Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 | |
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Directed by | |
Screenplay by | |
Story by |
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Based on | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Pickles to Pittsburgh by Judi Barrett Ron Barrett |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Edited by | Robert Fisher, Jr. [3] |
Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh [4] |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing [6] |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes [7] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $78 million [8] |
Box office | $274.3 million [8] |
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a 2013 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The sequel to the 2009 film Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs , the film was directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn (in their feature directorial debuts) from a screenplay written by Erica Rivinoja and the writing team of John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the directors of the previous film, returned as executive producers, and also conceived the story with Rivinoja.
The film stars Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt who reprise their roles from the first film, while Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V in this film. New cast members include Kristen Schaal as Chester's orangutan assistant, Barb, and Terry Crews as Earl Devereaux, replacing Mr. T. [9] The film's plot focuses on Flint Lockwood and his friends returning to Swallow Falls to save the world after the presumed-destroyed Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator (FLDSMDFR) reactivates, this time creating sentient food creatures.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was released in the United States on September 27, 2013, [10] and was a box office success, grossing $274.3 million worldwide against its budget of $78 million, $31 million more than its predecessor, which grossed only $243 million. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, though it was considered inferior to its predecessor.
After scientist Flint Lockwood saved his island, Swallow Falls, from his invention, the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator" (aka the FLDSMDFR), [lower-alpha 2] Chester V, the CEO of Live Corp and Flint's childhood idol, offers his company's services to help clean up the island while the residents relocate to San Franjose, California.
Chester hires Flint, but during his short tenure at Live Corp, Flint enters a competition for a promotion, only to publicly humiliate himself by accident via an invention of his called a "Party in a Box", which prematurely goes off when he does not win.
That night, Chester informs Flint that the FLDSMDFR is still functioning and is creating sentient food creatures known as foodimals, one of which attacked his employees stationed on Swallow Falls. Chester tells Flint that he needs to travel alone to the island, find the FLDSMDFR, and insert a USB flash drive-like device known as the "BS-USB" to shut it down. However, Flint takes his pet monkey Steve, his meteorologist girlfriend Sam Sparks, her cameraman Manny, police officer Earl Devereaux, and former mascot of Swallow Falls “Chicken” Brent McHale. Flint also grudgingly accepts the help of Tim, his widowed father, who takes them to the island using his fishing boat. When Chester learns that Flint is not alone, he and his much-abused orangutan assistant Barb gather some of their employees and follow.
While Tim stays on the boat and makes friends with some living pickles, Flint and his friends work their way through the jungle-like environment of food that now completely covers the island. They encounter many foodimals, including a living strawberry Sam names "Barry". A Cheespider, the foodimal that attacked Chester's employees, chases Flint and the gang, but Chester arrives, scaring it off and joining the mission. Sam becomes suspicious of Chester's motives, as his claims about the foodimals being dangerous do not align with what they have observed. Flint is too afraid of failure to listen, eventually leading Sam, Earl, Manny, Brent, and even Steve to leave him and go back to the boat. They re-encounter and befriend the Cheespider, discovering that it was only acting hostile toward people wearing Live Corp gear. When the group deduces that the foodimals have realized something sinister about the company, as the "live" part of its name is "evil" spelled backwards, they are then captured by Chester's employees when they attempt to go back and warn Flint.
Flint, Chester, and Barb track down the FLDSMDFR, but after meeting and befriending some living marshmallows it created, Flint, realize his mistake, defies Chester and refuses to use the BS-USB. However, Chester inserts the device into the machine himself, revealing it to be a hacking device designed to reprogram it. With the FLDSMDFR now under his control, Chester disposes of Flint and starts capturing foodimals, intent on using them as the key ingredients for Live Corp's upcoming food bars line.
The marshmallows rescue Flint and reunite him with Tim and Barry. The duo realizes that, without the FLDSMDFR, the existing foodimals and the ecosystem will die. As Flint offers his condolences, he is surprised to discover that the foodimals, having watched archive footage of him creating the FLDSMDFR, revere him as their creator. Inspired, Flint vows to save the island.
Tim and the foodimals catapult Flint and Barry into Live Corp factory. Some captive foodimals are freed by Barry, and they help fight off the company's employees. Flint confronts Chester, who threatens to turn his friends into food bars as well. When Barb begins to show reluctance, Chester furiously dismisses her and battles Flint alone. Flint uses his "Party in a Box" invention to beat him and his holograms and free his friends. Chester attempts to escape with the FLDSMDFR, and is pursued by the foodimals and Flint's group. Barb turns on Chester for his abuse and steals the machine back, while Chester is eaten by the Cheespider before he can flee.
Flint returns the FLDSMDFR to where it was found, frees it from Chester's control, and reconciles with his friends. The residents of Swallow Falls return to their proper homes, adapting to the altered ecosystem and happily continuing their lives. The FLDSMDFR continues creating foodimals, which live and co-exist peacefully alongside the islanders.
Additionally, archive recordings of Mr. T as Earl Devereaux can be heard in the film's opening.
The sequel was announced on April 12, 2010, when website io9 reported that the original film's directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, would not return for the sequel. [13] In December 2011, it was reported that Cody Cameron, one of the story artists on the first film, and Kris Pearn, the head of story on the first, would direct the sequel, with Lord and Miller serving as executive producers. John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Erica Rivinoja [2] wrote the screenplay, which is based on an original story idea, not on Pickles to Pittsburg, Ron and Judi Barrett's follow-up book. [14] In February 2012, it was announced that the sequel would be titled Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers, [15] but it was later retitled to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. [16]
Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt reprised their roles. [2] The role of Earl, the town cop, was taken over by Terry Crews, since Mr. T declined to reprise the role. [9] Kristen Schaal joined the cast to voice Barb, a talking and lipstick-wearing orangutan with a human brain. [11] Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V, a world-famous super-inventor who commands Barb and is the head of the Live Corp Company. [9] On January 17, 2013, concept art from the film was released. [17]
The music was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. [4] Cody Simpson provided a single, from his album Surfers Paradise "La Da Dee", which was played at the film's end credits. Simpson also performed in a music video that incorporated footage from the film. [1] Paul McCartney's single, "New", from his 2013 album, was featured in the film. [18]
In the Japanese release, the band TEMPURA KIDZ provides a song "Tabechaitaino" and voices a Marshmellow. [19]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was initially scheduled for release on December 20, 2013, but was pushed back to February 7, 2014, [21] before it was later moved up to September 27, 2013. [10]
In promotional events before the film's release, Sony Pictures Animation partnered with some produce companies to provide more than 200,000 pounds (91 tonnes) of produce for Feeding America's action to help children and families in need. Several food-packing events across the country were organized, with Anna Faris and Will Forte attending the main one in Los Angeles. [22] Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States to promote the film through Subway Kids Meals with a set of 6 customized bags. [23]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 28, 2014. [24] The home media was accompanied by a quartet of animated shorts based on the main feature: Super Manny, Earl Scouts, Steve's First Bath, and Attack of the 50-Foot Gummi Bear. [24] Two of the shorts, Super Manny and Earl Scouts, were already released online before the media release, premiering in October 2013 on Univision [25] [26] [27] and Fandango, [28] [29] [30] respectively. David Feiss directed all four shorts, [31] which feature a computer-generated wraparound animation and a hand-drawn animation, provided by Six Point Harness. [32]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 grossed $119.8 million in North America, and $154.5 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $274.3 million. [8] Its budget was reported at $78 million. [8]
In North America, the film earned $9.3 million on its opening day, [33] and opened to number one in its first weekend, with $34 million. [34] [35] In its second weekend, the film dropped to number two, grossing an additional $21 million. [36] In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $13.8 million. [37] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $9.7 million [38]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 71%, based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "While not as clever or inventive as its predecessor, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 compensates with enough dazzling visuals to keep younger viewers entertained." [39] Metacritic, gave the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [40] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A−", the same as the first film. [41]
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying "While not as delightfully breezy as the original, an engaging voice cast and hordes of 'Foodimals' still manage to serve up a tasty sequel." [42] Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star called it "fun, even if it is occasionally so chaotic it tramples the movie's flow like a herd of stampeding Buffaloafs." [43] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune thought it "better in every respect than the original film. It's also more fun than all three Ice Age, Monsters University, Planes, Epic, Despicable Me 2, and though I could go on, I won't." [44] Jordan Hoffman of the New York Daily News gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Cloudy 2 is loud, weird and chaotic—just as kids like it. ... sometimes it's good to have a sugary treat." [45] Dave McGinn of The Globe and Mail felt it "promises more fun and laughs than it delivers, and this meal tastes like too many that have gone before it." [46] Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic reviewed it as "the rare sequel that takes the spirit of the original and runs with it, coming up with something uniquely good in its own right." [47]
In a lukewarm review, Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph said "For all its properly surreal mayhem, this flick isn't quite as nimble or emotionally rounded as its predecessor." [48] Sean O'Connell of The Washington Post wrote "Kids will chuckle, for sure. But parents who were pleasantly surprised by the original film's intelligence will miss Lord and Miller's guiding hands, as what once felt so funny now leaves a stale taste." [49] Rafer Guzman of Newsday thought it "relies on the usual noxious recipe for junky kid flicks: loud noise, pop music and poop jokes." [50] Miriam Bale of The New York Times felt it was "sometimes so strange, colorful and wildly cute that it may end up becoming a Yellow Submarine for a new generation." [51] Tom Russo of The Boston Globe gave the film two out of four stars, saying "It's another brightly rendered effort, but, as the title indicates, a lot of the real creativity seems to have been used up the first time around." [52] Mike Clark of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "There's not a surprise or moment of tension to be found here, but the film is all energy and color that makes the discomfort of 3-D glasses seem worth it." [53]
Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press thought the film worked for its audience: "this is a kid movie, and KIDS LOVE PUNS. So they laugh at 'There's a leek in the boat.' And they laugh even more the second time." [54] A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C, saying "Like too many sequels, this second helping of Meatballs confuses bigger for better, piling on the action but misplacing much of the original's charm." [55] David Hiltbrand of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four stars, saying "This scrumptious sequel follows the same recipe as the 2009 original." [56] Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "a humorous yet unfocused romp, so unwilling to settle on a single theme that hyperactivity medication should be handed out with the 3-D glasses." [57] Matt Patches of Film.com wrote, "The 2009 original separated itself from the Pixar and Dreamworks competition with a joke-first approach. The sequel quadruples the recipe, with gags on top of gags on top of gags in a way only animation could achieve. Like a foodie Jurassic Park conjured up by Tex Avery, Cloudy 2 is a sight to behold … as long as your brain hasn't turned to mush by the halfway point." [58]
Amy Nicholson of The Village Voice compared the franchise to " The Muppets and Pee Wee's Playhouse , kids' shows that ripen as their audience matures." [59] Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly called it "charming enough." [60] Steve Davis of The Austin Chronicle gave the film two out of five stars, saying "For both kids and adults, CWCM2 is little more than a vague memory as soon as it's over." [61] Peter Debruge of Variety opined, "the pic's zany tone and manic pace are good for a quick-hit sugar high." [3] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying "Honestly, anyone who can pull off a running joke about leeks that does not make you gag, and is in fact a silly delight, deserves props." [62] Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, "Unlike so many sequels, this fun-filled 3D adventure is sure to entertain younger kids but also charm the adults". [63]
Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
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Kids' Choice Awards [64] | Favorite Animated Movie | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards [65] | Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media | Nominated | |
Visual Effects Society Awards [66] | Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture | Peter Nash, Michael Ford, Chris Juen, Mandy Tankenson | Nominated |
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture | Andrew Hofman, Alex Moaveni | Nominated | |
British Academy Children's Awards [67] | BAFTA Kid's Vote - Film in 2014 | Nominated |
A video game titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, published by GameMill Entertainment, was released on September 24, 2013, for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. [68] Its gameplay mechanic is similar to Fruit Ninja .
A free mobile game titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2: Foodimal Frenzy was developed by PlayFirst and released for both iOS and Android devices. [69] The game is no longer available on the App Store.
A downloadable app titled Foodimal Funimal was released for free by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on iOS and Android mobile devices on August 20, 2013.
In September 2023, Phil Lord stated that a script was completed for a third installment before the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, titled "Planet of the Grapes". [70]
Sony Pictures Animation Inc. is an American animation studio owned by Sony Entertainment's Sony Pictures Entertainment through their Motion Picture Group division and founded on May 9, 2002. The studio is based in Culver City, California. Most of the studio's films are distributed worldwide by Sony Pictures Releasing under their Columbia Pictures label, while direct-to-video releases are released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The Smurfs is a 2011 American fantasy adventure comedy film based on the comic series of the same name created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo. It was directed by Raja Gosnell and stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofía Vergara and Hank Azaria, with the voices of Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, Fred Armisen and Alan Cumming. It is the first live-action Sony Pictures Animation film and the first of two live-action animated Smurfs feature films.
Ron Barrett is an American illustrator, best known for illustrating the children's book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which was written by his former wife, Judi Barrett.
Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is a Canadian visual effects and computer animation studio headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec, with an additional office on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California. SPI is a unit of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group.
Cody William Cameron is an American voice actor, film director and storyboard artist best known for directing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. He voiced many animated characters, including Pinocchio and the Three Little Pigs in the Shrek series and Mr. Weenie in the Open Season franchise.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a children's book written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. It was first published in 1978 by Atheneum Books, followed by a 1982 trade paperback edition from sister company Aladdin Paperbacks. It is now published by Simon & Schuster. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a 2009 American animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and released by Sony Pictures Releasing. Loosely based on the 1978 children's book of the same name by Judi and Ron Barrett, the film was written for the screen and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, in their feature directorial debuts. It stars the voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, and Neil Patrick Harris. The film centers around an aspiring inventor named Flint Lockwood who develops, following a series of failed experiments, a machine that can convert water into food. After the machine gains sentience and begins to develop food storms, Flint must stop it in order to save the world.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a video game tie-in based on the film of the same name which is also based upon the 1978 children's book of the same name. The game allows the player to control Flint Lockwood, the film's hero as he must save his town and the world from the rain of food, fighting highly mutated food enemies and using his gadgets to help him on the way.
Open Season 3 is a 2010 American animated comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation with animation provided by Reel FX Creative Studios. It is the third installment in the Open Season film series and is set after the events of Open Season 2 (2008). Directed by Cody Cameron, the film theatrically premiered in Russia on October 21, 2010 and was released as a direct-to-video in the United States and Canada on January 25, 2011. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $7 million worldwide.
Hotel Transylvania is a 2012 American animated monster comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The first installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, it was directed by Genndy Tartakovsky from a screenplay by Peter Baynham and Robert Smigel, and a story by Todd Durham, Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman, based on an original concept created by Durham. The film stars the voices of Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade and CeeLo Green.
Philip Anderson Lord and Christopher Robert Miller are American filmmakers. They are the creators and co-stars of the adult animated sitcom Clone High, and the writers and directors of the animated films Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and The Lego Movie (2014), as well as the directors of the live-action comedy film 21 Jump Street (2012) and its sequel, 22 Jump Street (2014).
The Smurfs 2 is a 2013 American fantasy comedy film loosely based on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo, produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, The Kerner Entertainment Company, and Hemisphere Media Capital, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. It serves as a sequel to the 2011 film The Smurfs the second installment of Sony's Smurfs film series and the final live-action film in the franchise. The film was again directed by Raja Gosnell from a screenplay written by Karey Kirkpatrick and the writing teams of J. David Stem and David N. Weiss, and Jay Scherick and David Ronn, and a story conceived by the latter four. The entire main cast reprised their roles from the first film. New cast members include Christina Ricci and J. B. Smoove as members of the Naughties, Brendan Gleeson as Patrick Winslow's stepfather, and Jacob Tremblay as Blue Winslow.
The Smurfs have appeared in five feature-length films and two short films loosely based on The Smurfs comic book series created by the Belgian comics artist Peyo and the 1980s animated TV series it spawned. They theatrically debuted in a 1965 animated feature film that was followed by a 1976 animated film titled The Smurfs and the Magic Flute. Twenty-eight to thirty years after The Magic Flute was released in the United States, a 2011 feature film and a 2013 sequel were produced by Sony Pictures Animation and released by Columbia Pictures. Live-action roles include Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, and Jayma Mays, while the voice-over roles include Anton Yelchin, Jonathan Winters, Katy Perry, and George Lopez. A fully animated reboot titled Smurfs: The Lost Village was released through Sony in April 2017. An animated musical film titled The Smurfs Movie produced by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies will release in February 2025.
Hotel Transylvania 2 is a 2015 American animated monster comedy-drama film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with LStar Capital, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and written by Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler, it is the second installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, serving as the sequel to Hotel Transylvania (2012).
Greg Franklin is an American cartoonist and animation director. He is the co-founder of Six Point Harness (6PH), a Los Angeles-based animation studio that develops and produces animated television programming, feature films, music videos and web-based content.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a science fiction comedy media franchise produced by Sony Pictures Animation and loosely based on the book of the same name by Judi Barrett. The films have received generally positive reviews from critics. The series has grossed $517 million at the box office.
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is a 2D animated television series developed by Mark Evestaff and Alex Galatis for Cartoon Network and YTV. It is produced by DHX Media and Sony Pictures Animation in association with Corus Entertainment via YTV Canada Inc.. Loosely based on the film series of the same name, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the first television series to be produced by Sony Pictures Animation and was animated using Toon Boom Harmony.
Kaan Kalyon is a Turkish American screenwriter and story development artist. He was the co-writer of Disney's Pocahontas (1995) and Hercules (1997), and the story artist in Treasure Planet (2002). In addition, Kalyon has worked with Sony and Columbia Pictures as the story artist for Surf's Up (2007) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) and was the head of story for Hotel Transylvania (2012). He has also worked on several animated television series' including Widget (1990), Tiny Toon Adventures (1991–92) and Bebe's Kids (1992).
Both installments received an average grade of A-, according to market research firm CinemaScore.
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