Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

By Carolina Edson

*Disney Plus invited Erin to attend the “Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made” Press event, and she asked me to attend in her place for the purposes of this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Recently I had the opportunity to attend the press event for Timmy failure: Mistakes Were Made coming to Disney+ Friday February 7th. The event took place on The Walt Disney Studios lot. We had an intimate interview with the cast of the movie and learned about the deeper meaning of the movie, some acting skills & and if there was really a polar bear on set.

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made is a movie about an 11 year old boy who has a 1500 pound polar bear as an imaginary friend. Timmy is the founder of Total Failure Inc. and together they solve crimes and mysteries around the streets of Portland. It is a beautiful story of how important it is to continue to stay true to yourself and to embrace your imagination. 

During the first part of the press event we had the opportunity to sit with the adult actors – Ophelia Lovibond, who plays Timmy’s mom, Patty Failure, Kyle Bornheim, who plays Crispin & Wallace Shawn who plays Mr. Crocus. 

It was an open and casual round table discussion and the first question asked was what attracted them to be a part of the movie. Everyone agreed that the story of embracing one’s imagination and uniqueness are what attracted them to the film. Reading how Timmy had the most vivid imagination but also believing it was true was amazing to them. Also knowing how the Director Tom Mccarthy and Author Stephan Pastis would use their talents to bring the book to life you knew it wouldn’t be like any other family comedy out there, it would have its own flair and creativity. 

 Shawn joked about how thrilled he was to even be offered a job and to be paid for it no less. But in seriousness he was genuinely worried for Timmy. Here he had a kid who wasn’t doing his hw, flunking out of class and letting his imagination run wild. He felt a sort of responsibility to look out for him. He mentioned he had some imagination but his fear of being kicked out of school was much greater. So Timmy being fearless really drove Shawn’s anxiety to help him. 

When asked how their experience as working with kids it was unanimous on how it didn’t feel different at all. Once ‘action’ is called everyone behaves and does as they are told as everyone is there for the same reason. The kids on set would act more like little adults then kids at times and had a level of being professional everyone was impressed with.  

Shawn mentioned the times he and Winslow would shoot a scene together the director treated them both equally. There was a sense of equality throughout the set and it was flawless adapting to it. 

The question we all had on our mind was, was the Polar Bear real? 

Of course, it was not! But how were the actors, whose characters were supposed to treat it as it didn’t exist in the film, work around having a man dressed in a polar bear suit. Ophelia mentioned that when you are on set you are constantly pretending and avoiding cameras in your face or all the people in the room. So it was just one more thing to avoid and pretend that it didn’t exist. It was quite impressive the way they did that by hiring a professional to stand in, in a polar bear costume to allow the camera to capture the movement and reaction of what script says. That way Disney can do what they do best and add some pixie dust to make it come to life on screen. It was truly magic watching it on screen the night of the premiere and everyone was so impressed. 

We really wanted to know after filming Timmy failure, what this movie represented to them. Ophelia started with how important and beautiful it is to embrace our imagination. She mentioned it is important we do not crush the imagination of other children and this film represents that. 

It’s a movie that celebrates uniqueness and Kyle felt that filming in Portland, OR, a city that embraces its weirdness, was the perfect setting. In the theme of only Normal people are normal the city, characters and story all reflect that and celebrate weirdness and uniqueness. The simple message of continuing to foster your imagination but also understanding a level of responsibilities and learn to have accountability. 

After our interview we had the opportunity to take a photo with the adult actors  and interview the 4 main kids in the film. It was such a fun conversation and they were so nice and so professional. 

We had the opportunity to talk to Winslow Fegley, (Timmy Failure), Kei as Rollo Tookus, (Timmy’s best friend) Ai-chan Carrier as Corrina Corrina, (antagonist of Timmy) & Chloe Coleman (Molly Moskins). 

We asked them off the bat if they were familiar with the books and Winslow started with saying he was not familiar with the book but by the second or third audition he and his dad started to read it and loved it. Chloe mentioned she was familiar with the series as well and Kei wasn’t either but loved the books afterwards. Kei mentioned he believes the idea of the polar bear being real or imaginary in the movie is up to the audience to decide and plays to embrace our own imagination. 

When asked what this film should teach adults, they all mentioned how important it is to accept those who are different. Fitting in shouldn’t be what the child focuses on and it’s never the most important thing. If you are true to yourself you will find friends who accept you as you are. It’s also important to be accepting and understanding when your friends make a mistake and to be there for them to help them instead of judge them.Their insight on life and embracing our own individuality was amazing and eye opening. 

When asked how this film helps them embrace their own imagination they mentioned relating a bit to their character in different ways and taking that part with them as they grow. 

Children are our future and these four talented, and uniquely different people all see the world through different lenses but have the same vision. To never let anyone make you feel bad about who you are and to embrace what makes you unique. They were all ahead of their time and had real concerns about real life issues going on in the world right now.

Being a part of this press event was absolutely incredible and eye opening for me as well. It reminded me to never be ashamed of being my unique self and I hope it does the same for you. Don’t forget to catch Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, steaming on Disney+ February 7th.