What Do The Critics Say?

"The film incorporates many beliefs and in its concern for the human condition makes a case for the past and present providing lessons the future can learn in a way that is reassuring, humane, thought-provoking and entertaining." Sean Axmaker SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER "Once or twice a year, I just go nuts about a movie. It's all I think about. It occupies my mind because I'm so delighted with it. I imagine that I detect references to its themes everywhere I go. This is that movie for 2007." Linda Cook QUAD CITY TIMES "Wholesome, eager entertainment that doesn't talk down." Jeannette Catsoulis NEW YORK TIMES "You have to give credit to a film such as Mimzy that, unlike most quick ha-ha, make-a-buck stuff for kids, could actually get them thinking about making a difference in a world in desperate need of change." Nancy Churnin DALLAS MORNING NEWS As the film builds to its nail-biting conclusion, the children will have connected with the War on Terror and foreign philosophical belief systems in the interest of mankind's salvation." Ed Gonzalez SLANT MAGAZINE "A good-looking, relatively ambitious movie that respects and enhances [sci-fi writer] Kuttner's vision." G Allen Johnson SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

"Science in the service of wonder can save a life and a world. And this pleasing, teasing, intelligent family flick can vastly improve a day." Lisa Kennedy DENVER POST "With its spiritual and metaphysical message, this fun-filled family entertainment goes far beyond whimsy." Susan Granger SUSANGRANGER "that rare family film that really can be enjoyed by the whole family." Daniel M Kimmel WOCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE "It never loses that critical touch of all great children's stories--the feeling kids have of being in the center of what's important in the world." Frank Lovece FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL "The Last Mimzy is that phenomenon as welcome as the first robin of spring, a kids' movie that is more than bearable for adults." Jonathan F Richards FILMCOM "An involving fantasy for beamish boys and girls -- and their parents. At moments, Mimzy captures the moonbeam awe of E.T." Carrie Rickey PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

The Inside Story Based on the acclaimed sci-fi short story by Lewis Padgett, "The Last Mimzy" tells the story of two children who discover a mysterious box that contains some strange devices they think are toys. As the children play with these 'toys', they begin to display higher and higher intelligence levels. Their teacher reports to their parents that they seem to be growing beyond genius. Their parents, too, realize something extraordinary is happening. Emma, the younger of the two, tells her confused mother that one of the toys, a stuffed toy rabbit, is apparently called Mimzy and that "she teaches me things." "The Last Mimzy" is, according to director Bob Shaye, "a science fiction fantasy. Adapted from a brilliant and exciting short story by Lewis Padgett, which I read as a kid, its theme that young brains are open to influence and learning from any and all sources fascinated me, and does to this day. First, and foremost, the film is intended to be fun and provocative family entertainment. Peculiarly enough though, there is some validity to the science in the film. Dr Brian Greene, Professor of Physics at Columbia University, concurs that theoretically, at least, time travel might occur through the phenomena of worm holes and supernovas. (Dr. Greene, incidentally plays the Intel scientist in the film). The narrative proposition that genetic traits, together, may make up the behavior we call innocence and could be turned off over many generations by disuse is also, in theory, accurate, concurs Dr. Susan Smalley, Professor of Neurobehavioral Genetics at UCLA." Academy Award-winning producer Michael Phillips ("The Sting" & "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") first came across the story in the 1990's while searching through anthologies of famous science fiction shorts for film ideas. "I always felt there was undiscovered treasure in there," Phillips explained. "We went through about a thousand stories, but Mimsy Were the Borogoves immediately captured my imagination. My personal taste as a filmmaker is escapist entertainment. I like to go places I’ve never been before, and this story had the kernel of an idea; the idea of two kids finding a box of toys from the future; that was really promising. So I acquired the rights and brought the idea to Bob Shaye, the head of New Line, who said, 'I know this story. I’ve loved it ever since I was a kid.' It was an easy handshake." "It was one of my favorite science fiction stories when I was a kid," says Shaye. "After Michael left my office I thought, I’d like to direct this. It just seemed something that would be a lot of fun, especially since I had such passion for the story for so many years. That was the beginning of it." The news that Bob Shaye wanted to direct the film came as quite a surprise to Phillips, who had previously only dealt with Shaye as an executive. "To be honest, I didn’t know whether that was good news or bad news because I didn’t know Bob as a director, I knew him as an executive," says Phillips. "It really wasn’t until we started serious pre-production that I saw how incredibly focused he was, that he has the language of film in his blood. And he did an incredible job. This was a tougher film to make than any of us thought. There was the challenge of working in almost every scene with two young children, three hundred and fourty effects shots, and more than half the scenes required the actors to interact with special effects that would be added later. But Bob was more than up to the challenge." And why wouldn't he be! After all it was Shaye who suggested to Peter Jackson make three films and mandated the subsequent green-light for an unprecedented simultaneous production for all three installments of "Lord Of The Rings" The next challenge was to work a short story into a full length feature film. "As many short stories do, it didn’t really lend itself to a full-blown feature film. The story had to be fleshed out," says Shaye. "We wanted a story that grown-ups would respond to and that kids would respond to because there was really something passionate about it. So we took an option on the material and hired a very good writer named James Hart to do a first draft." That draft was commissioned in 1993. It would be twelve years before a final script was produced. "It went through nineteen drafts by five writers. We started with Jim Hart, then Toby Emmerich (who at the time was the head of its Music division and the writer of the sci-fi feature "Frequency"), then finally Bruce Joel Rubin. I feel like Jim gave us a body, Toby brought life and a heartbeat to the project, and Bruce gave it wings. It’s been an incredible journey, a roller coaster," notes Phillips. "When I was ten years old, I watched a television show, I believe it was Science Fiction Theater, and there was an episode about these two children who discover toys from another world," Rubin remembers. "I thought, 'This is the most exciting thing I've ever seen in my life.' My little brother Gary and I were glued to the screen, waiting to see what they did with these toys. And then it was over. Years went by and I kept wondering, whatever happened to those kids and those toys. Then, one day Bob Shaye called me about a story called "Mimsy Were the Borogoves", and I realized, 'Oh my God, this is that story! Now I'm going to find out what happens at the end.' But there was no ending. Nothing happens with the toys." To find the young actors who were capable of playing the lead roles, Shaye and Phillips turned to casting director Margery Simkin, who has considerable experience casting children. "Margery encouraged me to reach out, to broaden my imagination, to aim for quality actors," says Shaye. "To truly go for an ensemble that would bring real heart and comedy and depth to the story." Simkin set up casting centers in four major cities, screened the candidates and then presented the best to Shaye and Phillips. Youngster Chris O'Neil got the part of Noah Wilder after blowing away four other hopefuls in the final audition. "This is Chris's very first time acting. He never had any experience, except some kind of school district dramatic monologue competition which he won," says Shaye. "A Hollywood manager happened to be there, and she got so excited about Chris that she proposed to his father that they come to Los Angeles. The day before our final audition they went to see a well-known agent who handles children, who then called up Margery and said, 'You’ve got to see this kid.' And that’s how it all happened." Rhiannon Leigh Wryn plays Noah's sister Emma. "From the beginning, Rhiannon was really pretty terrific," Shaye remembers. "There was just something about her, not only her physical demeanor, but her puckishness that I really liked." Producer Michael Phillips says of the two youngsters, "They were a perfect match. During casting, Bob put them through one of the most difficult scenes and they were spellbinding. We all sat there with our jaws open." Joely Richardson, who plays their on-screen mother said, "I can tell you Rhiannon and Chris were both phenomenally professional in a way that you wouldn’t expect with children. They coped incredibly well." So how did the parents fair? "The parents roles are very tricky, because they are just reacting to everything that’s happening with the kids," Rainn Wilson, who plays Noah’s science teacher remarked. "What’s so great about Joely and Tim is that they’re very complicated people who make these characters a lot richer than they are on the page. You really get a sense of their hopes and dreams and what’s driving them." Part of the joy of watching "The Last Mimzy" is the visual and CGI effects. Visual effects outfit The Orphanage ("A Night at the Museum", "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest", "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire") was charged with creating most of the effects, while Rising Sun Pictures ("Superman Returns", "Batman Begins", "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King") developed the effects for the spiders sequence, and Gentle Giant Studios ("X-Men: The Last Stand", "The Da Vinci Code", "The Chronicles of Narnia") took on the challenging bridge sequence. It's been a long road bringing "The Last Mimzy" to life but it has had its rewards. "This has been a labor of love for me," says Phillips. "I think it’s got a chance of being a film that endures. The barometer for me is originality; as a producer that’s what I really look for. I believe that if you find an original, imaginative idea, and you’re able to present it well, the audience will respond." The Last Mimzy is based on the 1943 short story "Mimsy Were the Borogoves" by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym for Henry Kuttner and his wife, C L Moore) which was published in a collection titled "Astounding". Synopsis

Two young children, staying at their parents holiday home, find a bizarre box on the beach and are soon exhibiting signs of off the chart genius. Little Emma finds a cute bunny doll in the box who talks to her in electronic code, and Noah learns to speak in a frequency that lets him control insects. Both children soon learn to move objects via psychokinesis and begin to communicate telepathically. Naturally, their parents, David and Jo wonder what is going on here. When the families babysitter witnesses Emma's powers, she freaks out. Noah’s science teacher has had dreams predicting all this. He is intrigued by the young boys drawings including one centred on a mandala symbol from ancient Tibetan Buddhism, which Noah drew in class. It does little to alleviate the fears of the childrens mother who panics after a the city of Seattle suffers a major power drain and is blacked out. Homeland Security tracks the source to the Wilder's home. They swoop and the family, along with the childrens 'toys' are taken into custody.

The Verdict "What a treat this film makes for the whole family. At a time when our planet is in so much strife, this film about a decaying society of the future who are desperately seeking help to save themselves from extinction, is pitched at both kids and adults alike. Believe it or not, "The Last Mimzy" will make excellent viewing for families as well as mature adults. And forget that title because once the film starts, you'll soon find the answer to who Mimzy is. This isn't meant to be a 'big' sci-fi production but it is never the less a big hearted, generous film that is a rewarding and spiritually uplifting experience. The SFX and CGI imaging is never over the top and is used to great effect to reinforce the films message of hope for the future. Easy to recommend because of its down to earth feel and the real life values it will endear to audiences of all ages. Very recommended to families with younger children. A little beauty! 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE LAST MIMZY" stars .......
Chris O'Neil ["The Last Mimzy"]; Rhiannon Leigh Wryn ["The Hulk"]; Joely Richardson ["Return to Me", "The Patriot" and "The Affair of the Necklace"]; Academy Award, Golden Globe and Los Angeles Film Critic's award winner Timothy Hutton ["The Last Word", "The General's Daughter" and "Kinsey"]; Rainn Wilson ["America's Sweethearts", "Full Frontal", "Sahara" and "My Super Ex-Girlfriend"]; Kathryn Hahn ["How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days", "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and "The Holiday"] and Michael Clarke Duncan ["The Green Mile", "Sin City", "The Island" and "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby"] as Nathanial Broadman.
"THE LAST MIMZY" was .......
directed by Bob Shaye ["Image", "On Fighting Witches" and "Book of Love"]; screenplay by 1991 Academy Award winner Bruce Joel Rubin ["Ghost", "Jacob's Ladder", "Deep Impact" and "Stuart Little 2"] and Toby Emmerich ["Frequency"]; art direction by Ross Dempster ["Freddy vs. Jason", "Miracle" and "Eight Below"]; costume design by Karen L Matthews ["Wes Craven Presents: They", "Stealing Sinatra", "White Noise" and "Snakes on a Plane"]; production design by Barry Chusid ["Daredevil", "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Serenity"]; edited by Alan Heim ["The Fan", "Funny Farm""Copycat" and "The Notebook"]; cinematography by J Michael Muro ["Open Range", "Billy Bathgate" and "Flicka"]; original music by 2002 & 2004 Academy Award winner Howard Shore ["Panic Room", "Gangs Of New York", "LOTR: I, II & III", "A History of Violence" and "The Departed"]; produced by 1974 Academy Award & 1978 David di Donatello Award winner Michael Phillips ["The Sting", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "Cannery Row", "Eyes of an Angel" and "Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead"]. Who's Who?

Chris O'Neil Rhiannon Leigh Wryn Joely Richardson Timothy Hutton Rainn Wilson Kathryn Hahn Michael Clarke Duncan Kirsten Williamson Irene Snow Marc Musso Nicole Muñoz Scott Miller Megan McKinnon Randi Lynne Tom Heaton Fred Keating

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Noah Wilder Emma Wilder Jo Wilder David Wilder Larry White Naomi Schwartz Nathanial Broadman Sheila Broadman Teacher in Meadow Harry Jones Girl with Braces School Guard Wendy Julie the Babysitter Future Scientist Police Captain

Run Time 94 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - New Line Cinema - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.