FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE YET TO SEE LOST OLLIE, THIS IS A NON-SPOILER REVIEW.

Lost in the Reel‘s video review for Lost Ollie

Anyone who is close to me or who is subscribed to my channel knows that I am an animation junkie at heart.  This year, in particular, has produced some real winners in the medium, like GKids Belle & Inu-Oh, Disney’s Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, A24’s Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, DreamWorks’ The Bad Guys, and Netflix’s own The Sea Beast and Apollo 10 ½.  But, count me surprised when I turned on Lost Ollie, expecting something cute and sweet, but nothing more… And got something that blew all of those titles out of the water.  

IS LOST OLLIE A RIP-OFF OF TOY STORY?

This four-part limited series, that follows a stuffed bunny rabbit on a quest to get back home to his owner, is so much more than meets the eye.  At first glance, it might sound like a bit of a rip-off of Toy Story… and the similarities are there, but in the plot alone.  Lost Ollie starts out as a whimsical adventure, but delves into a much darker and more mature territory, as it goes along. 

IT’S RATED TV-PG

Hence the TV-PG rating that this family show has been unfortunately slapped with… That will hopefully not detract parents from allowing their kids to watch.  While there is some light cussing and a few moments of peril and terror, there is nothing here that children over the age of seven won’t be able to handle.  What is so refreshing about Lost Ollie is that it doesn’t pander to the youngsters in the audience, it treats them with intelligence and honesty.  In that way, it reminds me a lot of the kids’ movies that I grew up watching in the nineties… that didn’t feel the need to sugarcoat everything to make it more palatable.  It’s a breath of fresh air and I hope this trend continues in the future.

HOW ARE THE ANIMATION AND FILMMAKING?

The creative team behind this new show is certainly one to get excited about.  The co-director of Into the Spider-verse, Peter Ramsey, helmed all four episodes, it is produced by Shawn Levy of Stranger Things fame and created by Shannon Tindle who worked on Kubo and the Two Strings and Coraline.  This team has come together to create something truly special indeed. 

The animation, which started with puppetry by the Jim Henson Co. and then finished with CGI by ILM, is so innovative and seamless… that you will not for one second think that these characters are not tangible objects in our real world.  The character design, which Tindle is most well-known for, is sublime. I can see people everywhere, including myself, wanting to own their very own Ollie.  And even the live-action cinematography is gorgeous… Fully immersing us into this wide world through the eyes of these very small toys. The work on display here is what proves that this medium knows no bounds.

DOES THE STORY PACK AN EMOTIONAL PUNCH?

All of this incredible craftsmanship would have gone to waste however if it wasn’t for a powerful story.  And boy, does Lost Ollie deliver one helluva gut punch of a tale that had me in tears by its finale.  A box of tissues is a must-have, even for the most stone-hearted of viewers.  The series is sweet without being cloying, fanciful without being over-the-top, funny without resorting to bathroom humor, and it is heart-wrenching without being manipulative.  The storytelling feels timeless and old-fashioned, in the best sense of the term.  I might have connected with the show so much because I personally grew up in a situation just like Billy’s. And I saw a lot of myself as a child, in him.  But, I feel like anyone in the audience, no matter their circumstance, will find something in this story that will resonate deeply with them.

HOW IS THE CAST?

The cast is also at the top of their game.  Jake Johnston and Gina Rodriguez as our young protagonist’s parents, really blew me away.  Their performances are heartbreaking and they both make the absolute most of their limited screen time.  And while all of the voice acting is great, Johnathan Groff seems to have truly understood the assignment here.  Much like Ben Wishaw’s work as Paddington, Groff is able to add such nuance to Ollie with wit, tenderness, and also a bit of toughness as the story progresses.  The character arc that this little stuffed animal gets, who goes from dainty and naïve, to resilient and emboldened is one fit for any quintessential and beloved hero.  

IS LOST OLLIE REALLY THAT GOOD!?

There are a lot of nods here to the likes of Mark Twain and The Wizard of Oz, two staples of American literature and pop culture… and Lost Ollie feels right at home in the same breath as the famous author and that film with the ruby slippers.  Just like a family keepsake or an adored stuffed animal can be passed down from generation to generation, this Netflix series is one that I would most certainly share with my kids, in hopes that they would share it with theirs.  Lost Ollie is a true classic in the making.

All 4 Episodes of Lost Ollie will be Streaming on Netflix on August 24th, 2002.

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