ACTF

About Whale Shark Jack

A woman with long light hair wearing a colorful scarf stands beside a girl who is holding onto a rope; both smile at the camera. To the right, a man with a cap and a light shirt grins, creating a cheerful family scene by the water.

“I think Whale Shark Jack is ultimately a story about friendship, family and our connection to the natural world.”

                - Kathryn Lefroy (screenwriter)

Synopsis

Sarah, the film’s twelve-year-old protagonist, has spent her life travelling the world's oceans with her marine biologist parents. However, after the tragic death of her father Marcus during a violent storm, Sarah and her mother Nita leave their life at sea and move to the remote town of Exmouth on Western Australia's Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Coast.

Both Sarah and Nita are dealing with grief and the massive change to their way of life. For Sarah, leaving the ocean behind means losing the world that has always felt like home. She struggles to fit into school and her new community, because of the tragic loss of not only her father, but also the ocean life so central to her identity. Her enduring bond with Jack, whom she first encountered as a pup, becomes a symbol of her on going connection to her father and the ocean.

With the support of her Aunty Dot and her new friend E.J., Sarah begins tracking Jack's migratory path back to Exmouth and the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Reef. When the once-antagonistic Ashleigh is also drawn into the project, the friends engage in an adventurous mission to rescue Jack after he becomes stranded mid-journey. In the climactic conclusion, Jack's rescue brings family and community together, revealing the healing power and beauty of the ocean.

Characters

  • A young girl with long, straight hair gazes into the distance, standing against a backdrop of a scenic sky filled with clouds and hints of sunset colors. She wears a brown polka dot shirt and appears thoughtful, with a calm expression.

    Sarah

    Sarah is smart, brave, and fiercely protective of the things she loves - especially her family and her best friend, Jack, a whale shark she rescued as a pup. She’s grown up on the ocean with her marine biologist parents, her days filled with swimming, sailing, and surfing. But when a storm takes her dad’s life and her mum moves them to Exmouth, Sarah suddenly feels like a fish out of water. Desperate for the sea, she pins all her hopes on Jack’s return to Ningaloo Reef. When he doesn’t appear, Sarah makes the bold choice to defy her mum and set out to find him. What begins as a fight to claw back the perfect life she lost becomes something bigger: a journey that teaches her she can’t live in the past, and that sometimes the bravest thing is learning how to move forward.

  • A woman with long, blonde hair, wearing a colorful headband and a tropical-patterned jacket, sits relaxed while holding a book. The background features a cloudy sky and the hint of a boat, creating a serene atmosphere.

    Nita

    Nita is a brilliant marine biologist with a PhD and a lifelong love of the sea. She is never happier than when she’s far from shore, plunging into deep blue water with a Niskin bottle or using eDNA to uncover the ocean’s secrets. But when her husband Marcus is killed in a storm, the ocean that once gave her joy becomes a source of fear. Terrified it might take her daughter too, she abandons their life at sea and moves them to Exmouth, determined to build a safer future on solid ground. Nita buries every reminder of the past, convinced it’s the only way to protect Sarah, and herself. Yet her greatest strength, her fierce instinct to shield her daughter, also becomes her biggest obstacle. To truly keep Sarah safe, Nita must find the courage to open her heart to the ocean again.

  • A man with tousled hair and a light blue shirt stands near the water, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression. He wears a beige cap and has a backdrop of shimmering blue waves.

    Marcus

    Marcus grew up in Exmouth with his Aunty Dot, where his love for the ocean shaped him from the start. At university he met Nita, and after they’d completed their PhDs in marine biology, they combined their love of science and the sea to build a life together on the water, researching whale sharks from their boat, Playground. Marcus is warm, generous, and utterly devoted to his family. But when a freak storm takes his life, the loss ripples out like a wave, leaving Nita, Sarah, Aunty Dot, and the wider marine biology community struggling to fill the space he left behind.

  • EJ

    EJ is a computer genius. He’s the kid everyone in Exmouth calls when their laptop crashes or their phone eats all their photos. He can fix anything, code his way around any glitch, and dreams of one day launching his own wave energy start-up in Silicon Valley. While his parents run a sustainable fishing business, EJ has no desire to spend time in the ocean and prefers solid ground. When Sarah asks him to repair her dad’s laptop, he treats it like just another job, but it sparks an unlikely friendship. As they use real-time data to track whale sharks, the computer whiz and the ocean girl discover that even total opposites can find common ground.

  • Ashleigh

    Ashleigh is the queen bee of the school, sharp-tongued and in charge, and she wastes no time deciding she doesn’t like Sarah. Beneath the attitude, though, lies insecurity: she envies Sarah’s ease in being herself and the closeness she shares with her mum, while Ashleigh’s separated parents are too wrapped up in their own lives to notice her. She uses her queen bee status like armour, keeping everyone in line. But when Sarah takes the blame for a fight she started, Ashleigh’s view shifts. For the first time, she sees Sarah not as an enemy, but as someone she might trust.

  • Aunty Dot

    Aunty Dot is no-nonsense with a heart of gold. A meteorologist who has travelled the world, she lives in Exmouth in a house crammed with treasures from her journeys. She loves to cook and treats every meal like a personal challenge to invent the weirdest recipe imaginable. Most of her creations turn out to be surprisingly tasty. More than anyone, Dot understands what Nita and Sarah need to survive Marcus’s death, but in true Aunty Dot fashion, she won’t interfere unless she has to.

  • Hazel

    Hazel is EJ’s mum, with a deep sense of family and a strong bond to the ocean. She runs a sustainable fishing business with her husband, Peter, and carries the knowledge and traditions of her Baiyungu heritage. Hazel notices what others miss, especially the feelings people try to hide. She sees Sarah’s grief and offers comfort through a healing song that eases some of the pain. She’s quietly delighted to see her son building a friendship with Sarah, having long worried he spends too much of his life behind a computer screen.

  • A man with long dreadlocks stands against a clear blue sky, wearing a colorful shirt adorned with traditional patterns. He holds one hand over his heart, exuding a sense of pride and connection to his heritage.

    Peter

    Peter is a big-hearted Baiyungu man who runs a sustainable fishing business with his wife, Hazel. He would do anything for his family and carries a deep respect for the land and ocean that sustain them. Warm and easy-going, he’s also a joker who loves to tease EJ and embarrass him in the way only a dad can - equal parts annoying and full of love.

  • A person with short, dyed blue hair holds a two-way radio, looking intently as they stand in a wooden structure with large windows. They wear a blue uniform shirt and display visible tattoos on their arm, suggesting a focused and alert demeanor while communicating.

    Rosie

    Rosie is the ever-watchful guard of Ningaloo Marina, and nothing slips past her. With her bright blue hair and a fish tattoo on her arm, shenwears her love of the sea proudly. Friendly and generous, she’s always ready with a smile or a helping hand. But don’t be fooled. Rosie lives for rules and regulations, and if you break one of her marina laws, she’ll be on you faster than a seagull on hot chips.

  • Mr Feldman

    Mr Feldman is a warm-hearted, larger-than-life teacher who throws himself into his work. Instantly recognisable in his collection of outrageously colourful shirts, he brings spark and energy into the classroom. Firm but fair, he pushes his students to do their best and makes sure they know he’s right there backing them every step of the way.

Behind the scenes

Set against the landscapes and communities of Western Australia, Whale Shark Jack was brought to life by Cottesloe Films and Southern Light Films, in collaboration with Stan, Screen Australia and the Australian Children's Television Foundation, with support from Screenwest, Lotterywest and the Western Australian Regional Screen Fund. It was directed by Miranda Edmonds and Khrob Edmonds, produced by Timothy White and Miranda Edmonds, and written by Kathryn Lefroy.

Developed and filmed on the Traditional Countries of the Baiyungu, West Thalanyji and Jinigudera peoples, Whale Shark Jack was created in collaboration with Traditional Owners of the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) region. Baiyungu Traditional Owner Hazel Walgar provided cultural guidance as Associate Producer, while Gwen Peck composed the film’s original Baiyungu language healing song. The film celebrates the Nyinggulu (Ningaloo) Reef and honours enduring connections to Country, language and culture, while highlighting the importance of caring for the natural world.

The idea

Every film starts with an idea. For Whale Shark Jack, that idea grew from co-director Miranda Edmonds’ love of Ningaloo Reef and its coastline:

“That’s where it came from. Just this love of wanting to share that experience of swimming with the whale sharks and to shoot a drama up in this amazing place where no one’s shot a drama before.”

   – Miranda Edmonds

Watch the video below to hear more about the setting of the film, how the Ningaloo reef and coast inspired the story, and how the film connects to Country and culture.

The screenplay

While the Whale Shark Jack directors came up with the initial idea and ‘pitch’ for the film, Kathryn Lefroy wrote the Whale Shark Jack screenplay. As the writer, it was her role to create an engaging, adventure-filled and emotional narrative that would connect audiences to the characters and the world of the ocean.

After writing the screenplay, Kathryn adapted the film story into a novel. Usually, books inspire films, so Whale Shark Jack offers an interesting opportunity to see the process work in reverse.

Watch our interview with Kathryn Lefroy to hear about her ideas, her writing process and what it takes to turn an idea into a story.

  • A woman with wavy brown hair sits in a cozy chair, smiling while holding a book titled "Whale Shark Jack." She wears a leather jacket over a blue turtleneck, and a green plant is in a decorative pot nearby, with a softly colored wall in the background.

    Interview with Kathryn Lefroy

    Go behind the scenes with Kathryn Lefroy as she shares her approach to writing Whale Shark Jack, from shaping characters and themes to bringing the story to life.

First Nations representation

Baiyungu Traditional Owner Hazel Walgar worked as Associate Producer and First Nations Consultant on Whale Shark Jack, advising on the representation of Baiyungu culture and helping honour the deep traditional connection to the Ningaloo marine environment.

Hazel and her sister, Gwen Peck, also wrote the Healing Song featured in the film.

Watch our interview with Hazel Walgar to hear about her involvement in the film, the inclusion of Baiyungu culture, and the creation of the Healing Song. 

  • A woman with short, curly black hair sits in a sandy environment, wearing a brightly colored shirt with floral and geometric patterns. She has a serious expression and is surrounded by a blurred background of sand and greenery.

    Interview with Hazel Walgar

    Go behind the scenes with Hazel Walgar as she shares her role in shaping Whale Shark Jack, from embedding Baiyungu language and culture to ensuring the story’s deep connection to Country.

Costume design

Costumes can tell us a lot about characters, place and culture even before a character speaks. Costume designer Monique Wilson explains how First Nations storytelling inspired the costume design for Whale Shark Jack. Watch the video to find out more.

The cast

It’s hard to imagine Whale Shark Jack without the actors who brought its characters to life. Meet the cast and hear about their experiences of making the film.

Storyboards

Before a scene is filmed, filmmakers use tools such as storyboards to plan how the action will be translated onto the screen. Storyboards can show camera position, framing, movement and action, and help communicate ideas across a large production team.

Compare the storyboard for the scene where young Sarah captures and feeds Whale Shark Jack with the finished scene in the film. What stayed the same? What changed? What choices did the filmmakers make?

VFX and creature effects

Creating a believable whale shark for a film is no small challenge. The filmmakers used a combination of creature effects, puppets and digital visual effects to bring Jack into the story.

Watch the video to discover how creature effects studio JMB FX Studio helped create Jack, including different versions designed for different scenes and movements.

The VFX studio Stage 23 then used digital effects to create and enhance Jack and the world around him. Their work included CG whale sharks, ocean environments, weather and other effects.

Watch the video to discover how the Stage 23 creative team brought some of Whale Shark Jack’s most challenging and exciting scenes to life.

Behind the scenes images

Credits

Whale Shark Jack is a Cottesloe Films and Southern Light Films production. 

Producers: Timothy White, Miranda Edmonds 

Executive Producers: Bernadette O’Mahony, Cailah Scobie, Donna Chang, Kelvin Munro, Malinda Wink

Associate Producer: Hazel Walgar

Co-Executive Producers: Deanne Weir, Olivia Humphrey, Khrob Edmonds, Kathryn Lefroy

Directors: Miranda Edmonds, Khrob Edmonds

Writer: Kathryn Lefroy 

The Stan Original Film Whale Shark Jack is part of the Australian Children's Television Foundation (ACTF) / Stan Family Film partnership. ​Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the ACTF and Stan. Financed with support from Screenwest, Lotterywest, and the Western Australian Government through the Western Australian Regional Screen Fund, and in association with Minderoo Pictures. International distribution and education resources by ACTF.

A series of logos from various organizations, including Cottesloe Films, Southern Light Films, Stan Originals, ACTF, Australian Government, Screen Australia, Lotterywest, Screenwest, and Minderoo Pictures, displayed in a horizontal arrangement. Each logo is distinct, showcasing the brands and their associated identity.
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