LITTLE JOHNNY THE MOVIE
Little
Johnny jokes are a mainstay of the classic comedy repertoire, having been told
from one generation to another at pubs, school grounds, backyard barbeques and
locker rooms across the planet. Featuring the voices of Kevin "Bloody"
Wilson and Genevieve Morris, a new Australian feature length animated film now
pays homage to this series of timeless and side-splitting gags by introducing
the world to the feisty, nine year old, redheaded boy who just may have started
it all.
Little Johnny The Movie celebrates its world premiere
with a limited season of cinema screenings as part of the 2011 Melbourne International
Comedy Festival, from 1 to 24 April at the Greater Union Cinemas in Russell Street.
The team behind the hit Paul Hogan comedies, Strange Bedfellows and Charlie &
Boots, have created a very funny film which pioneers a whole new genre in Australian
cinema and finally gives adults the opportunity to be kids again. Beautifully
realised animation gives a respectful nod to the classic craft of the Merrie Melodies
cartoon series. Tipping its hat to Ginger Meggs and Dad & Dave, a 'mockumentary'
storyline tells the gripping 'true blue' action tale of a street-smart little
boy who is always getting into trouble but would do anything to win the affection
of his sweetheart. And the jokes keep flying in ways which would make Aunty Jack
blush and The Family Guy squirm.
Through the discovery of reels
and reels of long-lost home movies, we find the surprising source of inspiration
for some of the funniest jokes ever told. The year is 1967 and in the Victorian
rural town of Gallangatta, the day to day life of Little Johnny and his dysfunctional
family flicker onto the screen. To the dismay of his parents and teachers, Little
Johnny innocently tells it like it is, with the mouth of a sailor and at the most
inappropriate moments. It's not until we meet his down-to-earth, big-hearted Uncle
Kev that we get an understanding of perhaps why Little Johnny is the way he is.
Providing the voices behind these hilarious characters, the
producers have assembled a brilliant cast of Australian comedians featuring Comedy
Inc star Genevieve Morris as Little Johnny, a national icon following her role
as bank manager Barbara in the recent ANZ television commercials. Popular stand-up
comedian and star of Busting Out!, Bev Killick, plays Aunty Mavis. And in a role
specially created for him, Australian comedy legend Kevin "Bloody" Wilson
plays Uncle Kev, Little Johnny's dodgy moral compass in life. One of the most
popular, funniest, hardest working and least politically correct comedians in
the country, Wilson also contributes original songs to the movie which carry the
no-holds-barred hallmark of his many top-selling albums.
Co-producer
David Redman describes how the idea for the film came about. "In 2006, the
team at Instinct Entertainment were putting together Charlie & Boots and working
on our development slate. This mainly involved sitting around the office telling
jokes and making each other laugh," Redman says. "During one of these
'meetings', a Little Johnny joke broke the room up and after giggling like idiots,
someone mentioned in passing that it would be cool to do a movie based on these
jokes. Before diving in the deep end, we decided to do a little in-depth product
research. We Googled it!"
Over 7 billion entries (give
or take a few), in hundreds of languages, led the team to believe they had stumbled
onto something. How to turn a string of jokes into an entertaining film was the
next challenge. To unlock the solution, co-writer / co-producer Dean Murphy and
cowriter / director Ralph Moser took off on a three day writing retreat with another
of their longtime colleagues, actor and writer Stewart Faichney. A renowned production
designer who, being a member of the Instinct team, had worked on the team's previous
films, first time director Ralph Moser describes the vision that emerged from
that weekend which involved absorbing hours of classic comedy films and generally
making each other laugh.
"The overall sensibility of
the Chuck Jones cartoons struck a chord immediately. We wanted to celebrate the
golden era of animation but with a distinctly adult sense of humour. It's kind
of like the old studio cartoons featuring Bugs, Elmer and Daffy, but on steroids,"
Moser says. "We've found a way to immortalise some of the funniest, most
offensive jokes in history through a part bio-pic, part mockumentary movie which
at its heart is really a charming coming of age story brimming with irreverent
humour, larger-thanlife characters, a cool retro period setting and action to
boot."
While Little Johnny The Movie features a collection
of bawdy jokes you wouldn't tell your grandmother, the humour in fact reminds
us of a more innocent time. The essence of Little Johnny's charm is that he is
a wide-eyed kid who simply describes the world as he sees and hears it. Throw
in a sweet love story, a quixotic quest to own the Super Deluxe Glide-O-Matic
Dragster bicycle and even a billy cart race showdown which betters the very best
episodes of Road Runner or The Whacky Races, and you have one of the most fun
nights you've had at the pictures in years. For more information visit www.LittleJohnnyTheMovie.com
Dates:
1 to 24 April 2011
Session Times: Monday to Wednesday 7.30pm,
Thursday
to Saturday 7.30pm & 9.00pm, Sunday 6.00pm & 7.30pm
Tickets: $17 full,
$13.50 con, $10 Tuesdays, $8 Student Mondays
Venue: Greater Union Cinemas,
131 Russell Street, Melbourne
Bookings: Book at venue or www.eventcinemas.com/movie/little-johnny-the-movie
