A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls (2016)

Timing: 1:48 (108 min)

7.27/10
3231

7.407/10
81244

7.4/10
99000

All about film

Video 12

Photo 30

Actors and characters

Release date

2016-10-07

Country

Spain, United Kingdom, United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Focus Features, Summit Entertainment, Participant, River Road Entertainment, Telecinco Cinema, Apaches Entertainment, La Trini, A Monster Calls AIE

Genre

Drama, Fantasy

Budget

$43 000 000

Revenue

$47 309 313

Website

http://www.focusfeatures.com/amonstercalls

Director

J. A. Bayona

Actors

Lewis MacDougall, Liam Neeson, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Ben Moor, James Melville, Oliver Steer, Dominic Boyle, Jennifer Lim
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Belén Atienza, Jonathan King, Patrick Wachsberger, Álvaro Augustin, Enrique López Lavigne, Ghislain Barrois, Jeff Skoll, Bill Pohlad, Sandra Hermida, Patrick Ness

Operator

Óscar Faura

Composer

Fernando Velázquez

Artist

Audition

Shaheen Baig

Editing

Bernat Vilaplana, Jaume Martí
All team (115)

• The film is based on Patrick Ness's novel "A Monster Calls" (2011).
• The Monster's height was approximately 12 meters.
• Lewis MacDougall turned 12 years old at the start of filming, just like his character.
• Juan Antonio Bayona did not allow Lewis McDougall to read the final page of the script in order to elicit the most natural reaction in the final scene.
• This is the first film in which Sigourney Weaver has played a grandmother.
• The Monster's head, shoulders, legs, and branches were made of foam.
• The Monster's neck was equipped with a hydraulic structure, allowing it to move its head. And at the back, an operator controlled the structure using a kind of steering wheel.
• According to the book's author, Patrick Ness, the Monster references an English legend called "The Green Man".
• Directors Juan Antonio Bayona and cinematographer Óscar Faura have collaborated on three films – "The Orphanage", "The Impossible", and "A Monster Calls".
• Lewis MacDougall's mother passed away in 2013, shortly before he began filming "A Monster Calls".
• The screenplay for "A Monster Calls" was included in the so-called "Black List" of 2013 – a list of the most promising, but unrealized screenplays.
• School scenes were filmed at a school in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England.
• The film features "Blackpool Pleasure Beach" in Lancashire, one of the largest amusement parks in Europe.
• Tom Holland, who starred in Juan Antonio Bayona's disaster film "The Impossible" (2012), was present on set in case he needed to stand in for the monster. The actor receives special thanks in the end credits.
• The scene where Connor stands at the gates and looks at the mountain was filmed near the village of Rivington, close to the town of Horwich in Lancashire. The mountain's appearance was slightly altered using computer technology, as required by the film's plot.
• Sigourney Weaver's mother was a British actress, so portraying a British accent was not difficult for her.
• In preparation for the role of Lizzie, Felicity Jones visited several oncologists and spoke with women undergoing chemotherapy.
• Liam Neeson portrays Connor's grandfather in an old photograph, which shows the boy's mother being carried in her father’s arms as a child.
• The film is based on Patrick Ness’s novel “A Monster Calls” (2011).
• Director Juan Antonio Bayona and cinematographer Óscar Faura have already filmed three films together – “The Orphanage,” “The Impossible,” and “A Monster Calls.”
• Lewis MacDougall's mother died in 2013, shortly before the start of his filming in "A Monster Calls".
• The screenplay for "A Monster Calls" was included in the so-called "Black List" of 2013 – a list of the most promising, but unrealized screenplays.
• The film features the "Blackpool Pleasure Beach" amusement park in Lancashire, one of the largest entertainment parks in Europe.
• Tom Holland, who had previously worked with Juan Antonio Bayona on the disaster film "The Impossible" (2012), was present on set in case it was necessary to substitute for the monster. The actor receives special thanks in the end credits.