''Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller'' is a 1988 Canadian

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

film written and directed by

Michael Rubbo Michael Dattilo Rubbo (born 31 December 1938) is an Australian documentarian/filmmaker. Early life Rubbo was born in Melbourne, the son of Australian microbiologist Sydney Dattilo Rubbo, and the grandson of the painter Antonio Dattilo Rubbo. ...

. It is the seventh in the ''

Tales for All ''Tales for All'' (french: Contes pour tous) is a series of children and family films produced by the company ''Les Productions la Fête''. These films were also published as books. List of titles The films are also referred as ''Tales for All #1 ...

'' series of children's movies created by Les Productions la Fête.

Plot

A young boy, Ralph, and his sister discover a magical ability to travel the world, riding within

postage stamps A postage stamp is a small piece of paper issued by a post office, postal administration, or other authorized vendors to customers who pay postage (the cost involved in moving, insuring, or registering mail), who then affix the stamp to the fa ...

. Complicated by a series of rules, they are soon lost in such far-flung places as

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Ralph has a

stutter Stuttering, also known as stammering, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases as well as involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the ...

, and the film is essentially a

coming-of-age story In genre studies, a coming-of-age story is a genre of literature, theatre, film, and video game that focuses on the growth of a protagonist from childhood to adulthood, or "coming of age". Coming-of-age stories tend to emphasize dialogue or internal ...

wherein Ralph can speak fluently by the film's end.

Cast

* Anthony Rogers as Tommy * Lucas Evans as Ralph * Jill Stanley as Nancy * Andrew Whitehead as Albert *

Paul Popowich Paul Popowich is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Mr. Smith, an angel who helps people change their pasts, in season two of '' Twice in a Lifetime''. Popovich has performed in many television series, including ''Beverly H ...

as Cass *

Ron Lea Ron Lea is a Canadian actor, best known for his roles in '' Doc'', '' Street Legal'', and '' This is Wonderland''. Lea also served as a director on some episodes of ''Doc''. Filmography Film Television External links *Lea bio {{DEFAUL ...

as Brin James * Han Yun as Mai Ling * Chen Yuen Tao as Chen Tow * Catherine Wright as Cheryl *

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

as Singer

Soundtrack

The film features one of the first appearances of

. Wainwright also provides the song ''I'm a Runnin and his sister,

Martha Wainwright Martha Wainwright (born May 8, 1976) is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, and actress. She has released seven critically-acclaimed studio albums. Wainwright is the daughter of musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III a ...

, provides the song "Tommy, Come Back" for the soundtrack.

References

External links

* 1980s English-language films 1980s Canadian films 1980s children's adventure films 1980s children's fantasy films 1988 films 1980s fantasy adventure films 1988 independent films Canadian children's fantasy films Canadian independent films Canadian fantasy adventure films English-language Canadian films Fictional duos Films about families Films about friendship Films directed by Michael Rubbo Films shot in Montreal Teen adventure films {{fantasy-film-stub