Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Facts for Kids

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Directed by	Chris Columbus
Produced by	Chris Columbus Michael Barnathan Karen Rosenfelt
Written by	Craig Titley Joe Stillman Rick Riordan (Novel)
Starring	Logan Lerman Brandon T. Jackson Alexandra Daddario Jake Abel Sean Bean Pierce Brosnan Steve Coogan Rosario Dawson Catherine Keener Kevin McKidd Joe Pantoliano Uma Thurman Ray Winstone
Music by	Christophe Beck
Cinematography	Stephen Goldblatt
Editing by	Peter Honess
Studio	1492 Pictures Imprint Entertainment
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	February 11, 2010 (2010-02-11) February 12, 2010 (United States)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States Canada
Language	English
Budget	$95 million
Money made	$191,143,508

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief is an exciting fantasy-adventure movie. It was directed by Chris Columbus. The film is based on The Lightning Thief, the first book in the popular Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan.

The movie stars Logan Lerman as the main hero, Percy Jackson. It also features a great cast including Brandon T. Jackson, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Abel, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Sean Bean, and Pierce Brosnan. It first came out in theaters on February 12, 2010. The movie did well, earning over $191 million worldwide.

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The Story of Percy Jackson

The Stolen Lightning Bolt

The movie begins with Zeus (Sean Bean), the king of the gods, meeting Poseidon (Kevin McKidd). Zeus is very angry because his powerful lightning bolt has been stolen. He believes Poseidon's son, Percy, is the thief. Poseidon says his son is innocent, but Zeus gives him 14 days to return the bolt. If it's not returned, a huge war between the gods will begin!

Percy Discovers His Powers

Meanwhile, Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) is just a normal teenager. During a school trip, his substitute English teacher turns into a scary monster called a Fury. She attacks Percy, asking about the lightning bolt. Percy has no idea what she's talking about! Luckily, his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan), saves him. Mr. Brunner gives Percy a magical pen.

Percy's best friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), then takes Percy to a special training camp. This camp is for demigods, who are half-human and half-god. Percy's mother, Sally Jackson (Catherine Keener), drives them. On the way, they are attacked by a scary Minotaur. Percy and Grover, who is actually a satyr (half-goat, half-human), make it to the camp. But the camp's magic defenses stop Sally from entering, and the Minotaur captures her. Percy fights the Minotaur with his magical pen, which turns into a sword called Riptide. He defeats the monster using one of its horns.

Life at Camp Half-Blood

At Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that Mr. Brunner is actually Chiron, a wise centaur (half-horse, half-human) and the camp's trainer. Percy also discovers that his father is the god Poseidon! He meets other demigods like Luke Castellan (Jake Abel), son of Hermes, and Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), daughter of Athena. Percy soon finds out that water gives him special healing powers and helps him use his magical abilities.

A Dangerous Quest

Suddenly, Hades, the god of the Underworld, appears. He tells Percy that Sally Jackson is his prisoner and offers to trade her for the lightning bolt. Chiron warns Percy not to make a deal with Hades. Instead, he tells Percy to go to Olympus and convince Zeus that he didn't steal the bolt.

Percy decides to sneak away from camp to rescue his mother. Grover and Annabeth join him. Luke gives them a special shield, flying shoes, and a map to Persephone's (Rosario Dawson) pearls. These pearls are important because one pearl will show them the way out of the Underworld.

Facing Mythical Monsters

Their journey is full of danger!

At Aunty Em's Garden Emporium, they are attacked by Medusa (Uma Thurman). They manage to defeat her and take a pearl from her bracelet. They even take her head, which comes in handy later!
They use Medusa's head to fight a hydra that attacks them in Nashville, Tennessee. They find another pearl there, from a giant statue of Athena.
The third and final pearl is found at a casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Poseidon even helps them a little bit!

The map leads them to an entrance to the Underworld in Hollywood, California, right under the famous Hollywood Sign.

The Underworld and a Betrayal

The trio enters the Underworld and crosses the River Styx. Persephone takes them to Hades. Percy tries to explain that he didn't steal the bolt. During the chaos, Percy drops his shield, and the missing lightning bolt falls out! Hades takes it. But Percy, Grover, and Annabeth manage to get the bolt back. They escape the Underworld with Sally, but they only have three pearls, so Grover has to stay behind with Persephone.

They are transported to the top of the Empire State Building, which is actually the secret entrance to Olympus. But then, Luke appears! He reveals that he was the real lightning thief all along. Luke wanted new rulers to take over Olympus and hoped Percy wouldn't escape the Underworld. He tries to steal the bolt from Percy, and they fight. Percy uses his water powers to defeat Luke.

Peace and New Beginnings

Percy finally arrives in Olympus and gives the lightning bolt back to Zeus. He tells Zeus the truth about Luke. Poseidon explains to Percy why they couldn't be together when Percy was growing up, and he tells Percy how much he loves him. Percy also asks Zeus to bring Grover back from the Underworld, and Zeus agrees.

Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood and continues his training. The movie ends with Percy and Annabeth in the middle of a friendly fight. After the credits, there's a funny scene where Sally kicks Gabe, Percy's stepfather, out of their apartment. Gabe ignores a note from Percy not to open the fridge. When he opens it, Medusa's head is inside, and Gabe turns to stone!

Meet the Characters

Main Heroes

Logan Lerman as Percy Jackson: The main hero of the movie and the son of Poseidon.
Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase: A smart demigod and the daughter of Athena.
Brandon T. Jackson as Grover Underwood: Percy's loyal best friend, who is a satyr (half-goat, half-human).

Powerful Gods

Sean Bean as Zeus: The mighty Lord of the Sky and Ruler of Olympus.
Kevin McKidd as Poseidon: Zeus's brother, the Lord of the Sea, and Percy's father.
Steve Coogan as Hades: The Lord of the Dead and the Underworld.
Rosario Dawson as Persephone: The Goddess of Springtime and Queen of the Dead.
Melina Kanakaredes as Athena: The Goddess of Wisdom and Battle Strategies, and Annabeth's mother.
Dylan Neal as Hermes: The Messenger of the Gods and Luke's father.

Other Important Characters

Jake Abel as Luke Castellan: A demigod and the son of Hermes.
Uma Thurman as Medusa: A mythical creature with snakes for hair.
Pierce Brosnan as Chiron: A wise centaur who trains heroes at Camp Half-Blood.
Catherine Keener as Sally Jackson: Percy's kind and loving mother.
Joe Pantoliano as Gabe Ugliano: Percy's not-so-nice stepfather.

How the Movie Was Made

20th Century Fox bought the rights to make the movie in 2004. In 2007, Chris Columbus was chosen to direct it. Filming started in April 2009 in Vancouver. Some parts of the movie were even filmed at the Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee. This is a full-size copy of the original Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Filming finished on July 25, 2009.

Chris Columbus said that the actors were chosen carefully. He hoped they would make more Percy Jackson movies in the future. He wanted the cast to grow with their characters.

Images for kids

Logan Lerman plays the main character, Percy Jackson.
Chris Columbus is the film's director and producer.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief facts for kids