Dad and His 5-Year-Old Daughter Make ‘Tot for Tot’ Remakes of Famous Films

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Ferris Bueller's Day Off”

Alex Zane and his 5-year-old daughter Matilda have put a creative spin on daddy-daughter time. Together, they recreate scenes from classic films with Matilda as the star. The project is called Tot for Tot Remakes (a play on “shot-for-shot remake”) and features the girl becoming the character of films like Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Margot Tenenbaum in The Royal Tenenbaums. The kid-sized remakes are both ingenious and cute, as there aren’t any adults in the duo’s shots. All other characters are played by various stuffed animals (most notably a giant fox).

Tot for Tot Remakes, like many creative endeavors of late, was born out of the pandemic. It started with Zane attempting to fill his kid’s days during the initial shutdowns. At one point, he brought a large plastic car into the house so Matilda and her brother could run it through the shower, pretending it was a car wash. “The car was sitting in our living room and Matilda started trying to balance on the top of it. Instead of being concerned about her overall safety and instructing her to get off of the car,” he recalls, “my mind immediately went to the Michael J. Fox classic 80s film Teen Wolf and the iconic unforgettable scene where the Wolf surfs atop Stiles’ van.”

Since starting with Teen Wolf, Zane and his daughter have done over 100 remakes. Being a lawyer, Zane is not a professional photographer, so they have some help editing the images when it’s all said and done. But, the setup and shooting of the scenes are up to them.

“The [movie] Ransom recreation was tough,” Zane tells My Modern Met, “not just because it meant having to recreate a movie scene featuring Mel Gibson. Monopoly money is surprisingly expensive and we have a limited budget of $10 a shoot—so we only had one stack of Monopoly money. This meant we had to take 534 individual photos of the money to impose together in the final photo. The fun one was Free Willy she got to climb out on a rock quarry while I stood in subzero ocean water to capture the film.”

Scroll down to see more Tot for Tot Remakes, and follow the project on Instagram to see what the dynamic duo is coming up with next.

Alex Zane and his 5-year-old daughter Matilda have put a creative spin on daddy-daughter time.

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Legally Blonde”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Forest Gump”

Together, they recreate scenes from classic films with Matilda as the star.

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies
“Dodgeball”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“The Mighty Ducks”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“A League of Their Own”

The project is called Tot for Tot Remakes (a play on “shot-for-shot remake”) and features the little girl becoming the character of iconic films.

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“The Hangover”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Ransom”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Grease”

Zane and his daughter have done over 100 remakes.

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Jurassic Park”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Tommy Boy”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Top Gun”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Jaws”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Dazed and Confused”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“The Royal Tenenbaums”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Neverending Story”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“The Shining”

Father and Daughter Recreating Movies

“Teen Wolf”

Tot for To Remakes: Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Alex Zane.

Related Articles:

This Guy Has Been Photoshopping Paddington Bear Into Movies for Over 400 Days and Counting

Film Fanatic Matches Scenes From Famous Movies With Their Locations in Real-Life

Quarantined Couple Recreates Iconic Movie Moments With Things in Their Home

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled "Embroidered Life" that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
Become a
My Modern Met Member
As a member, you'll join us in our effort to support the arts.
Become a Member
Explore member benefits

Sponsored Content