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Butterfly in the Sky

Play trailer Poster for Butterfly in the Sky 2024 1h 27m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 19 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY tells the story of the beloved PBS children's series "Reading Rainbow," its iconic host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Two seconds into the bubbling synth sounds of its theme song will have a child of the 1980s or '90s exclaiming "Reading Rainbow!" Such is the beloved nature of the classic children's literary television show that introduced millions of kids to the wonder of books. Not only did the series insist on having kids speak to kids about their favorite stories, Reading Rainbow introduced the world to one of the most adored television hosts of all time, LeVar Burton. Thanks to his direct, non-patronizing and, most importantly, kind delivery, Burton became a conduit to learning for children of every background -- delving behind the pages to the people, places, and things each new story explored.

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Butterfly in the Sky

Critics Reviews

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Courtney Howard Variety 12/24/2024
Instead of reading like a storybook similar to those on the Emmy-winning series, this rise-and-fall eulogy leaves us with a profound sense of loss, courtesy of the bureaucratic monsters who callously dismissed the show’s societal benefits. Go to Full Review Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter 06/10/2022
It’s surely not without emotionally satisfying moments and it does a persuasive job of emphasizing the importance of Reading Rainbow and of star LeVar Burton, but the documentary is slight in its artistic and thematic ambition. Go to Full Review Tynan Yanaga Film Inquiry 04/04/2025
Directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb‘s Butterfly in The Sky offers up a fitting origin story of a show that began as a noble endeavor. Go to Full Review Neely Swanson Beverly Hills Courier 06/04/2024
Directors Bradford Thomason and Brett Whitcomb... have assembled a cast of creators, directors, producers, executives and participants that make you happy the show happened in the first place and sad that it ever ended. Go to Full Review Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net 06/02/2024
It is another sweet documentary that fans of the show like myself will really enjoy. Go to Full Review Liz Kocan Decider 05/28/2024
It would have been enough to just watch some clips of a beloved old show and learn how it was made, but there was clearly an emotional resonance and catharsis... Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Meredith 03/17/2024 I loved the movie! I hope a new generation of kids will watch Reading Rainbow, and discover the joy of reading. I have always loved reading and exploring the world through books! See more dave d @RT34924333 07/27/2024 A wonderful feature documentary on the PBS staple of 26 years, Reading Rainbow! Butterfly in the Sky doesn't even have a Wikipedia page, but head over to Netflix and enjoy if you've ever seen an episode of the children's show, or even if you haven't. It is upbeat and jovial. There is plenty of LaVar Burton and the show's creators. If you're down this will get you back up again! Final Score: 9.2/10 See more Garth T @Dangus01 05/29/2024 It was incredible. LeVar’s voice and tone brought back so many memories of feeling safe in school, as we watched Reading Rainbow. Just like the documentary says, reading rainbow gave a voice to the kids, however silly, or playful, they would review books they had read, and it made everyone feel connected to eachother. And what a beautiful formula. Read a book, share it, and go visit places that the book talks about. There’s so much magic and goodness in the show. I really wish we had a version of this for the coming generations. See more Allen R @AL_SeesALotOfMovies 05/26/2024 Very moving and uplifting documentary. See more Joshua T @thejtluv 03/21/2024 Great to revisit after all these years. The world needs more uplifting things in it like Reading Rainbow and Levar Burton. See more Read all reviews
Butterfly in the Sky

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Cast & Crew

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Bradford Thomason

Director

Brett Whitcomb

Director

LeVar Burton

Self

Twila Liggett

Self

Larry Lancit

Self

Cecily Lancit

Self

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Butterfly in the Sky

Butterfly in the Sky (2022) Butterfly in the Sky (2022) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis BUTTERFLY IN THE SKY tells the story of the beloved PBS children's series "Reading Rainbow," its iconic host LeVar Burton, and the challenges its creators faced in cultivating a love of reading through television. Two seconds into the bubbling synth sounds of its theme song will have a child of the 1980s or '90s exclaiming "Reading Rainbow!" Such is the beloved nature of the classic children's literary television show that introduced millions of kids to the wonder of books. Not only did the series insist on having kids speak to kids about their favorite stories, Reading Rainbow introduced the world to one of the most adored television hosts of all time, LeVar Burton. Thanks to his direct, non-patronizing and, most importantly, kind delivery, Burton became a conduit to learning for children of every background -- delving behind the pages to the people, places, and things each new story explored.
Director
Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb
Producer
Bryan Storkel, Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb
Distributor
AMC Theatres Distribution
Production Co
Window Pictures, Sidestilt, XTR
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 17, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 30, 2024
Runtime
1h 27m
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