Most recently I posted the movie poster for the Olive film. Now it’s time once again to share a bit about the Olive film project – not so much an update on my current progress in attracting Big Fish to the project as I’ve done in the past – but by sharing with my readership the actual concept for the film. A sneak peak, if you will.
For those familiar with the Olive books, you may wondering how the stories will make the leap to the big screen. I’ve been wondering that myself, and over the past few months have been developing the story. While the film will obviously draw heavily from the books, it won’t just be a recycled version of the Olive the Little Woolly Bugger, Olive and The Big Stream and Olive Goes for a Wild Ride – it’s much more than that. It has to be. The books are quite basic by virtue of the fact that they are children’s stories for ages 6 and up, and there is not “room” to tell a much deeper story. An animated film must have considerably more depth, and while it may visually look like something created for an audience of children, it has to be as much for adults as for their kids. There’s a reason grown-ups love the great animated films produced by the likes of Pixar (Cars), Dreamworks (Kung Fu Panda) and Blue Sky Studios (Ice Age).
Opening scene
The film opens with a scene that sets the stage for the adventure to unfold. A little girl named Olivia watches with great wonder as her father sits at his fly tying desk. In his vice is an olive-colored woolly bugger, which he describes to his young daughter. Once the final touches have been made to the fly, Dad removes it from the vice and hands it to Olivia. The little girl is excited to use her new fly the next day, when she’ll be joining her father on her first fly fishing trip. Filled with anticipation of the following morning, Olivia dashes off to her room, hops into her bed and gently places the woolly bugger into her fly box along with other patterns her father has tied for her. She admires the many colorful, interesting patterns, then gently closes the lid to the fly box.
“Goodnight, olive woolly bugger,” she says as she turns out her light. She drifts off to sleep and begins to dream…
Stay tuned for more updates and descriptions of new scenes specific to the film. A strong undercurrent will be an important message about conservation, from respecting fish to caring for the river and the surrounding environment. I’ll also be introducing new characters in the coming weeks–characters that I think everyone will find engaging and humorous. I hope you’ll enjoy the progression and I welcome comments from those of you who have been following along since the beginning, as well as from those of you who’ve just come onboard. Thanks for your continued interest and support in bringing this dream alive.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got more Big Fish to pursue…
