Little Miss Sunshine is a 2006 American tragicomedy film directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris in their directorial debut, with a screenplay by Michael Arndt. The ensemble cast includes Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Paul Dano, Abigail Breslin, and Alan Arkin, portraying members of a dysfunctional family traveling to a child beauty pageant. Breslin's breakout performance earned her an Academy Award nomination. The road film explores themes of family, depression, self-acceptance, and meaning in absurd circumstances, produced on an $8 million budget. Filming took place over 30 days in Arizona and Southern California, beginning in June 2005.