Directed by Robert Shaye (co-founder of New Line Cinema), The Last Mimzy was based on the 1943 short story “Mimsy Were the Borogoves” by Lewis Padgett (a pseudonym for Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore). The film updates the story from post-apocalyptic to pre-apocalyptic, emphasizing prevention over despair.
Contemporary reviewers noted the film's strengths. The BBC praised it as "an intelligent film that offers the chance to discuss important issues with children while also entertaining," highlighting its surprising depth for a family movie. Others found the young leads, Chris O'Neil and Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, to be "excellent" and the story to be a "delightful and refreshing sci-fi story and a great family entertainment". Directed by Robert Shaye (co-founder of New Line