabited by a mysterious lake monster. The film was distributed by TriStar Pictures and produced by Triumph Films released to generally negative reviews.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphre</span> Legendary lake monster of Lake Memphremagog

In Canadian folklore, Memphre is a lake monster said to live in Lake Memphremagog, a fresh water glacial lake located between Newport, Vermont, United States and Magog, Quebec, Canada.

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip is an Okanagan Aboriginal leader who has served as President of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs since 1998. As Chief of the Penticton Indian Band in British Columbia from 1994 until 2008, as well as Chair of the Okanagan Nation Alliance, he has advocated for Aboriginal rights for the First Nations in that province and particularly in the Okanagan region. He was awarded the title Grand Chief by the Okanagan Nation in 2006 in honour of his lifetime of commitment to and work for Indigenous rights and title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan Falls</span> Community in British Columbia, Canada

Okanagan Falls is a community located on the south end of Skaha Lake in British Columbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okanagan Desert</span> Semi-arid shrubland area in British Columbia, Canada

The Okanagan Desert is the common name for a semi-arid shrubland located in the southern region of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and Washington. It is centred around the city of Osoyoos and is the only semi-arid shrubland in Canada. Part of this ecosystem is referred to as the Nk'mip Desert by the Osoyoos Indian Band, though it is identical to the shrublands elsewhere in the region. To the northwest of this area lies an arid shrubland near Kamloops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water horse</span> Mythical creature

A water horse is a mythical creature, such as the Ceffyl Dŵr, Capaill Uisce, the bäckahäst and kelpie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Igopogo</span> Mythical creature in Ontario

In Canadian folklore, the Igopogo is a mythical creature said to dwell in Lake Simcoe, Ontario. The creature's name is ostensibly based on the Ogopogo, of Lake Okanagan, British Columbia, and also the title of the 1952 book I Go Pogo, a slogan often mentioned in the comic. Other nicknames for the Igopogo include Beaverton Bessie, after Beaverton, Ontario, and "Kempenfelt Kelly" after the bay that extends from the lake into the city of Barrie, Ontario. The city of Barrie erected a sculpture of the Igopogo at the waterfront.

<i>The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep</i> 2007 American film

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a 2007 fantasy drama film directed by Jay Russell and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on Dick King-Smith's children's novel The Water Horse. It stars Alex Etel as a young boy who discovers a mysterious egg and cares for what hatches out of it: a "water horse" which later becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster. The film also stars Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and David Morrissey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Cannings (British Columbia politician)</span> Canadian biologist, author, and politician

Richard J. "Dick" Cannings is a Canadian biologist, author and politician. He was elected as the South Okanagan—West Kootenay Member of Parliament in the 2015 Canadian federal election for the New Democratic Party, and re-elected in 2019. As a member of the 42nd Canadian Parliament he sponsored three private member's bills: one to promote the use of wood in federal public works projects, one to add various lakes and rivers to Navigable Waters Protection Act, and another to a Minister of Environment to respond to a Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada report. Cannings was appointed the NDP Critic for Post-Secondary Education as well as the Deputy Critic for Natural Resources in the 42nd Canadian Parliament. He became the NDP Critic for Natural Resources in 2016 and served in that position until 2021. In October 2021, he became the NDP Critic for Emergency Preparedness and Critic for Small Business and Tourism, as well as Deputy Critic for Natural Resources and Deputy Critic for Innovation, Science and Industry. In December 2021, he was named an inaugural member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Research.

In Canadian folklore, Seelkee is a lake monster reported to have lived in the swamps of what is now Chilliwack, in British Columbia, Canada. Seelkee has been allegedly seen by the Stó:lō, First Nations, people for hundreds of years. The most common description of Seelkee is a 10 to 15-foot-long sea serpent like beast with the head of a horse.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Johnson, Brian D. (31 July 2006). "Ogopogo gets drawn Down Under". Maclean's . Vol. 119, no. 29. p. 56.
  2. 1 2 3 Brean, Joseph (8 March 2002). "Natives in two nations spear the elusive Ogopogo: Moviemakers give in to demands". National Post . Don Mills, Ontario. p. A.1.FRO.
  3. ↑ Boden, Karen (7 March 2002). "Debate of monstrous proportions just silly". Alberni Valley Times. Port Alberni, B.C. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Andrews, Marke (15 July 2006). "New Zealand stands in for B.C. in flick based on the Ogopogo myth". The Vancouver Sun . Vancouver, B.C. p. D.3.
  5. 1 2 3 Boswell, Randy (17 March 2002). "A monster of a debate: WHO 'OWNS' OGOPOGO?/ The fabled B.C. sea creature has surfaced into the latest storm over what native leaders call an 'invasion of our spirituality' by non-native artists". Edmonton Journal . Edmonton, Alberta. p. D.4.
  6. ↑ "Exploiting Ogopogo". Nanaimo Daily News. Nanaimo, B.C. 19 March 2002. p. A.4.
  7. ↑ Boswell, Randy (9 March 2002). "Renaming Ogopogo movie 'absolute idiocy,' W.P. Kinsella charges: Outspoken author urges filmmaker not to cave in to native 'troublemakers'". The Ottawa Citizen . Ottawa, Ontario. p. A.3.
  8. ↑ "Cultural appropriation and real consequences". The Vancouver Sun . Vancouver, B.C. 9 March 2002. p. A.26.
  9. ↑ "Ogopogo film to be made in Manitoba". Daily Bulletin. Kimberley, B.C. 7 April 2000. p. 10.
  10. 1 2 "A Princely manor". Maclean's . Vol. 115, no. 11. 18 March 2002. p. 9.
  11. ↑ Warren Clements, "Canterbury's wartime pilgrimage", The Globe and Mail , Toronto, Ontario, 28 July 2006, p. R.25.
  12. 1 2 Butler, Craig. "Mee-Shee: The Water Giant: Review". Allmovie . Retrieved 9 January 2007.
  13. ↑ NZ film stars 'fantastic' says producer, New Zealand Herald, Auckland, Thursday 4 Apr 2002
  14. ↑ "Release dates for Mee-Shee: The Water Giant (2005)", Internet Movie Database, URL accessed 7 January 2007.
  15. ↑ "Mee-Shee: The Water Giant: Awards". Allmovie . Retrieved 9 January 2007.
  16. ↑ Dixon, Guy (27 October 2006). "TREAT YOUR GARDEN GNOMES". The Globe and Mail . Toronto, Ontario. p. R.17.
  17. ↑ "Commuters forced to endure hours in Okanagan Valley traffic: Rumours and things". Penticton Western News. Penticton, B.C. 23 July 2006. p. 10.
  18. ↑ "Event centre will bring expanded opportunity to the Okanagan". Penticton Western News. Penticton, B.C. 10 September 2006. p. 18.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.