ⓘ Details

Movie TitleJojo Rabbit

Release DateToronto premiere: September 8, 2019 / U.S. release: October 18, 2019 / Wide release: November 8, 2019

TaglineAn anti-hate satire.

Runtime108 minutes / 1 hour 48 minutes

DirectorTaika Waititi

Screenplay Written ByTaika Waititi

Based OnCaging Skies by Christine Leunens

Is It a Remake?No. It is an adaptation of Christine Leunens’ novel, not a remake of an earlier film.

BudgetApproximately $14 million

Box OfficeApprox. $33.4 million domestic / approx. $90.3 million original worldwide run; later totals are reported around $93.6 million worldwide

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👥 Main Cast

Roman Griffin DavisJohannes “Jojo” Betzler

Thomasin McKenzieElsa Korr

Scarlett JohanssonRosie Betzler

Taika WaititiImaginary Adolf Hitler

Sam RockwellCaptain Klenzendorf

Rebel WilsonFräulein Rahm

Alfie AllenFinkel

Stephen MerchantCaptain Deertz

Archie YatesYorki

Luke Brandon FieldChristoph

Sam HaygarthHans

Stanislav CallasRussian Soldier

Joe WeintraubHerr Junker

Brian CaspeHerr Mueller

Judith GeorgiGerman Translator

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🏆 Awards

⭐ Academy Award Winner — Best Adapted Screenplay: Taika Waititi

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Picture

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Supporting Actress: Scarlett Johansson

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Costume Design: Mayes C. Rubeo

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Film Editing: Tom Eagles

⭐ Academy Award Nominee — Best Production Design: Ra Vincent and Nora Sopková

⭐ Toronto International Film Festival Winner — People’s Choice Award

⭐ BAFTA Winner — Best Adapted Screenplay: Taika Waititi

⭐ Writers Guild of America Winner — Adapted Screenplay

⭐ AFI Award — Named one of the outstanding motion pictures of 2019

⭐ Golden Globe Nominee — Best Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy

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📖 Short Plot Summary

Johannes “Jojo” Betzler is a lonely German boy in the Hitler Youth whose imaginary best friend is a ridiculous version of Adolf Hitler. Jojo’s worldview begins to crack when he discovers that his mother, Rosie, is hiding a Jewish girl named Elsa in their home. At first terrified and indoctrinated, Jojo tries to study Elsa like an enemy, but their strange friendship forces him to question everything he has been taught. As the war collapses around him, Jojo must choose between hate, fear, and the human connection staring him right in the face.

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❝ Key Quotes

“You’re not a Nazi, Jojo. You’re a ten-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club.” — Elsa Korr

“Love is the strongest thing in the world.” — Rosie Betzler

“Let everything happen to you: beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” — Rosie Betzler

“Dancing is for people who are free.” — Rosie Betzler

“Jojo Betzler. Ten and a half years old. Today, just do what you can.” — Jojo Betzler

“Heil me, man!” — Imaginary Adolf Hitler

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💡 Trivia

Director

Jojo Rabbit was written and directed by Taika Waititi.
Waititi also plays Jojo’s imaginary version of Adolf Hitler, turning the dictator into a childish cartoon of propaganda and insecurity.
The film adapts Christine Leunens’ novel Caging Skies, but Waititi reshaped the material into a more comedic and satirical anti-hate story.
AFI described the film as a bold tonal balancing act that uses humor to confront the horrors of World War II.
Waititi won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the film.

Cast / Casting

Roman Griffin Davis made his feature-film debut as Jojo Betzler.
Thomasin McKenzie plays Elsa Korr, the Jewish girl hidden in Jojo’s house.
Scarlett Johansson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Rosie.
Sam Rockwell plays Captain Klenzendorf, a disillusioned German officer who becomes one of the film’s strangest and most unexpectedly touching side characters.
Archie Yates plays Yorki, Jojo’s adorable best friend and tiny walking source of war updates.
Stephen Merchant appears as Captain Deertz in one of the film’s most tense and darkly comic scenes.

Soundtrack / Score

The score was composed by Michael Giacchino.
The soundtrack mixes original score with carefully chosen pop songs, including German-language versions of familiar tracks.
The film uses The Beatles’ German-language version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” over archival footage to satirize mass hysteria around Hitler.
David Bowie’s German-language version of “Heroes” plays over the ending, underlining the film’s themes of freedom and survival.
The film’s soundtrack won the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media.

Location

Jojo Rabbit was filmed in the Czech Republic.
IMDb lists Žatec, Úštěk, Chcebuz, Dolní Beřkovice, Prague, and other Czech locations among the filming sites.
Atlas of Wonders notes that interiors were built at Barrandov Studios in Prague.
Giggster identifies Petschek Palace in Prague as one of the notable filming locations.
The Czech towns and studio sets help create a stylized storybook version of wartime Germany rather than a strictly naturalistic war-movie setting.

Behind-The-Scenes

The film was produced by Carthew Neal, Taika Waititi, and Chelsea Winstanley.
Mihai Mălaimare Jr. served as cinematographer.
Tom Eagles edited the film and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Film Editing.
Mayes C. Rubeo designed the costumes and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Costume Design.
Ra Vincent and Nora Sopková received an Academy Award nomination for Best Production Design.
The film’s reported production budget was approximately $14 million.

Nostalgia

Jojo Rabbit became one of the most discussed films of 2019 because of its risky mix of comedy, tragedy, and anti-Nazi satire.
The film won the Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award, a major awards-season boost.
Its final dance scene became one of the movie’s most memorable emotional releases.
Rosie’s shoes became one of the film’s most powerful visual motifs, turning a small costume detail into a devastating story beat.
For many viewers, it is the rare movie that can make you laugh at absurd propaganda one minute and then emotionally wreck you with a pair of shoes the next.

Easter Eggs

The film’s bright colors and exaggerated costumes intentionally contrast with the ugliness of Nazi ideology.
Rosie’s red shoes are repeatedly emphasized before becoming central to one of the film’s most heartbreaking reveals.
Jojo’s imaginary Hitler changes as Jojo changes, becoming more desperate and hostile as Jojo starts rejecting indoctrination.
The quote Rosie shares from Rainer Maria Rilke is echoed in the film’s closing title card.
The final dance to “Heroes” visually pays off Rosie’s belief that dancing is for people who are free.

Misc.

Jojo Rabbit is rated PG-13.
Box Office Mojo classifies the film as comedy, drama, and war.
The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019.
The film grossed about $90.3 million in its original theatrical run, with later totals reported around $93.6 million worldwide.
Your 3 Guys and a Flick ratings page lists the episode as Episode 194, with Don rating it 4.00, Ken rating it 4.50, Jon rating it 3.50, and an overall rating of 4.00.

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