Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang |
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UK theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Susanna White |
| Produced by | Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Lindsay Doran |
| Screenplay by | Emma Thompson |
| Starring |
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| Music by | James Newton Howard |
| Cinematography | Mike Eley |
| Editing by | Sim Evan-Jones |
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| Distributed by | Universal Pictures (International) StudioCanal (France) |
| Release date(s) | 2 April 2010 (Europe) 20 August 2010 (North America) |
| Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom France United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35 million |
| Money made | $93.2 million |
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is a fun fantasy comedy film from 2010. In the United States and Canada, it was released as Nanny McPhee Returns. This movie is a sequel to the 2005 film Nanny McPhee.
The film was directed by Susanna White. It was written by Emma Thompson, who also stars as the magical Nanny McPhee. The story is based on the Nurse Matilda books by Christianna Brand. Many famous actors are in the film, including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ralph Fiennes, Rhys Ifans, Ewan McGregor, Asa Butterfield, and Maggie Smith.
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang was released in theaters on August 20, 2010. It received good reviews from critics. The movie made $93.2 million worldwide, which was a great success compared to its $35 million budget. It was also nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film.
Story of the Film
The story takes place in England in 1945, during World War II. Isabel Green is a very busy mother. Her husband, Rory, is away fighting in the war. Isabel works hard to keep their family farm running. She also has a job in the village shop, which is run by the quirky Mrs. Docherty.
Isabel has three lively children: Norman, Megsie, and Vincent. Things get even more chaotic when her two wealthy cousins, Cyril and Celia, come to live with them. The cousins are used to a fancy life and immediately start fighting with the Green children. Isabel desperately needs help with childcare.
That's when the magical Nanny McPhee arrives. At first, the children don't listen to her and keep arguing. But Nanny McPhee quickly uses her magic to make them behave.
Meanwhile, Isabel's brother-in-law, Phil, has a big problem. He gambled away his share of the farm and is being chased by people he owes money to. He tries to trick Isabel into selling her half of the farm. He uses mean tricks to make her feel like she has no other choice.
The children discover one of Phil's sneaky plans. This makes them work together to fix the problem. One day, Isabel takes the children on a picnic. An ARP Warden, Mr. Docherty, warns them about bombs. He explains how a pilot might accidentally drop one.
At the end of the picnic, Phil delivers a telegram. It says that Rory, Isabel's husband, was killed in the war. Isabel and everyone else believe the sad news. But Norman feels strongly that his father is not dead. He tells his cousin Cyril, who at first thinks Norman is just upset. However, Cyril then agrees that Norman might be right.
So, the two boys ask Nanny McPhee to take them to the War Office in London. This is where Cyril and Celia's father, Lord Gray, works. He is a very important person in the War Office.
At the War Office, Nanny McPhee and the boys ask Lord Gray about Rory. Lord Gray first dismisses Norman's idea that his father is alive. But after Cyril accidentally reveals that his own parents are getting a divorce, Lord Gray agrees to check on Rory. While he is gone, Cyril tells Norman that he and Celia were sent away because their parents are splitting up. Norman kindly tells Cyril that he and Celia are welcome to live on the farm with the Greens.
Lord Gray returns and tells Norman that his father is not dead. Instead, he is missing in action. Lord Gray also says there is no record of a telegram being sent to Isabel. After the boys leave, Norman figures out that Phil must have faked the telegram.
While the boys are in London, Megsie, Celia, and Vincent try to stop Isabel from signing the papers to sell the farm. Just as she is about to sign, a German pilot accidentally drops a huge bomb. It shakes everything but does not explode. The bomb is left sticking out of the barley field.
When Nanny McPhee returns with Norman and Cyril, Norman accuses Phil of faking the telegram. Phil admits it, and Isabel handcuffs him to the stove. The children go outside to watch Mr. Docherty try to remove the bomb. But he falls from the ladder. Megsie bravely takes over and succeeds with the help of the other children and Nanny McPhee's pet jackdaw, Mr. Edelweiss.
After Nanny McPhee uses a little magic to help harvest the barley, she saves Phil from the people chasing him. It is then revealed that old Mrs. Docherty is actually baby Agatha from the first Nanny McPhee film. She remembers Nanny McPhee!
As Nanny McPhee walks away from the now happy family, the children and Isabel chase after her. Then, they see Rory, in his army uniform with an injured arm, walking towards them. He runs to his family, and they all hug.
In a short scene after the credits, Vincent's elephant, Ellie, is shown enjoying a magically operated "Scratch-o-matic."
Characters in the Film
- Emma Thompson as Nanny McPhee: A magical nanny who helps the Green and Gray children.
- Maggie Gyllenhaal as Isabel Green: The busy mother of Norman, Megsie, and Vincent.
- Rhys Ifans as Phil Green: Norman, Megsie, and Vincent's uncle. He tries to sell the farm because he lost money gambling.
- Asa Butterfield as Norman Green: The oldest of the Green children.
- Lil Woods as Megsie Green: The middle child and only girl of the Green children.
- Oscar Steer as Vincent Green: The youngest of the Green children.
- Eros Vlahos as Cyril Gray: Norman, Megsie, and Vincent's spoiled cousin. He becomes much kinder during the film.
- Rosie Taylor-Ritson as Celia Gray: The other spoiled cousin. She also becomes kinder and friends with Megsie.
- Maggie Smith as Agatha Rose Doherty: The owner of the shop where Mrs. Green works. She is actually baby Aggie from the first film, now grown up.
- Ewan McGregor as Rory Green: Isabel's husband and the father of the Green children, who is fighting in World War II.
- Ralph Fiennes as Lord Gray: Cyril and Celia's father, a very important General in the War Office.
- Sam Kelly as Mr. Algernon Doherty: Mrs. Doherty's husband and an ARP (Air Raid Precautions) Warden.
- Sinead Matthews as Miss Topsey and Katy Brand as Miss Turvey: Two women who work for Mrs. Biggles, the casino owner Phil owes money to.
- Bill Bailey as Farmer MacReadie: The farmer who buys piglets from the Greens.
- Nonso Anozie as Sergeant Ralph Jeffreys: A guard at the War Office, who Nanny McPhee once looked after.
- Daniel Mays as Blenkinsop: Cyril and Celia's chauffeur.
- Ed Stoppard as Lieutenant Addis: A coworker of Lord Gray.
- Toby Sedgwick as an enemy plane pilot.
Future Plans for the Film Series
A third Nanny McPhee film was planned. It was going to be set in England in the 21st century. However, the second movie did not make as much money as the studio hoped. Because of this, plans for any more films were cancelled.
Images for kids
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Hambleden was one of the film's locations.
