| Home | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Tim Johnson |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Based on | The True Meaning of Smekday byAdam Rex |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Edited by | Nick Fletcher |
| Music by | Lorne Balfe[1] Stargate |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 94 minutes[2] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $135 million[3] |
| Box office | $386 million[3] |
Home is a 2015 American animatedscience fictioncomedy film[4] produced byDreamWorks Animation and distributed by20th Century Fox. Loosely based onAdam Rex's 2007 children's bookThe True Meaning of Smekday, the film was directed byTim Johnson from a screenplay by Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, and stars the voices ofJim Parsons,Rihanna,Steve Martin,Jennifer Lopez, andMatt Jones. The story follows the shared adventures of a friendly alien who is shunned by the rest of his kind, and a teenage girl searching for her mother after they are separated during an invasion of Earth.
The film premiered at theBoulder International Film Festival on March 7, 2015, and was released in theaters on March 27, 2015.[5]Home was promoted with the release of a four-minute short film titledAlmost Home, which was shown in theaters before DreamWorks Animation'sMr. Peabody & Sherman andBlue Sky Studios'Rio 2 in 2014.Rihanna created a concept albumof the same name. The soundtrack also includes guest vocals from Jennifer Lopez, among others, and was supported by two singles, "Towards the Sun" and "Feel the Light".Home received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $386 million worldwide.
Atraditionally animatedNetflix original series was released on July 29, 2016, with the elements of its plot taking place after the events of the film. With the exception of Matt Jones, none of the original cast reprised their roles for the series.
A cowardly alien race known as the "Boov", led by Captain Smek, commence their "friendly" invasion on the planet Earth. Relocating the humans, whom the Boov deem as simple and backwards, to theAustralian Outback, the Boov inhabit their homes. Oh, an accident-prone, free-thinking Boov, decides to invite the other Boov to his apartment for a housewarming party, but no one comes. Meanwhile, 13-year-old[6] Gratuity "Tip" Tucci and herJapanese Bobtail cat Pig, who managed to avoid being taken during the invasion, drive around the city searching for Lucy, Tip's mom.
Oh visits grumpy Boovtraffic officer Kyle, to invite him to the party. However, Oh accidentally sends the invitation email to every alien race in the galaxy, including the "Gorg", who have been the Boov's longtime enemy ever since a failed peace meeting, during which Captain Smek stole an artifact he later dubbed "The Shusher". Furious with Oh for revealing their new home to the Gorg, the Boov declare him a fugitive. Oh runs away from the Boov, ending up in a convenience store, just as Tip crashes her car and enters the store in search of supplies. Tip attacks Oh on sight, and locks him in a freezer, until he promises to fix her car, which he turns into a flying craft named "Slushious".
To hide from the Boov, Oh promises to help Tip find Lucy. However, he secretly plans to abandon her and take himself toAntarctica. He attempts to abandon Tip in a public restroom but is thwarted by Kyle, who arrives to force Oh to give him his email password so Smek can cancel the party invitation that Oh sent.
Escaping Kyle, Oh and Tip head toParis where the Boov Command Centre, and manage to sneak in. Oh cancels the invitation before it reaches the Gorg; he then looks for Lucy, and the computer confirms she is in a human camp in Australia, where she's also looking for her daughter. Trying to return to Slushious, Oh and Tip are cornered by Smek and many other Boov at the Great Antenna (Eiffel Tower). Smek orders Oh's execution, but Tip uses a Boov gravity device to turn the tower upside down, and she and Oh escape.
Oh informs Tip that he no longer believes Smek's propaganda about humans being simple and backward, and apologizes to her. They fly to Australia, but are attacked by Gorgdrones, sent to search for them. Slushious is wrecked, but Oh finds a GorgSuperChip in a crashed drone, and uses it to repair the car.
When they reach the human relocation camp, Oh realizes the other Boov are evacuating, and fears that the Gorg will take vengeance on Earth when they cannot find the Boov. He then tries to convince Tip to flee with them, but she refuses. Oh joins the Boov, and the Gorg attacks the Boovs' mothership, but Oh runs back towards the Gorg to use the SuperChip to power the Boov mothership, while the other Boov are running away. Impressed at his bravery, the other Boov listen as Oh berates Captain Smek for his lies, and the other Boov for their cowardice. Moved, Kyle takes the Shusher from a horrified Smek and decrees that Oh should be the new captain. Oh reluctantly accepts, turns the Boovs' ship around, and returns to Earth. He helps Tip reunite with Lucy, fulfilling his promise.
Realizing from a chance remark of Tip's that the Gorg are actually tracking the Shusher and not the Boov, Oh locks Tip and Lucy inside Slushious, and faces the approaching Gorg's mothership alone. Tip and Lucy escape and they end up to help him. He returns the Shusher, which is revealed to be an egg containing the entire next generation of Gorg. The lone Gorg inside the ship happily accepts the egg; he isthe last of his kind, and he had been desperately searching for his children all over this time.
Two weeks later, the Boov have relocated their colony to the Moon. Many Boov visit Earth and mingle with the humans, who are restored to their original homes. Oh moves in with the Tuccis; many other aliens, invited by Oh, come to visit Earth and attend his parties.
Additionally, April Lawrence and Nigel W. Tierney voice Boov Announcer and Child A respectively.
In 2008,DreamWorks Animation optioned the book's rights to adapt it into an animated feature film. On his blog, Adam Rex announced that DreamWorks renewed the option of the adaptation in 2011.[12][13] On June 20, 2012, it was revealed that the title of the film would beHappy Smekday!,Jim Parsons andRihanna would star in the lead roles, and the film would be released in the fourth quarter of 2014.[14] In September 2012,20th Century Fox and DreamWorks Animation announced a release date of November 26, 2014.[5] In June 2013, the film was retitled fromHappy Smekday! toHome.[15]
On October 3, 2013, it was announced thatSteve Martin andJennifer Lopez had joined the cast.[citation needed] On May 20, 2014, the film's release date was pushed back to March 27, 2015, switching places with DreamWorks Animation's filmPenguins of Madagascar.[16]Jeffrey Katzenberg, DreamWorks Animation's CEO, reasoned thatPenguins, coming from one of DWA's most successful franchises, would more easily stand out duringThanksgiving time, whileHome would try to take advantage of the less competitive spring release window, and repeat successful spring launches of some of DWA's original films, includingThe Croods andHow to Train Your Dragon.[citation needed]
Pacific Data Images did production services for the film before its closure in January 2015.[citation needed]
In addition to her voice role,Rihanna created aconcept album for the film (also titledHome) which was released on March 13, 2015.[17] It consists of 8 original songs.[18] The soundtrack's lead single, Rihanna's "Towards the Sun", premiered onBBC Radio 1 on February 9, 2015,[19] and was made available fordigital download the same day, via theiTunes Store.[20] The second single, "Feel the Light", recorded by Jennifer Lopez, was released on February 25, 2015, via theiTunes Store.[21]
A 4-minute short film calledAlmost Home was attached to theatrical showings of DreamWorks Animation'sMr. Peabody & Sherman in early 2014[22] and Blue Sky Studios'Rio 2 that same year.[23] It was directed by Todd Wilderman,[22] and features a score composed byLorne Balfe.[24] The short shows the Boov and Captain Smek (again voiced by Steve Martin) in a sequence of unsuccessful attempts at finding a hospitable planet, before they finally come across the Earth.[25] The film itself had its world premiere on March 7, 2015 for the first time to the public as the grand opening matinee of an international children’s competition in the Championship Finals category for a young audience during the opening night of theBoulder International Film Festival Grand Opening Celebration’s Fanfare Highlights Showcase event as a special BIFF headliner, becoming the first ever RealD 3D film in history to open the event and Boulder's "biggest opening night matinee in decades".[26]
Home was released digitally on June 26, 2015,[27] and was released onDVD,Blu-ray andBlu-ray 3D on July 28, 2015. In the United Kingdom,Home went to number one on the Official Video Chart in its first week of sale.[28]
Home grossed $177.4 million in North America and has grossed $208.6 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $386 million.[3] Its production cost was $135 million, with a similar sum spent for prints and advertising (P&A).[29]Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $29.12 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues for the film.[30]
Home opened in the U.S. and Canada simultaneously with the comedyGet Hard on March 27, 2015. Though the latter earned higher in its Thursday late-night run, estimates were showing thatHome was heading to No. 1 in its opening weekend.[31][32][33][34][35] It scored one of the biggest opening days for a DreamWorks Animation non-sequel ever with $15.6 million, behindKung Fu Panda ($20 million) andMonsters vs. Aliens ($16.75 million).[36][37]Home debuted at the top of the box office, with $52.1 million, which exceeded predictions of a $30 million to $35 million opening and was also DreamWorks Animation's best opening since the $60.3 million debut ofMadagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.[38][39]
Outside North America,Home was released in 10 countries on March 20, 2015, a week ahead of its U.S. premiere. It earned $20.1 million, coming in third place at the international box office behindCinderella andThe Divergent Series: Insurgent.[40] The following weekend, it expanded to 55 additional countries and grossed a total of $24 million from 11,250 screens in 64 countries.[41] Its largest openings occurred in the UK, Ireland and Malta ($9.12 million), Russia ($5.17 million),[40] Mexico ($3 million),[41] Brazil ($2.3 million),[42] Australia ($2.42 million), and Spain ($2.24 million).[40]
Review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 53% based on reviews from 137 critics, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads, "Colorful, silly, and utterly benign,Home is a passable diversion, but there's no shortage of superior animated alternatives."[43] OnMetacritic, which assigns aweighted average rating, the film has a score of 55 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[44] InCinemaScore polls conducted during the opening weekend, cinema audiences gaveHome an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[32]
Michael Rechtshaffen ofThe Hollywood Reporter said, "There may be no place like home, but there are a lot of places likeHome, an animated adventure about the unlikely friendship between a lonely girl and an alien misfit that can't help but feel familiar."[45] James Rocchi ofThe Wrap gave the film a positive review, saying "As animated sci-fi for small fry, it's a success whose modest but well-executed ambitions are no small part of its charm."[46] Stephen Whitty gave the film two out of five stars, saying "The Gummi-colored animation is imaginative, but director Tim Johnson's ho-hum 3D cartoon remains strictly 1D."[47] Rafer Guzman ofNewsday gave the film two out of four stars, saying "The film moves quickly and keeps the jokes coming, which only means thatHome would rather keep young viewers occupied than give them something to think about."[48] Ben Sachs of theChicago Reader gave the film a negative review, saying "Aggressive and cynical approach to children's entertainment, pummeling viewers with mechanical-looking action sequences (which suggest video game demos), unfunny one-liners, and overly loud pop songs and sound effects."[49] Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film two out of five stars, saying "Key characters are admirably diverse, but the fast-paced tale is thoroughly predictable."[50]
Soren Anderson ofThe Seattle Times gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "It works moderately well thanks largely to the voice talents of Jim Parsons and, to a lesser extent, Steve Martin. Two droll dudes who put a fair share of funny into this animated picture."[51] Neil Genzlinger ofThe New York Times called the film "A charming concoction with positive messages for younger children about conquering fears, understanding outsiders and knowing yourself."[52] Betsy Sharkey of theLos Angeles Times gave the film a negative review, saying "Tension is one ofHome's biggest issues. There just isn't nearly enough of it. Story is another. Even a kids' movie needs more complexity and more invention."[53] Linda Barnard of theToronto Star gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "Aside from Parsons' initially amusingly mangled Yoda-like English, which gets a tad repetitive,Home doesn't stand out as fresh or particularly funny."[54] Dana Rose Falcone ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film an A−, saying "The combination ofHome's layered message, fun score, and clever comedy make it a colorful choice for moviegoers of any age."[55] Stephanie Zacharek ofThe Village Voice gave the film a mixed review, saying "If director Tim Johnson -- adapting Adam Rex's bookThe True Meaning of Smekday -- can't do much with the story's confused, if well-intentioned, agenda, at least he's got some charming, vivid characters to work with."[56]Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film a C, saying "Anyone over 10 will see the plot twists a mile away. Kids will probably enjoy the goofy Boovs, the rainbows of colors and the music. Call me a traditionalist, but I still say the world was a better place before those darn Boovs invaded."[57]
Peter Debruge ofVariety gave the film a negative review, saying "From a creative standpoint, this is the studio's least exciting feature yet - hardly its worst, execution-wise, but entirely lacking in the risk-taking spirit that has spawned such successful franchises asShrek,Kung Fu Panda andDragon."[58] Barbara VanDenburgh ofThe Arizona Republic gave the film two out of five stars, saying "For all its energy, razzle-dazzle and whiz-bang technology, it doesn't know how to tell a simple story or cobble together three-dimensional characters, and that's a problem not even the best of 3-D glasses can fix."[59] Susan Wloszczyna ofRogerEbert.com gave the film two out of four stars, saying "I kept thinking aboutLilo & Stitch while watchingHome, a decidedly disappointing effort based on the popular kid-lit bookThe True Meaning of Smekday from the already embattled folks at DreamWorks Animation."[60]
| Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production | Greg Gladstone, Tim Hoff, Mark Newport, Jason Rickwald, Stephen Wood | Nominated |
| Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production | Mark Donald | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production | Emil Mitev | Nominated | |
| Black Reel Awards | Best Voice Performance | Rihanna | Won |
| Kids' Choice Awards | Favorite Animated Movie | Home | Nominated |
| Favorite Voice From an Animated Movie | Jennifer Lopez | Nominated | |
| Jim Parsons | Nominated | ||
| People's Choice Awards | Favorite Animated Movie Voice | Rihanna | Nominated |
| Favorite Family Movie | Home | Nominated | |
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature | Greg Gladstone, Michael Losure, Chris De St Jeor, Alex Timchenkio | Nominated |
| MovieGuide Awards | Best Movie for Families | Home | Won |
An animated series titledHome: Adventures with Tip & Oh was released onNetflix on July 29, 2016.[61]Jim Parsons andRihanna do not reprise their roles as Oh and Tip. They are instead voiced by Mark Whitten andRachel Crow respectively, althoughMatt Jones reprises his role of Kyle from the film. It was developed byThurop Van Orman and Ryan Crego.[61] It was removed from Netflix in April 2024.
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