Shorts (2009 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Robert Rodriguez |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Robert Rodriguez |
| Starring |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Robert Rodriguez |
| Editing by |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 3, 2008 (European world premiere) August 21, 2009 (wide release) |
| Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Money made | $29 million |
Shorts (also known as Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock) is a fun comic fantasy family movie from 2009. It was written and directed by Robert Rodriguez. The film features actors like Jon Cryer, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann, James Spader, Jimmy Bennett, and Kat Dennings.
The movie first showed on August 15, 2009, in Hollywood, California. It was then released in the United States on August 21, 2009, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film earned $29 million, costing $20 million to make. It received a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance. Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, 2009. A video game for Wii and Nintendo DS was planned but later canceled.
Contents
Story of the Wishing Rock
The movie takes place in a very busy town called Black Falls Community in Austin, Texas. In this town, almost all adults work for a company that makes "The Black Box." This is a cool device that can turn into almost any gadget you can imagine! The story is told in a mixed-up order because the narrator can't quite remember everything in the right sequence.
The Magical Rock Appears
The story begins when a rainbow-colored Wishing Rock shows up at the home of three brothers: Loogie, Laser, and Lug Short. They wish that one of them could be super smart. But the power goes to their baby sister instead! She is very clever and tells the boys to get rid of the rock. The next day, a boy named Cole finds the rock.
Toby Finds a Friend
Toby Thompson is often picked on by Helvetica Black and her brother Cole. One day, Cole and his friends throw rocks at Toby. One of these rocks is the wishing rock! Toby uses it to wish for friends, and suddenly, small aliens appear. Toby takes the aliens to school, but they cause trouble. Toby and Helvetica end up falling from the school roof, and both get casts on their arms. The aliens leave, but Toby keeps the rock.
Parents Get Closer
Toby's parents, Bill and Jane Thompson, work for Black Box Unlimited. Their boss, Mr. Carbon Black, asks them to come up with a new marketing idea. Jane finds the rock in Toby's room and takes it. She and Mr. Thompson go to a costume party. Since they were having some problems, Jane wishes that she and her husband were closer. They become merged into a two-headed person! Mr. Carbon Black thinks it's just a costume.
Meanwhile, Toby realizes his mom took the rock and rushes to the party. He runs into Helvetica and Cole, who take the rock and throw Toby in the trash. Helvetica wishes Cole would turn into a dung beetle, then loses the rock. Mr. Carbon Black finds the rock. Not knowing its power, he accidentally wishes for all his employees to fight each other. Toby gets the rock back and wishes everyone back to normal. Helvetica grabs the rock, wishes her casts off, and runs away. Toby then throws the rock as far as he can, and it lands at the Noseworthy's house.
The Booger Monster
Toby's older sister, Stacey, comes to tutor "Nose" Noseworthy, Toby's old friend who is afraid of germs. Nose picks his nose, even though his dad tells him not to. He accidentally flicks a booger into his dad's special work study, which has strange radiation. Toby and Loogie, who are now friends, arrive just in time to see Nose's booger turn into a giant monster! After helping Nose's dad catch the monster, Toby and Loogie take the rock and leave.
The Rock's Last Wish
Toby and Loogie are thinking about what to do with the rock. Toby wishes his arm casts off. Then, the other kids ambush them, and the rock ends up with Mr. Carbon Black. He wishes to be the most powerful thing in the world and turns into a giant Black Box robot! The baby sister tells them that the rock is getting upset because of all their silly wishes. She says the rock could even destroy Earth! So, they all work together to get rid of the rock, and all its effects are undone.
Toby's parents decide to work together on their marketing plan, and Mr. Carbon Black agrees. He changes the Black Box into a more eco-friendly "Green Box." The Noseworthys are no longer afraid of germs, and Toby's parents become closer. It's even hinted that Helvetica and Toby might get married someday! All the children become friends and wish that their story would become a Hollywood movie, which is exactly what happens!
Meet the Cast
Here are some of the actors and the characters they play in the movie:
Kids
- Jimmy Bennett as Toby Thompson: A boy who finds the wishing rock after Loogie.
- Jolie Vanier as Helvetica Black: Mr. Black's daughter. She picks on Toby but secretly likes him.
- Trevor Gagnon as Loogie Short: One of the first to find the wishing rock. He makes some silly wishes.
- Jake Short as "Nose" Noseworthy: Toby's old friend who is very afraid of germs, just like his dad.
- Rebel Rodriguez as Lug Short: Loogie's second older brother. He loves video games and gets angry easily.
- Leo Howard as Laser Short: Loogie's older brother. He seems to be the smartest of the three Short brothers.
- Bianca Rodriguez as The Baby: The Short brothers' infant sister, voiced by Elizabeth Avellan.
- Devon Gearhart as Colbert "Cole" Black: Carbon's son and Helvetica's brother. He leads a football gang.
- Racer Rodriguez as Bully #1: A football player in Cole's gang.
- Rocket Rodriguez as Bully #2: Also a football player in Cole's gang.
Adults
- Jon Cryer as Mr. Bill Thompson: Toby's father and Jane's husband. He works at Black Box, Inc.
- Leslie Mann as Mrs. Jane Thompson: Toby's mother and Bill's wife. She also works at Black Box, Inc.
- James Spader as Mr. Carbon Black: Helvetica and Cole's father and the owner of Black Box.
- William H. Macy as Dr. Noseworthy: A scientist who is very afraid of germs and dirt.
- Kat Dennings as Stacey Thompson: Toby's older sister.
- Alejandro Rose-Garcia as John: Stacey's boyfriend.
Movie Music
| Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock | ||
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| Soundtrack album / Film score by
George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel
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| Released | 2009 | |
| Recorded | 2006-2009 | |
| Genre | Movie Soundtrack, Film Score | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records | |
| Producer | Robert Rodriguez | |
| Singles from {{{Name}}} | ||
The music for the film was created by George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez, and Carl Thiel. The soundtrack includes songs like "Spy Ballet" performed by Robert Rodriguez and "Summer Never Ends" sung by Jimmy Bennett. The soundtrack was released in 2009 by Warner Bros. Records.
- Songs and music from the movie
- Spy Ballet – Robert Rodriguez
- Summer Never Ends – Jimmy Bennett
- It’s Not Just Make Believe - Kari Kimmel
- I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs
- Never Alone - Barlowgirl
- All other music was composed by George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez, and Carl Thiel.
Images for kids
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Spy Kids creator Robert Rodriguez directed, produced, wrote, edited, filmed, and composed music for this movie.
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See also
In Spanish: Shorts (película de 2009) para niños
