Little Giants is a 1994 American family sports comedy film directed by Duwayne Dunham, which was released on October 21, 1994 by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Plot[]
The film follows Danny O'Shea, who begins coaching his own youth football team for a playoff game against his brother, Kevin's team.
Cast[]
- Rick Moranis as Danny O'Shea
- Justin Jon Ross as Young Danny
- Ed O'Neill as Kevin O'Shea
- Travis Robertson as Young Kevin
- Shawna Waldron as Becky "Icebox" O'Shea
- Susanna Thompson as Patty Floyd
- Janna Michaels as Young Patty
- Devon Sawa as Junior Floyd
- Brian Haley as Mike Hammersmith
- Sam Horrigan as Spike Hammersmith
- Joe Bays as Coach Harold Butz
- Austin Kottke as Young Butz
- Frank Carl Fisher Jr. as Patterson
- Mary Ellen Trainor as Karen O'Shea
- Courtney Peldon as Debbie O'Shea
- Alexa Vega as Priscilla O'Shea
- Danny Pritchett as Tad Simpson
- Todd Bosley as Jake Berman
- Mark Holton as Mr. Zolteck
- Matthew McCurley as Nubie
- Joey Simmirin as Sean Murphy
- Jon Paul Steuer as Johnny "Viper" Vennaro
- Troy Simmons as Rashid "Hot Hands" Hanon
- Marcus Toji as Marcus "The Toe"
- Pat Crawford Brown as Louise
Production[]
The inspiration for "Little Giants" came from a 1992 McDonald's Super Bowl commercial developed by Jim Ferguson & Bob Shallcross. According to the Balitmore Sun, after Steven Spielberg saw the commercial, he contacted Jim Ferguson, saying: "I want that commercial made into a movie. I want my Home Alone."
Principal photography for "Little Giants" began on May 10, 1994 and ended on September 3, 1994. Filming locations included Arroyo Grande, California; San Luis Obispo, California; Burbank, California (at John Burroughs High School); Warner Bros. Burbank Studios in Burbank, California; and Malibou Lake, Agoura, California.
Duwayne Dunham was removed as the director for "Little Giants" after shooting more than two-thirds of the film. He fell behind during the football game sequences. Brian Levant was brought in for the last few weeks to finish the football sequences, using Rexford L. Metz as his cinematographer; however, Dunham was retained to supervise the editing at the same time which he saw through to completion.
Devon Sawa was 15 years old at the time of filming and much taller than his 10-year-old castmates, so he can be seen wearing only socks in some scenes in the film.
Box Office[]
"Little Giants" grossed $4,778,029 during its opening weekend at the box office. Overall, it grossed $19,306,362.
Critical Reception[]
"Little Giants" received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has an approval rating of 36% based on 11 reviews with an average rating of 4.80\10.
Stephen Holden from The New York Times said: "Anyone who was ever rejected or picked last for a team can relate to the concept behind "Little Giants," a slickly contrived family movie about an inept junior football team that succeeds in spite of spectacular liabilities."
Hal Hinson of The Washington Post stated that "if Little Giants were in a beauty pageant it might win votes for Miss Congeniality, but it definitely wouldn't take the crown."
The Los Angeles Times suggested that the film was "smarter than many of its ilk. Clearly a great deal of care and thought has gone into making special a picture that could so easily have been routine family fare."
In his review of "Little Giants," Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said: "Working in two platoons, [the four screenwriters] have skillfully removed all vestiges of originality from this story, and turned in a perfectly-honed retread of every other movie about how a team of losers wins the big game."
Brant Bingamon of the Austin Chronicle said that the film "offers nothing new in the way of children's entertainment", but it is "a pretty good film."