Next Gen (film)

Last updated
Next Gen
Next Gen.png
Film poster outside China
Directed by
  • Kevin R. Adams
  • Joe Ksander
Written by
  • Kevin R. Adams
  • Joe Ksander
Story byWang Nima
Based on7723
by Wang Nima
Produced by
  • Jeff Bell
  • Patricia Hicks
  • Charlene Logan Kelly
  • Yangbin Lu
  • John Morch
  • Ken Zorniak
Starring
Cinematography
  • Paul Kohut
  • Paul Stodolny
Edited byMatt Ahrens
Music by
  • Samuel Jones
  • Alexis Marsh
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • September 7, 2018 (2018-09-07)(United States)
Running time
105 minutes
Countries
  • United States
  • Canada
  • China
Languages
  • English
  • Mandarin
Budget$30 million [1]
Box office$2.4 million (China only) [2]

Next Gen is a 2018 animated science fiction action film that is based on the online manhua 7723 by Wang Nima (which was originally published in Baozou Manhua, [3] which Wang founded and led), and is directed by Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander. The film stars the voices of John Krasinski, Charlyne Yi, Jason Sudeikis, Michael Peña, David Cross and Constance Wu. It tells the story of Mai Su, a lonely rebellious teenage girl living in a world where sentient robot technology is commonplace, and 7723, a top-secret weaponized robot, who, through a chance encounter, meet each other and form an unlikely bond that they must use to stop a vicious threat. The film was released on Netflix on September 7, 2018, and was produced almost exclusively using Blender.

Contents

Plot

In 2008, 3-year-old girl named Mai lives with her mother Molly in Grainland, New Jersey. Her father Matthew left them when she was young, after which her mother became emotionally dependent on robots, causing Mai to feel left out. Then Matthew died later on. One day in 2018, Molly and her daughter Mai who is now a teenager attend a product launch at the Universal Dynamics facility in Newark. Annoyed by her mother, Mai wanders off, stumbling into the secret lab of Dr. Tanner Rice, who has been working on an attack robot called 7723. Mai accidentally activates ROZZUM unit 7723, before getting apprehended by security and returned to her mother. At launch, Justin Pin, the CEO of Universal Dynamics, reveals a new generation of Q-Bots to the public, but he secretly designed them to explode on command. 7723 leaves Rice's lab to find Mai, but is pursued by the city police. He starts to use his weapon systems, making the police forces respond with deadly force. He falls into the lowest levels of the city, damaging his memory core.

While going outside to check on her dog, Momo, Mai finds 7723 in her backyard, and tries to dismiss him, but after seeing his weapons system, she allows him to stay in the shed. With 7723, Mai confronts some school bullies by destroying their Q-Bots. The two then embark on a montage of shenanigans throughout the city, but as 7723 accumulates more memories, he struggles to decide which to keep. When Mai confronts him about this, he reveals if he reaches full capacity, he will undergo a total system reset, losing all his memories in the process. Mai suggests deleting his core systems to make room, but he warns her he, despite gaining storage, would lose functionality.

7723 becomes apprehensive about using his abilities under Mai's orders, and during one instance refuses to blast Mai's school bully leader, Greenwood, when she orders her hurt. This angers Mai so she proceeds to hit Greenwood herself with her bat, but stopping just before completing a swing after Greenwood begins to cry. 7723 subsequently deletes his weapon system to save his memories and prevent himself from hurting any more people, and promises to Mai to never let her down again, allowing them to make amends. However, he is unknowingly seen by Molly's Q-Bot on his way out, allowing Dr. Rice to find him, and he goes to Mai's house to format 7723's memory and take him away. He explains that he built 7723 to prevent an upcoming crisis. Pin arrives, and Dr. Rice’s appealing to him prompts Pin to announce his plan of killing all of humanity. A fight erupts, but without his weapons, 7723 struggles to fight Pin’s bodyguard robot Ares and fails to stop Pin from kidnapping Molly, fleeing with Mai and Momo into the sewers. Mai snaps at 7723 for deleting his weapon systems and not saving her mother.

Storming off to Universal Dynamics to rescue Molly, Mai is quickly apprehended, but 7723 arrives and the two make up. They find Dr. Rice, who warns them of Ares, but before he can say much more, Pin appears and kills him. Mai has noticed that Pin's mannerisms are mimicking Ares's, and after the resulting fight is taken to a nearby sports stadium, the truth is eventually and publicly revealed: Ares had killed Pin and has been using a bionic skeleton in his body. Pin once told Ares to make the world "perfect", which Ares believes will only happen through humanity's extinction. With his plans exposed, Ares begins detonating the Q-Bots and merges with a powerful assault armor to overpower 7723, while Mai rescues Molly and evacuates the stadium, but is captured by Ares's Pin body.

Severely damaged and unable to fend off Ares, 7723 initiates a full system reset, restoring his weapons and beginning the process of wiping his memories. Saving Mai, he shares one last goodbye with her before battling Ares on equal footing. After fatally damaging Ares, 7723's reset completes before he can finish him, becoming inert. Ares attempts using his now-weakened Pin body to destroy the vulnerable 7723, but Mai decapitates Ares, stopping him for good. 7723 re-activates but fails to recognize Mai.

As everything finally returns to normal, Mai becomes more social, befriending Greenwood and her soccer team as well as classmate Ani, while she re-teaches 7723 the pleasures of life, steering him the right direction, and even invites him to play soccer, which he seemingly begins to remember some of his old memories.

Voice cast

Production

Next Gen is a Canadian-American-Chinese co-production. [4]

In May 2018, it was announced that Netflix had purchased worldwide rights to Next Gen, an animated film directed by Kevin R. Adams and Joe Ksander, for $30 million. The deal excluded China. [5] Charlyne Yi, Jason Sudeikis, Michael Peña, David Cross, Kitana Turnbull and Constance Wu would lead the voice cast. [6] [7]

Regarding the project being acquired by Netflix, Ksander stated:

Buying the film for the price they [Netflix] did was great for everybody involved, but more importantly, they've been a partner who's been really supportive of what we were trying to do. [8]

R. Adams added that:

Studios weren't sure how it [Next Gen] fit an animated children's film with Marvel-like action. Netflix was the most generous and they're in a place where they can take a risk. [8]

Next Gen was "effectively 100% created in Blender." [9]

Release

The film was released worldwide except in China by Netflix on September 7, 2018. [10] The film was released theatrically in China on July 19, 2019 by Alibaba Group and Wanda Group.

The Japanese version uses Dream Ami’s song “Next” as its ending theme. [11]

Reception

Next Gen has received positive reviews. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 86% based on seven reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. [12]

In Richard Roeper's review for the Chicago Sun Times , he criticized the film's indecisiveness in what audience it was aiming for and said "It's a chore just to keep up with all the shifts in tone, and by the time Next Gen reaches the finish line, we're more exhausted than exhilarated." [13]

However, Joel Keller of Decider found no major problems to prevent enjoyment of the film, writing, "Our Call: STREAM IT. Great voice performances, some funny moments, and a central relationship that will immediately suck you in make NextGen a fun watch for the entire family." [14]

Accolades

AwardDate of CeremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef
Annie AwardsFebruary 2, 2019Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Feature ProductionSo Ishigaki, Graham WiebeNominated [15]
Annie AwardsFebruary 2, 2019Outstanding Achievement for Character Design in an Animated Feature ProductionMarceline TanguayNominated [15]
Annie AwardsFebruary 2, 2019Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature ProductionCharlyne YiNominated [15]
Golden Reel AwardsFebruary 16, 2019Award for Non-Theatrical Animated Feature FilmNext GenWon [16]
Kidscreen AwardsFebruary 13, 2019Best One-Off, Special or TV MovieBaozou, Tangent Animation, NetflixNominated [17]
Kidscreen AwardsFebruary 13, 2019Creative Award - Best AnimationNext GenWon [17]
Kidscreen AwardsFebruary 13, 2019Creative Award - Best DesignNext GenWon [17]

Notes

  1. Pronounced "May".

Related Research Articles

<i>Elephants Dream</i> 2006 Dutch animated short film

Elephants Dream is a 2006 Dutch animated science fiction fantasy experimental short film produced by Blender Foundation using, almost exclusively, free and open-source software. The film is English-language and includes subtitles in over 30 languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ares (DC Comics)</span> Supervillain appearing in DC Comics

Ares is a fictional character appearing in DC Comics publications and related media. Based on the eponymous Greek mythological figure, he is the Olympian god of war and major recurring adversary of the superhero Wonder Woman. He has been featured significantly as a persistent foe throughout every era of Wonder Woman's comic book adventures, and in many adaptations of her stories in other media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlyne Yi</span> American comic actor (born 1986)

Charlyne Amanda Yi is an American actor, comedian, musician, and writer, known for their role as Dr. Chi Park on the Fox medical drama House and for providing the voices of the Rubies on the Cartoon Network animated series Steven Universe (2013–2019) and its epilogue series Steven Universe Future, Chloe Park on We Bare Bears (2014–2019), Alice on Summer Camp Island (2018–2023), and Mai in Next Gen (2018).

<i>Yona Yona Penguin</i> 2009 film directed by Rintarō

Yona Yona Penguin (よなよなペンギン) is a 2009 animated fantasy adventure film produced by the Japanese anime studio Madhouse and sister company Dynamo Pictures. An international co-production of Japan and France, it was Madhouse's first fully 3D CGI film. Rintaro, known for Galaxy Express 999 and Metropolis, directed the project, while French production company Denis Friedman Productions collaborated and helped fund the film.

<i>Wonder Woman</i> (2009 film) 2009 film directed by Lauren Montgomery

Wonder Woman is a 2009 American animated superhero film focusing on the superheroine of the same name. The plot of the film is loosely based on George Pérez's reboot of the character, specifically the "Gods and Mortals" arc that started the character's second volume in 1987. It is the fourth film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies released by Warner Premiere and Warner Bros. Animation.

<i>Barefoot Gen</i> (1983 film) 1983 film

Barefoot Gen is a 1983 Japanese adult animated war drama film loosely based on the Japanese manga series of the same name by Keiji Nakazawa. Directed by Mori Masaki and starring Issei Miyazaki, Masaki Kōda and Tatsuya Jo, it depicts World War II in Japan from a child's point of view revolving around the events surrounding the bombing of Hiroshima and the main character's firsthand experience of the bomb.

Ares has appeared frequently in modern popular culture; he usually appears as the ancient Greek god of war in the most generally familiar classical mythology.

<i>Sintel</i> 2010 film

Sintel is a 2010 animated fantasy short film. It was the third Blender "open movie". It was produced by Ton Roosendaal, chairman of the Blender Foundation, written by Esther Wouda, directed by Colin Levy, at the time an artist at Pixar and art direction by David Revoy, who is known for Pepper&Carrot, a free and open source webcomic series. It was made at the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation. The plot follows the character, Sintel, who is tracking down her pet Scales, a dragon. Just like the other Blender "open movies," the film was made using Blender, a free and open source software application for animation, created and supported by the Blender Foundation.

<i>Tears of Steel</i> 2012 film

Tears of Steel is a short science fiction film by producer Ton Roosendaal and director/writer Ian Hubert. The film is both live-action and CGI; it was made using new enhancements to the visual effects capabilities of Blender, a free and open-source 3D computer graphics app. Set in a dystopian future, the short film features a group of warriors and scientists who gather at the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam in a desperate attempt to save the world from destructive robots.

<i>Kodachrome</i> (film) 2017 film

Kodachrome is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Raso and written by Jonathan Tropper, based on a 2010 New York Times article by A.G. Sulzberger. It stars Ed Harris, Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen, Bruce Greenwood, Wendy Crewson, and Dennis Haysbert. The film had its world premiere at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2017, and was released on April 20, 2018, by Netflix.

<i>The Mitchells vs. the Machines</i> 2021 American computer-animated film by Mike Rianda

The Mitchells vs. the Machines is a 2021 animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation. The film was directed by Mike Rianda and co-directed by Jeff Rowe, from a screenplay written by both of them. Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Kurt Albrecht served as producers. The film stars the voices of Danny McBride, Abbi Jacobson, Maya Rudolph, Rianda, Eric André, and Olivia Colman, with Fred Armisen, Beck Bennett, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Blake Griffin, Conan O'Brien, and Doug the Pug in supporting roles. It follows the dysfunctional Mitchell family that must save Earth from a global uprising of robots while on a road trip.

<i>Always Be My Maybe</i> (2019 film) 2019 romantic comedy film

Always Be My Maybe is a 2019 American romantic comedy film, written by Ali Wong, Randall Park and Michael Golamco and directed by Nahnatchka Khan. It stars Park and Wong as childhood friends Marcus and Sasha, who have not been in touch since a brief teenage fling ended badly. When Sasha returns to San Francisco to open a restaurant and romantic chemistry from their teenager years remains, Marcus' fears and Sasha's fame and demanding career challenge their potential new relationship. James Saito, Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang, Daniel Dae Kim and Keanu Reeves also star.

<i>The Hollow</i> (TV series) TV series on Netflix

The Hollow is a Canadian animated adventure mystery television series created by Vito Viscomi. The series premiered on Netflix on June 8, 2018. Its second season aired on May 8, 2020. On August 31, 2020, the series was cancelled.

<i>Tall Girl</i> 2019 American film

Tall Girl is a 2019 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Nzingha Stewart, from a screenplay by Sam Wolfson. The film stars Ava Michelle, Griffin Gluck, Sabrina Carpenter, Paris Berelc, Luke Eisner, Clara Wilsey, Anjelika Washington, Rico Paris, Angela Kinsey, and Steve Zahn.

<i>Stand by Me Doraemon 2</i> 2020 film by Takashi Yamazaki and Ryuichi Tagi

Stand by Me Doraemon 2 is a 2020 Japanese animated science fiction comedy film based on the Doraemon manga series and a sequel to the previous movie, the 2014 film Stand by Me Doraemon. Directed by Ryūichi Yagi and Takashi Yamazaki, it is primarily inspired by Doraemon's 2000 short film Doraemon: A Grandmother's Recollections and Doraemon's 2002 short film The Day When I Was Born.

<i>My Fathers Dragon</i> (2022 film) 2022 film directed by Nora Twomey

My Father's Dragon is a 2022 animated fantasy adventure comedy film directed by Nora Twomey with a screenplay by Meg LeFauve who co-wrote the story with John Morgan. It is based on the 1948 children's novel of the same name by Ruth Stiles Gannett. The film is also dedicated to Morgan who died from cancer during the film's production in March 2016. It stars the voices of Jacob Tremblay, Gaten Matarazzo, Golshifteh Farahani, Dianne Wiest, Rita Moreno, Chris O'Dowd, Judy Greer, Alan Cumming, Yara Shahidi, Jackie Earle Haley, Whoopi Goldberg, and Ian McShane.

<i>Canvas</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Canvas is an American animated short film written and directed by Frank E. Abney III. It was released on December 11, 2020 on Netflix.

<i>Maya and the Three</i> Mexican-American animated television miniseries

Maya and the Three is an animated fantasy television miniseries created by Jorge R. Gutiérrez and produced by Tangent Animation.

<i>Through My Window</i> (film) 2022 film directed by Marçal Forés

Through My Window is a 2022 Spanish teen romantic drama film directed by Marçal Forés from a screenplay by Eduard Sola, based on the novel of the same name by Ariana Godoy. The film stars Julio Peña, Clara Galle and Pilar Castro. It was released on Netflix on 4 February 2022.

<i>The Wild Robot</i> 2024 film by Chris Sanders

The Wild Robot is a 2024 American animated science fiction adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Universal Pictures. Based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown, it was written for the screen and directed by Chris Sanders and features the voices of Lupita Nyong'o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Stephanie Hsu, Mark Hamill, Catherine O'Hara, Matt Berry, and Ving Rhames. The film follows Roz (Nyong'o), a service robot shipwrecked on an uninhabited island who must adapt to her surroundings, build relationships with the local wildlife, and become the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose, Brightbill (Connor).

References

  1. Cycles for Animated Feature Film Production. Archived 2021-09-07 at the Wayback Machine In: YouTube. Blender. 16 November 2017, retrieved 24 December 2018.
  2. "Next Gen". Archived from the original on 2023-07-23. Retrieved 2019-07-23.
  3. Cahill, Ann-Marie (2018-09-25). "NEXT GEN: On the Netflix Adaptation of 7723". BOOK RIOT. Archived from the original on 2022-09-03. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  4. Amid, Amidi. "A behind the scenes look at the art of netflix's 'next gen'". Cartoonbrew. Cartoonbrew. Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  5. "Netflix Buys Animated Film 'Next Gen' for $30 Million". 11 May 2018. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  6. Fleming, Mike Jr. (11 May 2018). "Netflix Makes $30M Worldwide Rights Deal For Animated 'Next Gen' – Cannes". Archived from the original on 14 July 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  7. Setoodeh, Ramin (11 May 2018). "Cannes: Netflix Buys Animated Robot Movie 'Next Gen' for $30 Million Worldwide Deal". Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  8. 1 2 "'Next Gen': Netflix's $30-Million Animated Pickup Taps the Sentient Robot Zeitgeist". 6 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2018-09-07. Retrieved 2018-09-07.
  9. ""Next Gen" - Blender Production by Tangent Animation soon on Netflix! - BlenderNation". BlenderNation. 2018-08-20. Archived from the original on 2018-11-05. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  10. "Next Gen". Netflix. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  11. "ネクスト ロボ - NetflixオリジナルフルCG映画!遂に配信開始!メインツールはBlender!". 10 September 2018.
  12. "Next Gen (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2019-05-23. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  13. Roeper, Richard (September 7, 2018). "'Next Gen' overloads its animated robots with too many shifts in plot and tone". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  14. Keller, Joel (September 7, 2018). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Next Gen' On Netflix, About A Lonely Girl And The Robot Who Becomes Her Best Friend". Decider. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Annie Awards: 'Incredibles 2,' 'Ralph' Lead Feature Nominees; 'Mary Poppins Returns' Also Nominated". The Hollywood Reporter . 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 July 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  16. "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Wins Pair of Trophies at Sound Editors' Golden Reel Awards". The Hollywood Reporter . 17 February 2019. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 "2019 Kidscreen Award Winners Announced". Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2020-01-03.