Lost Ollie

This is just one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. It has so much heart and virtue. A depiction of how love can make a soul beautiful or ugly. The deep or dark aspects of the story went over my kids heads, but they loved the series over all and fell in love with Ollie, and so did I.

It's rare to find a show my husband and I can not only watch with our young kids, but one that we actualy enjoy watching as well and we find so engaging. We wanted to watch each episode as much as the kids did.

It was pure and real, and I can't believe it's not number 1 on Netflix right now. It really should be.

I was expecting this to be overtly saccharine, but it really wasn't. This is essentially the dark, grown up version of Toy Story - still containing a childlike innocence, but with a much darker and mature take on "the lost toy" tale.

I will admit that the first two episodes, until the end of episode two, starts off extremely slow and can come off as a bit boring. However it is totally worth it for the final two episodes as it builds up nicely, with a heartbreaking and heartwarming conclusion that absolutely tore me apart.

There were a few twists here and there that I was not expecting, which I really admired for their boldness. The whole series really about the light and dark side of grieving. How it can tear some people apart completely and helps other to grow and carry on.

If you've ever lost a loved one, this will definitely hurt, but in a good way.

The show is wonderful on its own. I will say that. But it was based on an absolutely beautiful book called Ollie's Odyssey by William Joyce and they fundamentally changed the entire story for the show. They kept bits and pieces but the framework is very different. I read the book out loud to my son a few years ago and we read it again leading up to the release of the show, excited to see our favorite scenes come alive. They weren't there, none of them. We still enjoyed the show but it's not what we were expecting and we're hoping one day they do it again following the book more exactly. The synopsis listed here on the site is what the storyline of the book is, not the show.

I usually just dole out stars and look around at reviews, but this is on another level. Superb skill from all the actors. Rich music & color. Writing that tugs on your soul. The immersive live action animation is literally seamless. They should all be immensely proud of this. Get a box of tissues ready you'll probably need it. Just breathtaking. To the top of the lightest light down to the pit of darkness. It's a rollercoaster of high quality showmanship put in a neat little package to be enjoyed through the ages.

Behind the landscapes of "Lost Ollie" lies a serious background with various emotions centered around loss, home, betrayal and friendship. The four-part Netflix miniseries at first glance may seem simple but it is done pretty well with depth and you can judge by the prism of WS Merwin's opening quote "Your absence has gone through me Like thread through a needle. Everything I do is stitched with its color." The main plot line revolves around Ollie (bringer of peace) who with the help of Zozo, Rosy and a Map reconstructs his memory and prowls the streets in search of his best friend Billy. The film goes on a quest intertwined with the flashbacks, tragic events, without making them adults only or overtly comical keeping in mind the TV-PG 7+ rating. The first two episodes strongly leans towards relationships and the character introductions and apart from obvious theme of loss, this is first and foremost a story about the process of grief and overcoming it.

My favorite is the 3rd and 4th episode, i Loved the Bali Hai introduction as Zozo dances with Nina against the background of a fair, with inanimate toys as it begins to rain - accompanied by an amazing score, it will definitely put a sincere smile of joy as the sequence is filmed so beautifully. Right after this the tone of the series changes as it moves into a bleak territory, it reveals how the difficult fates of Zozo, Ollie, Rosy are closely connected with each other. On the other hand, Zozo really wants to settle a pending account with the past and it really gets interesting with the connections that are revealed. By the way, bleak doesn't mean it plunges into despondency and depression. It makes no sense to tell further, because there is a mix of emotions and timeline in the good sense of the word.

As for the cons, there aren't many except for a little acting, staging problems in few scenes. Also, it seemed the soundtrack could have been better catering to all ages, but this is a purely subjective opinion.

In closing, this is another pleasant surprise from Netflix after The House (2022), Bogdan Boner: Egzorcysta (2020), Kotaru Lives Alone (2022) and The Summit of the Gods (2021). I know many will draw comparison to The Velveteen Rabbit, Sweet Tooth, Toy Story and Where the Wild Things Are. But trust me, in the balance between loss, tragedy and love of life lies the simplicity of Lost Ollie. For young viewers, this mini-series is full of adventures, enveloped with mystery, friendship that will be fascinating. Adults will draw parallels to the incidents that we have encountered in life as it explores the very structure of the human emotions. This will be a good watch with family, friends or if you have little couch time for yourself, it will be worth the time.