Frog and Wombat
Encyclopedia
Frog and Wombat is a 1998 independent children's film written and directed by Laurie Agard, about two 12 year old girls who investigate a murder
in their hometown, which they believe was committed by the middle school principal. The investigations of the two become more and more involved, even to the point where they sneak into the principal's car and hide in it to reach his house. As the two get closer to discovering the truth, the principal later becomes suspicious and kidnaps one of the girls.
The title derives from the nicknames the girls use over a walkie-talkie
, as they refer to themselves and each other as "Frog
" and "Wombat
".
The film is notable for its realistic characterizations, a rare thing in children's films, as well as for the fact that independent films for children are even more rare. The director commented that most children's films tend to portray an unrealistic "false sweetness", with "smart kids and dumb adults", and that she was trying to avoid that.
This film is where an originally unknown actress named Katie Stuart (who shares her name with more well-known child actress, Katie Stuart
), got her start.
Emily Lipoma (callsign: Wombat), successful child actress, has moved on to a prestigious university career. She is currently living in San Diego, and has a promising start in the field of urban planning. According to Miss Lipoma, "Acting is not my first priority, but I'm leaving the possibility open."
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
in their hometown, which they believe was committed by the middle school principal. The investigations of the two become more and more involved, even to the point where they sneak into the principal's car and hide in it to reach his house. As the two get closer to discovering the truth, the principal later becomes suspicious and kidnaps one of the girls.
The title derives from the nicknames the girls use over a walkie-talkie
Walkie-talkie
A walkie-talkie is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L. Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola...
, as they refer to themselves and each other as "Frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
" and "Wombat
Wombat
Wombats are Australian marsupials; they are short-legged, muscular quadrupeds, approximately in length with a short, stubby tail. They are adaptable in their habitat tolerances, and are found in forested, mountainous, and heathland areas of south-eastern Australia, including Tasmania, as well as...
".
The film is notable for its realistic characterizations, a rare thing in children's films, as well as for the fact that independent films for children are even more rare. The director commented that most children's films tend to portray an unrealistic "false sweetness", with "smart kids and dumb adults", and that she was trying to avoid that.
This film is where an originally unknown actress named Katie Stuart (who shares her name with more well-known child actress, Katie Stuart
Katie Stuart
Katherine Anne "Katie" Stuart is a Canadian actress who has appeared in over 15 movies, ranging from the obscure to the more well-known . She has guest-starred on numerous television shows as well as appearing in the television movie A Wrinkle in Time.Stuart was born in Vancouver, British...
), got her start.
Emily Lipoma (callsign: Wombat), successful child actress, has moved on to a prestigious university career. She is currently living in San Diego, and has a promising start in the field of urban planning. According to Miss Lipoma, "Acting is not my first priority, but I'm leaving the possibility open."
External links
- The Snoop Sisters - an interview with Laurie Agard about her film