The Florida Project Summary | GradeSaver (2024)

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bySean Baker

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Written by Polly Barbour, Zyra Lee PadianganNarvaza

Most little girls long to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando and live in Cinderella's Magic Castle. Moonee is six years old and lives with her rebellious young mother Hailey in the Magic Castle Motel, a run-down place in Kissimmee, Florida, and she can see the real Magic Castle out of the window, along the horizon. Moonee spends most of her time with other residents of the motel, Dicky and Scooty, but Dicky is soon banned from playing after the kids are discovered spitting on the guests' cars in the parking lot. They are made to clean up the car and whilst they are doing so, meet its owner. Stacey and her grand-daughter live at the Futureland Motel next door to the Magic Castle. Jancey, her granddaughter, become fast friends.

Hailey makes money working as an exotic dancer, which means that she is eligible for temporary assistance from the government, but when she loses her job her benefits dry up as well. She tries to explain that she was fired because she wouldn't agree to have sex with the strip club's clients, but this is not seen as a circ*mstance beyond her control; her benefits are taken away. She tries to find work but there is nothing available, and unable to pay her rent, Hailey starts peddling perfumes in the parking lot of the motel, and babysits Scooty during the day in exchange for food. Scooty's mother Ashley works at the diner next door, and brings home food every day that she has stolen. Hailey is not a very good babysitter; she barely watches her own child, let alone someone else's. Because they are basically unsupervised all day, they get into worse mischief, which quickly crosses the line from mischief into trouble. They break into the motel's electrical room and cause a black out. They also burn down an abandoned condominium complex when they break in and try to find out if the fireplace still works. This is the final straw for Ashley; she cuts off all ties with Hailey and this means that their supply of food has also dried up.

Hailey turns to the internet to make money. She solicits sex work and when a client comes over to the motel she shuts Moonee in the bathroom and puts on loud rock music so that she cannot hear what is going on. Hailey takes Walt Disney World Resort passes from a client, and intends to sell them outside the resort, but he discovers her theft, and demands that she give them back. Bobby, the motel manager, comes to her aid and scares him away but he also tells Hailey that she cannot have guests in her room anymore.

Hailey is desperate. She apologizes to Ashley and asks if she can borrow some money, but Ashley mocks her and is scathing about her sex work. Hailey gets angry and beats up on Ashley in front of Scooty, which results in a visit from the Florida Department of Children and Families the following day. Hailey cleans up their motel room and gets rid of the drugs that she has there, but she still has a very bad attitude and is defensive and aggressive. After the visit she takes Moonee to a Disney resort to eat and they charge the meal to a guest's room without their knowledge. When they get back to the motel, DCF and the police are waiting for them; they want to take Moonee into foster care whilst they investigate her mother, but Moonee wants no part of this, and runs to the Futureland Motel to find Jancey. Jancey sees her friend's despondence and grabs her hand, pulling her along to the Magic Kingdom theme park entrance, where dreams are made.

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The Florida Project Questions and Answers

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Study Guide for The Florida Project

The Florida Project study guide contains a biography of director Sean Baker, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

  • About The Florida Project
  • The Florida Project Summary
  • Character List
  • Cast List
  • Director's Influence

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Essays for The Florida Project

The Florida Project essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Florida Project, directed by Sean Baker.

  • The Florida Project: TransformativeStorytelling and Childhood Optimism in Film

Wikipedia Entries for The Florida Project

  • Introduction
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The Florida Project Summary | GradeSaver (2024)

FAQs

What is the main idea of The Florida Project? ›

What is the meaning of The Florida Project? The Florida Project is about growing up in the shadow of fantasy: the struggle to survive in real life while finding sheer and boundless wonder in the unreal.

What actually happened at the end of The Florida Project? ›

At the end of the movie, Jancey leads Moonee to the real Magic Kingdom castle. After living so close by and yet in such a completely different world for her entire life, Moonee finally gets to experience the childhood magic that the children of tourists get to have.

Why did Halley throw up in The Florida Project? ›

After her former friend Ashley warns Halley that everyone in the motel knows how she is earning rent money, Halley explodes and savagely beats her. This act of revenge is anything but sweet, as Halley has to vomit after her violent outburst.

Why do they move rooms in The Florida Project? ›

Mooney, who is brilliantly portrayed by Prince, idles away the time with her friends Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Cotto). The adults have to suffer the ignominies of a life without wealth or success. They are forced to check out for one day each month and shift rooms so as to not establish residency.

Why is The Florida Project so popular now? ›

His latest feature, the rapturously received “The Florida Project,” is about homelessness, and could be a blueprint for filmmakers who want to explore social issues because of the savvy way it's captivating audiences: It may be the most joyful movie about poverty ever screened.

Why is there always a helicopter in The Florida Project? ›

Helicopters flying overhead were written into the script because production didn't have enough budget to stop the helicopters from flying. Christopher Rivera was an 8-year-old living with his mother at the Paradise Inn in Kissimmee, Florida, when crew members spotted him.

Why was the girl crying in The Florida Project? ›

When Moonee suddenly understands that she'll have to be separated from her mother, she runs away to the neighboring motel to say goodbye to her friend Jancey (Valeria Cotto). With Moonee sobbing in the doorway and barely able to speak through her tears, Jancey then grabs Moonee's hand for a getaway.

What is so sad about The Florida Project? ›

The most heartbreaking aspect of The Florida Project's ending is Moonee being dragged away from her mother, Halley. Unconventional, struggling mothers have long confronted the pressures and expectations society puts on women.

Was The Florida Project based off a true story? ›

A: While The Florida Project is not based on a specific true story, it does draw inspiration from the real-life experiences of families living in motels in the outskirts of Disney World. The film sheds light on the often overlooked issue of homelessness and poverty in the shadows of tourist attractions.

Why does the mom throw up in The Florida Project? ›

A young woman bursts into her best friend's motel room, tackles her onto the floor between two double beds, and beats the absolute hell out of her. The young woman, horrified by her own actions, then races back to her own room in the same motel, vomits in a fit of anxiety, and begins to sob.

Was Halley a bad mom in The Florida Project? ›

For those that have seen the film, whether it was one time or for the thousandth, no one of us can deny that Halley is, in plenty of regards, a bad mother, but she very much loves her daughter.

Why is it called The Florida Project? ›

THE FLORIDA PROJECT is a reference to Walt Disney World, which was known as “The Florida Project” during its early stages of development.

Why did Halley take swimsuit selfies? ›

In a scene, she asks her daughter to take provocative photos of her in a swimsuit, which she then posts online to publicize herself. She is selling an image of herself in order to receive financial satisfaction. It is seen that then, a series of men come to her motel room to receive this work in exchange for money.

Did Bobby call DCF on Halley? ›

I'm sure this may have been obvious, but Bobby definitely called the DCF on Halley, right? I'm 99% sure he did, after some post-movie thinkin'. The entire movie Bobby protected those children. Even with all the work he had to do around the motel, he was practically the only adult who kept an eye on them.

What is the purple motel in The Florida Project? ›

The motels

The Florida Project was filmed in the real Magic Castle Inn and Suites, which is located six miles away from Walt Disney World on US Highway 192 in Kissimmee.

Why was The Florida Project made? ›

THE FLORIDA PROJECT is a reference to Walt Disney World, which was known as “The Florida Project” during its early stages of development. DID YOU KNOW? Director Sean Baker first learned of the real-life families living in hotels from his co-writer Chris Bergoch, whose mother lived in the Orlando area. DID YOU KNOW?

How much of The Florida Project was scripted? ›

That said, “The Florida Project,” directed by Sean Baker (“Tangerine”), is an equally impressive examination of childhood, likely due in large part to its mostly-improvised script. It's beautiful, tender and vibrant, but it's as filled with sorrow as it is color.

Is Halley a good mom The Florida Project? ›

Halley is a good mother in her own way. She loves her daughter Moonee and tries to make their life enjoyable despite their difficult circ*mstances. She is creative, playful, and supportive of her daughter. She teaches Moonee important life skills such as how to hustle and sell things.

Why did they take swimsuit selfies in The Florida Project? ›

For instance, Halley dresses in a swimsuit alongside her daughter to take “swimsuit selfies” which, for Moonee, is a fun activity that she is doing with her mom, yet the audience can see that Halley is using the photos of herself as an advertisem*nt for the sexual services she is offering.

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