Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American tragicomedy road film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris from a screenplay written by Michael Arndt. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, all of whom play members of a dysfunctional family taking the youngest (Breslin) to compete in a child beauty pageant. It was produced by Big Beach Films on a budget of US$8 million. Filming began on June 6, 2005, and took place over 30 days in Arizona and Southern California.
A Volkswagen T2 Microbus, similar to the one in the film
Five modified vans were used during filming to capture various angles of the characters, including this one through the windshield.
To make Abigail Breslin's character (centre) appear larger than the other girls, she wore a padded suit. Much of the equipment and costumes exhibited during the pageant were provided by actual contestants' parents.
Toni Collette is an Australian actress, producer and singer. Known for her work in television and independent films, she has received various accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and five AACTA Awards, with nominations for an Academy Award and a Tony Award.
The National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) in Kensington, New South Wales, where Collette studied acting
Director M. Night Shyamalan cast Collette in The Sixth Sense (1999), for which she received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Collette at the 60th British Academy Film Awards in 2007, where she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in Little Miss Sunshine (2006)