Mary and Max is an animated tale about Mary Daisy Dinkle (Toni Collette), a chubby 8 year old girl from Australia, and Max Horovitz (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) an obese, atheist Jew from New York. The two strike up an unlikely pen pal friendship that spans nearly two decades from 1976 to 1994. During the lifetime of their long distance friendship they tackle many issues from their lives such as friendship, the birds and the bees, differences in belief systems, and more. Mary's letters chronicle her ascension from child to adult, while Max's show the life of a man passing from middle age to old age.