IMDb > City of Ember (2008)
City of Ember
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City of Ember (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 29 | slideshow) Videos (see all 27 NEW)
City of Ember (2008) -- For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker.
City of Ember (2008) -- Clip: What You Get Is What You Get
City of Ember (2008) -- Interview: Saoirse Ronan "On the story"
City of Ember (2008) -- To save the human race, and underground city was built to last only 200 yeaers...now time is up!
City of Ember (2008) -- Trailer: Vote for Cole

Overview

User Rating:
6.4/10   11,427 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gil Kenan
Writers (WGA):
Caroline Thompson (screenplay)
Jeanne Duprau (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for City of Ember on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 October 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Adventure | Family | Fantasy | Sci-Fi more
Tagline:
Discover The Secret more
Plot:
For generations, the people of the City of Ember have flourished in an amazing world of glittering lights. But Ember's once powerful generator is failing ... and the great lamps that illuminate the city are starting to flicker. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(58 articles)
New 'Percy Jackson & The Olympians' Poster
 (From Get The Big Picture. 31 October 2009, 2:10 PM, PDT)
The Good, The Bad And The Wtf: Let's Exploit Dead People
 (From JustPressPlay. 25 October 2009, 6:24 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Decent Film With Good Characters & Sets, But A Little Too-Little, Too-Late more (62 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
David Ryall ... Chief Builder
Ian McElhinney ... Builder
Harry Treadaway ... Doon Harrow

Tim Robbins ... Loris Harrow

Bill Murray ... Mayor Cole

B.J. Hogg ... Mayor's Guard
Toby Jones ... Barton Snode
Lucinda Dryzek ... Lizzie Bisco
Matt Jessup ... Joss
Lara McIvor ... Roner
Myles Thompson ... Smat
Eoin McAndrew ... Student #1
Rachel Morton ... Student #2

Conor MacNeill ... Student #3
Lorraine Hilton ... Miss Thorn
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Cidade das Sombras (Brazil) (DVD title) (Portugal) [pt]
La cité de l'ombre (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Apodrasi apo ti hameni poli (Greece) [el]
City of Ember - En busca de la Luz (Spain) [es]
Ember - Il mistero della citta' di luce (Italy) [it]
Ember - La ciudad perdida (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]
Grad svjetla (Croatia) [hr]
Mesto Ember (Czech Republic) [cs]
Sihirli sehir (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Szikraváros (Hungary) [hu]
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for mild peril and some thematic elements.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
USA:PG (certificate #43559) | Ireland:PG | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | Philippines:G (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | Australia:G | Czech Republic:U | South Africa:10M | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | France:U | New Zealand:PG | Argentina:Atp | Portugal:M/12
Filming Locations:
Belfast Methodist College, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK more
Company:
Playtone more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The first time Bill Murray and Martin Landau have been in a film together since Ed Wood (1994). And Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter on City of Ember (2008) regularly works with Tim Burton. more
Goofs:
Continuity: As Doon is walking to look at the Generator room, a girl in full orange work gear and yellow boots walks across the control room and towards a hall. The shot changes to the door. Then when it goes back to Doon, the same girl(orange gear, yellow boots) gets up from the left and starts walking across the room again, before the shot changes back to the door. more
Quotes:
Loris Harrow: [narrating] On the day the world ended, the fate of mankind was carried in a small metal box. In a secret location, architects, scientists and engineers met and concluded that there was only one hope for our future: to build an underground city designed to keep its citizens protected for generations to come... more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "At the Movies: (2008-11-26)" (2008) more

FAQ

Is "City of Ember" based on a book?
What happened to Lina's parents?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
19 out of 23 people found the following comment useful.
Decent Film With Good Characters & Sets, But A Little Too-Little, Too-Late, 3 February 2009
7/10
Author: ccthemovieman-1 from Lockport, NY, United States

Overall, this was an "okay" film; not bad, but nothing that memorable. I enjoyed the sets of the subterranean city and the teen kids were likable, but it took a little long before anything happened and when it did it was a little too far-fetched with poor special-effects. Nonetheless, the visuals and acting were fine and supporting performances by the always-goofy Bill Murray and Tim Robbins were somewhat entertaining.

The most intriguing actor, to me, was Saoirse Ronan, as "Lina Mayfleet." At first she minded me a bit of Peggy Ann Garner in "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn," but maybe two years older. Ronan has a plain but expressive and intelligent face, a la a very young Cate Blanchett. She looks like she's on her way to a good career.

Her counterpart, the male teen "Doon Harrow," was played nicely by Harry Treadaway.

Although it's a nice, safe family film, I think a lot of kids will be bored by the time anything happens, and adults will be so-so on it. I stuck around for the visuals, mainly, but was disappointed in how amateurish the action scenes in the last 20 minutes looked.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for City of Ember (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
I liked the movie and im an adult! jon-1546
Is it me or does Ember look like Mainframe? harry_ohtori
Doon Harrow seemed constantly out of breath... XDumbledork
So were they down there for much more than 200 years? nathan-mcdonald-1
Lost Title of Similiar Animated Cartoon (Any input appreciated) shahmatt
My favorite part of the movie... bobbykanae
more

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