Saige Paints the Sky (movie)


 * This article is about the movie. For the book, see Saige Paints the Sky.

Saige Paints the Sky is a movie retelling the stories of Saige Copeland.

Cast

 * Sidney Fullmer as Saige Copeland
 * Laurel Harris as Marina Copeland
 * Kerr Smith as David Copeland
 * Jane Seymour as Mimi
 * Mika Abdalla as Dylan
 * Alana Gordillo as Gabi
 * Alex Peters as Tessa
 * Omar Paz Trujillo as Luis

Crew

 * Director: Vince Marcello
 * Producers: Jean A. Mckenzie and Debra Martin Chase
 * Executive Producers: Steven Brown and Gaylyn Fraiche
 * Co-Producer: Erin Falligant
 * Director of Photography: Jon Joffin, ASC
 * Edited By: Paul Millspaugh
 * Production Designer: Robb Wilson King
 * Costume Designer: Mary Partridge

Plot
Saige begins her first day as a fourth-grader in Albuquerque, New Mexico, only to learn that the art class has been dropped from the school's curriculum due to budget cuts. Saige's best friend Tessa meets another girl named Dylan from camp and hangs out with her instead of Saige. Saige doesn't like Dylan, because she interrupted her and makes jokes that she doesn't think are funny. A new girl in school named Gabi becomes friends with Saige. It turns out she is also a artist by drawing cartoons and designing her own clothes. She tells Mimi (her grandmother) and her friends about the situation, and they proposed a school-wide protest against the decision.

Tessa agrees to Mimi's house with Saige instead of going to Dylan's house. Gabi invites Saige to her house, but Saige turns her down by saying she is busy. Tessa comes over to her house. They sing, paint, eat and play. Saige feels like she has her best friend back.

As Saige is telling her grandmother about Tessa and her other friends, Mimi trips over Rembrant, her dog, and is hospitalized due to her injuries. At the hospital, she begs Saige to continue on with her protest. Saige agrees, and promises to do so for her grandmother.

At school, Saige, Tessa, Gabi and Dylan discuss plans on staging the protest, with Saige coming up with "A Day of Beige" after her visit to the hospital. Dylan suggests a press conference in order to gain more attention since her mother works as a news reporter, to which Saige reluctantly complies. The demonstrations are held as planned with all of the students wearing beige in protest, but is nearly put to a halt as Saige and her friends are summoned to the principal's office to explain the situation. After a bit of a talk, Principal Laird gives the girls the permission to hold a press conference. The conference takes place, but upon being interviewed, Saige is overwhelmed with stage fright, and Dylan answers the reporters' questions in her place.

Principal Laird later tells the girls that there aren't any more funds to hire an art teacher, and that they would need to earn $5000 in six weeks for the art class to start. Mimi suggests a fund drive to be held at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and to have her granddaughter lead the parade in her place as she may not make it in time for the event. Saige worries that she might freak out in front of people, but her father assures her that it will be alright.

The four girls take up various odd jobs to earn funds only to end up getting next to no money from doing so. Dylan suggests a concert at the fiesta, but Saige has doubts on it.

Later at the ranch, Saige and her horse Picasso do a practice run, but Saige is frustrated as she can't concentrate on the ride. Saige and Gabi are worried that Dylan and Tessa's part for the fundraiser is getting more attention than theirs, and the two agreed to come at Mimi's ranch to further discuss on the matter. Saige and Picasso do another run at the ranch, this time with success as they manage to pull of a gait without being distracted.

The four girls talk about combining their efforts in the fundraiser. Dylan and Tessa argue that they have their plans already set for their part. But Saige insists, leading to a confrontation. Saige then flies into a rage against Dylan and accuses her of stealing the spotlight over her efforts.

Another practice run with Picasso takes place, but Saige is too frustrated to continue, and worries that the fiesta is going to be a disaster. Her parents and Gabi watched her. Gabi leaves, because Saige said she wished things were the same as last year.

Saige then joins her father in a balloon ride. She later reconciles with Gabi, and apologizes to Mimi about how she got mad at how things turned out on her end. After her horse practice with Luis, Saige goes to Mimi's studio and decides to paint over her horse painting with a painting knife, turning it into an abstract work. Tessa later sees her work, and compliments Saige for what she did. Both Saige and Tessa admit to their wrongdoing, reconcile, and agree to work together for the fiesta. Saige also reconciles with Dylan and Dylan apologizes over how she was taking over Saige's fundraiser.

With the Balloon Fiesta taking place, Saige leads the parade in front of onlookers. She is nervous at first, but she eventually overcomes her stage fright as she performs the scarf trick. The girls later come up with the joint fund-raising art exhibit and concert as previously planned. The show is a success, but they were several dollars short of the $5,000 goal. Saige then makes a speech in front of the audience telling them about how important art is to her and to others, and receives a standing ovation. Principal Laird arrives to announce that the donation goal has been reached, and with the art program being reinstated the girls rejoice over the news. The movie ends with Saige, Gabi, Tessa, and Dylan riding the hot air balloon Saige designed.

Movie/Book Differences

 * In the books, Saige is aware that her school will not be having art for fourth grade, but forgets.  In the film, she doesn't find out until the first day when her teacher makes the announcement.
 * In the film, Mimi falls off a ladder while Saige is at her house, but in the books, she falls when nobody else is home and from tripping over her dog Rembrant.
 * In the books, Gabi, Tessa, and Dylan do not put on a "living music" show to raise money. Gabi and Saige put on a show with Picasso.
 * In the books, Saige has the balloon ride with Mimi alone, though she invites her friends to her birthday party. In the film, Tessa, Gabi, and Dylan come in the balloon with her.
 * In the books, Saige's leading the parade on Picasso is not as big of a deal, and she spends most of her time training him with Gabi.  In the film, Saige and Gabi do not put on the "Professor Picasso" show and instead Saige spends her time training to do the "parade gait" and the "scarf trick" on Picasso while dealing with her stage fright.
 * In the film, Saige eventually becomes so fed up with Dylan that she yells at her that she is "so annoying," making Tessa quit being friends with her (eventually, Tessa actually drops Dylan before the four are all friends again).  In the books, this doesn't happen as Dylan is more of an acquaintance.
 * In the film, the art class is definitively reinstated as a separate part of classes. In the books, an after-school program is implemented, and art lessons are integrated into other subjects.

Character Differences

 * In the film, Gabi is Latina and African-American (by virtue of her actress); in the books she is white-Latina.
 * Saige's stage fright is even more apparent in the film; she actually breaks down in tears several times because of her extreme anxiety.
 * In the film, Gabi is not shown to have the same love of dogs that she does in the books.

Home Video Release
The movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 2, 2013.

Television Release
The movie aired on NBC on July 13, 2013.

Items Associated With the Movie

 * Saige Copeland (doll)
 * Saige's Collection
 * Saige
 * Saige Paints the Sky

Links

 * IMDB page