The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D (2005)
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A lonely boy's imaginative dream world becomes a reality when his creations come to life to save him from a real-world bully.
The story
Max, a lonely ten-year-old boy living in suburban Austin, creates an imaginative world called Planet Drool in his journal, where his dream-born creations, including the superheroes Sharkboy and Lavagirl, come to life. While facing bullying from a classmate named Linus and his parents' troubled marriage in the real world, Max's journal is vandalized. Suddenly, Sharkboy and Lavagirl appear in his classroom and invite him to Planet Drool. There, they reveal that a corrupt electrician named Mr. Electric is corrupting the dream world with darkness, and they must embark on a journey together to restore it.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Max, a lonely ten-year-old boy in suburban Austin, creates an imaginative world called Planet Drool in his journal, where his dream-born creations, including the superheroes Sharkboy and Lavagirl, come to life. While facing bullying from a classmate named Linus and his parents' troubled marriage in the real world, Max's journal is vandalized. Suddenly, Sharkboy and Lavagirl appear in his classroom and invite him to Planet Drool. There, they reveal that a corrupt electrician named Mr. Electric is corrupting the dream world with darkness, and they must embark on a journey together to restore it. They confront Mr. Electric, but he traps them in the 'Dream Graveyard', where forgotten dreams lie. Guided by Tobor, a robot toy Max abandoned, they plan to freeze time with the Crystal Heart, in the possession of Lavagirl's rival the Ice Princess, to freeze the contamination solid and thus repair the dream world. However, they are captured by 'Minus', the mastermind commanding Mr. Electric. Minus is revealed to be Linus, who came to planet Drool using Max's dream journal, and has been causing the spread of darkness and evil with his own drawings and dreams. After escaping, the trio obtain the Crystal Heart from the Ice Princess, but Mr. Electric ambushes them again, leading to Lavagirl sacrificing herself to save Sharkboy. Setting aside his selfish dreams, Max becomes the Daydreamer and gains reality-warping powers. After sending Sharkboy to revive Lavagirl, he defeats Linus and proposes to create a better dream world together. Linus agrees, but Mr. Electric rejects the offer, angered by Linus's redemption he flees to Earth, intending to kill Max in his sleep. Encouraged by Sharkboy and Lavagirl to save the real world, Max and Linus return there and discover Mr. Electric simulating a tornado to attack the school. As Sharkboy and Lavagirl save Max's parents from the ensuing chaos, who reconcile in the process, Max gives the Crystal Heart to his classmate Marissa, the basis for the Ice Princess, who freezes and destroys Mr. Electric. As peace is restored, Sharkboy becomes King of the Ocean, searching for his father, and Lavagirl becomes Queen of Earth's Volcanoes. Max, reconciled with his parents and on friendly terms with Marissa and Linus, repairs Tobor and encourages everyone to 'dream a better dream and work to make it real.'
- First release year
- 2005
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Robert Rodriguez
- Writers
- Robert Rodriguez · writer; Marcel Rodriguez · writer
- Cast and characters
- Taylor Lautner · Sharkboy; Taylor Dooley · Lavagirl; Cayden Boyd · Max; David Arquette · Max's father; Kristin Davis · Max's mother; George Lopez · Mr. Electricidad, Mr. Electric, the voice of Tobor, and the voice of the Ice King; Jacob Davich · Linus / Minus; Sasha Pieterse · Marissa Electricidad / Ice Princess
- Genres
- 3D superhero film; teen comedy; adventure comedy; fantasy comedy; drama
- Themes
- Selfishness vs. Selflessness; Imagination; Redemption; Family Reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- Imaginative; Whimsical; Action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- Superhero; Dream World; Coming of Age; Fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- Conceived by Robert Rodriguez's children, most notably Racer Max
- Franchise connections
- Sharkboy and Lavagirl
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics and was a box office disappointment, but it has since garnered a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 38 · scale: 100 · review count: 31; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A to F
- Production trivia
- The film uses anaglyph 3D technology, similar to that used in Rodriguez's Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003).; Miley Cyrus had auditioned for the film with Lautner but turned it down to begin production on Hannah Montana.; Robert Rodriguez appears in the credits fourteen times, including roles as director, producer, screenwriter, visual effects supervisor, director of photography, editor, camera operator, and composer.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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