Inoubliable Ollie

Very few movies or shows have touched me emotionally as much as Lost Ollie. It is a dear, sweet, tender, and beautiful show about life, death, pain, happiness, friendship, love, and loss.

Life is cruel, and life isn't always all sunshine and rainbows. This movie shows how cruel the world can be, but it also shows that If we persevere and we keep love and hope in our hearts... we can find happiness with the ones that we love.

I think we would all be better people, and the world in general would be a much happier place if there were more shows like this.

Even though there are a few very dark and disturbing parts, I do feel like everyone should watch this! (As a kid from the 80s; I survived so-called "children's" movies like The Brave Little Toaster and Return to Oz, but kids were different back then). So parents beware!!!

Lost Ollie is a new mini-series, and already, it made me emotional. A lost stuffed animal named Ollie (voiced by Johnathan Groff) finds himself in a thrift store, and cannot remember where his owner, a boy named Billy, is. However, meeting a clown doll named Zozo (voiced by Tim Blake Nelson) and a tough teddy bear named Rosie (voiced by Mary J. Blige), Ollie escapes the thrift store and goes on to search for his boy.

Based on a chidren's book from 2016, this mini series will hit you right in the feels and never release it. The series switches between the past and present to tell the story, which is full of emotional moments and exciting action, as the voice actors help to bring this heart-warming story to life.

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.

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.

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.