by FilmInk Staff
A feature-length documentary exploring the cultural impact of Australian trading card phenomenon Oddbodz has officially entered post-production in Melbourne, with the film’s release scheduled in 2027.
The film will centre on the story of Melbourne-based artist Andy Hook, whose work helped define a generation of Australian pop culture, while examining the legacy of the Oddbodz franchise and the artist behind it. Despite its widespread reach, Hook never placed his name on the work, a decision he has lived with ever since and a central thread of the film’s narrative.
The documentary is led by one of Australia’s most prominent voices in the collectibles space. Directed by Aaron Lester Ellis, whose film Spill (2016) screened at TIFF, Flickerfest, the St Kilda Film Festival and the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, where it won a jury prize. Ellis has been featured across television and radio as an expert on trading cards and collectibles, including appearances on The Project and Channel 9’s Card and Collectibles series.
The documentary is being developed by a Melbourne-based creative team, with cinematographer David Guest and editor Jackson Marchetti attached.
“I’m incredibly grateful that Andy has trusted me to tell this story,” said Ellis. “Oddbodz left a massive cultural footprint, but the story behind its creator has never really been told.”
Production took place across Melbourne, with the project currently in post-production and engaging with potential partners across distribution and exhibition. The production has also opened conversations with major Australian brands including PepsiCo (Smiths Chips), which originally distributed Oddbodz, as well as Fyna Foods, with the film also exploring Hook’s wider creative legacy across iconic confectionary brands such as Wizz Fizz, Big Boss and Fads.
The film arrives amid a global boom in collectibles, as trading cards and memorabilia surge in value and cultural relevance, led by the continued dominance of brands like
Pokémon. Within this renewed landscape, the documentary turns its focus to Australia, tracing the origins of a homegrown cult phenomenon and the overlooked artist behind it.
