Mary and Max (2009)

Director:

Adam Elliot

Writer:

Adam Elliot (writer)

Release Date:

9 April 2009 (Australia)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Two unlikely people. Two different worlds come together in a story about a most unusual friendship.

Plot:

A tale of friendship between two unlikely pen pals: Mary, a lonely, eight-year-old girl living in the suburbs of Melbourne, and Max, a forty-four-year old, severely obese man living in New York.

Plot Keywords:

Friendship | Neighbor | Chocolate | Correspondence | Phone Book

Awards:

5 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Toni Collette	...	Mary Daisy Dinkle (voice)
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Max Jerry Horovitz (voice)
Barry Humphries	...	Narrator (voice)
Eric Bana	...	Damien (voice)
Bethany Whitmore	...	Young Mary (voice)
Renée Geyer	...	Vera (voice)
Ian 'Molly' Meldrum	...	Homeless Man (voice)
John Flaus	...	(voice)
Julie Forsyth	...	(voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Christopher Massey	...	Additional Voice
Shaun Patten	...	Additional Voice
Carolyn Shakespeare-Allen	...	Additional Voice
Leanne Smith	...	Additional Voice
Michael Ienna	...	Lincoln (uncredited)

Directed by
Adam Elliot

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Adam Elliot		writer

Produced by
Iain Canning	....	co-executive producer
Melanie Coombs	....	producer
Mark Gooder	....	executive producer
Paul Hardart	....	executive producer
Tom Hardart	....	executive producer
Henry Karjalainen	....	post-production producer
Andrew Mackie	....	co-executive producer
Bryce Menzies	....	executive producer
Jonathan Page	....	executive producer
Richard Payten	....	co-executive producer
Pauline Piechota	....	associate producer
Tom Wild	....	line producer

Original Music by
Dale Cornelius

Cinematography by
Gerald Thompson

Film Editing by
Bill Murphy

Casting by
Brooke Howden

Production Design by
Adam Elliot

Art Direction by
Craig Fison

Set Decoration by
Isabel Peppard
Claire Tennant

Production Management
Bridget Callow	....	art department production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sue Collins	....	first assistant director
Jemima Daly	....	assistant director: continuity

Art Department
Daniel Agdag	....	sets and props
Michael Bazeley	....	sets and props
Darren Bell	....	lead sculptor
Darren Burgess	....	sculptor
Lindsay Cox	....	sets and props
Jonathan Daw	....	sculptor
Jonathan Daw	....	sets and props
Scott Ebdon	....	armature
Fiona Edwards	....	plasticine colourist
Roger Ferdinando	....	sets and props
Craig Fison	....	sets and props
Robert Gudan	....	armature assistant
Robert Gudan	....	sets and props
John Lewis	....	sculptor
Rob Matson	....	sets and props
Colin Moore	....	sculptor
Colin Moore	....	sets and props
Kailem Nutt	....	lead sculptor
Shaun Patten	....	set construction manager
Shaun Patten	....	sets and props
Isabel Peppard	....	character painting
Isabel Peppard	....	sculptor
Darcy Prendergast	....	lead sculptor
Darcy Prendergast	....	sets and props
Sophie Raymond	....	sets and props
Luhsun Tan	....	model maker assistant
Claire Tennant	....	sets and props

Sound Department
Laurent Boudaud	....	sound re-recording mixer
Michael Carden	....	sound effects editor
Nick Foley	....	adr recordist
Rick Gould	....	adr recordist
Jason Hancock	....	foley recordist
Doron Kipen	....	sound re-recording mixer
Nick Kray	....	adr mixer
Frank Lipson	....	sound effects editor
Andrew McGrath	....	sound re-recording mixer
Erin McKimm	....	location sound recording coordinator
Erin McKimm	....	sound editor
Erin McKimm	....	sound effects editor
John Simpson	....	foley artist
Keith Thomas	....	sound editor
Peter Walker	....	adr supervisor
Peter Walker	....	dialogue editor
Peter Walker	....	supervising sound designer

Special Effects by
Isabel Peppard	....	mould maker
Claire Tennant	....	key mold maker

Visual Effects by
Michael Allen	....	visual effects supervisor
Darren Bell	....	visual effects artist
Giselle Hunter	....	visual effects artist
Leath Mattner	....	visual effects artist
Reece Sanders	....	visual effects artist
Curt Sundberg	....	visual effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Glen Anderson	....	camera engineering
Jon Billington	....	camera operator
Yen Ooi Chi	....	additional camera assistant
Nic Kocher	....	assistant camera
Calista Lyon	....	assistant camera
Robin Plunkett	....	camera operator
Garry Sneesby	....	camera engineering
Benjamin P. Speth	....	camera operator
Gerald Thompson	....	motion control design and build
Scott Venner	....	assistant camera
Scott Venner	....	motion control assistant
Suzy Wood	....	behind the scenes stills photographer

Animation Department
Daniel Agdag	....	animation assistant
Darren Burgess	....	animator
Lindsay Cox	....	animation assistant
Pierce Davison	....	animation assistant
Jonathan Daw	....	animation assistant
Dick Jarman	....	animator
Anthony Lawrence	....	animator
John Lewis	....	animator
Jason Lynch	....	animator
Al Oldfield	....	animation assistant
Darcy Prendergast	....	animation assistant
Sophie Raymond	....	animation assistant
Craig Ross	....	animator

Editorial Department
Patrick McCabe	....	second assistant editor
Dee McClelland	....	DI colorist
Nic Smith	....	digital intermediate technical director
Glen Whelan	....	first assistant editor

Music Department
Dale Cornelius	....	music editor
Will Larsen	....	arranger
Will Larsen	....	conductor
Will Larsen	....	music editor
Leanne Smith	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Stephen Carroll	....	production runner
Melanie Etchell	....	title design
Samantha Fitzgerald	....	assistant: mr elliot
Monika Gehrt	....	production accountant
Lynn Johnson	....	caterer
Anna Kaplan	....	set/prop librarian
Stella Kinsella	....	set/prop librarian
Anthony Lawrence	....	mould maker
John Lewis	....	mould maker
Jason Lynch	....	on-set nurse
Patrick McCabe	....	digital post production assistant
Patrick McCabe	....	first aid officer
Bryce Menzies	....	legal services: Marshalls & Dent
Shaun Miller	....	legal services: Marshalls & Dent
Isabel Peppard	....	mould maker
Elvis Pramod	....	additional production assistant
Leanne Smith	....	producers associate
Claire Tennant	....	mould maker
Rita Walsh	....	set/prop librarian
Bree Whitford	....	digital post production assistant

Thanks
Scott Meek	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Melodrama Pictures

Distributors

• Icon Film Distribution (2009) (Australia) (all media)
• Alcine Terran (2011) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2011) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Gaumont (2009) (France) (theatrical)
• MFA Filmdistribution (2010) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Monopole-Pathé (2009) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2011) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Bioscop (2009) (Czech Republic) (all media)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Belgium) (all media)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Luxembourg) (all media)
• Gaumont S.A.B. (2009) (Netherlands) (all media)
• Mongkol Major (2011) (Thailand) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2009) (Canada) (all media)
• PlayArte Filmes (2010) (Brazil) (all media)
• Soda Pictures (2010) (UK) (all media)
• Sundance Selects (2009) (USA) (TV) (video-on-demand)

Other Companies

• Adirondack Pictures  funding
• Film Finances  completion guarantor
• Mana Music  soundtrack
• Soundwaves  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"Μαίρη και Μαξ" - Greece
"Мэри и Макс" - Russia
"Mari i Maks" - Serbia (imdb display title)
"Mary & Max" - Japan (English title) (imdb display title)
"Mary & Max" - Sweden
"Mary & Max, oder - Schrumpfen Schafe, wenn es regnet" - Germany (imdb display title)
"Mary és Max" - Hungary (imdb display title)
"Mary a Max" - Czech Republic
"Mary e Max" - Brazil
"Mary e Max, Uma Amizade Diferente" - Brazil (imdb display title)
"Mary et Max." - France
"Mary i Max" - Poland (imdb display title)
"Mary kai Max" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Mary og Max" - Norway
"Mary ve Max" - Turkey (Turkish title) (DVD title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Australia

Language:

English | Yiddish

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:M | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Ontario/Quebec) | Brazil:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Germany:12 | Sweden:11 | UK:12 (DVD) | Japan:G | South Korea:12

Filming Locations:

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Company:

Melodrama Pictures

Trivia:

The postage stamps in the film used by Mary feature an image of Dame Edna Everage, a character played by comedian Barry Humphries, who also narrates the film.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When the story about the character (Max's upstairs neighbor's friend) who buys a Ferrari is told, the car is shown as having right-hand drive. It's extremely unlikely someone in the US would buy a right-hand drive Ferrari, although of course that would be common in Australia where the movie was made.

Quotes:

Max Jerry Horovitz:Butts are bad because they wash out to sea, and fish smoke them and become nicotine-dependent.

Movie Connections:

References Rain Man (1988)

Soundtrack:

A Swinging Safari

Unforgettable and Heartbreaking Bleak Tale of Friendship and Loneliness

In 1976, in Australia, the misfit and outcast eight-year old girl Mary Daisy Dinkle lives in Mount Waverley with her alcoholic shoplifter mother Vera Lorraine Dinkle that is addicted in Sherry and her absent father Noel Norman Dinkle that works in the Earl Grey Factory attaching strings in the teabag and spends his leisure time in his hobby - taxidermy. Mary has absolutely no friends and is teased by her schoolmate Benny Clifford. She has a complex because of her brown birthmark in the forehead and she adores her favorite cartoon The Noblets that she watches with her rooster Ethel and condensed milk. Meanwhile, in New York, the lonely forty-four year-old Max Jerry Horowitz has Asperge Syndrome and trouble to sleep and is obese since he eats chocolate hot-dogs to compensate his anxiety. He frequently goes to the Overeaters Anonymous Meeting. Max does not have any friend, only the invisible Mr. Ravioli, and also loves The Noblets. His life goals are to have a friend, Noblets and chocolate. One day, Mary picks Max address out of an American phone-book and she decides to write to him to ask from where babies come in America. Along their lives, they become pen pals and their unusual friendship oscillates due to the anxiety attacks of the unstable Max.

"Mary and Max" is an unforgettable and heartbreaking bleak tale of friendship and loneliness. The story is bittersweet and witty, with an ironic black humor and provokes the most conflictive emotions in the viewers, funny in a moment, and depressive in the other. The excellent animation follows the dark style of Tim Burton and the screenplay is a profound insight in human behavior. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Mary and Max – Uma Amizade Diferente" ("Mary and Max – A Different Friendship")