James R | On 10, Mar 2021

Jonathan Groff, Mary J Blige and Gina Rodriguez have joined the cast of Netflix’s Lost Ollie.

The tale of a lost toy searching across the countryside for the boy who lost him, and the story of the boy who lost more than a best friend, the series is inspired by a story developed by Academy Award winners Brandon Oldenburg and William Joyce, which later became the book Ollie’s Odyssey.

It has been adapted by creator Shannon Tindle (Kubo and the Two Strings), with Academy Award-winner Peter Ramsey, who adapted William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood into Rise of The Guardians, directing and exec-producing.

The show has been in the works for four years and was one of the first projects Teddy Biaselli, Director of YA/Family Series, bought to Netflix. Now, it’s found its cast, with Jonathan Groff, Mary J Blige, Tim Blake Nelson, Gina Rodriguez, Jake Johnson and Kesler Talbot all boarding the project.

Groff will voice Ollie, Blige will voice teddy bear Rosy, Nelson will voice clown doll Zozo, Talbot will play Billy, Rodriguez will play Billy’s mother, Sharon, and Johnson will play Billy’s father, James.

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Lost Ollie: Netflix orders new family series

17th October 2020

Netflix has unveiled Lost Ollie, a new live-action family series.

The tale of a lost toy searching across the countryside for the boy who lost him, and the story of the boy who lost more than a best friend, the show has been in the works for four years. It was one of the first projects Teddy Biaselli, Director of YA/Family Series, bought to Netflix.

“I saw in it the universal story of loss that all of us, no matter how old, could relate to,” he writes in a blog post. “I’ve been a toy collector my entire life. My personal collection consists of thousands of toys, some modern and sleek, and others vintage and worn from all the adventures I took them on as a kid. And though time has taken its toll, I have held onto them because of the special place they hold in my heart. We’ve all had a toy like that – a confidant, a protector, a sidekick, a best friend. And when we’ve lost a toy… it’s like we’ve lost a part of ourselves.”

The show is inspired by a story developed by Academy Award winners Brandon Oldenburg and William Joyce, which later became the book Ollie’s Odyssey – and has been adapted by creator Shannon Tindle (Kubo and the Two Strings).

Academy Award-winner Peter Ramsey, who adapted William Joyce’s The Guardians of Childhood into Rise of The Guardians, is directing and exec-producing. Joining Shannon and Peter are Shawn Levy, Josh Barry and Emily Morris from 21 Laps Entertainment, and Academy Award winners Brandon Oldenburg and Lampton Enochs. Industrial Light & Magic will be bringing Ollie and his friends to life.

“Lost Ollie is truly an odyssey about two friends trying to reunite in the face of all the dangers that childhood can throw at them. I love this show because it taps into that well of emotion we all feel when we lose something or someone important to us, and the courage we have to find in ourselves to get it back, or to move on,” adds Biaselli. “I can’t wait for you to meet Ollie and to fall in love with him like we have. And until then, give your favourite toy an extra squeeze for me.”

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