The Bob's Burgers Movie

The Bob's Burgers Movie is a 2022 American animated musical comedy film based on the animated television series Bob's Burgers. It is directed by the series creator Loren Bouchard and series director Bernard Derriman (in their feature directorial debuts), written by Bouchard and Nora Smith, and produced by Janelle Momary-Neely, Bouchard, and Smith. The original voice cast from the series reprises their roles including H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, David Wain, Zach Galifianakis, and Kevin Kline. As the events of the film take place between the 12th and 13th seasons of Bob's Burgers, the plot follows Bob and his family as they struggle to pay their loan after a sinkhole opens in front of their restaurant and affects business, while the kids try to solve the murder of a carnie.

The film premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on May 17, 2022, and was theatrically released by 20th Century Studios in the United States on May 27, 2022, following previous delays of almost two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It received positive reviews from critics and has grossed $34 million worldwide. The film was dedicated to character designer Dave Creek and matte painter Denise Fuller, both of whom died prior to its release.

Plot
As summer approaches, Bob and Linda Belcher are denied an extension on their business loan from the bank and given a week to make the month's payment. Their children are also facing challenges: Tina is nervous about asking Jimmy Pesto Jr. to be her summertime boyfriend, Gene hopes to reunite his band, and Louise is ridiculed for refusing to perform a playground stunt, afraid of her hat falling off.

An underground water main breaks, creating a giant sinkhole in front of the restaurant. Calvin Fischoeder, the family's landlord, is uninterested in having the hole repaired but considers helping the Belchers with their financial trouble. Louise stumbles across a skeleton while climbing into the sinkhole to prove her bravery, and the following morning the police establish it as the remains of Cotton Candy Dan, a carny at Wonder Wharf who disappeared six years earlier. Calvin is arrested after his gun matches the bullet that killed Dan, but Louise is convinced of his innocence and enlists Tina and Gene to help her find the true killer, having taken one of Dan's teeth.

The children locate their friend and ex-convict Mickey, another carny, at a trailer town of carnies who think Calvin is guilty. One carny reveals that Dan met with Calvin and his brother Felix on the night of his disappearance, leading the children to believe that Felix framed Calvin to get the family fortune. They then learn from Sgt. Bosco that a novelty cufflink was found with Dan's remains.

The children search Felix's treehouse for the other cufflink and overhear him talking to his girlfriend Fanny about fleeing the country, following him to a secret clubhouse under the Wharf. Meanwhile, the Belchers’ friend, Teddy, constructs a grill cart so Bob and Linda can sell food on the street until the sinkhole is filled. Evading health inspectors Hugo and Ron, they move the cart to Wonder Wharf but are chased by carnies after accidentally destroying a memorial for Dan.

Calvin arrives at the clubhouse after posting bail, followed by the brothers' cousin and lawyer, Grover, who explains to the children that Calvin and Felix are taking a repurposed submarine ride to Cuba as Calvin is convinced that he will be convicted. After seeing a photo of Grover wearing the novelty cufflinks and matching a bite scar on his arm to Dan's tooth, Louise realizes that Grover is the killer and tries to leave but he holds the group hostage with a spear gun, including Bob and Linda after they find their way in.

Grover admits to killing Dan in a plot to frame Calvin and inherit the family fortune, intending to replace Wonder Wharf with a mega-park. His plan failed when he put Dan's body in a dirt pile that was used to fill a previous sinkhole outside Bob's Burgers, only to resume after Louise found the skeleton; Grover now plans to burn the Wharf down and kill the entire group under the pretense that they died in the fire.

The Belchers escape in a go-kart under the wharf, but Grover gives chase after forcing the Fischoeder brothers into the submarine ride and launching it into the ocean to drown them. The Belchers reach their restaurant, but damage to the kart prevents their escape, allowing Grover to push it into the sinkhole and bury them alive. He returns to Wonder Wharf, lighting a fuse to burn down the park before making his way back to a gym to ensure his alibi.

To raise Louise's spirits, Bob and Linda reveal that Linda made Louise’s hat as a reward for being brave on her first day of preschool, in honor of Bob’s mother and her favorite pink hat. Bob starts the go-kart engine, driving an exposed wheel rim to punch through the repaired water main, causing a high-pressure jet of water to launch the Belchers out to the surface where Teddy is waiting for them. He calls the police as they rush to Wonder Wharf where Louise removes the fuse and prevents the fire. The police rescue Calvin and Felix from the ocean and arrest Grover.

One week later, Calvin makes the Belchers’ loan payment in gratitude. Tina admits her feelings to Jimmy Jr., which he reciprocates. Gene's band performs to a small audience. Louise performs the stunt and drops her hat, no longer afraid. The sinkhole is patched up, and Bob's Burgers celebrates its "grand re-re-re-re-opening".

Voice cast

 * H. Jon Benjamin as Bob Belcher, Jimmy Pesto Jr., Ms. LaBonz, and Kuchi Kopi
 * Dan Mintz as Tina Belcher
 * Eugene Mirman as Gene Belcher
 * Larry Murphy as Teddy
 * John Roberts as Linda Belcher and Jocelyn
 * Kristen Schaal as Louise Belcher
 * David Wain as Grover Fischoeder
 * Zach Galifianakis as Felix Fischoeder
 * Kevin Kline as Calvin Fischoeder
 * Gary Cole as Sgt. Bosco
 * Paul F. Tompkins as Short Carnie
 * John Q. Kubin as Mickey
 * Nick Kroll as Scary Carnie
 * Craig Anton as Mr. Dowling
 * David Herman as Mr. Frond, Robot
 * Jaime Moyer as Ticket Seller Lady
 * Brian Huskey as Regular-Sized Rudy
 * Bobby Tisdale as Zeke
 * Stephanie Beatriz as Chloe Barbash
 * Jordan Peele as Fanny
 * Rob Huebel as Dizzy Dog Carnie
 * Parvesh Cheena as Potential Customer
 * Aziz Ansari as Darryl
 * Jenny Slate as Tammy
 * Nicole Byer as Olsen Benner
 * Robert Ben Garant as Critter
 * Laura Silverman as Andy Pesto
 * Sarah Silverman as Ollie Pesto
 * Sam Seder as Hugo
 * Paul Rudd as Jericho
 * Ron Lynch as Ron
 * Andy Kindler as Mort
 * Ashley Nicole Black as Harley
 * Brooke Dillman as Reporter

Additional voices by H. Jon Benjamin, Loren Bouchard, Katie Crown, David Herman, Phil LaMarr, Larry Murphy, Hannah Parikh, Ben Pronsky, John Roberts, Michelle Ruff, and David Zyler

The characters Jimmy Pesto Sr. and Trev appear but have no lines.

Development
On October 4, 2017, 20th Century Fox announced that a film adaptation based on the Fox animated series Bob's Burgers was in development, and it was scheduled to be released on July 17, 2020. On October 30, 2017, a newly created 20th Century Fox division, Fox Family, was created to oversee feature film adaptation of its TV shows. This included taking Bob's Burgers over from 20th Century Fox Animation.

Series creator Loren Bouchard had said the film would "scratch every itch the fans of the show have ever had", while also appealing to new audiences. On July 18, 2018, Bouchard said that the script was submitted and accepted by the studios. The film is a musical comedy. On September 24, 2020, star H. Jon Benjamin confirmed that work on the film was being done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while also revealing that recording for the film has already begun, with the cast reprising their roles from the television series.

Bouchard said the budget for the film was $38 million and estimated that an additional $20 million was spent on marketing.

Animation
Animation services were provided by Tonic DNA, Lighthouse Studios, Bento Box Entertainment, Golden Wolf, Yeson Ententainment, Brilliant Pictures, Synergy Animation, Mighty Animation, Dave Enterprises, and Mercury Filmworks. The production team wanted the film to be mostly done through hand-drawn animation because they wanted the visuals to remain similar to the series. The larger budget, time, and animators available to the filmmakers allowed the animation to be more detailed than in the original series, such as adding more light, texture, and shadows into several shots. This film would be the final animation work for both Tuck Tucker and Dale Baer before their deaths on December 22, 2020 and January 15, 2021 respectively. Tucker served as a storyboard revisionist, while Baer provided animation for the film. "Tuck Tucker died on December 22, 2020, in his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia..."

Music
Songs for the film were written by Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith while the original score was conducted, orchestrated and arranged by Tim Davies. The soundtrack album was released on May 27, 2022 and includes three of the four songs featured in the film. The third song was excluded to avoid revealing details of the film's plot.

Theatrical
The Bob's Burgers Movie premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on May 17, 2022 and was theatrically released in the United States on May 27, 2022. It was initially scheduled to be released in theaters on July 17, 2020. The film was then briefly pulled from the schedule due to an error in listings. In announcing revised released dates of various films due to the global health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney announced that the film's release had been pushed back to April 9, 2021. On January 22, 2021, the film was completely removed from the release schedule. Bouchard explained that despite the film still being in production, a new release date announcement was not imminent and would not come until audiences felt completely safe coming back to theaters. On September 10, 2021, it was officially set for a Memorial Day weekend release date of May 27, 2022. In some countries however, such as Portugal, Spain, France, Mexico, Italy, and Israel, a theatrical release of the film did not end up happening at all despite there already being marked release dates for said countries, with the film instead premiering directly on Disney+ later on July 13, 2022 in those regions and on Star+ July 20, 2022, in Mexico.

Home media
The Bob's Burgers Movie was released on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 19, 2022 by 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment. Bonus features include an audio commentary track, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and the animated short My Butt Has a Fever.

The Bob's Burgers Movie was also released digitally on July 12, through digital purchase on PVOD platforms and on Hulu and HBO Max in the United States on July 12, after Disney reached a deal with WarnerMedia in December 2021 for a majority of the upcoming films from 20th Century Studios to be streamed collaboratively between Disney+, HBO Max and Hulu until HBO's deal with 20th Century, signed in 2012 before Disney's acquisition of the company, runs out at the end of 2022. The film was released on Disney+ (under the Star hub) in Canada on July 12 and in Europe (excluding Poland, due to a distribution deal with Canal+ Poland for titles from 20th Century Studios), the Middle East, and Africa on July 13, while in Latin America, the film was released on Star+ on July 20.

Box office
The Bob's Burgers Movie grossed $31.9 million in North America, and $2.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $34.1 million.

In North America, the film was released alongside Top Gun: Maverick, and was projected to gross $10–15 million from 3,400 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5.7 million on its first day, including $1.5 million from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut at $12.4 million (and $14.8 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame), finishing third at the box office. The film stayed in the box office top ten until its sixth weekend.

Outside the U.S. and Canada, the film earned $700,000 from 54 international markets in its opening weekend. It made $400,000 from eight markets in its second weekend.

Bouchard acknowledged that the film's budget had not been formally disclosed and stated on Twitter that its production was $38 million.> The film's box office earnings performed well in its own terms: Forbes highlighted that it earned $15 million in its first four days, despite expecting to earn $10 million at most. Deadline noted that around 1.1 million people watched it over its first weekend, comparable to the 1.3 million weekly regular viewers of the television series, and described the film as niche.

Critical reception
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported 89% of audience members gave it a positive score, with 69% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Possible sequel
Before the film's release, screenwriters Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith expressed interest in making a sequel film.> The principal cast, including Benjamin, Schaal, Roberts, Mirman, and Mintz, have also expressed interest in a sequel on the film's commentary