Daniel (Mark Rendall) is a middle schooler who is being bullied for his "uncool" stature. On pet show-and-tell day, for example, he has nothing to exhibit, unlike the boy who brings in a poisonous snake with altered, benign glands...no longer harmful. When he asks his dad, Steven (Nicholas Lea) if he can have a pet, Dad says no, even though his close female friend, Molly (Mia Sara) thinks it might be a good idea. In any case, Daniel sees a falling star and makes a wish for a truly posh pet. Whoa! During the wee hours of the morning, Daniel discovers that an ELEPHANT, in a large box, has landed on his lawn. Not only that, this elephant, which he names Lumpy, is talented to the point of kicking balls and picking up objects. Naturally, Dad says there is no way to keep such a hefty animal BUT he does permit Daniel to show the pachyderm at school before it goes to the local zoo. Doesn't make much difference, one of the big bullies is still after our Dan. Curiously, Lumpy doesn't thrive at the zoo, mostly because he misses Daniel. So, the lad decides to arrange a jailbreak for the beloved creature, with the help of a new friend. Will the young man succeed and will he be able to keep the mighty big friend? This started off so well, dealing with not only the weighty topics of death of a parent, bullying, new relationships but with an absolutely darling little elephant. This viewer's expectations were that eventually the circus would come back to pick up their "lost" star that somehow ended up in a child's lawn. But, no, instead, it goes for fantasy, an elephant that came from a wish, can fly, and the tale travels in a new, unwelcome (my opinion) direction. Nevertheless, the film still qualifies as "nice" material for a family watch, especially one with animal lovers and/or boys in the audience. The cast and all of the production values are of good quality, yes. So, if your loved ones are being "impossibly good", get this little film as a reward.
