Jimmy Livingston is a boy born without an immune system. Because of this, he is forced to live in a bubble dome in his bedroom in Palmdale, California (Bubble Boy was filmed in southern California, but in Santa Paula.) For this reason, his neighbors nickname him Bubble Boy. Jimmy's mother, a devout Catholic, only exposes him to Highlights magazine and the Land of the Lost television show for entertainment. When he is a teenager, a girl named Chloe moves in next door. Jimmy is immediately taken with her, even though his mother warns him that Chloe does not seem like the kind of girl Jesus would befriend. Despite his mother's warning, Jimmy and Chloe become good friends. They develop a close relationship. At one point, Chloe tries to come into his bubble, but Jimmy is afraid of contamination and does not let her in.
One day, Chloe visits Jimmy and tells him that she is leaving for Niagara Falls to marry her long-time boyfriend, Mark. She announces that the wedding will take place in three days. She then asks Jimmy if he thinks that Mark is "the one," but Jimmy refuses to answer her. When Chloe tries to give him a gift, Jimmy refuses to accept it. Chloe is upset and decides to exit, leaving the present with Jimmy. Later, Jimmy opens the present, a homemade snow globe that contains miniature models of Jimmy and Chloe sitting on the phrase I Love You. Jimmy realizes that Chloe cares for him deeply. Overcome with guilt for having driven Chloe away, Jimmy builds a mobile bubble suit and sneaks off into the night, determined to stop the wedding.
Throughout his journey to Niagara Falls, Jimmy runs into a wide variety of people, including the Bright and Shiny cult, the Dr. Phreak traveling sideshow circus, Slim the biker and his gang of motorcyclists, Pippy, Pappy, Poonany, Pushpop the Indian ice cream man, and his parents. These people cause many problems for Jimmy throughout his journey but, through a comical chain of events, they help Jimmy arrive at Niagara Falls on time. Jimmy stops the wedding and takes off his bubble suit, allowing him to touch the girl he loves. He collapses and presumably dies. Jimmy's father then forces Jimmy's mother to confess that Jimmy had developed a fully functional immune system when he was four years old, and Jimmy realizes that he is not dead at all. It is revealed that Mrs. Livingston had hidden this fact from Jimmy to protect him from the world. Jimmy forgives her and leaves the church with Chloe. Later, Jimmy and Chloe are married with all of their new friends in attendance. Then, Pippy, Pappy and Poonanny drive the happy couple to their honeymoon.
Criticism
The Walt Disney Company, Touchstones parent, was criticized upon its release[1], partly because it makes light of a real-world condition, and partly because of the way religions are depicted.
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