Carl Hiaasen (left) and Wil Shriner on the set of Hoot. (Photo by Glen Watson, © 2005 Hoot Productions, LLC)

By Janice Nearing, SMC Director of Public Relations

Parrotheads and animal lovers, this one’s for you! Coming to the big screen in April 2006 is a family film with a classic message – help those who cannot defend themselves. Hoot, an ecological mystery adventure, is about three middle-school friends who discover a disturbing threat destined to destroy endangered owls in their South Florida town. Growth and development issues are focal to the movie, the same problems faced by manatees and other species.

Based on the book by best-selling author Carl Hiaasen, Hoot is directed by Wil Shriner, (“Frasier,” “Everybody Loves Raymond”), and produced by Frank Marshall, (“Seabiscuit,” “Signs”), Walden Media, and Save the Manatee Club’s co-founder Jimmy Buffett. In fact, Jimmy provides some original music and plays a marine science teacher in the movie! The Club was asked to provide props for the film, so some of our manatee materials may be part of the movie’s set design.

We’ve heard that Hoot has enough plot twists, quirky characters and offbeat humor to make it interesting and enjoyable for all ages. Especially when you add venomous snakes, alligators, bullies and shady politicians into the mix. And Hoot is a movie with something to say. We asked Carl and Wil a number of questions about the film. 

Q: What is Hoot’s most important message?

Carl: Simply that everybody, even a young kid, can make a huge difference. I happen to believe that’s true, even in a place as endangered as Florida.

Wil: Stand up for what you believe and don’t be afraid to fight for that belief.

Q: Do you think Hoot will call people to action?

Carl: The hundreds of letters I’ve gotten from young readers of Hoot tell me that they’re very aware of the environmental crisis in this country. To the extent that the book fires them up for future battles, that’s terrific.

Q: Do you believe one person can make a difference?

Wil: Yes, by motivating others.

Q: What kind of environmental legacy would you like to leave the next generation?

Carl: My generation has done a miserable job of protecting Florida and other great places from being paved. The best legacy we can leave the next generation is one of angry determination – the message should be: enough is enough.

And on the subject of manatees, Carl said, “The idea that manatees are now prolific enough to be taken off the endangered list is ludicrous. I haven’t seen an adult specimen in the last 20 years that didn’t have prop scars. The push to delist the species is just a transparent assault on all the regulations that are giving dock builders and marina developers such a headache. As usual in Florida, it’s all about making money and to hell with the wildlife and the habitat.”

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