The director behind the Oscar-winning movie "Spotlight" came up short in a campaign to set his latest project in the Twin Cities.

Tom McCarthy, who spent some of his early 20s doing sketch comedy in Minneapolis, fought to film Disney's "Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made" in Minnesota. But the family-friendly film about a clueless 11-year-old detective and his polar-bear sidekick ended up shooting in Oregon and Canada.

Melodie Bahan, executive director for the Minnesota Film and Television commission, said Disney vetoed using Minnesota due to the state's lack of significant tax credits for big-budget projects.

"Given Minnesota's weak production incentive it just didn't make sense for them financially," Bahan said. "The benefits to the state would have gone beyond the $40 million in new spending and hundreds of good paying jobs. The film would have been a great showcase for Minnesota."

Minnneapolis's loss is indeed Portland's gain, at least from a promotional standpoint. The Northwest city looks inviting throughout the movie, especially when the ravenous bear goes snooping on his own. There's even a scene where the strong-but-silent sidekick crosses a city skywalk.

If the movie had shot here in 2018, locals would have also had the chance to bump into some of its stars, which include Craig Robinson and Wallace Shawn.

"Failure" made its world premiere last month at the Sundance Film Festival. It starts streaming Friday on Disney Plus.