Oddball (film)
| Oddball | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical film poster | |
| Directed by | Stuart McDonald |
| Produced by |
Sheila Hanahan Stephen Kearney Richard Keddie |
| Written by | Peter Ivan |
| Starring |
Shane Jacobson Coco Jack Gillies Sarah Snook Alan Tudyk |
| Music by | Cezary Skubiszewski |
| Cinematography | Damian Wyvill |
| Edited by |
Cindy Clarkson Marcus D'Arcy Max Miller |
| Distributed by | Roadshow Films |
Release dates | 17 September 2015 |
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $10.1 million |
Oddball (extended to Oddball and the Penguins in some regions) is a 2015 Australian family film directed by Stuart McDonald. It was released in September 2015 and stars Shane Jacobson, Coco Jack Gillies, Sarah Snook and Alan Tudyk. It is based on a true story.[1]
Plot
On Middle Island off the coast of Warrnambool, little penguins have made their home, but foxes have found the island and have reduced the population of penguins. An eccentric chicken farmer named Swampy teams up with his granddaughter to train their mischievous dog, Oddball, to protect the penguins from these predators in an attempt to reunite his family and save their seaside town.
Cast
- Shane Jacobson as Swampy
- Coco Jack Gillies as Olivia
- Sarah Snook as Emily Marsh
- Alan Tudyk as Bradley Slater
- Terry Camilleri as Judge Burns
- Deborah Mailman as Mayor Lake
- Richard Davies as Jack Jones
- Frank Woodley as Dog Catcher
- Tegan Higginbotham as Zoe
Reception
Oddball received positive reviews from critics and audiences, earning a 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Luke Buckmaster of The Guardian wrote "Some kinks in the writing notwithstanding, Oddball is fun and thoughtfully minded, with a sweet charm that endears from the get-go." Erin Free of Filmink wrote "Oddball's brand of fun-with-heart will hopefully click with local kids and their parents too." Matt Neal of "The Standard" gave a positive review, saying "You'd have to be heartless to hate Oddball."
Jake Wilson of the Sydney Morning Herald gave a negative review, writing "Unfortunately, they appear to have lost sight of the golden rule for family movies of this type, which is to keep the focus squarely on the animals or, failing that, on the kids." Sandra Hall, also of the Sydney Morning Herald, wrote "Jacobson is so intent on its efforts to firm up Swampy's credentials as an impractical but inspired eccentric that he's in danger of turning him into a gormless irritant." Damien Straker of Impulse Gamer called the film "a confused political critique disguised as a mediocre Australian family film."
As of 27 October 2015 the film has grossed $10.1 million at the Australian box office.[2]
Accolades
Damian Wyvill was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 5th AACTA Awards, but lost against John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road. The film was also nominated for the AACTA People's Choice Award for Favourite Australian Film, but lost against The Dressmaker.
Actress Coco Jack Gillies won for 'Best Performance by a Young Actor' by the Film Critics Circle of Australia.
The film had its North American premiere at the opening weekend of Indianapolis's Heartland Film Festival in 2015 and opened the Toronto International Film Festival for Kids in 2016. It was an Official Selection at Chicago International Children's Film Festival, Sedona International Film Festival, Sonoma Film Festival, Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital in Washington D.C., Cleveland Film Festival, Dallas International Film Festival, {[Miami International Film Festival]]. and Wisconsin Film Festival, among others. It also received a special screening at Utah's Tumbleweeds Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Home media
The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray and video on demand platforms in Australia on 16 December 2015.