What Do The Critics Say?

"I found City of Ember to be one of the most pleasant moviegoing surprises of the year. Imaginative, exciting, dramatic, and even fun." Mike McGranaghan AISLE SEAT "This well-designed and executed piece of entertainment is actually very satisfying." Margaret Pomeranz ABC AT THE MOVIES "The best family movie you never heard of is waiting for you to discover it." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "Enjoyable fantasy adventure, enlivened by interesting characters, strong performances and an engaging premise." Matthew Turner VIEW LONDON "City of Ember has almost anything one could want from a science fiction-based family adventure film: likeable characters, an imaginative setting, and a fast pace." James Berardinelli REEL REVIEWS

"Murray is always good to have around, and so are Tim Robbins, who plays Doon's defeated father, and Martin Landau as one of the drones who tries to keep the city in working order. The young actors are excellent. Directed by former animator Gil Kenan, City of Ember is very handsomely designed." David Straton ABC AT THE MOVIES "Pure escapism fun, with plenty of stark visuals and inventiveness to go around." Kit Bowen HOLLYWOOD.COM "A simple and lovely tale, perfect for a family outing." Jette Kernion CINEMATICAL "With a little luck and nurturing City Of Ember will find its way into the light of the multiplex, where word of mouth could give it an extended stay." Pete Hammond BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE "Although it starts slowly, there are plenty of rewards in this well crafted family fantasy adventure, as it explores a world in which light bulbs form the sky and a powerful generator acts as its heartbeat." Louis Keller URBANCINEFILE

The Inside Story "We swear eternal loyalty to our City and to the wisdom that created it. We declare our infinite gratitude to the Builders who chose the site with the greatest care. We flourish above our mighty flowing river. We give thanks to the unbounded capaCity of our mighty Generator, beating at our very center like a magnificent heart. As it is, so are we: hard working, creative. We are each a beacon. Beyond Ember the darkness goes on forever in all directions. Ours is the only light in a dark world." Ember Oath of Loyalty. The story of "The City of Ember", Jeanne DuPrau’s first real piece of fiction, which she wrote back in the 1980's, came from an idea that just appeared in her mind. "I grew up in the 1950’s, and have strong memories of the shadow and fear of nuclear war. People everywhere were talking about what could happen. They were building bomb shelters. It made a huge impression on me," the author said. From this she developed a curiosity: what would happen if entire societies had to take refuge, somewhere else? Thus, Ember was born: a City built to protect the human race from a terrible threat. Immediately upon reading the manuscript, director Gil Kenan knew that the number one character he was going to have to bring to life, was going to be the City of Ember itself. "The City is a character in the story, with a beating heart and a nerve centre. Ember has been built as a place to keep humanity going through dark times, and the mystery at the center of our story, the mystery that unites all of our characters, is the secret of the City itself, and how it can be saved," says Kenan. "There is an emotional tie between all of us and the place we live, and City of Ember explores the complex and emotional relationship between the Ember citizens and each other, and the citizens and the City." The challenge of making all this real, on screen, drew him to the project. Leaving UCLA film school with a successful thesis film ("The Lark") and a Hollywood agent, Kenan found himself in an introductory meeting at Tom Hanks’ and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone. Goetzman recalls, "he had done a film for UCLA Film School and it was fantastic and we showed him Ember and he seemed to have a really good take on the material." At that meeting Kenan described the kind of film he wanted to make. "I envisioned a story set within a controlled environment, a kind of action adventure film," Kenan ("Monster House") explained. "Immediately, the Playtone folk handed me City of Ember. I devoured it that night and called next morning to say I wanted to make the film. Three days later I was back at Playtone describing how I could make the movie." "When I read the book I thought 'my word, this is quite self contained and beautiful, and I’ve never seen or read anything like this before.' I’m always looking for that thing where a bell goes off, and you read the most unique story with the most unique characters and unique circumstances. And this was it in spades," says two time Oscar ® winner Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia" & "Forrest Gump"). Playtone optioned the book and Caroline Thompson was asked to write the screenplay. Thompson’s first produced screenplay was the magical award-winning "Edward Scissorhands" (1990), and she has since directed her own work on screen. "“I had always admired Caroline’s work and knew she would be able to bring the humanity of the characters to life," says Kenan. "I felt that the film should take a parallel but separate path from the novel." Hanks and Playtone were thrilled with the script she turned in. "In no time at all Caroline had come up with the perfect screenplay. Which does not happen very often. Everybody at the office felt as if we’d captured lightening in a bottle," says Hanks. It would be three years before Kenan and Playtone would start filming in 2007. Why so long? Because executive producers Robert Zemeckis ("Cast Away" & "The Polar Express") and Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan" & "Catch Me If You Can") tapped him for the animated film, "Monster House". "You’re looking for someone who is rabid for the material. Gil was. And he had the goods. We just happened to bless our lucky stars and land on him, and he has it in his bones," Hanks said. When asked where the characters in the book came from, DuPrau has a simple answer: herself. "Doon and Lina are mostly me, as a child. Lina is imaginative; she runs; she draws. Doon is curious; he likes puzzles; he collects books. All these things describe my childhood." Producer Hanks was thrilled with the cast assembled to bring this story to the screen. "We ended up having this tremendous group of talented a guns. All the members of the cast and most of our filmmakers have already shown themselves to be very facile at telling this type of story." Casting Lina, the teenage girl who, with her friend Doon Harrow, begins the quest that leads to the unlocking of the City’s secrets, was an arduous task. "We travelled the world for six months, and only when I met Saoirse Ronan was I convinced I had heard Lina’s voice. Like Lina, Saoirse is a force of nature. She is a wondrous actor; I’ve never met anyone like her," says Kenan. "She has absolute control over her gift; she can accelerate, hit the brakes and turn around: like a sports car. And the audience has that gravitational pull towards her eyes that happens with all the great screen legends." Director of Photography Xavier Perez Grobet ("The Woodsman") echoes that sentiment. "She’s a beautiful girl with a natural talent. It comes easy to her, it seems she never has to think about it. Somehow she always knows exactly where to stand, and exactly how to relate to the camera. A cinematographers dream!" "Lina is very determined. Nothing will stop her once she decides on a course of action: that’s what I like about her. She has her job, and she also has to look after her baby sister Poppy and her grandmother, so she has a lot of responsibility and is quite mature for her age," says Ronan ("Death Defying Acts" & "Atonement"). Jeanne DuPrau was effusive about Ronan. "I had just seen Atonement and thought Saoirse was wonderful, so I was very pleased." Lina’s ally and friend is Doon Harrow, a character who proved an equal casting challenge. The young and vibrant actor Harry Treadaway ("Control") was entrusted with the task of bringing this conscientious character to life on screen. "Doon is interesting. He’s not outgoing and affable. Instead, he has a lot on his mind. It takes a performer with charisma to deliver that to an audience while keeping their sympathy. Harry can do that, and in doing so makes Doon the perfect foil for Lina," says Kenan. "In Ember some people prefer to ignore what’s going on, just as people ignore the effects of climate change today, but Doon believes that each person can make a difference, and he proves that’s true," Treadaway notes. This sentiment rings true with DuPrau. "I wanted to, through the story, highlight the preciousness of the natural world, and how fragile it is. I want to send the message that we have the great responsibility of protecting our environment." 2004 BAFTA Film Award winner Bill Murray ("Lost In Translation") tackles the role of Mayor Cole, whose surface affability is beginning to crack as Lina and Doon delve into the secrets of the City. "Bill Murray has so much energy, and brought a humanity to the Mayor as he is being exposed as a bit of a villain, which is what I had hoped for. You’ve got to be able to see the charisma in a politician, even as he is doing terrible things," says Kenan. "He likes to joke around, and spent a lot of time trying to make me laugh while I was doing my lines to camera. Everyone’s spirits got higher when Bill walked on set. He can’t help being entertaining," says Ronan, reflecting on her experience with Murray. "Saoirse has big blue eyes that make you look at her and wonder what is going on. Everyone is drawn to her, and she has a wonderful spirit. Nothing seems to stop her from connecting with her own intelligence and emotions," Murray states enthusiastically. Kenan was delighted to be able to cast Oscar ® winner Tim Robbins ("Mystic River") as Loris Harrow, Doon’s father and an ingenious inventor who makes robots and machines from the discarded debris of the City. "Loris is very important for giving us a perspective on who Doon is in a very short time, so the scenes of father and son at home are really vital. Tim brought a real gravity to the role." says Kenan. "Those domestic scenes with Tim and Loris were great to anchor Doon’s domestic life. We discussed what their life was like before the story starts," Treadaway. Robbins describes his character as a man "who is a tinkerer, an inventor, and drives his son crazy. Loris has a secret from his past, from when he dreamed of another life. He hasn’t given up on this dream completely, but he encourages his son to think about things that other people in Ember don’t want to think about." DuPrau notes: "I’m thrilled he was cast, he comes pretty close to exactly what I thought Loris would be like." For Kenan, the design of the City itself was as important as casting his characters. "The City of Ember is a character in the movie, and all the action and puzzle solving is centred on saving the City, so it was vital that production designer Martin Laing and I built something as realistic as possible. We began by putting ourselves in the position of The Builders, the founding fathers of the City, who hastily built this City to protect their citizens from an unexplained harm, and guessed what they might need to remain sheltered there for at least two centuries." Finding a space large enough to accommodate all that the filmmakers had in mind meant scouring the world for a gigantic studio. Eventually, the production landed in The Paintworks, a hangar which the Harland and Woolf ship building company of Belfast, Northern Ireland, had used to paint the hulls of the large ocean going ships they made in the adjoining docks. Martin Laing had worked with director James Cameron on his epic block-buster “Titanic”, and so it was poetic when he found himself in the actual dock where the ship itself was painted. “I felt at home immediately, since a year of my life was spent recreating the Titanic, albeit in a studio in Mexico. But from photographs and artefacts, Belfast docks were very familiar to me." "With all the movies Tom and I have been involved in at Playtone I don’t think anything has had the scope, this amount of fire-power, this amount of set building. It’s just been a huge undertaking," Goetzman says. For trivia fans, the entire movie was shot without a single ray of sunlight. Synopsis

For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights - underground. Built as a refuge for humanity and powered by a massive generator - this City will only sustain for 200 years. But Ember is falling into darkness as the generator fails, and the dazzling lights begin to flicker and fade. Despite growing concern for the future of their beloved City, Ember¹s students find themselves confronting the next step in their lives. A rite of passage for all graduates, it is Assignment Day, the day on which the Mayor himself will stand before the graduating students as they choose, by lottery, how they will spend their lives working for their society. Now, two teenagers, Lina and Doon are in a race against time. Together they must search Ember for clues that will unlock the ancient mystery of the city's existence, before the cities lights go out forever.

The Verdict "Mention the name Walden Media and moviegoers minds immediately turn to such wonderfully entertaining films as: "Nim's Island", "The Water Horse", "Bridge To Terabithia", "Because of Winn-Dixie" and "Holes". One would have hoped that "City Of Ember" may have emulated the aforementioned, but, despite all the potential, and assembled talent, it doesn't. These films all set high standards, raising the bar higher as each was released. "City Of Ember", like a pole vaulter failing their final attempt, fails to clear the bar. Despite the efforts of the young cast members, the futuristic sets and a neat storyline, "City Of Ember" falls into the same trap as "The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising": the journey is long and, the 'buzz factor' is again missing. The 'G' rating and the storyline is sure to attract families to "City Of Ember", but filmmakers need to ensure that parents need are met. They deserve to get something out of a film too! Nothing harmful here. Worth a look at. 2 1/2 STARS." Who's Who

Harry Treadaway Saoirse Ronan Tim Robbins Bill Murray B.J. Hogg Toby Jones Lucinda Dryzek Matt Jessup Lara McIvor Myles Thompson David Ryall Lorraine Hilton Liam Burke Mary Kay Place Liz Smith Amy Quinn Catherine Quinn Simon Kunz Martin Landau Frankie McCafferty Marianne Jean-Baptiste Heathcote Williams Mackenzie Crook Maureen Dow Becky Stark Brid Ni Chionaola Ann Queensberry

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Doon Harrow Lina Mayfleet Loris Harrow Mayor Cole Mayor's Guard Barton Snode Lizzie Bisco Joss Roner Smat Chief Builder Miss Thorn Mr Boaz Mrs Murdo Granny Poppy Poppy Captain Fleery Sul Arbin Swinn Clary Sadge Merrall Looper Mrs Sample Song Master Seely Schnap Doctor Tower

Run Time 95 minutes Rated G [AUST] Copyright ©2008 - 20th Century Fox - All Rights Reserved ©2008 All Rights Reserved The Movie Pages - Protected by Australian, International, Copyright & Trademark Laws.