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The Sparky Book

In this live action/animated short, a talking goldfish recounts the story of Sparky the dog and his owner, a young girl named Brigitte who suffers from a serious illness. This moving film explores the bond between human and animal, and more importantly, the bond between friends.
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In this live action/animated short, a talking goldfish recounts the story of Sparky the dog and his owner, a young girl named Brigitte who suffers from a serious illness. This moving film explores the bond between human and animal, and more importantly, the bond between friends.

Animals All subjects
  • writer
    Mary Lewis
  • director
    Mary Lewis
  • animator
    Mary Lewis
    Anne MacLeod
    Mariana Sol Porta
    Chris Darlington
  • cast
    Gordon Pinsent
    Maggie Hickey
    Ruffy Nappo
    Joel Thomas Hynes
    Frances Knickle
    Kevin Lewis
    Patrick Hirtle-Lewis
    Petrina Bromley
    Sheila Abbott
    Christopher Nikolov
    Leah Lewis
  • producer
    Annette Clarke
    Michael Fukushima
  • director of photography
    Ellie Yonova
  • editor
    Lawrence Jackman
    Mary Lewis
  • sound recordist
    Harvey Hyslop
    Don Ellis
  • 1st assistant director
    Dana Warren
  • 2nd assistant director
    Kelly Stone
  • production manager
    Anna Petras
  • production assistant
    Lisa Clarke
  • wrangler
    Christopher Nikolov
  • 1st camera assistant
    Keith Burgess
  • gaffer
    Flora Planchat
  • grip
    Sean Doran
  • boom operator
    Brad Gover
  • art director
    Pam Hall
    Anne MacLeod
  • art director assistant
    Tony Butt
  • wardrobe
    Christine Kenny
  • makeup
    Dorothy Martin
  • still photographer
    Justin Hall
  • background performer
    Mary-Lynn Bernard
    Iliyana Boykov
    Lori Heath
    Paul Heneghan
    Stephen Lush
    Christine Peddle
    Mary Ann Rennie
    Harry Stone
    Pat Stone
  • painter
    Shelley Cornick
    Abe Hutton
    Mike Skiffington
  • consultant
    Peter Evans
    Bertrand Langlois
  • digital imaging specialist
    Susan Gourley
    Pierre Plouffe
  • original music composer
    Jeff Johnston
  • online editor
    Steve Cook
  • colourist
    Steve Cook
  • sound design
    Lori Clarke
  • post-production assistant
    Edward Tanasychuk
  • mixer
    Shelley Craig
  • production supervisor
    Patricia Coughran
  • studio administrator
    John William Lutz
    Gisèle Guilbault
  • production coordinator
    Stephanie Coolen
    Vanessa Larsen
  • marketing manager
    Amy Stewart Gallant
  • executive producer
    Kent Martin
    David Verrall

Education

Ages 9 to 17
Study Guide
Guide 1
School subjects
English Language Arts - Children's Stories/Fables Family Studies/Home Economics - Aging/Death and Dying
Ask the class if they have ever felt a pet has become as close as a family member. Students can answer the following question: Would the film have been this sad had the goldfish died? Why or why not? Have the class watch the movie Old Yeller and make a comparison between the two stories regarding the bond between human and animal.
The Sparky Book
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