Paper Planes (film)
| Paper Planes | |
|---|---|
 Australian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Connolly |
| Written by | Robert Connolly Steve Worland |
| Produced by | Robert Connolly Liz Kearney Maggie Miles |
| Starring | Sam Worthington David Wenham Ed Oxenbould Deborah Mailman |
| Cinematography | Tristan Milani |
| Edited by | Nick Meyers |
| Music by | Nigel Westlake |
Production company | Arenamedia |
| Distributed by | Roadshow Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Box office | A$9.61 million[1] |
Paper Planes is a 2015 Australian 3D family drama children's film directed by Robert Connolly which he co-wrote with Steve Worland and co-produced with Liz Kearney and Maggie Miles. The film stars Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Deborah Mailman and Ed Oxenbould. The film tells a story about Dylan, a young boy, who lives in Western Australia and[2] dreams of competing in the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan. It opened in Australian cinemas on 15 January 2015 on 253 screens by Roadshow Films. It grossed A$9.61 million at the Australian box office by the end of its run. The story is loosely based on an episode of Australian Story called "Fly With Me".[3] Paper Planes was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 24, 2015 by Roadshow Entertainment.
Plot
Twelve-year-old Dylan Webber lives in outback Western Australia in a small country town. When he discovers he has a talent for folding and flying paper planes, Dylan begins a journey to reach the World Junior Paper Plane Championships in Japan. Along the way he makes unlikely new friends, clashes with powerful rivals and comes to terms with his family's past before facing his greatest challenge – to create a paper plane that will compete with the best in the world.
Cast
- Sam Worthington as Jack Webber[4]
- Ed Oxenbould as Dylan Webber[4]
- Ena Imai as Kimi Muroyama
- Nicholas Bakopoulos-Cooke as Jason Jones
- Julian Dennison as Kevin
- David Wenham as Patrick Jones[4]
- Deborah Mailman as Maureen Prescott
- Peter Rowsthorn as Mr. Hickenlooper
- Terry Norris as George "Grandpa" Webber
Production
On 9 November 2013 it was announced that filming had begun in Perth, Western Australia and Tokyo with Robert Connolly directing.[4] Sam Worthington, David Wenham, Julian Dennison and Ed Oxenbould star in the film.[5]
Theatrical release
Paper Planes was theatrically released on January 15, 2015 in Australia by Roadshow Films.
Home media
Paper Planes was released on DVD and Blu-ray on June 24, 2015 by Roadshow Entertainment.
Critical response and box office
This film currently holds an 81% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. By the end of its run it had grossed A$9.61 million at the Australian box office.[6] Simon Weaving of Screenwize called the film "a wholesome, feel good tale of a primary school under-dog who dreams of getting to the world paper plane championships in Japan." Jim Schembri of 3AW wrote in his review "In one of the great career gear shifts in recent memory, Melbourne director Robert Connolly, who gave us such searing dramas as The Bank, Three Dollars and Balibo, delivers an adorable family film that is uplifting, warm, winning and, most of all, funny." Fiona Williams of sbs.com.au says "there's a lot to like in Paper Planes' ideas about ingenuity and resilience, and that may bode well for getting bums off the beach and onto seats in the film's late summer school holiday release period."
While the film performed strongly at the box office domestically in Australia, it was far less successful in its international debut (U.K./Ireland,) opening at #47 and earning £4,381 in its opening weekend (October 23-25, 2015.)[7] The film was released in Spain on January 1st, 2016 (the film's only European theatrical release as of February 2016) and opened at #29 with a gross of US$7,577 from 21 screens, for a per-theater average of $361.[8]
Awards
| Award | Category | Subject | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| AACTA Awards (5th) |
Best Film | Liz Kearney | Nominated |
| Maggie Miles | Nominated | ||
| Robert Connolly | Nominated | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Won | ||
| Steve Worland | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Deborah Mailman | Nominated | |
| Best Original Music Score | Nigel Westlake | Nominated | |
| Best Sound | James Ashton | Nominated | |
| Emma Bortignon | Nominated | ||
| Chris Goodes | Nominated | ||
| Trevor Hope | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Award for Favourite Australian Film | Liz Kearney | Nominated | |
| Maggie Miles | Nominated | ||
| Robert Connolly | Nominated | ||
| Australian Directors Guild Award | Best Direction in a Feature Film | Nominated | |
| AWGIE Award | Best Writing in a Feature Film - Original | Nominated | |
| Steve Worland | Nominated | ||
| ASE Award | Best Editing in a Feature Film | Nick Meyers | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Generation Kplus - Crystal Bear for Best Film | Robert Connolly | Nominated |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | Young Critics Club Award for Best Children's Film | Won | |
| Seattle International Film Festival | Youth Jury Award | Nominated |
Soundtrack
- Paper Planes
- Ready to Launch
- Flight Research
- My Journey Starts Here
- Dog Fight
- A Bird That Cannot Fly
- Pavane
- Take Your Positions
- Do Emus Dream of Flying?
- The Final Challenge
- Is There a Movie on This Flight?
- Tokyo by Night
- The Competition
- For As Long As It Takes
- Learn to Live
Book
Steve Worland, who co-wrote Paper Planes, novelised the screenplay into a best selling book for young readers. It was published on 2 January 2015 through Puffin Books. It includes directions on how to fold a paper plane, photographs from the film and notes about the production.
References
- ^ "Paper Planes". boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ^ http://www.penguin.com.au/products/9780143308744/paper-planes/19291163/extract
- ^ "Australian Story :: Paper Planes". Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- ^ a b c d McNary, Dave (9 November 2013). "Sam Worthington, David Wenham Flying in 'Paper Planes'". variety.com. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ Franklin, Garth (12 November 2013). "Worthington, Lapaglia Throw "Paper Planes"". darkhorizons.com. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
- ^ "Paper Planes". rottentomatoes.com. 22 January 2015. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
- ^ http://www.bfi.org.uk/education-research/film-industry-statistics-research/weekend-box-office-figures
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/spain/?yr=2016&wk=1&p=.htm
External links
- Paper Planes at IMDb
- Paper Planes scene clips and featurette at SBS Movies