Napoleon Dynamite was written by brother and sister team of Jared (who also directed) and Jerusha Hess. Released in 2004, it quickly became the audience darling at multiple independent film festivals around the country. It has been nominated for a variety of awards from major media organizations, including the Broadcast Film Critics Association, Grammy Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, MTV Movie Awards (winner, multiple categories), Sundance Grand Jury Prize, Teen Choice Awards (winner, multiple categories), and U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (winner.) Napoleon Dynamite is a film most often described as "quirky" and "offbeat." The plot essentially concentrates on the ultimate triumph of the nerdish, oddball spirit. Though some claim it's hard to tell if audiences are laughing at the main characters or with them, one thing is certain: audiences are laughing. A wide variety of popular merchandising is available for die-hard Dynamite fans. T-shirts endorsing a "Vote for Pedro" political stance were inevitable. More surprising are the popularity of Napoleon Dynamite talking pens, talking dolls, refrigerator magnets, bobble head dolls, and more. Prior to Napoleon Dynamite, writer/director Jared Hess and Jon Heder (Napoleon) worked on a short film entitled "Peluca," which concentrated on a single day in the life of a supernerd remarkably similar in personality to Napoleon. Filmed in black and white, "Peluca" features many of the themes and plot points contained in the later film. In addition to being found on some film festival DVDs, "Peluca" is also included as a special extra in the Napoleon Dynamite DVD, along with commentary, under the special section entitled "Flippin' Features."
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