Midlands Review of Tyrannosaur and The Secret Garden
midlandsmovies • June 15, 2020
Midlands Review of Tyrannosaur and the Secret Garden
Directed by Joey Lever
2020
Digitil Heart
Tyrannosaur and The Secret Garden is the new film from Leicester filmmaker Joey Lever and delves into loss, drama and a huge dollop of whimsical fantasy to help cope with tragedy.
Steve Price plays Brant, a father who has lost a child and whilst trying to manage his grief he is awoken late one night by a rabbit-masked boy. With an element of Alice in Wonderland the child draws him into an alternative dimension where a group of children in homemade costumes welcome him to their tribe.
We meet the leader of the woodland group, Lioness (India-Lily Cooper) and her gang - Rhi (a rhinoceros-masked Lamissah La-Shontae), The Angler (Alfie Cooper), the rabbit “Hop” (Jude Forsey) and twins Mag and Pie (Cole and Corey Hebden) who communicate in squarks. Stating there are “No schools here, no parents. no rules”, this alternative dimension is full of make-believe where Brant is now prisoner and placed in a symbolic jail made from twigs and string.
With further nods to Where the Wild Things Are and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the 30-minute short really pulls you into its story, leaving much explanation behind but making it all the mysterious because of it.
Despite tying to reason with the child group, he is tasked with hunting down a “beast” and after putting on a Bob the Builder hard-hat covered in dinosaur horns he enters a tent. The cave-like interior echoes the film Dave Builds a Maze and here he meets the Queen Bee of the Secret Garden who sets him on his quest.
The incredibly strong young cast are a joy to watch in their roles and deliver the light-hearted comedy extremely well in their ramshackle but perfectly designed outfits. The cinematography too is first-rate and captures the leafy browns and quaint streams landscape of the forest superbly.
Imaginative in nature, and a truly polished production, Tyrannosaur and The Secret Garden is also filled with hope and the biggest surprise comes towards the end when [SPOILER] he comes across the beast itself – an animated T-Rex dinosaur. That I was not expecting!
More controlled that Lever’s previous Spider-Man fan film, the filmmaker knows how to hop from genre to genre using the most appropriate film style for each. The animation, costumes and special effects mix well as the fantasy and reality collide.
As we head to its conclusion, Tyrannosaur and The Secret Garden is a lovely dream to experience. Well put-together, it has a distinct and unique style and despite its sad and sorrowful book-ends, it leaves with an optimistic look at childhood and memory.
With laughs, tears, surprises and a first-class allegory told through the eyes of a child, Joey Lever and his team have created something truly special and comes recommended as one of the best local films of 2020 without doubt.
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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