Nim's Island

Nim Rusoe is a young girl living with her scientist father, Jack, on a remote island where the two of them are the only inhabitants. Her companions include a few animals and the satellite link that keeps her in touch with the outside world. When Jack is caught at sea in a storm and fails to return, Nim is left to manage on her own. Turning for help to Alex Rover, the daring hero of the adventure novels she reads, she sends a message to the author — not realizing that Alex is a made-up character and that the books are written by Alexandra Rover, a reclusive woman in San Francisco who rarely leaves her home. Stirred by the girl's plea, Alexandra sets out to reach an island she has never seen.

The film was directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin, who wrote the screenplay with Paula Mazur, who also produced it. It followed their earlier feature Little Manhattan. Abigail Breslin plays Nim, Jodie Foster plays Alexandra, and Gerard Butler appears as both Jack and the fictional Alex Rover, with supporting turns from Michael Carman, Maddison Joyce and Christopher James Baker among a credited cast of 43. Made for about 37 million dollars, it took roughly 100 million dollars worldwide, a strong return for a family adventure. On IMDb it holds 6 out of 10 from over 36,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.9 out of 10 from more than 1,200 votes; a critics' score of 5.7 from 106 reviews places it close to the audience verdict.