Lost in NYC

Title poster

***Lost in NYC*** is a 2027 family comedy film directed by Walt Becker from a screenplay by Blaise Hemingway and the writing team of Jay Scherick and David Ronn, and a story by Justin Malen and Ellen Rapoport, based on the children's graphic novel of the same name by Nadja Spiegelman. The film stars Lucian Perez, Audrey Bennett, Christina Ricci, Jerry O'Connell, Paolo Montalban, Vanessa Lachey, Danny Glover, Easton Rocket Sweda, Fred Savage and Taye Diggs.

The film was screened unannounced on November 26, 2026, during the 2026 CinemaCon event in Los Angeles. It was initially scheduled to premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival in December 2026, to be followed by a theatrical release in the United States on December 18 after being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic by Warner Bros. Pictures, but was ultimately pulled from the festival and had its release date removed from Warner Bros.' schedule due to the spread of the BA.2.86 Pirola variant. Ultimately, the film was released in select theaters on February 19, 2027, in the United States. It received mixed reviews from critics.

## Plot

The sights . . . the sounds . . . the smells! New York's crowded subway system is known for many things, but being easy on a lost kid isn't one of them. When Pablo gets separated from his new schoolmates during his first field trip in New York City, he doesn't know how he'll be able to find them again. Luckily, he has a little knowledge, a new friend, and the surprisingly approachable city itself to guide his way. This story features maps, archival photos, and fascinating facts to help readers explore the subway without ever having to get caught like Pablo in the mob of Times Square.

## Cast

* Lucian Perez as Pablo Santos, a 12-year-old boy who has to find his teacher and schoolmates.
* Audrey Bennett as Alicia Harper, the girl from another apartment and Pablo's best friend and classmate.
* Christina Ricci as Mrs. Packard, Pablo's teacher.
* Jerry O'Connell as Mr. Harper, Alicia's father.
* Paolo Montalban as Joaquin Santos, Pablo's father and Maria's husband.
* Vanessa Lachey as Maria Santos, Pablo's Filipino accent mother and Joaquin's wife.
* Danny Glover as Mr. Underwood, Pablo's elderly neighbor.
* Easton Rocket Sweda as Daniel Rivers, Pablo's classmate.
* LaKeith Stanfield as Ludlow, a homeless person.
* Fred Savage as Principal Curtis, Pablo's principal.
* Taye Diggs as Ronnie Ronaldson, Empire State Building Tour Guide.
* Charisma Carpenter as Mrs. Barlowe, Pablo's Southern neighbor.
* Wyatt Russell as George, the bus driver.
* Eugenio Derbez as Alejandro, the bodega owner and Juan's boss.
* Alanna Ubach as Carmen, the hospital receptionist.
* Erik Hellman as Mr. Morris, a man who meets Pablo.
* Gabriel Iglesias as Juan, a bodega employee.
* Bruno Bichir as Michaels, the chief of police
* Josh Crotty as Carlick
* Darrell Hammond as Austin
* Zoe Gandolfo as Nina, a popular girl in Pablo's school who bullies him.
* Ving Rhames as Mr. Anderson, the building superintendent of the apartment building that Pablo, Joaquin and Maria live in.
* Bianca Kajlich as Mrs. Morris

## Production

In 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures had purchased the rights to develop a live-action film. On September 25, 2023, it was reported that Walt Becker had been hired to direct from a script being re-written by Ellen Rapoport, and from the original written by Justin Malen, which would be produced by Forte through her Silvertongue Films banner. On June 19, 2025, Warner Bros. closed a deal with Entertainment One to co-finance the film. In May 2025, Perez and Bennett signed on to star in the film. In June 2025, Ricci, O'Connell, Montalban, Lachey, Glover, Sweda, Savage and Diggs joined the cast. Principal photography began on June 9, 2025, in New York City and wrapped on August 22, 2025, after 55 days of shooting. The visual effects were made by Moving Picture Company. On November 18, 2026, it was announced that John Debney would compose the film's score. The song "Find Your Way Back" performed by Becky G, was released on February 12, 2027.

## Release

*Lost in NYC* was released in select theaters on February 19, 2027, in the United States. It was initially scheduled to have its world premiere at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival in December, followed by a theatrical release on December 18 by Warner Bros. Pictures, but the festival premiere was cancelled and the studio removed the film from its release schedule due to the rise of the Pirola variant of COVID-19. It was originally scheduled to be released November 14, 2025, before being delayed to February 12, 2027 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to that, Warner Bros. Pictures initially slated the then-unproduced film for April 8, 2022, and then pushed back to December 30, 2022. The film had a surprise unannounced screening on November 26, 2026, during the 2026 CinemaCon event in Los Angeles.

## Reception

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 95 reviews with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "It may get younger viewers to sit and stay, but *Lost in NYC* is nowhere near as charming as its source material." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

## Trivia

* Lucian Perez (*Unikitty!* and *Summer Camp Island*), Audrey Bennett (*Adventure Time: Distant Lands* and *Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake*) and Alanna Ubach (*Ozzy & Drix*, *Mad* and *Ben 10: Omniverse*) have all starred in other Cartoon Network projects.
* Danny Glover appeared in 2012 (2009).
* Despite Joaquin's wife having a Filipino accent and the actor playing Joaquin having a native Filipino accent, Paolo Montalban uses an American accent in this film. He does briefly revert to his native accent early on in the film while teasing his wife.
* The young actors were de-aged in the film using a new generative AI-driven tool dubbed Metaphysic Live, the fourth time ever in a family film.
* Warner Bros. Pictures owned the rights to make a Lost in NYC live-action film in 2022.

## Transcripts

### Trailer transcripts

*Main article: Lost in NYC/Trailer transcripts*