The Florida Project Summary | GradeSaver (2024)

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What is the main idea of The Florida Project? ›

The Florida Project is about growing up in the shadow of fantasy: the struggle to survive in real life while finding sheer and boundless wonder in the unreal.

Moonee runs to Future Land to Jancey's room. She starts crying and is unable to say what's wrong. Jancey takes Moonee's hand and runs away with her, going all the way on foot to Walt Disney World park and running to the Magic Kingdom castle... and the movie ends here.

In a scene, she asks her daughter to take provocative photos of her in a swimsuit, which she then posts online to publicize herself. She is selling an image of herself in order to receive financial satisfaction. It is seen that then, a series of men come to her motel room to receive this work in exchange for money.

After her former friend Ashley warns Halley that everyone in the motel knows how she is earning rent money, Halley explodes and savagely beats her. This act of revenge is anything but sweet, as Halley has to vomit after her violent outburst.

Helicopters flying overhead were written into the script because production didn't have enough budget to stop the helicopters from flying. Christopher Rivera was an 8-year-old living with his mother at the Paradise Inn in Kissimmee, Florida, when crew members spotted him.

Bobby Called DCF About Moonee

Audiences are led to believe that it was Ashley, the neighbor Halley beats up towards the end. However, the most likely culprit is Bobby.

In desperation, Halley approaches Ashley to apologize and ask for money. Ashley criticizes Halley for doing sex work; enraged, Halley viciously beats her in front of Scooty.

At the end of the movie, Jancey leads Moonee to the real Magic Kingdom castle. After living so close by and yet in such a completely different world for her entire life, Moonee finally gets to experience the childhood magic that the children of tourists get to have.

However, if one takes a step back and truly assesses her methods of motherhood, one can argue that Halley was not as good a mother as she could have been. She was a bad influence on Moonee, allowing, if not encouraging her poor behavior with her own.

Much of the script was improvised, and many of the actors were performing onscreen for the first time. DID YOU KNOW? According to Sean Baker, the production was almost shut down midway through principal photography because his crew – unfamiliar with his directing style – believed he was “rogue and crazy.”

Did the kids in The Florida Project have a script? ›

DaFoe's sensitive portrayal is exceptional. The rest of the cast were first time actors Baker wanted to use to make it more documentary like, and so much of the script was improvised. And Baker says he was always afraid the production would be shut down and wouldn't be able to finish this film.

There's enough land here to hold all the ideas and plans we could possibly imagine." The plans for "The Florida Project," officially dubbed Disney World, called for a Disneyland-style theme park and resort area, EPCOT, an industrial park, an airport, and an entrance complex.

Mooney, who is brilliantly portrayed by Prince, idles away the time with her friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto). The adults have to suffer the ignominies of a life without wealth or success. They are forced to check out for one day each month and shift rooms so as to not establish residency.

Much of the script was improvised, and many of the actors were performing onscreen for the first time. DID YOU KNOW? According to Sean Baker, the production was almost shut down midway through principal photography because his crew – unfamiliar with his directing style – believed he was “rogue and crazy.”

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