Toys are not as lifeless as you think them to be. They represent love, care, connections, and both the lovely and tragic stories of our childhood. At least, that’s what the message is in Netflix’s new animated adventure series. Here is everything we know about Lost Ollie.
Lost Ollie is a limited series about a slightly amnesic bunny toy called Ollie, who begins a quest to find its owner and best friend, Billy. It is based on the book, Ollie’s Odyssey by William Joyce, which was published on August 12, 2016. Lost Ollie was created by American animator, Shannon Tindle, and directed by Academy Award-winning Peter Ramsey(director of Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse). The remarkable cinematography of Lost Ollie was done by award-winning Malaysian cinematographer, C. Kim Miles. Each episode of Lost Ollie is about 40-50 minutes long.
As far as I am concerned, the show manages to give both the reasons to and not to buy your children toys. I mean, you don’t really want your kids’ toys talking to them, right? What would you even do if one of those missing toys showed up on your doorstep? Anyway, all of that creepiness is really on the down low in this series. The miniseries focuses on the connection between children and their toys, and the way this connection usually defines their childhood.
Lost Ollie Season 1 Release Date
After being announced on October 6, 2020, by Netflix director, Teddy Biaselli, Lost Ollie began filming on February 1, 2021, in Canada. It was a short filming process that wrapped up in March. Lost Ollie finally premiered on August 24, 2022, with all four episodes dropping on the Netflix streaming platform.
Lost Ollie Season 1 Storyline
Lost Ollie Episode 1 begins with Ollie, lost and disoriented in a puddle of water on the street. The episode then proceeds to show scattered flashbacks of Ollie’s past. We find out that the patched-up bunny once belonged to a boy named Billy Wiles. From several sentimental flashbacks, we see how strong the connection between Ollie and Billy is. Then one day, still in a flashback, Ollie finds himself on sale in a toy shop owned by a woman called Flossie.
Although he doesn’t remember everything that happened in the past, he is certain that he has to find his way back to Billy. In episode 1, Ollie makes new friends, Zozo, a toy clown, and Rosy, a pink saber-wielding teddy. All three toys embark on a journey to find Billy using a memory map drawn by Ollie.
Lost Ollie Episode 2 shows Ollie and his two friends begin their quest from the Dark River (Ohio River), jumping from boat to boat to get closer to their destination. a tower Ollie saw in another flashback. In this episode, we find out that this tower is a hospital, and Billy’s mum had cancer. There is nothing else to be found in this tower, so the three friends move on to an abandoned amusement park, led by the toy clown, Zozo.
Here, the story takes a dark turn. We find out Zozo embarked on this quest for his own selfish reasons. The jingle of a bell attached to Ollie reminds Zozo of his lost love, Nina. Zozo has grown bitter after so many years of searching for Nina, and now he believes Ollie knows something about her whereabouts. The episode ends with this cliffhanger.
Lost Ollie Episode 3 begins with the love story of Zozo and a Balinese doll named Nina, which started in 1965 and quickly ended in 1970 when Nina is bought and taken away. Years after this, the park where this love story takes place, shuts down and Zozo is left hanging there alone for a couple more years. Finally, he is freed, and he immediately begins searching for Nina. Along the way, he meets Rosy and they partner up to find the Balinese doll.
Back in the present, Zozo ties up Ollie and begins torturing him for answers. Ollie is eventually cut loose by Rosy, and the two use a Swan as their getaway car. As they try to escape, they are thrown out of the car. This brings us back to the opening scene, where we saw Ollie lying in a puddle in episode 1.
In the season finale, Ollie continues his search for Billy. He takes another walk down memory lane, which leads him to Billy’s school. Here, he remembers the day Billy and him got separated. A bully had thrown him out, and Billy hadn’t bothered to pick him up. Ollie is heartbroken, but he also remembers Billy’s momma and the way she had taken care of him, patching him up and giving him a message to deliver on her deathbed. Ollie shakes off his sadness and gets back on his quest. Later, Ollie finds the home of Billy and his adoptive parents, but the home is empty. He goes in anyway.
All the answers are given in the last minutes of this episode. Ollie discovers that Nina, Zozo’s love, belonged to Billy’s momma. Nina had fallen apart years ago, though, which gives Zozo his closure, although the clown remains evil still. Ollie also finds a poster that showed Billy had tried to find him. The episode cuts to a man finding Ollie on the street. The man is Billy, who now has a kid, and lives in a different house. Man and toy are reunited again.
Lost Ollie Season 1 Cast
Ollie, Zozo, and Rosy were voiced by Jonathan Groff, Tim Blake Nelson, and Mary J. Blige respectively. The live-action cast is as follows:
- Billy, from youngest to oldest: William Carson, Kesler Talbot, and James Pizzinato
- Momma: Gina Rodriguez
- Daddy: Jake Johnson
- Suzy: Isabel Birch
- Flossie: BJ Harrison
- Jolene: Zoë Noelle Baker
- Mike Apple: Everett Andres
Lost Ollie Season 1 Rating
The TV-PG series has gotten a lot of positive reviews, especially for its excellent cinematography and compelling narration. Lost Ollie has 4 out of 5 stars on Common Sense Media. A rating of 7.8/10 on IMDb, and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. With the exception of some violent scenes where the toys try to tear each other apart, the animated series is a sentimental family show, which brings its positive reviews to a solid 90% on Google (4.7/5 stars). Although many people feel the Southern accent used by the characters in Lost Ollie is far-fetched, the show is still highly recommended.
Is Lost Ollie getting a season 2?
As it is a limited series whose season finale wrapped up the story nicely, there is no reason to believe that there will be a season 2. So no, Lost Ollie has not been renewed for season 2, and will most likely not be.
Where to Watch Lost Ollie
All four episodes of Lost Ollie are available on Netflix now.
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