The Adventures of Zack and Molly!

ECOGIG video series and learning guide now available to the public!

The Adventures of Zack and Molly is a new, four-part video series about an unlikely duo exploring the deep ocean produced by ECOGIG in collaboration with Sherman's Lagoon creator and filmmaker Jim Toomey.

Zack is more interested in the small world of his smartphone than the larger world around him. His online request for a roommate is answered by Molly, a tech-savvy Dumbo Octopus on a mission to tell the world about the importance of the deep ocean. Molly wants to use Zack’s apartment for her global communications headquarters, but Zack is skeptical. To win Zack over, Molly takes him to her deep ocean home in the Gulf of Mexico to see its unique features and diverse marine life, and to help him understand how human activities threaten its health.

Where can I view the series?

Right here on this page! 

The videos are also available with Spanish subtitles!
On YOUTUBE
On VIMEO

Please CONTACT US if you have any problems viewing the videos

Learning guide - now available in Spanish!

The LEARNING GUIDE provides discussion points, connections to Next Generation Science Standards, hands-on activities, and further resources. The Spanish version of this guide is available here.

I would like to show these videos to my students. Can I do that?

ABSOLUTELY. Anyone can download and share these videos and LEARNING GUIDE (SPANISH LEARNING GUIDE)

About the director

Jim Toomey is an award-winning cartoonist and filmmaker who created the popular comic strip Sherman’s Lagoon, which appears in over 250 daily newspapers, in 20 countries and six languages. Jim has just completed his 23rd book, published by Andrews McMeel. The strip’s underwater theme explores environmental issues in a way that appeals to adults and children alike. In addition to creating the daily strip, Jim is an award-winning videographer, and has produced videos for the United Nations, the Pew Charitable Trusts and World Resources Institute. His videos feature a blend of animation and live-action that appeals to a broad variety of viewers.

Other ocean conservation videos by Jim Toomey

A Visual Glossary of Ocean Terminology
Two Minutes on Oceans with Jim Toomey
Videos about ocean conservation by Jim Toomey

Film festival screenings to date

Save the Waves Film Festival (multiple dates and locations)

Twisted Oyster Film Festival, Chicago, July 20 - August 5, 2018

San Diego International Kids Film Festival, August 24-26, 2018

Moondance International Film Festival (virtual screening room)

Eugene Environmental Film Festival, Eugene, OR, October 5-7, 2018

Kids First! Film Festival, (multiple dates and locations)

Wildlife Conservation Film Festival, New York City, October 18-28, 2018

Green Screen Environmental Film Festival, Trinidad & Tobago, October 31 - November 3, 2018

Marcellus Mini Movie Family Film Festival, New York, November 3, 2018

Barcelona International Environmental Film Festival (FICMA), November 2-9, 2018

Children’s Day International Film Festival, Denver, November 10-11, 2018

International Green Culture Festival “Green Fest’ Belgrade, Serbia, November 13-15, 2018

Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival, Los Angeles, CA, Dec 1-29, 2018

Cinema Verde Environmental Film & Arts Festival, Gainesville, FL, February 14-17, 2019 

Colorado Environmental Film Festival, Golden, CO, February 21-23, 2019

International Ocean Film Festival, San Francisco, CA, March 7-10, 2019

NatureTrack Film Festival, Los Olivos, CA, March 22-24, 2019

WonderCon's LA International Children's Film Festival Program Presented by ComicCon, San Diego, CA, March 31, 2019

Azalea Film Festival, Mobile, AL, April 5-6, 2019

CMS International Children's Film Festival, Lucknow, India, April 4-12, 2019

Elements International Environmental Film Festival, Vancouver, BC, Canada, April 8-14, 2019

Columbus International Film Festival, Columbus, OH, April 11-13, 2019

Imagination Lunchbox International Children's Film Festival, Baltimore, MD, April 13, 2019

A2F2 Wild and Green Shorts Film Festival, Missoula, MT, April 16, 2019

Ekotopfilm - Envirofilm 2019, Bratislava and Banská Bystrica, Slovakia, May 27-31, 2019

Kids Video Connection Children's Film Festival, Decatur, GA, June 15-29, 2019

Korea International Ocean Film Festival, Busan, South Korea, July 5-7, 2019

16 International Film Festival, Jaipur, India, August 26-28, 2019

Montreal International Animation Film Festival, Montreal, Canada, August 29-September 1, 2019

Ocean Coast Film Festival, Portugal, October 19, 2019

Utopia Film Festival, Greenbelt, MD, November 16, 2019

Thunder Bay Environmental Film Festival, Alpena, MI, January 22-26, 2020

Ocean City Film Festival, Ocean City, MD, March 5, 2020

World Oceans Day 2020 Celebration, Merr Institute virtual event, June 6-8, 2020

SunChild 10th International Environmental Festival, Armenia and Lebanon, October 2021

Awards

Best Animation (Jim Toomey), Wildlife Conservation Film Festival
Award of Excellence: Nature / Environment / Wildlife (Jim Toomey), Best Shorts Competition, September 2018
Award of Merit: Southern Shorts Awards, January 2019 
Award of Distinction: Best Shorts Competition Humanitarian Awards, February 2019
KVC Award Winner: Kids Video Connection Children's Film Festival, June 2019