WHEN ZACHARY BEAVER CAME TO TOWN (2003)
(On The Set /
Promo / Press Kit
/ Screen Caps)
Official Synopsis
It could've been just
another quiet summer in the tiny, sleepy town of Granger, Texas for
12-year-old Toby Wilson (Jonathan Lipnicki) - a summer filled with
riding bikes and slurping snow cones with his best friend and neighbor,
Cal McKnight (Cody Linley), and Cal's older brother, Wayne McKnight. But
right from the start, Toby's summer is anything but ordinary. Toby's
idol, Wayne, is away with the army, and Toby's mother leaves home to
become a country/western singer. And then one day his sleepy town is
visited by a stranger: Zachary Beaver, "the fattest boy in the world."
In a tiny trailer decorated with Christmas lights, Zachary (Sasha
Neulinger) is his own one-man sideshow with his friend and business
partner Paulie Rankin as his ringleader. Naturally, the whole town
gathers around to take a look, including Toby and Cal who get in line to
see Zachary with their own eyes. Zachary is about their age, but twice
their size. They doubt he is the "643 pounds" that Paulie says he is,
but still he's fat. Understandably, Zachary isn't too friendly to the
gawking strangers in his home, but nevertheless he intrigues Toby and
Cal.
Out of this unlikely beginning, a friendship develops between the three
boys, a friendship that will help carry them through what will be a life
changing summer for all of them. In befriending Zachary, Toby and Cal
learn a lot of life's lessons - some sad, some uplifting, some funny -
but all a part of growing up. They will certainly never forget Zachary
Beaver or the summer when he came to town.
Cast
Jonathan Lipnicki ... Toby Wilson
Sasha Neulinger ... Zachary Beaver
Cody Linley ... Cal McKnight
Eric Stoltz ... Otto Wilson
Jane Krakowski ... Mrs. Wilson
Kathleen Lancaster ... Kate McKnight
Crew
Director:
John Schultz
Line Producer: Susan Kerr
Producer: Amy Robinson, Jay Julien, Michael Corrente
Co-producer: Rhonda Lipnicki, Marisa Polvino
Trivia
When Zachary Beaver Came To Town is an independent film,
meaning it was not financed by a big company. Filming was to a very
limited budget and time-scale. Due to its popularity a distributor was
not difficult to find, however the movie did the film festival circuit
for a long time before release on January 3 2006.
Filming started in Austin, Texas and surrounding areas on September 23
2002, and was done by November 4 2002. It was primarily scheduled for
release in summer 2003, but continued to be screened at film festival's
well into 2004.
The movie screened at the following film festivals: 10th Annual Austin
Film Festival (10.10.2003), Chicago International Children's Film Festival
(11.01.2003), KidFilm Festival in Texas (01.17.2004), Victoria Independent
Film and Video Festival (02.08.2004), East Lansing Children's Film
Festival (02.27.2004), Vail Film Festival (04.03.2004), Tribeca Film
Festival (05.01.2004), Newport International Film Festival (06.12.2004).
The movie is based on the children's novel When Zachary Beaver Came
To Town by Kimberly Willis Holt.
Although this movie is supposed to take place during the hottest week of
the summer, it poured rain for 11 of the 27 shooting days.