Pepper Ann's 1st Movie

Pepper Ann's 1st Movie (also known as The 1st Pepper Ann Movie Ever!) is a 2002 American animated musical teen/family comedy film based on the 1997-2000 Disney animated television series Pepper Ann, created by Sue Rose. The film was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation, Mandeville Films, Spyglass Entertainment, Film Roman Animation Studios, Dimension Films, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Disney Channel Movies and Drew Barrymore Productions and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The movie was directed by Brenda Chapman (who also directed Prince of Egypt), produced by David Hoberman, Melissa Mendoza, Roger Birnbaum, Nancy Juvonen, Sue Rose, Phil Roman, Melinda Quindlen and Laurie McKenna and it was written by Aileen Quinn, Connie Diane Donovan, Mike Mitchell, Marianne Chandler, Amanda Dianne Foutley and Drew Barrymore with a screenplay by Maggie Maleena, Michaela Watkins, Kellie Lauhon and Teena Hilarie Naumann.

The film's original songs were all written and performed by Kathleen Wilhoite, Mandy Moore, Brenda Chapman, Amanda Dianne Foutley and Drew Barrymore with an original score composed by Mark Mothersbaugh and Marianne Chandler and additional music by Nathan Wang, Jamshied Sharifi, Kevin Manthei, Anne Marie McDermott and Maggie Maleena. The film features an ensemble cast that includes the voice talents of Kathleen Wilhoite, Clea Lewis, Danny Cooksey, Cree Summer, Kath Soucie, Hayden Panettiere, Julia Sweeney, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Melissa Joan Hart, Anne Hathaway, Kaitlyn Robrock, Emmy Rossum, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Lacey Chabert, Marlee Matlin, Christine Baranski, Julia Roberts, Rosie O’Donnell, Teena Naumann, Drew Barrymore, Aileen Quinn, Madeline Zima, Elisa Donovan, Anna Chlumsky, Amanda Dianne Foutley and Mandy Moore. The film's director Brenda Chapman introduces a new Pepper Ann character: Pepper Ann's new cousin named Marianne and Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Goofy (voiced by Wayne Allwine, Russi Taylor, Tress MacNeille and Bill Farmer) make a cameo appearance in the film. The film was first theatrically released to theaters on May 24, 2002.

With an initial worldwide gross of $766 million, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie finished its theatrical run as the highest-grossing release of 2002, the highest-grossing animated film and the second-highest-grossing film of all time. It is also the number one highest-grossing PG-rated Walt Disney Pictures film of all time based on a TV series, as well as the best-selling film on home video, having sold over 30 million DVDs, Blu-rays and VHS tapes. On May 11, 2007, the film was re-released in theaters in the Disney Digital 3D format under a new title, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie: The Extended 10th Pepper Anniversary Edition, with new additional scenes not featured in the film's original theatrical release, including an animated Pepper Ann’s 1st Movie version of Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films tour. In 2003, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie garnered four Academy Awards for its achievement in four categories: Best Animated Feature Based on an Animated TV Series, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score and Songs, and the Golden Globe Award for Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Following Pepper Ann's 1st Movie 's critical success, the film spawned its own direct-to-video spin-off, titled Marianne's 1st Movie, released in February 2005, centered around Marianne (voiced again by Brenda Chapman) and her quirky adventures.

Synopsis
Get ready to see a new Pepper Ann like you have never seen her before! In the tradition of Lizzie McGuire mashed up with The Princess Diaries and directed by Brenda Chapman, who brought you DreamWorks' The Prince of Egypt, Disney's hottest animated, red-haired, spunky "too cool to be twelve" hero is back with her theatrical feature-length big-screen film debut in "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie", the year's biggest, stoinkiest, and funniest new Disney animated movie that everyone will love! In the city of Hazelnut, the sensational Pepper Ann (voiced by Kathleen Wilhoite) and her friends Nicky and Milo (voiced by Clea Lewis and Danny Cooksey) have one thing in common - they sure do know to have the time of their lives and rock out! As Pepper Ann's friends are invited to a concert at the Hazelnut amphitheater, they cannot wait to see the biggest acts hit the stage, including Flaming Snot, of course! But when Pepper Ann's new cousin Marianne (voiced by Brenda Chapman) enters the picture and meets Pepper Ann for the first time, Pepper Ann's quay is totally super-stoinked! Forced to know what the difference is between a Marianne and a Pepper Ann, will they learn the secret of rocking out and having fun? Filled with new music, adventure, action, fun and laughs, Disney's "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie" is the only new movie that will have you saying, "Pepper Ann's got the chalk" over and over!

Cast

 * Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson (respective voice)
 * Drew Barrymore as Miranda
 * Amanda Dianne Foutley as Stephanie
 * Brenda Chapman as Marianne
 * Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani (respective voice)
 * Clea Lewis as Nicky Little (respective voice)
 * Lacey Chabert as Melinda
 * Rachael Leigh Cook as Julianne
 * Anne Hathaway as Lizzie
 * Jeff Bennett as Dieter Liederhosen, Craig Bean, Grandpa Leo Lilly and Ned Diggity (respective voices)
 * April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Sherrie Spleen, Millicent the Militant, Grandma Lillian Lilly and Abriola Stark (respective voices)
 * Anna Chlumsky as Hannah
 * Mandy Moore as Maddie Naumann, Pepper Ann's fun and upbeat godmother
 * Teena Hilarie Naumann as Adrienne
 * Jonathan Taylor Thomas as Douglas "Doug" Spellman
 * Pamela Adlon as Margaret Rose "Moose" Pearson and Shawn LeSandre (respective voices)
 * Wayne Allwine as Mickey
 * Russi Taylor as Minnie
 * Jim Cummings as Roland Carter and Superintendent Radcliffe (voices, taken over 1 character from the late Paul Gleason respectively)
 * Leigh-Allyn Baker as Eileen
 * Elisa Donovan as Melissa Cavenaugh
 * Bill Farmer as Goofy
 * Tress MacNeille as Daisy
 * Maurice LaMarche as Chuck Pearson and Herbert Hickey (voices, taken over 1 character from the late Don Adams respectively)
 * Susan Sarandon as Maggie Barrymore
 * Wendie Malick as Diane
 * Kath Soucie as Gina and Tina/Cissy Rooney
 * Julia Roberts as Ms. Pauline
 * Paddi Edwards as Vera Groober-Schwartz (respective voice)
 * Aileen Quinn as Aunt Marianne Theresa Bartley
 * Cree Summer as Tessa and Vanessa James (respective voices)
 * Susan Tolsky as Janie Diggity (respective voice)
 * Daran Norris as JoJo Diggity (voice, replacing the late Tino Insana respectively)
 * Zooey Deschanel as Suzanne O'Donnell
 * Lauren Tom as Alice Kane (respective voice)
 * Jenna von Oy as Trinket St. Blaire (respective voice)
 * Kathy Najimy as Coach Doogan and Margot LeSandre (respective voices)
 * Madeline Zima as Sabrina
 * Candi Milo as Constance Goldman and Rose (respective voices)
 * Tim Allen as Mr. Reason
 * Marlee Matlin as Dinah
 * Julia Sweeney as Carlotta Sneed (respective voice)
 * Christine Baranski as Lorraine
 * Don Lake as Sherman Finkey (respective voice)
 * Karen Duffy as Sketch (respective voice)
 * Emmy Rossum as Fletch
 * Sarah Michelle Gellar as Becky
 * Brittney Murphy and Alecia Moore (P!nk) as Tank (respective voices)
 * Tara Strong as Brenda Jefferson (voice)
 * Caroline Rhea as Poison (respective voice)
 * Melissa Joan Hart as Bernice Johnson (voice, replacing the late Isabel Sanford respectively)
 * Danny DeVito as Coach Bronson (respective voice)
 * James Avery as Boris Clapper (respective voice)

Production
The idea for Disney's Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was originally developed in early October 1996 as a direct-to-video television film produced by Disney Television Animation (directed by Drew Barrymore and written by Eddie Guzelian, Teena Hilarie Naumann and Amanda Dianne Foutley), but after alternative screenings, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Disney Channel, Dimension Films and Columbia Pictures decided that Pepper Ann's 1st Movie should be remade into a theatrical feature film.

Among the biggest hype that this movie received was the film's director Brenda Chapman as the voice of Marianne and the use of "Odorama" cards to enhance the viewing experience, Blockbuster released a scratch and sniff piece of cardboard that was to be scratched and sniffed during the run of the movie.

Music
An official soundtrack album featuring 23 new and fan-favorite classic songs featured in the film, titled Pepper Ann's 1st Movie: New Music & Songs from the Hit Movie and More... was released by Walt Disney Records and Sony Music's Columbia Records on CD and audio cassette on May 21, 2002, two weeks before the film officially premiered in theaters. The Pepper Ann's 1st Movie soundtrack is one of the most popular film soundtracks to date, reaching 9x Platinum certification and number one on the Billboard Top Kid Albums charts for five nonconsecutive weeks in the summer and fall of 2002.

Brenda Chapman, the film's director and the voice of Marianne, along with Mandy Moore, Kathleen Wilhoite, Amanda Dianne Foutley and Drew Barrymore, all wrote and performed the film's four new original songs, including "How I Became the Fresh Marianne of Bel-Air" (which is a take on Will Smith's original "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" theme song) and the Oscar-winning "Pepper Ann" (which Brenda also sings with Drew Barrymore, Aileen Quinn, Julia Roberts and Disney legends Jodi Benson and Paige O'Hara.) Teen pop singer and Columbia Records recording artist Amanda Dianne Foutley performs not one, but two new songs on the Pepper Ann's 1st Movie soundtrack: one is a newly recorded and "Amanda Dianne Foutlified" version of Mandy Moore's 1999 debut hit, "Candy", and another is a new original song featuring Teena Naumann titled "When I Get That Pepper Ann Feeling". Film co-star and Amanda Dianne Foutley’s Columbia Records labelmate Drew Barrymore is also featured on the soundtrack with a groovy and "oh-so-catchy" new original song titled "Groovin' with the Pepper Ann Gang", featuring Madonna. Mandy Moore recorded the song "Whatever Makes You Feel Just Like a Drew Barrymore", which would later win numerous awards, making it the film's most popular Mandy Moore song that has ever been featured on a motion picture soundtrack. Other artists featured on the Pepper Ann's 1st Movie soundtrack with new music include the Backstreet Boys with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, Elisa Donovan, P!nk, Smash Mouth, Shaggy and Rayvon, Krystal Marie Harris, Aaron Carter, Lil' J, Baha Men, Ricky Martin, Toby Keith, Lee Ann Womack and Bowling for Soup with LeAnn Rimes and Kathleen Wilhoite (with a new extended 2002 movie mix version of the Pepper Ann theme song). When the "Disney Channelized" deluxe edition re-release version of the soundtrack was released in 2007, two new bonus tracks were added to the track list: Miley Cyrus as Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers with Amanda Dianne Foutley performing a new "pop-rock" version of the classic Pepper Ann theme song, and the hit single "Lovin' These Pepper Ann and Marianne Things That You Do", an urban-infused pop-rap track performed by That's So Raven co-stars Raven-Symone and Anneliese van der Pol featuring Kyle Massey and Adrienne Bailon from the "Cheetah Girls" movies.

Release
During its original theatrical run, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was presented in "Smell-O-Vision". During certain scenes in the movie, an icon would pop up on screen with an item inside of it (example: a smelly shoe). When this happened, audience members would smell a scratch-and-sniff card (which were handed out at the box office) with the corresponding image.

For Pepper Ann's 1st Movie 's first official film trailer, when Disney opted to feature a single scene, the entire opening sequence with Bowling for Soup performing a new extended 2002 movie mix version of the Pepper Ann theme song, Aileen Quinn, Amanda Dianne Foutley, Maggie Maleena, Marianne Chandler, Michaela Watkins, Teena Hilarie Naumann, Drew Barrymore and Connie Diane Donovan (the film's eight female writers) proclaimed that "the new 2002 movie mix version of the Pepper Ann theme song" worked as a trailer as it "came off so strong, and so good, and ended with such a bang" and Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Dick Cook added that the decision was made for such an approach because "we were all so taken by the beauty of this piece that we felt like it was probably one of the best four minutes of film that we've seen". The trailer was released in December 2001, accompanying Paramount and Nickelodeon's Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and other G and PG-rated films in theaters; by then, only a third of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie had been completed. Audience reaction was enthusiastic, causing the Pepper Ann's 1st Movie crew to have some initial concerns as they became afraid of not living up to the expectations raised by the preview. Prior to the film's release, Disney did 11 test screenings.

Pepper Ann's 1st Movie had a limited release in North America on Tuesday, May 13, 2002, playing in only two theaters, El Capitan Theater in Los Angeles and Radio City Music Hall in New York City featuring live shows with ticket prices up to $30.

The wide release of Walt Disney Pictures' Pepper Ann's 1st Movie followed in movie theaters nationwide on Friday, May 24, 2002, in all 2,550 screens. The film's digital surround sound led many of those theaters to implement Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS's newest sound systems. The film made its television premiere debut on Disney Channel on June 18, 2005.

Upon release, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was accompanied by an extensive marketing campaign which included tie-ins with Burger King, Nabisco, Mattel, Kodak, Nestlé and Payless ShoeSource, and various merchandise, accounting 186 licensed products. In 2003, Disney earned $1 billion with products based on the film, with $214 million for Pepper Ann's 1st Movie toys during Christmas 2002 alone.

Box office
A large promotion campaign preceded Pepper Ann's 1st Movie 's debut in theaters, with the film's trailer being attached to most Buena Vista, Disney, Dimension, Touchstone and Miramax VHS and DVD releases, and numerous tie-ins and licensees being released. After a limited release on May 13, 2002, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie debuted in all 137 theaters on May 24, 2002, grossing $19.2 million in its opening weekend – number two at the box office, as it opened in theaters on the same day as DreamWorks Pictures' animated film Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It took eight weeks for the film to reach number one at the US box office, breaking the record for the week between the whole summer season with $32.2 million. The film held the top spot five times during its 22-week run. Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was the most successful film of 2002 grossing $217 million in the United States and over $504 million worldwide. It was the biggest gross for an animated film until Frozen two years later, and was the first full-length animated film to gross $200 million in North America.

25th anniversary reunion
Connie Diane Donovan, Aileen Quinn, Marianne Chandler, Teena Hilarie Naumann and Amanda Dianne Foutley made their first appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show live in-studio in mid-May 2021 as a part of the Pepper Ann's 1st Movie reunion to promote their current endeavors. But what Barrymore really wanted to do was have an in-depth discussion about the 25th anniversary of the 2002 animated Disney motion picture Pepper Ann's 1st Movie, which Foutley, Quinn, Naumann, Chandler and Donovan co-wrote. Disney's Pepper Ann's 1st Movie, which is always rarely discussed in a positive way by anyone including Drew Barrymore, is one of Barrymore’s favorite animated Disney films (next to Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and Aladdin) and she brings it up as often as she wears a pussy-bow blouse (almost every single day).

Home media
Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was first released on VHS and DVD in the United States on February 18, 2003, in widescreen and full screen formats. The DVD and VHS both featured a treasure trove of new bonus features, including film co-stars Amanda Dianne Foutley and Drew Barrymore giving viewers exclusive sneak peeks at three of Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Channel Movies' highly anticipated new upcoming live-action motion picture releases: "The Cheetah Girls", "The Lizzie McGuire Movie", and of course, Amanda Dianne Foutley's very own and career-first new Disney film (which would be coming to theaters in early spring or summer 2003) titled "The Amanda Dianne Foutley Diaries." In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusive lithograph of Pepper Ann and Marianne (in some editions), a commemorative "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie" epigraph, six concept art lithographs, another VHS tape with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore hosting the half-hour TV special Pepper Anning It Up: The Making of Disney’s Pepper Ann's 1st Movie, the film's original theatrical trailer and a certificate of authenticity. The VHS tape and DVD quickly became the best-selling videotape and DVD of all time: 4.5 million tapes and DVDs were sold on the first day and sales totaled more than 30 million. The VHS and DVD releases have sold a total of 32 million units in North America, and grossed $520 million in sales revenue. In addition, 23 million units were shipped overseas to international markets.

On June 26, 2007, the film was re-released on DVD and released on Disney Blu-ray Disc in high definition for the first time, titled Pepper Ann's 1st Movie: The Extended 10th Pepper Anniversary Edition, as part of Disney's "Special Edition" line of live-action and animated classic movies. Both the DVD and Blu-ray release featured two different versions of the movie on the first disc: a newly remastered and extended "10th Pepper Anniversary" special edition version of the film with pristine 1080p high-def picture and stunning Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio created for the 2007 Disney Digital 3D release and an edited version of the Disney Digital 3D release purporting to be the original 2002 theatrical version. A second disc, with new bonus features, was also included in the Blu-ray and DVD release. The film's soundtrack was provided and remastered both in its original Dolby Digital 5.1 track and in a new Disney Enhanced Home Theater Mix, making this one of the first Disney DVDs so equipped. By means of seamless branching, both versions of the film could be viewed either with or without a newly created scene – a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete original song ("Lovin' These Pepper Ann and Marianne Things That You Do"), along with an Amanda Dianne Foutley and Marianne Chandler introduction. A Special Collector's Gift Set was also released, containing the DVD set, five exclusive lithographed character portraits (new sketches created and signed by the original character animators), and an introductory book entitled The Journey. The special "10th Pepper Anniversary Edition" version of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie featured two new additional scenes and changes made to the film during its Disney Digital 3D re-release, including re-drawn versions of eighteen different Maryanns in the "Whatever Makes You Feel Just Like a Marianne" sequence, as well as other alterations. More than two million copies of the Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray units were sold on the first day of release.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the Diamond Edition of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie on May 21, 2013. This marks the first time that the film has been released in high-definition Blu-ray, Digital HD and on Blu-ray 3D. The initial release was produced in two different packages: a two-disc version with Blu-ray and DVD and a five-disc version with Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray 3D, an audio CD copy of the film's soundtrack and a digital copy. A standalone single-disc DVD release of the film with new and classic bonus features also followed on May 28, 2013. The Pepper Ann's 1st Movie Diamond Edition topped the Blu-ray charts with over 1.5 million copies sold. The film sold 3.83 million Blu-ray units in total, leading to a $101.14 million income.

"Pepper Ann's 1st Movie" was once again released to home media in a special extended "Too Cool to Be Twelve" edition, first released on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere on March 17, 2015, and then on Blu-ray and DVD on March 24, 2015, with a special bonus disc containing a hand-picked selection of all thirteen of Amanda Dianne Foutley and Drew Barrymore's favorite Liv and Maddie episodes added as additional bonus features.

Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was first released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and 4K digital download on April 19, 2019, and on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack on April 23, 2019. It was the first animated "classic" Disney film based on a TV series to be re-released and digitally remastered in 4K.

Reception
Critical reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 95% of critics gave the film a positive review based on a sample of 73 reviews, with an average rating of 8.14/10. The site's consensus reads, "A highly entertaining new entry in Disney's renaissance era, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie is beautifully drawn, with film-written and fan-favorite classic songs and a cast of scene-stealing characters." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 86 out of 100 based on 25 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Most critics' praise went to film director Brenda Chapman's stunning performance as the voice of Marianne, with Janet Maslin of The New York Times declaring that children "needn't know precisely what Ms. Chapman is evoking to understand how funny she is.", and Roger Ebert commenting that Chapman and animation "were born for one another". Warner Bros. Pictures Cartoons director Chuck Jones even called the film "the funniest feature ever made." Furthermore, English-Irish comedian Spike Milligan considered it to be the greatest film of all time. James Berardinelli gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars, praising the "crisp visuals and wonderful song-and-dance numbers." Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said the comedy made the film accessible to both tweens, children and adults, a vision shared with Desson Howe of The Washington Post, who also said "kids are still going to be entranced by the laughs, action, fun and adventure." Brian Lowry of Variety praised the cast of characters, describing the film's all-star celebrity ensemble cast as "its most remarkable accomplishment" and considered that "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie overcomes most story flaws thanks to sheer technical virtuosity."

Accolades
Pepper Ann's 1st Movie also received many award nominations, mostly for its music. Both the film and its soundtrack won two Academy Awards, Best Original Score and Best Original Song for "Pepper Ann" (performed by Aileen Quinn, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts, Jodi Benson, Paige O'Hara and Brenda Chapman) and also receiving nominations for Best Songs ("When I Get That Pepper Ann Feeling", performed by Amanda Dianne Foutley with Teena Naumann and "Whatever Makes You Feel Just Like a Drew Barrymore", written and performed by Mandy Moore), Best Sound Editing (Mark A. Mangini), and Best Sound (Terry Porter, Mel Metcalfe, David J. Hudson and Doc Kane). At the Golden Globes, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie won Best Original Song ("Pepper Ann", performed by Drew Barrymore, Paige O'Hara, Julia Roberts, Jodi Benson, Aileen Quinn, and Brenda Chapman) and Best Original Score, as well as a Special Achievement Award for Brenda Chapman, with a nomination for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Other awards included a 2003 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie, the Annie Award for Best Animated Feature, an MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance to Brenda Chapman, the Best Animated Feature by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and four Grammy Awards, Best Soundtrack Album, and Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television for "Pepper Ann".

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:

2007: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs:


 * "Whatever Makes You Feel Just Like a Marianne" – Nominated
 * "Pepper Ann" – Nominated