A born-and-raised product of small-town Arroyo Grande, I am lovingly familiar with the 1994 sports comedy Little Giants. Thinking about this movie brings back cherished memories of my childhood and my own sports triumphs. I also really loved watching “geeky” kids succeed because it gave me hope. But the novelty of the film comes from the fact that many of the most exciting scenes in the movie were filmed right here in our own backyard.
So you can imagine my excitement when I found out some of the cast will be returning to the Central Coast. Courtesy of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, the Fair Oaks Theatre in Arroyo Grande will be screening the film on Dec. 7 at noon. Cast members Shawna Waldron, Todd Bosley, Marcus Toji, and producer D. Scott Easton will be on hand to share stories from making the movie.
This week, the Sun reached out to the cast for the inside scoop on a classic movie for sports fans and underdogs.
Sports memorabilia
Little Giants is a story of two small-town brothers who end up coaching competing peewee football teams. Ed O’Neil played Kevin O’Shea and Rick Moranis played his brother Danny. The movie includes cameo appearances from football legends John Madden, Emmett Smith, and Tim Brown.
The town of Arroyo Grande stands in for the fictitious Urbania, Ohio. The film features several recognizable landmarks, including Grand Avenue, Old Town Main Street, and the Arroyo Grande Creek.
According to associate producer/production D. Scott Easton, the film’s head honchos wanted a place that looked Midwestern for the film’s location.
“We hired Pete Toby to look in California for the best location,” Scott Easton said. “He stumbled across Arroyo Grande looking for a gas station.”
Perhaps like any film, shooting Little Giants didn’t come without its challenges. Scott Easton said that’s because the movie used kids primarily ages 10 through 15, which meant they were only allowed to film so many hours a day.
“In California, kids are only allowed to film or work for 10 hours a day,” he said. The associate producer added that it was also a challenge working with the mothers who were concerned about the shoot interfering with school.
A football coach was hired to work with the kids on technique; Easton said they spent a lot of time practicing after school.
“When it came to filming, we had an ‘A’ team, a ‘B’ team, and a ‘C’ team,” Scott Easton said. “We would rotate teams throughout the day.”
The shooting faced major road bumps when the director was fired 10 weeks into filming, and then the production was delayed so everyone could wait for Moranis to finish a previous film contract. Scott Easton said the movie went 38 days past the scheduled deadline. But all in all, the associate producer has fond memories of shooting the movie.
“The kids had a great time and really became close friends. They became like a family, it was cute,” he said.
Some of those cast members who still remain friends include Shawna Waldron, who was cast as Becky “Ice Box” O’Shea, the only girl on the team.
Waldron, now in her 30s, turned 12 during the filming. She said it’s been a long time since she has been back to the area.
“I was really excited when I got the call,” she said. “A part of me is worried there’s a 7-11 built on top of my childhood.”
One incident from filming that stuck with Waldron involved a minor accident. In an attempt to film the scene where the go-karts race across the stream, they built a ramp under the water.
“The stream loosened the ramp and everything went in the water—go-kart, camera, camera rig, and half of the crew,” she said. “My stunt double broke her arm and got a concussion.”
Waldron said that every day spent in Arroyo Grande is a fond memory; she enjoyed spending time in the antique stores and going to the arcade with the guys. The former “Ice Box” couldn’t agree more that Little Giants is a story of underdogs.
“That’s pretty much the gist of the movie,” she said. “All the rejects of society band together to raise some hell—always a good time.”
Waldron remains friends with Bosley and Toji, who all live in L.A. Toji will be returning to the Central Coast for the screening as well.
“I came back to the Strawberry Festival a few years ago,” Toji said in an interview with the Sun. “I tried to find some of the old locations; the town was mostly the same.”
Toji, who was 9 during filming, was cast as Marcus in the film. He said Arroyo Grande was an interesting place for him at first.
“I’m from L.A. and it was a major shock that some place so close would seem so Midwestern. I thought it would be a great place to grow up,” he said.
Toji said his favorite part of filming was during the big game. Between takes all the kids would play some version of a fun role-playing game like Dungeons and Dragons. Toji agreed with former co-star Waldron that Little Giants certainly champions the underdog.
“There is a reason underdog movies keep getting made and it’s because people can relate,” he said. “Many of us weren’t born with amazing speed or strength, but seeing people be able to win without it is what gives us hope.”
Waldron added to Toji’s statement: “I think there is a character for everyone in the movie,” she said. “Plus people relate to being told they aren’t good enough.”
After Little Giants, both kids went on to find success on screen. Waldron was in a number of movies and TV series like Family Rules and Ladies Man. Toji meanwhile has had roles in House, Malcom in the Middle, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Both actors said they think the movie still has somewhat of a cult following and people remember the film. They agreed that what makes Little Giants a sports classic is the characters.
“We don’t just remember the team or the sport, but we remember the players,” Toji said. “That’s exactly what the Little Giants had—different characters you could really get behind.”
Staff Writer Kristina Sewell has a giant collection of postcards. Contact her at [email protected].
