If “Lost Ollie” were a movie released in theaters a decade or so ago, rather than a four-part series on Netflix, it’s entirely possible it would have become part of our pop cultural fabric, like “WALL-E” or “Up.”
Usually, you need a full-press marketing push for that to happen. But when it comes to streaming, that’s rarely in the cards.
In terms of the premise, “Toy Story” is the more obvious comparison, wherein a child’s playthings are anthropomorphized in ways both whimsical and sometimes (to me) grating. Created by Shannon Tindle and directed by Peter Ramsey (adapting William Joyce’s 2016 book “Ollie’s Odyssey”) the series is gorgeously made, a hybrid of live-action (the humans and the environment) and computer-generated visual effects (the toys) that give Ollie and others their ability to move and talk and express subtle emotions in ways that are wonderfully vivid and tactile.
A felt bunny made from mismatched fabric swatches, Ollie has long floppy ears and buttons for eyes that blink. He awakens in a cardboard box in a thrift shop and the woman behind the counter seems kindly as she reaches in and pulls him out: “Well, ain’t you a handsome fella.”
But Ollie (voiced by Jonathan Groff) is fraught with confusion: “I can’t quite remember how I got to wherever we are,” he says. She clearly can’t hear a word he’s saying (adults!) and gently pokes him in the stomach. “I think I might have lost my Billy,” he continues. “Maybe you could help me escape so I could find him? Please?” Instead, she attaches a price tag to his ear and plops him on a shelf.
Billy (Kesler Talbot) is the introverted boy who once carried Ollie everywhere and is happiest when playing make-believe. Momma (Gina Rodriguez) is warm and luminous and she encourages Billy’s imagination and playfully joins in; Daddy (Jake Johnson) is loving but more reserved, looking on and sighing as his preteen son clings to a stuffed animal far longer than most children his age.
How Ollie and Billy become separated, and why, is one part of the story.
Ollie’s quest for them to be reunited is the other.
He makes that journey with help of an old carnival clown named Zozo (voiced by Tim Blake Nelson) and a bright pink teddy bear named Rosy (voiced by Mary J. Blige). Both have seen better days. Actually, they all have. They are scuffed, battered and alone in the world — abandoned.
As a child, if you’re lucky, you grow up feeling a certain sense of security about the adults who love you and look after you — that they will always be there. Reality has an ugly way of destabilizing that understanding of the world. The way the story’s humans experience this is mirrored through Ollie’s journey as well: Billy is his everything, and now that the boy’s gone, Ollie is lost — lost Ollie.
Midway through, we get Zozo’s backstory and these portions are especially rich. But like so many other streaming series, the project suffers from being parceled out into four 40-50 minute episodes. Some stories are just meant to be movies. Padding them out actually lessens their potency.
There are other things that keep me from embracing this story full-bore. I’m not inclined to be swept up in the fantasy that everything that comes into contact with humans will love us so unconditionally. Have you seen the way kids treat their toys? We’re lucky toys haven’t risen up against us!
But the strengths of “Lost Ollie” are many. The way it doesn’t shy away from dark, complicated emotions or slippery notions of trust. The way it doesn’t pander or talk down to its audience. Ollie is genuine and sweet and lovely and adorable without being cloying. You’re rooting for him. He doesn’t know anything about geography or last names or how to get anywhere. No matter. With the help of Zozo and Rosy, the three slowly pick through his hazy memories and begin a trek — by boat, by train and by foot — to make it back, somehow, to Billy.
The secret lives of toys and the shattering effects of grief. It’s a combination that never fails.
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'LOST OLLIE'
2.5 stars (out of 4)
Rating: TV-PG
How to watch: Netflix
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