A Ring of Endless Light (film)
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| A Ring of Endless Light | |
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 A Ring of Endless Light promotional advertisement |
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| Directed by | Greg Beeman |
| Produced by | Greg Beeman |
| Written by | Madeleine L'Engle Marita Giovanni Bruce Graham |
| Starring | Mischa Barton Ryan Merriman |
| Music by | Phil Marshall |
| Distributed by | Disney Channel |
| Release date(s) | August 23, 2002 |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
A Ring of Endless Light is a 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie. It is one of two Disney adaptations of novels by Madeleine L'Engle, the other being A Wrinkle in Time, which aired on ABC in 2003.
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[edit] Plot Summary
15-year-old Vicky Austin, her younger sister Suzy and little brother Rob visit their grandfather, retired Reverend Eaton, on Seven Bay Island, but Vicky soon realizes that something is wrong. Her beloved grandfather seems to be seriously ill, but tries to pretend that nothing is wrong. Vicky faces other unexpected challenges as well. The rich but emotionally troubled boy Vicky met the previous summer, Zachary Gray, reappears to renew the acquaintance. Another boy, 17-year-old Adam Eddington, recruits Vicky to help him with a research project, working with a dolphin called Basil. Vicky discovers she can communicate telepathically with the dolphin and his mate - and possibly with Adam as well.
Vicky copes as best she can with the increasing stress placed on her by her grandfather's illness, especially once he admits to her that he is dying of leukemia. In turn, Reverend Eaton tries to encourage Vicky with his gentle wisdom and appreciation of her talents, especially her writing, in marked contrast to her parents' long distance expectations that she study science.
Meanwhile, a rivalry develops between Zach and Adam, which becomes an uneasy alliance as the three teenagers seek to expose the illegal use of drift nets, which trap and kill dolphins, on a ship owned by Zach's father. Eventually they succeed, saving their dolphin friend (and eventually Adam himself) from the deadly net just as Vicky's grandfather arrives with the Coast Guard. The excitement is too much for Reverend Eaton, however, who dies soon afterward. He leaves behind a new blank book for Vicky in which to write her poetry. Vicky decides to follow her heart and her talents rather than her parents' plans for her.
[edit] Cast
- Mischa Barton - Vicky Austin
- Ryan Merriman - Adam Eddington
- Jared Padalecki - Zachary Gray
- Scarlett Pomers - Suzy Austin
- Soren Fulton - Rob Austin
- James Whitmore - Grandfather
- Theresa Wong - Dr. Zand
- Penny Everingham - Cecily
[edit] Comparison with the novel
The television adaptation is considerably "lighter" in tone than the novel A Ring of Endless Light. In the book, a family friend has just died while trying to save the life of Vicky's troubled friend Zachary Gray. Shortly thereafter, a baby dolphin dies, a marine biologist of Vicky's acquaintance is nearly killed in an accident, some baby birds are threatened by the placement of their shallow nest, and a sick child dies in Vicky's arms. In the film, Vicky's grandfather is dying and some dolphins are threatened by illegal fishing nets, but that is about the extent of the death and impending death Vicky sees around her. The fishing nets storyline, which does not appear in the novel, is standard Disney fare in that it involves young characters behaving heroically in an adventure setting. Also, Vicky's parents are absent for most of the film, whereas they are very much present in the novel. Yet another difference is that in the book, Leo Rodney competes with Zachary Gray for Vicky's attention, while Adam tries to avoid forming a romantic attachment with her. In the film, Adam and Zachary are rivals, and Leo is a nonentity.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Gotta Kick It Up! |
Disney Channel Original Movies | Succeeded by The Scream Team |
