Synopsis

Filmmakers

Environmental Commitment

The Rupert Story

The everglades had Flipper. Loch Ness has its Monster. And in Newport Beach, CA, there was a black swan named Rupert. Rupert became a community icon after he was dumped in the bay to fend for himself. For nearly two decades, locals knew him through unexpected cameos and crazy antics. He frequently made news headlines in the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Times' Daily Pilot, and the Balboa Beacon. When Rupert suffered a tragic accident in 2006, he inspired an LA Times obituary and a funeral with more than 200 attendees.

Rupert comes back to life in this funny and touching documentary that uses photos, video footage of Rupert, and animation to tell the fowl story. From paddlers to patrolmen, sailors to swimmers, everyone has a Rupert story to tell.

Swans are freshwater birds, but Rupert was salty.

You'll laugh. You'll cry. He'll hiss.

Behind the Scenes

The people who loved Rupert spanned ages, genders, and an assortment of water-related hobbies and occupations.

The creative team set out to make a 5-minute movie, but quickly realized that most challenging part of the process would be keeping it under half an hour! The crew collected enough funny and heart-wrenching Rupert stories to make a movie twice as long as its 22 minutes. Thank goodness for DVD Bonus Features, where Rupert fans will be able to find enough tales of fowl behavior and swan sweetness to provide plenty of entertainment.