With the focal point of the story being a group of kids who get stuck together and turn an unfortunate situation around, the filmmakers shifted their focus to casting. “Casting is 90 percent of the job,” asserts Feig. “Once I’m done casting, if I’ve done it right, all I have to do is make sure the camera angles are right, keep the actors on track and fine tune them if things get too big or off-kilter. But really, it’s all about the casting.”

For a film with roles for so many young actors, Feig sought the help of casting director Allison Jones, who won an Emmy for Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series for her work on Feig’s “Freaks and Geeks.” Jones has subsequently been Emmynominated for her work on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development.”

“We threw the net really wide for both professional actors and newcomers. I looked for kids who have their own personality, who have the confidence to just be themselves,” emphasizes Feig.

Shuler Donner adds, “I agree with Paul. It’s all about casting. We auditioned hundreds of kids, and put together an amazing ensemble.”

For the lead role of Spencer, Feig found the perfectly awkward youngster when 14- year-old Dyllan Christopher walked in for his audition.

“Dyllan has such a fun quality about himself,” remarks Feig. “He’s a little awkward because he’s at that stage where you want to be this, but you’re actually that. And yet he is headstrong enough to say, ‘Hey, this is who I am. I’ll try to fit in with you guys, but if I have to change, then what’s the point? I’m just gonna go out and do my thing.’ He reminded me of me when I was that age, so I was like, ‘Of course you’ve got the job!’”

“Spencer is a kid who is pressured by his mom to do everything she says and so he’s lugging around his little sister everywhere he goes, which is embarrassing for him,” says Christopher. “But then, he loses his sister and makes it his goal to find her and give her a good Christmas, because he doesn’t want her to wake up on Christmas morning with no Santa and no presents.”

The source of Spencer’s embarrassment is his little sister, Katherine, played by Dominique Saldaña, who makes her big-screen debut in “Unaccompanied Minors.”

“She’s seven years old, and watching her take direction is so much fun. You wouldn’t expect her to turn and become somebody else on a dime, but she does it. She’s great,” observes Aguilar.

Catching Spencer’s eye from across the UM Room is Grace, a precocious heartbreaker who seemingly has it all, played by Gina Mantegna. The oldest actor of the group, Mantegna celebrated her Sweet 16 during production.

“Gina’s got this cool kind of teenager energy. She’s the girl that every kid fell in love with in school, and yet she’s not the typical blonde, Barbie doll-looking girl, which to me is just boring,” says Feig. “My friends and I were always more interested in girls who were different and fun...and she’s just that!”

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