Air date: Whale Shark Jack | Television tonight

Stan and the Australian Children’s Television Foundation announced this today Whale Shark Jacka heartwarming adventure about family, friendship, the natural world, and moving forward when all hope seems lost, premieres in April.

Located on and around Western Australia’s breathtaking Ningaloo Reef (particularly in Baiyungu Country), Whale Shark Jack stars Abbie Cornish (Three billboards outside Ebbing Missouri, Robocop) and Michael Dorman (Territory, Joe Pickett) as husband and wife marine biologists, Marcus and Nita and Alyla Browne (Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Sonic the Hedgehog 3) as their daughter, Sarah.

Also Ursula Yovich (Top end wedding, The Twelve), Karen O’Leary (Wellington paranormal), and Rachel Ward (On the beach, The Thorn Birds), and stars rising talent Jayden Boundry, Luca Miller, Giselle Philogene and Emmi Williams in their first feature film roles.

Whale Shark Jack follows the family’s idyllic life on their research catamaran Playground, where together they follow the migration path of the largest fish in the ocean: the majestic, gentle and awe-inspiring whale sharks. Sarah, who grew up at sea, is fearless and goes on adventures with her only friend, Jack, an endangered whale shark she rescued as a pup, forming an unbreakable bond.

The close-knit family wanders the ocean and conducts research so they can make a difference in the world. But when Sarah and her mother suffer an unexpected tragedy, Nita moves them to the remote coastal town of Exmouth in northwestern Australia, believing that a fresh start on solid ground will help them both heal.

Despite being able to chart a course through the Pacific Ocean and hold her breath underwater for minutes, Sarah has no idea how to navigate life on land and make new friends. The only person who understands her struggles is her great-aunt Dot (Rachel Ward). Sarah desperately wants to return to her old life at Playground and be with Jack again. She is sure that when his migration takes him back to Exmouth, they will set out again on their boat. But when Jack doesn’t return and Nita refuses to acknowledge that Jack may be in danger, Sarah embarks on a risky mission to find him.

Whale Shark Jack is developed by a Western Australian creative team including screenwriter and author Kathryn Lefroy (Library of Love) and sister directors Miranda Edmonds (Library of Love, Tango Underpants) and Khrob Edmonds (Library of Love, Tango Underpants), in their feature film debut.

The Stan Original Film Whale Shark Jack is produced by Timothy White (The Luminaries, I Am Mother), Miranda Edmonds, and co-produced by Georgia White (The Furnace) and Estelle Buzzard (The Lifeguard). Executive producers are Bernadette O’Mahony for ACTF, Cailah Scobie and Donna Chang for Stan, Kelvin Munro (We Bury the Dead, I Am Mother) and Malinda Wink for Minderoo Pictures. Co-executive producers are Deanne Weir, Olivia Humphrey, Khrob Edmonds and Kathryn Lefroy.

The team developed the film about Baiyungu Country and worked closely with Associate Producer and Baiyungu Traditional Owner Hazel Walgar (Ningaloo Nyinggulu, Shark vs. Snake: Battle of the Bites), who helped the team understand the deep cultural bond with this land and the sea.

The Stan Original Film Whale Shark Jack is produced by Cottesloe Films and Southern Light Films, as part of the partnership between the Australian Children’s Television Foundation (ACTF) and Stan Family Film. ​Major production investment from Screen Australia in partnership with the Australian Children’s Television Foundation and Stan. Funded with support from Screenwest, Lotterywest and the Western Australian Government through the Western Australian Regional Screen Fund, and in association with Minderoo Pictures. International sales by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

Thursday April 2 at Stan