Big Fish (2003)

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Director:

Tim Burton

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Wallace (novel)
John August (screenplay)

Release Date:

9 January 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

An adventure as big as life itself.

Plot:

A story about a son trying to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories and myths his father told him about himself.

Plot Keywords:

Father | Dying | Legend | Flashback | Giant Man

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 32 nominations

Cast

Ewan McGregor	...	Ed Bloom - Young
Albert Finney	...	Ed Bloom - Senior
Billy Crudup	...	Will Bloom
Jessica Lange	...	Sandra Bloom
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Jenny - Young / Jenny - Senior / The Witch
Alison Lohman	...	Sandra Templeton Bloom
Robert Guillaume	...	Dr. Bennett - Senior
Marion Cotillard	...	Josephine
Matthew McGrory	...	Karl the Giant
David Denman	...	Don Price
Missi Pyle	...	Mildred
Loudon Wainwright III	...	Beamen (as Loudon Wainwright)
Ada Tai	...	Ping
Arlene Tai	...	Jing
Steve Buscemi	...	Norther Winslow
Danny DeVito	...	Amos Calloway
Deep Roy	...	Mr. Soggybottom
Perry Walston	...	Ed Bloom - Age 10
Hailey Anne Nelson	...	Jenny - Age 8
Grayson Stone	...	Young Will Bloom
R. Keith Harris	...	Ed's Father
Karla Droege	...	Ed's Mother
Zac Gardner	...	Zacky Price (as Zachary Gardner)
John Lowell	...	Don Price - Age 12
Darrell Vanterpool	...	Wilbur Freely
Miley Cyrus	...	Ruthie (as Destiny Cyrus)
Joseph Humphrey	...	Little Brave
Morgan Grace Jarrett	...	Will's Date
Sallie Hedrick	...	Pretty Girl
Charles McLawhorn	...	Mayor
Frank Hoyt Taylor	...	Sharecropper
Savanna James	...	Little Girl
Billy Redden	...	Banjo Man
James DeForest Parker	...	Shotgun Toter
Russell Hodgkinson	...	Some Farmer
Don Young	...	Shephard
Jayne Morgan	...	Townsperson
David Ramsey	...	Townsperson
Greg Hohn	...	Townsperson
Zach Hanner	...	Cashier
George McArthur	...	Colossus
Jeff Campbell	...	Jump Leader
Lawrence Sykkmon	...	Chinese Emcee
Bonnie Johnson	...	Teller Woman
Howard Houston Jr.	...	Piano Student
Joanne Pankow	...	Heavy-Set Nurse
Trevor Gagnon	...	Will's Son
Jacob Radford	...	Kid
Karlos Walkes	...	Dr. Bennett - Young
Cathy Berry	...	Lobster Woman
John Fugate	...	Side Show Barker
Daniel Wallace	...	Econ Professor
Metz Duites	...	Ventriloquist
Vincent J. Ybiernas	...	Asian Officer (as Vincent Ybiernas)
Barry C. Harvard	...	Chicken Plant Operator
Edward Aldag	...	Municipal Dump Owner
Michael Garnet Stewart	...	Auctioneer
C. Alan Rawlins	...	Pretty Man (as Alan Rawlins)
Jake Brake	...	Old Zacky
Bevin Kaye	...	River Woman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jonathan Castile	...	(unconfirmed)
Chris Cate	...	Spectre Citizen (uncredited)
Ransom Gates	...	Big Butt Clown (uncredited)
Haley Hill	...	Little Girl (uncredited)
L.C. Holt	...	Spectre Citizen (uncredited)
Mark McWhorter	...	Army Officer (uncredited)
Matthew D. Miller	...	'50s Farmer (uncredited)
Darlene Moore	...	County Fair Patron (uncredited)
Gary Newton	...	Circus Announcer / Contortionist / Korean Fighter (voice) (uncredited)
Benjamin Plaut	...	Circus Patron (uncredited)
Cade Saint	...	Mourner at Funeral (uncredited)
Michael Shunnarah	...	John - Circus worker (uncredited)
Will Thomas	...	Spectre Citizen (uncredited)
Shayne Tingle	...	Paratrooper (uncredited)

Directed by
Tim Burton

Writing credits (WGA)
Daniel Wallace		(novel "Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions")
John August		(screenplay)

Produced by
Bruce Cohen	....	producer
Katterli Frauenfelder	....	associate producer
Dan Jinks	....	producer
Arne Schmidt	....	executive producer (as Arne L. Schmidt)
Richard D. Zanuck	....	producer

Original Music by
Danny Elfman

Cinematography by
Philippe Rousselot

Film Editing by
Chris Lebenzon

Casting by
Denise Chamian

Production Design by
Dennis Gassner

Art Direction by
Roy Barnes
Jean-Michel Ducourty
Robert Fechtman
Jack Johnson
Richard L. Johnson

Set Decoration by
Nancy Haigh

Costume Design by
Colleen Atwood
Donna O'Neal

Makeup Department
Coni Andress	....	hair stylist
Gloria Belz	....	makeup artist
Jean Ann Black	....	makeup department head (as Jean A. Black)
Sherri Bramlett	....	hair stylist
Susan Buffington	....	hair stylist
Linda De Andrea	....	hair department head
Joseph P. Hurt	....	assistant makeup artist
Sandy Jo Johnston	....	makeup artist
Herita Jones	....	additional makeup artist
Linda Kamp	....	makeup artist
Emily Katz	....	specialty makeup artist: Steve Buscemi & Loudon Wainwright
Karen Lovell	....	crowd hair coordinator
Robert Maverick	....	special makeup effects artist
Cindy Miguens	....	additional makeup artist
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist: Ms. Lange (as Dorothy Pearl)
Donna M. Premick	....	makeup artist
Justin Raleigh	....	special makeup effects artist: Stan Winston Studio
John Rosengrant	....	special makeup effects artist
Jennifer Santiago	....	assistant hair stylist
Mike Smithson	....	makeup artist
Gabriel Solana	....	special makeup effects artist
Linda Thompson	....	assistant hair stylist
Arjen Tuiten	....	special makeup effects artist: Stan Winston Studio
Denise Tunnell	....	makeup artist
Chris Varosky	....	makeup artist
Michelle Vittone	....	makeup artist: Mr. McGregor (as Michelle Vittone-McNeil)
Scott Wheeler	....	special makeup effects artist
Linda Williams	....	hair stylist
Beka Wilson	....	assistant hair stylist
Leigh Ann Yandle	....	makeup artist
Linda Boykin-Williams	....	makeup artist (uncredited)
Deborah Brozovich	....	additional hair stylist (uncredited)
Susan 'Star' Orr	....	hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Debra James	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stéphanie Champault	....	second assistant director: Paris
Carlos De La Torre	....	second second assistant director
Katterli Frauenfelder	....	first assistant director
Tommy Harper	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Thomy Harper)
Tommy Harper	....	second assistant director (as Thomy Harper)
Vanessa Mujica	....	third assistant director: Paris
William Pruss	....	first assistant director: Paris
Robert 'Skid' Skidmore	....	second second assistant director
Hans Titze	....	third assistant director: Paris

Art Department
Paige Augustine	....	assistant set decorator
Chris Baker	....	storyboard artist
Pedro Barquin	....	stand-by greensman
Joseph F. Beeco	....	carpenter
Sean Bernard	....	paint foreman
Frank Blair	....	property assistant
Jack Blanchard	....	set dresser
Dawn Brown	....	set designer
Hunter Brown	....	carpenter
Dianne Chadwick	....	graphic designer
Rick Chavez	....	assistant property master
Daniel B. Clancy	....	assistant set decorator
John B. Clarey III	....	propmaker
Jon Copley	....	construction auditor
Kelly Cornwell	....	art production assistant
Chris Cummings	....	art department coordinator
James M. Davis	....	construction foreman
Jeffrey DeBell	....	greens gang boss
Val I. Deikov	....	sculptor gang boss
Benjamin Edelberg	....	lead model maker
Michael J. Flynn	....	greensman
Daniel B. Foster	....	set dresser
Daniel J. Gillooly	....	greens coordinator
Jacky Hardouin	....	chief carpenter
Roland Heart	....	carpenter
Michael Anthony Jackson	....	visual consultant
Leslie 'Tinker' Linville	....	gang boss
Robert Loring Jr.	....	greens foreman
Scott Lukowski	....	concept model maker
Annie Lynch	....	art production assistant
Warren Manser	....	illustrator
Mike Monckton	....	lead signwriter
John W. Morgan	....	paint foreman
Jerry Moss	....	property master
Jon Nicholson	....	on-set dresser
Richard 'Rocky' Nichols	....	assistant property master
Robert Tate Nichols	....	set dresser
Debbie Nolan	....	propmaker
James Passanante	....	lead scenic
Jeff Passanante	....	construction coordinator
Andrew Petrotta	....	assistant property master
Brett Phillips	....	set designer
Sara Philpott	....	set dressing coordinator
John Eric Seay	....	prop maker
Jonathan Short	....	set designer
Aaron Sims	....	character designer
Lance Totten	....	set dresser
Scott Troha	....	leadman
James Van Houten	....	lead sculptor
Christina Ann Wilson	....	assistant art director (as Christy Wilson)
Hannah M. Hinkel	....	prop coordinator (uncredited)
Windi Robinson	....	painter (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mark Agostino	....	ProTools playback operator
Craig Berkey	....	sound effects designer
Ted Caplan	....	sound effects editor
Susan Dawes	....	dialogue editor
Teri E. Dorman	....	supervising dialogue editor
Ezra Dweck	....	sound effects editor
Carl Fischer	....	boom operator
Kimberly Harris	....	supervising adr editor
Matthew Harrison	....	foley editor (as Matt Harrison)
Gary A. Hecker	....	foley artist (as Gary Hecker)
Petur Hliddal	....	production sound mixer
Sean Landeros	....	sound recordist
Tony Lewis	....	auricle operator
Skip Lievsay	....	supervising sound editor
Howard London	....	adr mixer
Melissa Lytle	....	assistant sound editor
Victoria Martin	....	supervising dialogue editor
Kevin O'Connell	....	supervising sound mixer
Jeremy Peirson	....	sound effects editor
Steve F. Price	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Rayle	....	cable person
Katherine Rose	....	foley artist (as Catherine Rose)
Brian Ruberg	....	foley mixer
Greg P. Russell	....	supervising sound mixer
Dan Sharp	....	sound re-recordist
Brian P. Williams	....	sound re-recordist
David Wolowic	....	assistant sound editor
Ulrika Akander	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Eric Allard	....	special effects set supervisor
Robin A. Linn	....	animation production director
Lindsay MacGowan	....	effects supervisor: Stan Winston Studio
Lindsay MacGowan	....	puppeteer
Shane Mahan	....	key artist: Stan Winston Studio
Shane Mahan	....	puppeteer
Keith Marbory	....	special effects supervisor
Hans Metz	....	special effects supervisor
Stan Parks	....	special effects director
Alan Scott	....	effects supervisor: Stan Winston Studio
Tony Vandenecker	....	puppeteer
Tony Vandenecker	....	special effects technician
Stan Winston	....	special effects director
Gary Yee	....	creature effects crew
Gary Yee	....	special effects makeup
Evan Schiff	....	systems administrator: Stan Winston Studio (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Lucy Ainsworth-Taylor	....	visual effects producer: MPC
Victoria Alonso	....	visual effects producer
Christopher Arreola	....	lead film scanning
Scott Berri	....	production assistant: Imageworks
Rob Blue	....	digital artist: SPI
Christian Boudman	....	digital compositor
Paul Brannan	....	data operator: MPC
Paul Brannan	....	render wrangler: MPC
Andre Brizard	....	digital artist: MPC
Max Bruce	....	digital artist
Timothy Michael Cairns	....	quality control supervisor: Efilm/Panavision
Mitch Cockerham	....	technical animator
Nicolle Cornute	....	paint & roto lead
Sean C. Cunningham	....	digital effects artist: SPI
Lisa Deaner	....	digital effects artist
Colin Drobnis	....	visual effects technical director
Michael Duhatschek	....	modeler
Travis Dutch	....	scanning and recording
Paddy Eason	....	digital effects supervisor: MPC
Michael Elson	....	head of production: MPC
Jenny Fulle	....	visual effects executive producer
Joshua Geisler-Amhowitz	....	digital matte painter
Richard Grandy	....	digital character lead
Nic Hatch	....	digital artist: MPC
Erica Hornung	....	senior match mover: SPI
Adrian Iler	....	color and lighting
Michael Kaelin	....	paint/rotoscope artist: Sony
Blaine Kennison	....	technical director: SPI
David Keslick	....	scanning technician
Tim Ketzer	....	digital artist: MPC
Tom Kimberley	....	roto/paint artist: MPC
Ryan Knowles	....	digital film recordist
Stephen Kowalski	....	senior systems engineer
Lea Lambert	....	rotoscoper
Douglas Larmour	....	digital artist: MPC
Philippa Leathers	....	digital film recordist
Kevin Lin	....	digital cleanup artist
Kevin Scott Mack	....	visual effects supervisor
Seth Maury	....	computer graphics supervisor
Paul McGhee	....	digital color timer: SPI
Ben Morgan	....	digital artist: MPC
Adam Moura	....	compositor: Sony Imageworks
Robert Davis Oh	....	film recording technician
Andrea Lackey Pace	....	senior production services technician
Steve Rhee	....	visual effects editor: SPI
Allen Ruilova	....	digital effects artist: SPI
Denis Samoilov	....	digital character animator
John E. Sasaki	....	digital compositor
Gunther Schatz	....	digital visual effects artist
Ben Shepherd	....	CGI supervisor: MPC
Brad Simonsen	....	digital production manager
Eddie Soria	....	visual effects digital associate coordinator
Chikako Terashita	....	senior production services technician
Brian Terwilliger	....	visual effects plate coordinator
John Wallin	....	digital artist: MPC
Daniel Walton	....	digital artist
Barry Weiss	....	senior staff: SPI
Sheila Wickens	....	digital compositor: MPC (as Sheila Gorman)
Simon Wicker	....	digital artist: MPC
Ned Wilson	....	lead production services technician
Kathleen Woolery	....	digital color timing coordinator
Amit Agrawal	....	software supervisor: SPI (uncredited)
Aimee Campbell	....	senior matchmover: SPI (uncredited)
Danielle Conroy	....	director of digital production: SPI (uncredited)
Martyn Drake	....	systems: MPC (uncredited)
Michelle Martin	....	visual effects coordinator (uncredited)
Thomas Mathai	....	data manager (uncredited)
George Richman	....	senior production services technician: SPI (uncredited)
Mitch Zeitlin	....	video editorial coordinator: SPI (uncredited)

Stunts
Charles Croughwell	....	stunt coordinator
Michelle Croughwell	....	stunts
Corey Michael Eubanks	....	stunts (as Corey Eubanks)
Richie Gaona	....	stunt performer
Sean Graham	....	stunts
Yoshio Iizuka	....	stunts
Billy Morts	....	stunts
Jonathan Nosan	....	stunts
John Radcliff	....	utility stunts (as Johnny Rad)
Mika Saito	....	stunts
Spencer Sano	....	stunts
Nathan Siebring	....	stunt performer
Scott Sproule	....	stunts
Sonny Tipton	....	stunts
Darlene Ava Williams	....	stunts (as Darlene Williams)
Brian Avery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Joni Avery	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Jake Brake	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Ian Calip	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Brycen Counts	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Michael Forte	....	stunt driver (uncredited)
Adam Fox	....	stunts (uncredited)
Derek Frey	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Ransom Gates	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Al Goto	....	stunts (uncredited)
Al Goto	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Sean Graham	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Bill Little	....	stunts (uncredited)
Denney Pierce	....	stunts (uncredited)
Shaun Roberts	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Scott Sproule	....	stunt rigger (uncredited)
Ryan Welch	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Boni Yanagisawa	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Paige Augustine	....	gang boss
Rocky Babcock	....	libra head operator
James Babineaux	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Bryan Booth	....	electrician
Branch M. Brunson	....	rigging assistant chief lighting technician
Xiomara Comrie	....	assistant camera
Dan Cornwall	....	electrician
Jeff W. Curtis	....	grip
Robert DiGiacomo	....	assistant camera
David Ellis	....	rigging electrician
Jack English	....	gaffer
Erik A. Erichsen	....	electrician
Guy Ferrandis	....	still photographer
Jos'h Hancher	....	film loader
Darryl Humber	....	dolly grip
Dennis J. Lootens	....	rigging gaffer
Bobby McMahan	....	assistant camera
Daniel P. Moore	....	video operator
Glenn E. Moran	....	electrician
Glenn E. Moran	....	set lighting technician
David Norris	....	camera operator: Wescam camera
Jesse Wayne Parker	....	key rigging grip (as Wayne Parker)
C. Alan Rawlins	....	key grip (as Alan Rawlins)
Pamela Rittelmeyer	....	assistant camera
Zade Rosenthal	....	still photographer
Jacob Ross	....	grip
Alan M. Rowe	....	automated lighting programmer
Ted Sapp	....	best boy rigging grip
Riko Schatke	....	best boy grip
Thom Shepard	....	grip
Louis Smith	....	second assistant camera
John E. Stephens	....	crane operator: Technocrane
Stephen Thorp	....	electrician (as Steve Thorpe)
Mike Tyson	....	electrician
Peter Taylor	....	additional video assist (uncredited)
Peter Taylor	....	additional video assistant (uncredited)

Animation Department
Bill Diaz	....	supervising animator

Casting Department
Maryellen Aviano	....	extras casting coordinator
Dena Berman	....	casting associate
Janella Bersabal	....	extras casting assistant
Barbara Harris	....	voice casting
Ingrid Jungermann	....	casting assistant
Ingrid Jungermann	....	extras casting
Kari Mills	....	extras casting assistant
Karen Faith Rothwell	....	extras casting assistant
Paige Wilbanks	....	casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Deborah Ambrosino	....	specialty costume keyperson
Susan Antonelli	....	set costumer
Amy Arnold	....	costumer
Cha Blevins	....	costume supervisor
Christine Cantella	....	costumer
Lee Clayton	....	costume cutter
Lee Clayton	....	tailor
Janelle Cochrane	....	costumer
Ian Davis	....	wardrobe
Brenda Donoho	....	set costumer
Diana Edgmon	....	costumer
Zandra Harding	....	daily set costumer
Seth Hendrix	....	costume production assistant
Nancy Jarzynko	....	costumer
Jimmy Jay	....	set costumer
Rosalida Medina	....	costumer
Alice Powell	....	seamstress
Felipe Sanchez	....	costume illustrator
Thomas Sjolander	....	embroidery
Michelle Skoby	....	assistant costume designer
Dale Wibben	....	head cutter/fitter
Joulles Wright	....	set costumer
Suzy Freeman	....	costumer (uncredited)
Barry Kellogg	....	costumer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Michel Aller	....	first assistant editor (as Michel Markus)
Meredith Apel	....	assistant editor
Steve Bowen	....	color timer
Ben Estrada	....	digital colorist assistant
Mo Henry	....	negative cutter
Curtis Lindersmith	....	digital intermediate editor
Nadia Naimi	....	assistant editor: UK
Joel Negron	....	additional editor
Marc Pattavina	....	apprentice editor
Julie Saegert	....	post-production assistant
Michael R. Taylor	....	post-production assistant
Rebecca Weigold	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Jeff Atmajian	....	orchestrator
Bob Badami	....	music supervisor
Steve Bartek	....	orchestrator
Jane Antonia Cornish	....	orchestrator
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Jake Jackson	....	score recordist
Shie Rozow	....	assistant music editor
Dennis S. Sands	....	music scoring mixer
Ellen Segal	....	music editor
Edgardo Simone	....	orchestrator
David Slonaker	....	orchestrator
Jeanette Surga	....	music editor: temp music

Transportation Department
Michael Antunez	....	transportation coordinator
Don Baer	....	driver
Jon Bergholz	....	driver
Kim Magruder	....	driver
Ron Parsell	....	driver
Cindi Randall	....	driver
Mike Robinson	....	art driver
Bob 'Smitty' Smith	....	driver
John H. Stephens	....	driver
Timothy Stephens	....	driver
Olivier Suffert	....	production driver: Billy Crudup
Rick Kamen	....	picture vehicles (uncredited)
Norman P. Martin	....	picture vehicles (uncredited)

Other crew
Segolene Amice	....	production secretary
Tammy Arnold	....	acting coach
Jason Arrington	....	key production assistant
Rick Baca	....	first assistant accountant
Jacob Bartol	....	production assistant
Brenda Berrisford	....	assistant: Mr. Zanuck
Dawn Blacksten	....	assistant location manager
Christine Bodelot	....	production accountant
Chamonix Bosch	....	set production assistant
Rémy Boudet	....	title designer
Chris Browne	....	craft service assistant
Mark Brown	....	production assistant
Jonathan Burdeshaw	....	foam sculptor
Ian Calip	....	set staff assistant
Tina Canny	....	production projectionist
Robin Citrin	....	location manager
Noelle Coughlan	....	second assistant accountant
Stephanie Crompton	....	assistant: Mr. Cohen
Mike Cunliffe	....	location manager
Steve Dale	....	production assistant
Robert Dawson	....	title designer
Bobby Edner	....	adr voice
Williams Eva	....	circus talent coordinator
Mary Jane Faris	....	second assistant accountant
Kerin Ferallo	....	assistant production coordinator
John Findley III	....	assistant location manager
Dan Fischer	....	production assistant
Robert Foley	....	dog trainer
Adam Fox	....	staff set production assistant
Kelli Franklin	....	set production assistant
Derek Frey	....	assistant: Mr. Burton
Philippe Gallichet	....	chef: second unit
Isabelle Gautier	....	supervising location manager
Bradley Grant	....	caterer
David 'Cajun' Guilbeau	....	craft service
Raine Hall	....	key assistant location manager
Matt Heimlich	....	puppeteer
Amy Jackson	....	production assistant
Joan Johnson	....	assistant to executive producer
Mike Khalil	....	production assistant
Kasha Kropinski	....	adr artist
Aimee Lagos	....	production coordinator: Los Angeles
Richard J. Landon	....	animatronic animal constructor
Jonathan B. Lewis	....	production assistant: Wetumpka/Tallassee
Christopher S. Louis	....	accounting clerk
Paul Lowe	....	medic
Alfonzo Luna	....	assistant: Mr. Jinks
Jeremy McGuire	....	production assistant
Michael Meere	....	second assistant accountant
Carla Meyer	....	dialect coach
Matthew D. Miller	....	production assistant
Meyerer Miller	....	production office assistant
Niamh Murphy	....	textile artist
Jean Nakahara	....	assistant production coordinator
Geraldine Niche	....	production coordinator
Taylor Norton	....	production assistant
Cynthia Onrubia	....	choreographer
Micha Owens	....	production assistant
Alice M. Peschl	....	production assistant
Eileen Peterson	....	unit publicist
Jon Philion	....	technician: Libra Mount
May Porter	....	stand-in
John Radcliff	....	set production assistant (as Johnny Rad)
Shaun Roberts	....	staff set production assistant
Jayne Rogers	....	assistant dyer
Danny Sconyers	....	location team
Olivier Servanin	....	location manager: Paris
Kevin Shaner	....	medic
Marianne Shiffrar	....	payroll accountant
Rozanne Stark	....	set tutor
Janna Stern	....	script supervisor
Lisa Swain	....	production coordinator
Edwanna Tabb	....	office production assistant
Travis Taylor	....	production assistant
Michelle Elaine Teague	....	fitter
Ryan Welch	....	stand-in
Chad Wheeler	....	set production assistant
Jennifer Wilbert	....	production assistant
Nadine F. Wilson	....	production accountant (as Nadine Wilson)
Dean Zanuck	....	production executive
Saxon Eldridge	....	assistant to cast (uncredited)
Amy Leigh Owen	....	accounting clerk (uncredited)
Senia Phillips	....	animal trainer (uncredited)
Joey Racca	....	production assistant (uncredited)
John Whitley	....	accounting clerk (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Columbia Pictures Corporation
• Jinks/Cohen Company
• Zanuck Company, The
• Tim Burton Productions

Distributors

• Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) (2003-2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Columbia Pictures (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Bontonfilm (2004) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International (2004) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Film (2004) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2004) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2003) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2004) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video (2004) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Columbia TriStar Italia (2004) (Italy) (theatrical)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (Argentina) (VHS)
• Prooptiki Video (2004) (Greece) (VHS)
• Prooptiki (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• RTL Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing) (RTL7)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)

Special Effects

• Sony Pictures Imageworks (SPI) (special visual effects and animation)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC) (additional visual effects)
• Stan Winston Studio (animatronic and makeup effects)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  cranes and dollies
• EFilm  digital intermediate
• Gearbox Sound and Vision  additional ProTools systems supplied by
• Movie Movers  transportation
• Pacific Title  digital opticals
• Paskal Lighting  lighting equipment
• Pivotal Post  Avid editing equipment provided by
• Post Logic Studios  digital film mastering
• Sony Classical  soundtrack published by
• Sony Music Soundtrax  soundtrack published by
• Sony Pictures Studios  sound post-production

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference.

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS (8 channels)

Certification:

Netherlands:MG6 | Brazil:Livre | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Malaysia:U | Spain:T | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 | Germany:6 (f) | Sweden:11 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Norway:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Alabama, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The company that makes the "Handi-Matic" is Confederated Products. This is a reference to the pyramid scheme ambush at the strange dinner that Adam and Zack invited to in the movie Go (1999), which was also written by 'John August'.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Edward is in Spectre having lunch together with Norther Winslow and the mayor, Norther is holding his cup with both hands. When the camera goes down under the table to shoot Jenny while she steals Edward's shoes, Norther has his own hand close to his knee. In the very next shot Norther Winslow is holding his cup with both hands again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Young Ed Bloom: There are some fish that cannot be caught. It's not that they are faster or stronger than other fish, they're just touched by something extra.

Movie Connections:

References Ladyhawke (1985)

Soundtrack:

Dinah

Movie Magic

Every other year you get a movie that oozes magic and charm. Think "Chocolat". Think "Amelie". Think "What dreams may come". Perhaps even, "Being John Malkovich". And this year, it's time to think big... "Big Fish", to be precise. All four of these movies have some things in common. Merely describing the premise is not nearly enough to do justice to the mood of the film. And the mood, the emotional reaction of the audience, is in many ways much more important than the actual content. Still, there's no way around it in a proper review: We meet a disillusioned young man and his father, a charming old guy who knows exactly how to tell stories to fascinate first-time listeners and children. Unfortunately, there's barely any of those left, as he retold his magical stories once too often. When his health and life are beginning to fade away, his son wants to finally learn the truth about his father. Meanwhile, we hear his life story, as he tells it... Tim Burton is probably best-known for visual eye candy movies. Few directors can compete with the imagination he's shown in movies like Batman, Nightmare before Christmas and Sleepy Hollow. Outside the realm of darker, more gothic visuals, Tim Burton has so far been somewhat less prolific. Planet of the Apes was an expensive embarrassment, and Ed Wood is a decidedly acquired taste. Big Fish, then, is a new direction for him. Yes, it is eye candy, or perhaps even eye H"agen Dazs. But this time, the movie has much more of a soul than his monkeyplanet. This soul is achieved by two means: a great story (or collection of stories) and great acting. If you don't believe that the story is great, watch the audience. At key moments, everyone was chuckling or laughing, at others, I heard dozens of sniffs and tissues being unpacked around me. Yes, this is heartwarming stuff that a colder, more cynical soul would call cheese. Finally, Burton has found a story worthy of his talents again. And, better yet, he did not forget to encourage his cast to act. For a case study of such failure, see Christina Ricci's completely flat performance in Sleepy Hollow. In Big Fish, the cast is so carefully selected that failure is simply not an option. Ewan McGregor (playing the father in his youth) may not have much more to do than smile, be charming and sustain a Southern US accent, but he does it brilliantly. Much more important are the performances of Albert Finney and Jessica Lange, playing the aged father and mother, respectively. And they both deliver character performances worthy of prizes.

After cheerleading so enthusiastically for this movie, perhaps it is time to take a step back and look at it from a more critical perspective. Yes, it managed to enchant the audience, but it did so the Hollywood way. Special effects and big budget feature heavily. This is in stark contrast to the seemingly much less organized and much more intuitional charm of Amelie. This movie is also much more comfy about its pace - it takes its time just like a good storyteller would, but perhaps leaving behind the five-second-attention-span MTV generation kids in the process. On the other hand, I am tempted to say that its biggest vice is that there just isn't enough of it. Given the episodal structure of this movie, I can almost imagine what it would have felt like as TV series, or multi-part TV movie. I am not sure whether to wish for this to happen or shudder at the thought of "Big Fish: The Animated Series" or some such atrocity. Every story told in this movie is perfect, and a series of such perfect stories would be wonderful. Yet can perfection be sustained for a large number of stories? Either way, I wonder what is going to become of Big Fish - a franchise or a single movie. It definitely is more deserving of praise, awards and viewers than any other movie released during the past six months, including LOTR-RotK.