The Lost Thing facts for kids
Book cover
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| Author | Shaun Tan |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Shaun Tan |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Lothian Books |
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Publication date
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2000 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 32 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7344-1138-9 |
| OCLC | 61677652 |
| A823.3 | |
The Lost Thing is a picture book created by Shaun Tan. It tells a unique story through its illustrations. The book was later made into an animated short film, which even won an Academy Award.
Contents
What is The Lost Thing About?
The story takes place in a future version of Melbourne, Australia. It's a world where things can feel a bit strange and confusing. The main character, Shaun, loves to collect bottle caps. He finds them everywhere for his collection.
Shaun's Discovery
One day, while Shaun is looking for bottle caps near a beach, he finds something truly unusual. It's a creature that looks like a mix of different things. Imagine an old industrial boiler, a crab, and an octopus all rolled into one! The story calls this creature "The Lost Thing."
Helping the Lost Thing
Shaun quickly realizes that this creature is lost and doesn't belong where it is. He tries to find its owner or figure out where it came from. But most people he meets don't seem to care. They just ignore it.
Shaun's friend, Pete, thinks the creature might not belong anywhere at all. Shaun decides to ask for help from a government office. There, he meets another strange creature. This creature warns him that the department's job is to hide and forget about things that don't fit in. It gives Shaun a special business card with an arrow on it.
Shaun and The Lost Thing follow the arrow's signs all over the city. They find many arrows, leading them on a long journey. Finally, they discover a hidden place. It's a wonderful, peaceful land just for lost things. Shaun says goodbye to the creature there. He continues with his own life, though he wonders if the creature truly belonged in that new place.
The Animated Film Adaptation
The Lost Thing book was turned into a short animated film in 2010. This film is 15 minutes long.
Film Production and Awards
Shaun Tan himself directed the film, along with Andrew Ruhemann. The famous actor and comedian Tim Minchin narrated the story. The film was a big success! It won an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film. It was also nominated for the 2011 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.
The film was produced by Sophie Byrne and animated by a team from Passion Pictures Australia. The main artists were Tom Bryant, who worked on the computer graphics, and Leo Baker, who was the animator and editor. It took three years of full-time work, from 2007 to 2010, to complete the film.
