Toronto, October 5: Sean Baker's "The Florida Project" takes place in a blindingly purple low-budget motel named the Magic Castle, just down Route 192 from Disney's Magic Kingdom. For the children of single parents who live there, the Kissimmee, Florida, motel is a playground — even if they're living in poverty.

The Florida Project," which opens in theaters Friday, is an ebullient, candy-colored movie wrapped around the very real issue of hidden homelessness. Families nationwide are living below the poverty line and eking out an existence in cheap motels, but the problem is particularly acute — and ironic — in the shadows of Walt Disney World.

The Florida Project stars Willem Dafoe as the kindly father-figure manager Bobby, but its central characters are played by newcomers. The feisty, scamming Halley (Bria Vinaite) is the 23-year-old mother to Moonee (7-year-old Brooklynn Prince), a free-spirited troublemaker who, with her friends (including the 6-year-old Valeria Cotto), are a delightful menace to Bobby and the motel's residents. (voa)