Shorts (2009 film)

The film is set in a very busy suburban company town in Austin, Texas called Black Falls Community, where every adult always works, and citizens and children use the company's famous product "The Black Box", a technological device that can turn into almost any gadget imaginable. (Some of the events will be considered of any "episodes" and will be randomized due to the narrator being unable to correctly remember the order of events).

Episode One - The Wishing Rock A rainbow-colored Wishing Rock appears at the end of a rainbow, where it is found by Loogie, Laser, and Lug Short. They use it to wish for various things a fortress like a castle, crocodiles that can stand on two legs and climb walls like spiders, snakes, and a pterodactyl before wishing themselves back home. They eventually wish that one of them was very smart; however, the power is given to their infant sister in the form of psychic abilities. Now having telekinesis and the ability to speak telepathically, she convinces the boys to dispose of the rock, which they do using a catapult. Cole finds the rock the next day to throw at Toby.

Episode Two - Alien8ed Toby Thompson is bullied by Helvetica Black and her brother Cole on the way to school. Toby speculates that Helvetica has feelings for him, infuriating Helvetica, and Toby is dumped in a trash can. Later that day after school, Cole and his gang to start throwing rocks at Toby. One of the rocks they throw is the wishing rock, which Toby uses to wish for friends, which come in the form of small aliens. Toby takes the aliens to school, but their presence causes Toby and Helvetica to fall from the school's roof. This results in both Toby and Helvetica having casts put on both arms. The aliens leave, but Toby keeps the rock.

Episode Three - The Miscommunicators Toby’s parents, Bill and Jane Thompson, like all adults in the town, work for Black Box Unlimited Worldwide Industries Incorporated, which manufactures the "Black Box" universal gadget. They are assigned by Mr. Carbon Black, owner of Black Box and the father of Cole and Helvetica, to compete to create a new marketing strategy. Jane finds the rock in Toby’s room and takes it. She and Bill go to a Black Box costume party. Since they were having trouble with their relationship, she wishes that she and her husband were closer. They become merged into a two-headed person, but Carbon thinks that they're wearing a costume.

Meanwhile, Toby realizes that Jane took the rock and rushes to the costume party, but runs into Helvetica and Cole, who take the rock and dump him in the garbage. An infuriated Helvetica wishes that Cole would turn into a dung beetle, and then loses the rock. The rock is found by Carbon, who, unaware of its power, accidentally wishes for all the employees to go for each other's throats. Helvetica takes the rock, wishes off her casts, and attempts to escape on a rocket-powered bike that she wished for, but hits a curb and loses the rock again before Toby retrieves it and wishes everyone back to normal. Helvetica attempts to get the rock back, but Toby throws it as far away as he can, where it lands at the Noseworthy's house.

Episode Four - The Big Bad Booger Toby’s older sister Stacey arrives to tutor "Nose" Noseworthy, Toby’s old, germaphobic friend. Nose picks his nose against his father's wishes and accidentally flicks the booger into his father's radioactive work study. Toby and Loogie, now friends, arrive at Nose's house in time to see Nose's booger mutate into a giant monster who eats the rock. Toby eventually retrieves the rock with Nose's help. After helping Nose's father capture the monster outside, Toby and Loogie take the rock and leave.

Episode Five - Everyone in The End As Toby and Loogie contemplate what to do with the rock, Toby wishes the casts on his arms are off. They are confronted by Helvetica and Cole, who want the rock back. They are suddenly chased and stampeded by the rest of the kids and fight until the rock winds up in the hands of Carbon. Carbon wishes that he was the most powerful thing in the world and turns into a giant Black Box robot. Helvetica uses the rock to turn into a giant wasp and Cole uses it to turn into a giant dung beetle in an attempt to stop their father, aided by Toby's aliens and Loogie's humanoid crocodiles. The infant appears, uses her powers to stop a crocodile from eating her, and tells them that the rock is starting to feel misused, as shown by the fact that the rock is starting to undo all of their wishes. She also tells them the rock could destroy the Earth because of all the petty wishes they make. Together they get rid of the rock and all of its effects are undone. Toby’s parents decide to work on the marketing plan together, and Carbon agrees. Carbon changes the Black Box into the more environmentally friendly Green Box. The Noseworthys lose their germaphobia, Toby’s parents become closer, and it is suggested that Helvetica and Toby will marry in the future. All the children become friends and wished that their story would become a Hollywood movie, breaking the fourth wall.

Spy Kids creator Robert Rodriguez is the film's director, producer, writer, editor, cinematographer and music composer.

On January 11, 2008, it was announced that Robert Rodriguez would direct, produce and write a 2009 American and Emirati[2] live action and animated family science fiction fantasy adventure comedy movie which features live action and CGI animation titled Shorts also known as Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock.

On July 16, 2008, it was announced that Jimmy Bennett would play the lead role in the film, while Jon Cryer, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings were in early talks to join the cast. On July 17, 2008, William H. Macy, Jolie Vanier, Devon Gearhart, James Spader and Trevor Gagnon were also in final talks to join the film, Rebel Rodriguez, Leo Howard, Bianca Rodriguez, Elizabeth Avellan, Jake Short, Racer Rodriguez, Rocket Rodriguez, Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Cambell Westmoreland and Zoe Webb were added to the cast.

Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock was filmed in Austin, Texas. The special effects were done by KNB EFX Group, Troublemaker Digital Studios and Hybride Technologies for the animation.

George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel scored the music for the film on its soundtrack and the film's soundtrack contains "Spy Ballet" performed by Robert Rodriguez and "Summer Never Ends" performed by Jimmy Bennett. Warner Bros. Pictures distributed the film.[2]

Shorts: The Adventures of the Wishing Rock was released in cinemas on August 21, 2009, in the US by Warner Bros. Pictures, and on DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, 2009, by Warner Home Video.

George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel scored the music for the film on its soundtrack and the film's soundtrack contains "Spy Ballet" performed by Robert Rodriguez and "Summer Never Ends" performed by Jimmy Bennett. The soundtrack was released in 2009 by Warner Bros. Records.

Songs and music

• Spy Ballet – Robert Rodriguez
• Summer Never Ends – Jimmy Bennett
• It’s Not Just Make Believe - Kari Kimmel
• I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs
• Never Alone - Barlowgirl
• All Music – Composed by George Oldziey, Robert Rodriguez and Carl Thiel

• Official Site
• Official Facebook
• Shorts at IMDb
• Shorts at Box Office Mojo
• Shorts at Rotten Tomatoes