The Lost Bus (2025)
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2025-09 to 2026-08
A bus driver and a teacher must navigate a harrowing journey to evacuate children during a massive wildfire.
The story
On the morning of the 2018 Camp Fire in Paradise, California, bus driver Kevin McKay is tasked with transporting 22 children from Ponderosa Elementary School. Accompanied by teacher Mary Ludwig, Kevin must navigate a landscape of escalating chaos, including failing infrastructure and a rapidly spreading wildfire. As they face gridlock, communication failures, and the physical dangers of the blaze, the pair must make critical decisions to ensure the children reach safety. The film captures the intense pressure of the evacuation as the duo faces the overwhelming scale of the disaster while attempting to reach the nearby city of Chico.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the outbreak of the 2018 Camp Fire, bus driver Kevin McKay and teacher Mary Ludwig are tasked with evacuating 22 children from Ponderosa Elementary School. Amidst a landscape of gridlock, falling power lines, and armed looters, they navigate toward Chico. Along the way, they face a lack of communication with dispatch and the physical threat of the encroaching fire. They eventually reach a point where they must wait out the worst of the flames, breathing through makeshift filters. After the bus fails to start, Kevin performs repairs and drives through the flames to reach safety. In the aftermath, the children are reunited with their families, and Kevin reconciles with his estranged son. The film concludes with an epilogue detailing the historical impact of the Camp Fire and the subsequent legal consequences for the utility company.
- First release year
- 2025
- Runtime (minutes)
- 130
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Paul Greengrass
- Writers
- Brad Ingelsby · screenplay; Paul Greengrass · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Matthew McConaughey · Kevin McKay; America Ferrera · Mary Ludwig; Yul Vazquez · Ray Martinez; Ashlie Atkinson · Ruby Bishop; Levi McConaughey · Shaun McKay; Kay McCabe McConaughey · Sherry McKay; Kate Wharton · Jen Kissoon; Danny McCarthy · McKenzie
- Genres
- survival; drama
- Themes
- sacrifice; resilience; family reconciliation
- Tone and mood
- tense; realistic
- Premise and plot tags
- disaster; survival; based on true events
- Source material / true-story basis
- Paradise by Lizzie Johnson
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews, praised for its realistic visual effects and strong performances, though some noted the plot was predictable.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 28
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Awards · Best Visual Effects · 98th · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film features the actor's real-life mother.; The film was developed by Jamie Lee Curtis and Jason Blum.; The film was shot in New Mexico.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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