Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | |
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Directed by | |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett Ron Barrett |
Produced by | Pam Marsden |
Starring | |
Edited by | Robert Fisher Jr. |
Music by | Mark Mothersbaugh |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes [2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $100 million [4] |
Box office | $243 million [4] |
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 premiered at the Mann Village Theater in Los Angeles, California on September 12, 2009, and was released in the United States six days later on September 18 of that same year. It earned $243 million worldwide on a budget of $100 million at the box office. [4] The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its colorful visuals, humor, characters, voice acting, and score, while the simple character designs were said to be unfitting. The film has since been expanded into a franchise, with a sequel, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 , released on September 27, 2013, as well as an animated television series based on the film that premiered on Cartoon Network on February 20, 2017, with none of the original cast returning.
Aspiring scientist Flint Lockwood lives with Tim, his widowed father, and his pet monkey, Steve, in Swallow Falls, an island in the Atlantic Ocean with an economy based on sardines. Due to sardines being considered "really gross" by the rest of the world, Swallow Falls' economy has fallen into decline, forcing the citizens to subsist on a mainly sardine-based diet. Flint invents the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator" (FLDSMDFR), a device which transforms water into food, in an effort to expand the town's diet, much to the chagrin of Flint's father, who intends for Flint to one day take over the family-owned fishing shop.
Flint's attempt to plug the device in knocks out his house's power, so he connects the FLDSMDFR to a local substation, overloading it and sending it rocketing across town, demolishing a sardine-themed amusement park meant to revitalize the town in the process before it disappears into the sky. The chaos earns Flint the ire of the town, along with that of Sam, an amateur field reporter, and the disappointment of his father. Soon after, however, cheeseburgers begin raining from the sky, and Flint realizes the FLDSMDFR is functioning successfully in the stratosphere, using the condensation from clouds to create food-based weather systems.
The town rejoices in their new food choices and Swallow Falls is renamed Chewandswallow and becomes a "food tourism" destination, making Flint a local celebrity. Flint and Sam grow closer after she reveals that she was teased as a child for her glasses and her fascination with meteorology. However, Flint notices the food has begun to "over-mutate", gradually becoming bigger and more unstable. He attempts to warn Mayor Shelbourne that the FLDSMDFR may be malfunctioning, but the Mayor ignores his warnings. After a tornado made up of spaghetti and meatballs threatens the town, Flint attempts to turn the FLDSMDFR off, but the control device is mistakenly destroyed by Shelbourne while he is trying to stop Flint, causing the device to go rogue and creating a massive "food storm" across the planet.
Flint places the kill code in a USB flash drive and builds a flying car to reach and destroy the FLDSMDFR, accompanied by Sam, her cameraman Manny, Steve, and the town's former mascot Brent. Upon reaching the FLDSMDFR, they discover it has surrounded itself with a giant meatball for protection. Reaching the interior, the flash drive containing the code is lost, and Brent is eaten by giant animated roast chickens. Flint calls his dad, Tim, to go to his computer to email him the kill code. Sam's peanut allergy is triggered by a piece of peanut brittle, and Flint tells her to return to the car while he carries on alone. The two profess their love for each other and Flint selflessly cuts the rope and plummets down. Sam and Brent, now wearing one of the roast chickens as makeshift armor, make it back to the car to get allergy medication.
In the tunnel, Flint connects his phone with the kill code sent by Tim to the FLDSMDFR but discovers Tim sent the wrong file. He uses his Spray-On Shoes formula on the machine, causing it to overload and destroy the meatball, ending the food storm. Flint, having survived the explosion, reunites with Sam and Tim, who finally shows appreciation for his son's inventions.
Voice actors in the film include: [5]
On May 9, 2003, a year after establishment, Sony Pictures Animation announced its first animated slate, including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, a film adaptation of the book of the same name. The Brizzi brothers were brought to direct the film, with Wayne Rice adapting the screenplay. [6] In 2006, it was reported that the film had been helmed by new directors and writers, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The duo said later that year that it would be a homage to, and a parody of, disaster films such as Twister , Armageddon , The Core , and The Day After Tomorrow . [7]
After a year working on the script, Lord and Christopher Miller were fired for story issues and replaced with new writers, who after a year were also fired. Lord and Miller were then re-hired in 2006. The two completely redid the script, this time with the creative input of their crew. The new draft had the protagonist as a failed inventor who wanted to prove himself to his town. The two were almost fired again after Amy Pascal, then-head of Sony Pictures, criticized the film for lack of story. Although the film succeeded on the comedic front in the animatic stage, Pascal cited the lack of an anchoring relationship in the film as a failure in the story telling. Unable to create new characters and environments to suit the new story demands, the two elevated the character of the tackle shop extra to be the protagonist's father, thereby creating the relationship Pascal had requested. The pair's experience on Cloudy taught them two valuable lessons: the power of creative collaboration and the importance of emotion in a story. [8]
On September 18, 2008, Variety announced that Bill Hader and Anna Faris had signed on to voice the two lead characters, with James Caan, Bruce Campbell, Mr. T, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, Bobb'e J. Thompson, Benjamin Bratt, Al Roker, Lauren Graham, and Will Forte also in the voice cast. [9]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the second film after Monster House that was made using the animation-rendering software Arnold. [10] Justin K. Thompson served as production designer. [11]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | September 15, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 | |||
Studio | Air Lyndhurst Studios Angel Recording Studios Abbey Road Studios Henry Wood Hall | |||
Genre | Film score | |||
Length | 65:16 | |||
Label | Sony Pictures Entertainment (Sony Music) | |||
Mark Mothersbaugh chronology | ||||
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Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is the soundtrack to the film of the same name, released under Sony Pictures Entertainment on September 15, 2009. The music of the film and this album are both credited to be composed and produced by American composer Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo and Rugrats fame. "Raining Sunshine", performed by Miranda Cosgrove, was released as a promotional single on August 24, 2009. [12]
The Japanese version has "Rainbow Forecast" by Shoko Nakagawa play during the end credits.
All music is composed by Mark Mothersbaugh except where noted
No. | Title | Performer | Length |
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1. | "Raining Sunshine" (Matthew Gerrard, Jay Landers, Charlie Midnight) | Miranda Cosgrove | 3:44 |
2. | "Swallow Falls" | 0:47 | |
3. | "Introducing Flint" | 4:16 | |
4. | "The Latest Invention" | 1:23 | |
5. | "The Mayor/Earl Warns Flint" | 1:17 | |
6. | "Sam's Big Break" | 0:50 | |
7. | "Powering Up" | 1:05 | |
8. | "Failure Again" | 1:54 | |
9. | "Meatier Shower" | 3:10 | |
10. | "A Father's Love" | 1:19 | |
11. | "Ice Cream Wonderland" | 1:22 | |
12. | "Snowball!" | 1:15 | |
13. | "The Mayor's Big Plan" | 1:16 | |
14. | "Activation and the Jell-O Dome" | 1:39 | |
15. | "Sam and Flint Bond" | 2:00 | |
16. | "Doubting Dad/Mutations" | 2:57 | |
17. | "The Spaghetti Twister" | 3:08 | |
18. | "Aftermath" | 2:26 | |
19. | "Flint's Determination" | 2:44 | |
20. | "The Food Storm" | 2:08 | |
21. | "The Mission Begins" | 2:36 | |
22. | "Outside the Meatball" | 1:57 | |
23. | "Inside the Meatball" | 1:39 | |
24. | "Earl Takes Charge" | 2:00 | |
25. | "Sentient Chickens" | 2:42 | |
26. | "Worldwide Chaos" | 0:57 | |
27. | "Anaphylactic Love" | 1:41 | |
28. | "Attack of the Gummi Bears" | 1:40 | |
29. | "Here's the Cheese" | 1:25 | |
30. | "The Heart of the Meatball" | 1:17 | |
31. | "Spray-On Triumph" | 1:55 | |
32. | "Flint Returns" | 3:31 | |
33. | "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" (Marvin Hamlisch, Howard Liebling) | Lesley Gore | 1:37 |
Total length: | 65:16 |
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs premiered on September 12, 2009, at the Mann Village Theatre in Los Angeles, California. [3] The film had its wide release on September 18, 2009, along with a digitally re-mastered release to IMAX 3D theatres. [13]
The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and PSP UMD on January 5, 2010 in the United States and Canada. [14] [15] A 3D Blu-ray was released on June 22, 2010. It was the first 3D Blu-ray sold individually in the United States. [16] The film was filmed in 2.40:1 widescreen. Most copies present the film in two discs and present the film in either 1.78:1 widescreen or 2.40:1 widescreen.
In April 2021, Sony signed a deal with Disney giving them access to their legacy content, including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and its sequel to stream on Disney+ and Hulu and appear on Disney's linear television networks. Disney's access to Sony's titles would come following their availability on Netflix. [17] [18]
In August 2009, Insight Editions published a companion book to the film called The Art and Making of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. [19] [20]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 86% based on 142 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The consensus statement reads, "Quirky humor, plucky characters and solid slapstick make this family comedy a frenetically tasty time at the movies." [21] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 24 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [22] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. [23]
Ernest Hardy of LA Weekly stated the film "is smart, insightful on a host of relationship dynamics, and filled with fast-paced action". Hardy also applauded the 3-D effects which "are wonderful, full of witty sight gags that play out both center-screen and on the periphery". [24] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film a mixed review stating that "Crazy doesn't always equal funny, and the gigantism of this 3-D offering's second half puts a damper on your enjoyment. But look: This film wasn't made for you, or me. It was made for dangerously, easily distracted 9-year-olds." [25] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave the film three stars out of five, saying that it was "age-appropriate food adventure goes down easily." [26]
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs earned a total of $243 million on a reported budget of $100 million. Of the gross, 51%, or $124,870,275, came from the domestic market, while the rest, $118,135,851, from other territories. [4] The film earned $8,137,358 on its opening Friday, and ranked #1 at the box office with a total of $30.3 million for the first weekend. [27] On its second weekend, it remained at #1 with a decrease of only 17%. [28]
Group | Category | Recipient | Result |
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Annie Awards [29] | Animated Effects | Tom Kluyskens | Nominated |
Best Animated Feature | Nominated | ||
Directing in a Feature Production | Phil Lord and Christopher Miller | Nominated | |
Writing in a Feature Production | Nominated | ||
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards [30] | Best Animated Feature | Nominated | |
Golden Globe Awards [31] | Best Animated Feature Film | Nominated | |
Satellite Awards [32] | Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature | Nominated | |
Visual Effects Society Awards [33] | Outstanding Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture | Pete Nash, Chris Juen, Alan Hawkins, Mike Ford | Nominated |
Outstanding Effects Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture | Rob Bredow, Dan Kramer, Matt Hausman, Carl Hooper | Nominated |
A sequel, titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 , was released on September 27, 2013. Directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, and it is based on an original idea, where Flint and his friends must again save the world from his food machine, which survived the explosion in the prequel. This time, the machine gains the ability to produce living food beasts. [34] Most of the main cast reprised their roles, but Earl, the town cop, is now voiced by Terry Crews since Mr. T declined to reprise the role. New cast also includes Kristen Schaal as orangutan Barb, and Will Forte in his new role of Chester V. [35]
On October 9, 2014, DHX Media announced that it will develop and produce a television series based on the film franchise, titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs: The Series. [36] The series will be traditionally animated and will consist of twenty-six 22-minute episodes. [36] It will take place before the first film, showing Flint Lockwood as a high school student who dreams of becoming a serious scientist. [36] In his adventures, he will be joined by Sam Sparks, a new girl in town and the school's "wannabe" reporter, along with Flint's dad Tim, Steve the Monkey, Manny as the head of the school's audiovisual club, Earl as a school gym teacher, Brent as a baby wear model, and mayor Shelbourne. [36] DHX Media will handle the global television and non-US home entertainment distribution, along with worldwide merchandising rights, while Sony will distribute home entertainment in the US. [36] Commissioned by Teletoon in Canada, the series will air on Cartoon Network in the United States, [37] and on the Boomerang channel in other territories. [38] None of the original cast returned for the show and were replaced by Canadian voice actors.
Erick Elías Rabinovitz is a Mexican actor. Elías began acting with a screen debut in DKDA: Sueños de juventud (2000), followed by roles in Amigos x siempre (2000). He became known in the reality show Protagonistas de Novela (2003), where he was the winner. He participated in projects of the American network Telemundo, such as; Gitanas (2004), El cuerpo del deseo (2005), El Zorro, la espada y la rosa (2007), Betty en NY (2019) and 100 días para enamorarnos (2020). He got his first starring role in the telenovela Tormenta en el paraíso. From there followed roles as protagonists in Niña de mi corazón (2010), Ni contigo ni sin ti (2011), Porque el amor manda (2013), El color de la pasión (2014) and El hotel de los secretos (2016), the first series that Televisa produced for Blim.
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. 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.
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 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.
The 37th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2009, were held on February 6, 2010, at Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.
Paul and Gaëtan Brizzi are twin French artists, painters, illustrators, animators, and film directors.
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).
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 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. Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt 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. 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.
Hotel Transylvania is an American media franchise created by Todd Durham and owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment. It consists of four feature films, three short films, an animated television series, and several video games.
Fergal Reilly is an Irish film director, storyboard artist, voice actor and animator best known for directing the animated film The Angry Birds Movie.
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.. Based on the children's book and 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.
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 an ensemble voice cast that includes 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 winds up having to save Earth from a global uprising of robots while on a road trip.
WildBrain Studios is the in-house television studio arm of Canadian entertainment company WildBrain based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which was established in 2016 as DHX Studios.
Kris Pearn is an animation director and producer. He has directed films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and The Willoughbys (2020).
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 Bébé's Kids (1992).
Both installments received an average grade of A-, according to market research firm CinemaScore.