Little Giants facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Little Giants |
|
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Duwayne Dunham |
| Produced by | Arne Schmidt |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by | James Ferguson Robert Shallcross |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Debney |
| Cinematography | Janusz Kamiński |
| Editing by | Donn Cambern |
| Studio | Amblin Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 1994 |
| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Money made | $19.3 million |
Little Giants is a fun American family sports film from 1994. It's a comedy film that stars Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill. They play brothers who live in a small town in Ohio. The brothers end up coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams, leading to a big showdown! The movie was made by Amblin Entertainment and released by Warner Bros..
Contents
What's the Story?
A Family Rivalry
The movie is about two brothers, Danny and Kevin O'Shea. Kevin is a famous football hero in their hometown of Urbania, Ohio. He even won the Heisman Trophy in college! Danny has always felt like he lives in Kevin's shadow.
Kevin coaches the town's main Pee-Wee football team, the "Cowboys." Danny's daughter, Becky, who is a great player, tries out for the Cowboys. But she gets cut from the team just because she's a girl. Her friends, who aren't as good at football, also get cut.
Building a Team
After being teased, Becky convinces her dad, Danny, to coach his own team. Danny agrees, hoping to show everyone that he can also be a winner. Kevin makes fun of him, saying there's only room for "one team" in Urbania. So, they decide to have a playoff game to see which team will represent the town.
Danny gathers all the kids who were cut or never got a chance to play. This includes Becky, her friends, and an intelligent boy named Nubie who becomes the assistant coach. Danny names their new team the "Little Giants." One of their new players is Junior Floyd, a strong quarterback. Becky starts to like Junior, which makes her feel a bit confused about being a tomboy.
New Players and Challenges
Two old men in town, Orville and Wilbur, tell Danny and Kevin about a new star player, Spike Hammersmith. Danny tries to get Spike on his team by pretending to be a famous coach. But Spike is rude and doesn't want to play with a girl. When Spike's dad finds out about the trick, Spike joins Kevin's well-organized Cowboys team instead.
Kevin also tries to get Becky to quit the Little Giants. He tells her that Junior would prefer to date a cheerleader, not a teammate. Believing this, Becky decides to leave the team and become a cheerleader.
Help from the Pros
Just when the Little Giants start to lose hope, a bus arrives! Out step real NFL stars like John Madden, Emmitt Smith, Bruce Smith, Tim Brown, and Steve Emtman. They teach the young players some cool moves and inspire them to believe they can win.
The Big Game
On the day of the game, Kevin challenges Danny to a big bet. If Danny wins, he gets Kevin's car dealership. If Kevin wins, he gets Danny's gas station. At halftime, the Little Giants are losing badly, 21-0.
Danny encourages his team by reminding them of their proudest moments. He tells them it only takes "one time" to beat the Cowboys. The Little Giants start to make an amazing comeback with unexpected plays.
Spike, under orders from his dad, unfairly injures Junior during the game. Even Kevin thinks this is wrong. Seeing this, an angry Becky throws down her pompoms and puts on her football uniform. She immediately makes a huge impact, forcing a fumble from Spike.
Other Little Giants players score touchdowns, overcoming their own challenges. For example, Rashid Hanon, who always dropped passes, makes a great catch. Another player scores when he sees his dad, who rarely watches him play, cheering him on.
The Winning Play
In the final seconds, with the score tied 21-21, the Giants stop Spike at the goal line. With time for one last play, the Little Giants use a trick play called "The Annexation of Puerto Rico." Nubie came up with the idea, which is like a famous play called the "fumblerooski". Kevin even shouts out "Fumblerooski!" as it happens.
The play involves three different players carrying the ball. It goes from Zolteck, to Junior, and finally to Berman, who scores a 99-yard game-winning touchdown! The Little Giants win!
After the game, Danny suggests that instead of having just one team, the Giants and Cowboys should merge. Both he and Kevin can coach the new team together. Danny and Junior's mom, Patty, also start their romance again. Danny decides not to take Kevin's dealership. Instead, he asks that the town's water tower be changed from "Home of Kevin O'Shea" to "Home of The O'Shea Brothers." This fulfills a promise Kevin made to Danny when they were kids.
Meet the Cast
- Rick Moranis as Danny O'Shea
- Justin Jon Ross as Young Danny
- Ed O'Neill as Kevin O'Shea
- Travis Robertson as Young Kevin
- Shawna Waldron as Becky "Icebox" O'Shea
- Susanna Thompson as Patty Floyd
- Janna Michaels as Young Patty
- Devon Sawa as Junior Floyd
- Brian Haley as Mike Hammersmith
- Sam Horrigan as Spike Hammersmith
- Joe Bays as Coach Harold Butz
- Austin Kottke as Young Butz
- Frank Carl Fisher Jr. as Patterson
- Mary Ellen Trainor as Karen O'Shea
- Courtney Peldon as Debbie O'Shea
- Alexa Vega as Priscilla O'Shea
- Danny Pritchett as Tad Simpson
- Todd Bosley as Jake Berman
- Mark Holton as Mr. Zolteck
- Matthew McCurley as Nubie
- Joey Simmirin as Sean Murphy
- Jon Paul Steuer as Johnny "Viper" Vennaro
- Troy Simmons as Rashid "Hot Hands" Hanon
- Marcus Toji as Marcus "The Toe"
- Pat Crawford Brown as Louise
- Harry Shearer as Announcer Littbarski
