Storm Boy
Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Shawn Seet[1]
Written by	Justin Monjo[2]
Based on	Storm Boy by Colin Thiele
Produced by	Matthew Street[1] Michael Boughen[3]
Starring	Geoffrey Rush Jai Courtney Finn Little Trevor Jamieson Morgan Davies[a] Erik Thomson
Cinematography	Bruce Young
Edited by	Denise Haratzis
Music by	Alan John
Production companies	Ambience Entertainment Screen Australia South Australian Film Corporation
Distributed by	Sony Pictures Releasing
Release date	17 January 2019 (2019-01-17)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	Australia
Language	English
Box office	$4.2 million [4]

Storm Boy is a 2019 Australian drama family film based on the 1964 novella by Colin Thiele of the same name.^[1] The adaptation was directed by Shawn Seet and stars Geoffrey Rush and Jai Courtney.^[2] Thiele's novel was previously adapted in 1976.

Plot

Based on the book, Storm Boy follows a young boy growing up on a largely uninhabited coastline of Southern Australia. He rescues three orphan pelicans and forms a close bond with them.

Cast

• Geoffrey Rush as Michael "Storm Boy" Kingley
  • Edward Boehm as Young Storm Boy
• Jai Courtney as Tom "Hideaway Tom"
• Finn Little as Storm Boy
• Trevor Jamieson as Bill "Fingerbone Bill"
• Morgan Davies^[a] as Madeline
• Erik Thomson as Malcom Downer
• David Gulpilil as The Father of Fingerbone Bill
• Simone Annan as Murujuga Lawyer
• Thibul Nettle as Police Officer (as Stinga-T)
• Luca Asta Sardelis as Smirking Schoolgirl #1
• Georgina Giessauf as Smirking Schoolgirl #2
• Amélie Rickman as Smirking Schoolgirl #3
• David John Clark as Police Senior Constable
• Chantal Contouri as Julie Sims
• Martha Lott as Pearl
• Nick Launchbury as Reporter #1
• Emma Bargery as Reporter #2
• Miraede Bhatia-Williams as Mildew
• Brendan Cooney as Police Officer
• Caroline Mignone as Angela
• Anna Bampton as Jenny
• Rory Walker as Murray
• Lucy Cowan as Belle
• Niraj Pandya as Office Receptionist
• Brendan Rock as Hunter #1
• James Smith as Hunter #2
• Bradley Trent Williams as Jasper Davies
• Tim Whibley as Office Worker
• Paul Blackwell as Cal Evans
• Michelle Nightingale as Mrs. Marks
• Natasha Wanganeen as Susan Franklin

Production

Storm Boy, an Ambience Entertainment production, was shot along the Coorong and in Adelaide, South Australia in July–August 2017.^[5] The Hudson Hornet used in the filming was supplied by a local South Australian car collector.^{[citation needed]}

Release

The film opened in theatres in Australia and New Zealand on 17 January 2019, in Poland on 19 January 2019 and in the United States on 5 April 2019.

Box office

The film was released in 320 theatres in Australia on 17 January 2019 but it grossed only $874,000 (USD) on its opening weekend. By the end of its theatrical run in Australia, it had earned a total of $3.5 million. The film also grossed just over $600,000 in Poland and New Zealand when it was released over 17–19 January 2019. The film was released in the United States & Territories on 5 April 2019 but only earned $71,000.^[6] The total box-office for Storm Boy was $4.2 million.^[4]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 68% based on 41 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Storm Boy can't quite live up to the original, but this retelling of a beloved story retains enough of its classic source material's heart to remain worth a watch."^[7] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[8]

Awards