of course i can not say the meaning of this movie but i want to offer you a view you can look at this movie again and i be sure most of you will be surprise by this perspective . do you remember ( especially you boys ) when you be small . when you guy have your gang with leader ( steve ) and when you get a new boy ( ned ) to your gang and some guy be very jealous on him . ( klaus ) i be sure one of your rival be decent boy from a rich family ( hennessey ) . maybe you get very smart girl among you who could solve everything ( eleanor ) . you could fight with other gang with gun that could shoot sparkle again and again and nobody get hurt . and when you jump over small pond ( sorry huge swamp ) there be plenty of leech on you . oh and i love that movie and now i know why i felt so sentimental when i watch that movie first time it remind me my childhood so so much . our gang have secret plan to get big boat somewhere and load it with food and gun and go to cuba . we do not have scientific dream represent ) i be sure that in this movie wes anderson try to picture his adventurous dream when he be small . now i understand why there be an old man ask for signature of child sci fi book and why there be a letter from small boy and why cate blanchett be say at the end of the movie represent he will be twelve in eleven and half and steve responds represent that my favorite age . that be my favorite age and too steve . i take this movie a a wonderful tribute to childhood ( mostly boyish i guess ) where great adventure be all around u . do not get me wrong represent i do not discover this idea and i be tell about it and for me it perfectly fit together and i love this movie even more . by the way represent very similar movie trick make czech director karel zeman 40 year ago in b and w. highly recommend .