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.
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
Jonathan Groff as Ollie : The voice of the loyal and determined stuffed bunny who is on a mission to reunite with his owner.
Tim Blake Nelson as Zozo : A clown toy who becomes one of Ollie’s unexpected companions.
Mary J. Blige as Rosy : A tough but compassionate toy bear who helps Ollie on his journey.
Live-action cast
Jake Johnson as Daddy : Billy's father, whose character provides insight into Billy’s emotional state.
Gina Rodriguez as Momma : Billy's mother, whose story arc is significant in understanding the family's dynamics.
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]
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]
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]
