Freedom Planet (film)

"Even the small ones can do the big ones."

- Poster tagline

Freedom Planet (marketed and known in some countries as Freedom Planet: 映画) is a 2022 computer-animated science fantasy adventure comedy film based on the 2014 video game of the same name by Sabrina DiDuro, who serves as an executive producer of the film. The film was directed by Rob Letterman and Marc Forster (in his animated feature debut), who also produces the film under his 2DUX2 banner, with a screenplay and original story by Matt Lieberman and Jared Stern. The film stars Dawn M. Bennett, Andi Sina, Aidee Smith, Ashlyn Selich, Sean Chiplock, P.M. Seymour, and Alejandro Saab, who reprise their roles from the game. It also stars newcomers Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Kimiko Glenn, Taika Waititi, Sandra Oh, and Ken Jeong.

Talks of a feature-length film based on the video game were proposed in 2014, where script writer Matt Lieberman pitched a script to American video game designer Sabrina DiDuro, who accepted it. The film then began development in early 2015, and then was acquired by Paramount Pictures in 2016, but was put on turnaround until 2019, where it was announced to be back in development under 20th Century Fox, later known as 20th Century Studios. The film’s animation were provided by 20th Century Animation, Cinesite Animation, Pearl Studio, and WildBrain, with Nitrogen Studios providing additional animation, while Tencent Pictures financed the film.

Freedom Planet was released theatrically by 20th Century Studios. It was released in theaters in China, South Korea, and Japan on October 28, 2022, and then in the United States on November 4, 2022. The film received praise for its 3D animation, performances, and faithfulness to the game, but also received criticism for its screenplay and some of its dark undertone. It grossed $326.1 million worldwide on a $75 million budget, making it a box-office success. It was nominated for Annie Award for Best Animated Feature.

Synopsis
"An intergalactic warlord from distant outer space is making their way to the planet Avalice to steal a new artifact, and then eventually, destroy the planet from existence. The three kingdoms can't do anything to stop this state of emergency from happening. So the fate of the world will instead rest on three heroines and some of their former rivals, who'll have to head off into space to stop this catastrophe from happening, with some old friends reunited. But there is only one thing that stands out between all of them: Can they all at least set aside their differences and work together?"

-20th Century Studios

Plot
After saving and stopping a runaway train from going over a broken bridge, Team Lilac, which consists of water dragon Sash Lilac, wildcat Carol Tea, and basset hound Milla Basset, celebrate their victory by seeing a panda named Neera Li at a bar in Shang Tu. They inform Neera that the situation has been taken care of, but are interrupted when they see a news broadcast that explains the rumors of an all-out invasion coming to attack the planet Avalice. The owner of the bar closes the place, forcing the four to go back to their homes.

Later, at around midnight, Neera spots a black dot in the sky, and takes a closer look at the dot through a telescope, only to see that it is a spaceship. She then remembers the "rumors" about it, and calls Team Lilac immediately.

TBA.

Voice cast

 * Dawn M. Bennett as Sash Lilac, a water dragon and is the main protagonist of the film
 * Andi Sina as Carol Tea, a wildcat and Lilac's best friend
 * Aidee Smith as Milla Basset, a timid but friendly basset hound
 * Ashlyn Selich as Neera Li, a panda who is mostly skeptical with Lilac and her friends
 * Sean Chiplock as Spade, a panda who is usually rude with Lilac, but teams up with her
 * Kimiko Glenn as Ai
 * Danny McBride as Lord Kuro, the main antagonist of the film, who is an alien
 * Jonah Hill as Yoru
 * Taika Waititi as Klaatu
 * P.M. Seymour as Torque
 * Alejandro Saab as Mayor Zao
 * Sandra Oh as Lei
 * Ken Jeong as Mitt
 * Rosie Reyes as May
 * Patrick Stewart as the Narrator

Development
Prior to the release of the original Freedom Planet game in July 2014, writer Matt Lieberman pitched a spec script to American game developer Sabrina DiDuro, who was one of the developers of the game. She read the script and said that the idea of a film based on the game was possible, but said that its fate will depend on how successfully the game does. After the release of Freedom Planet, it was announced that DiDuro had always considered a feature film adaptation based on the game, but hadn't decided yet. In October 2014, DiDuro released on Twitter a snippet of what would be the script used for the film.

In March 2015, it was announced that the film was greenlit and is in development, with the working title of the film being Planet 9, and it was announced that Lieberman, along with Jared Stern, would write the script, while DiDuro would executive produce the film. Despite planning for a theatrical release, no distribution company had acquired the rights to distribute the film to theaters until next year.

On May 7, 2016, it was announced that Paramount Pictures had acquired the production rights to the film, with an unspecified release date of somewhere around mid 2019, along with Reel FX Animation Studios set to animate the film. It was also announced that Chinese-based film company Tencent Pictures will give financing, with director Tim Hill set to direct the film. However, Paramount put the film on turnaround in the same year. But on March 25, 2019, the film was later back in development, after it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired the film rights from Paramount. Hill and Reel FX were no longer attached to the film, and were replaced by directors Marc Forster and Rob Letterman, and DHX Media (now known as WildBrain) instead set to animate the film, alongside Pearl Studio.

Writing
According to Stern, it was said that the script would be a full adaptation of the game, meaning that it would've transfer all of the game's dialogue and action into the film. This was scrapped because audiences knew how the game's story was told, and that the studio did not want to retell the same story again. Although the film's plot may still use the original elements the game had, it'll be done in an entirely different manner.

Casting
On July 2, 2019, it was announced by DiDuro that the cast of the game would reprise their roles for the film, with the additions of new cast members such as Jonah Hill, Danny McBride and Taika Waititi. On July 24, it was announced that Kimiko Glenn and Sandra Oh joined the cast. Ken Jeong was cast to the film on August 6. In late August 2019, it was announced that the film will have a narrator, like in the game, with Patrick Stewart signing up for the role.

Animation
Animation began in November 2019, with some production delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic impacting film and television business, with animation having to be shifted to remote work. Animation work ended in August 2020. They were provided by 20th Century Animation, Cinesite Animation, and WildBrain, while overseas animation were provided by Pearl Studio. Unlike the game, the animation of the entire film was done through CGI animation, though the end credits would still maintain the original 2D animation. Cinesite-owned animation company Nitrogen Studios also provided some additional animation for the film.

Music
In September 2020, it was announced that composers Alan Menken and Brian Tyler are set to compose the score of the film. American singers Ariana Grande & Brad Paisley contributed an original song called "Just Light", which was released on September 16, 2022. Other songs such as "Good Ones" by Charli XCX, and "Livin' Thing" by Electric Light Orchestra appear in the film. The songs "Butterflies & Hurricanes" by Muse and "Baba O'Riley" by The Who, appear in some of the trailers and TV spots, but does not appear in the film itself.

Theatrical
Freedom Planet was originally scheduled to release on December 17, 2021. It was then delayed to May 6, 2022, but was delayed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2021, it was announced that the film’s release date was on November 25, 2022. It was then pulled up by three weeks in February 2022 to avoid possible competition with Strange World, another film by Disney, which owns 20th Century Studios. The film made its world premiere at the El Capitan Theatre on October 25, 2022. It was released in East Asia three days later, before being released in the U.S. a week later.

Home media
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on digital, including Hulu and HBO Max, and premium video-on-demand on January 17, 2023, and then on DVD, Blu-Ray, and 4K UHD on February 21, 2023. Bonus features in the Blu-Ray and 4K UHD formats include audio commentary, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and the animated short A Night in Shining Armor. The film was released on Disney+ on March 1. It then made its official American television premiere on Disney Channel on April 8, 2023.

Marketing
On April 4, 2022, the film's teaser trailer was released online by the official 20th Century Studios YouTube channel. On June 7, 2022, the film's official trailer made its debut on the YouTube channel as well. At San Diego Comic-Con, the second trailer was released. Meanwhile, its final official trailer made an appearance at New York Comic Con 2022.

Tokyopop collaboration
German-American entertainment company Tokyopop announced a collaboration with 20th Century Studios to develop a manga-style book to tie-in with the film, which follows the same plot as the film. It was released on November 25, three weeks after the film's release.

Promotional partners
20th Century Studios spent over $40 million for advertisement purposes. Promotional partners included companies such as [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Inc. Visa], Samsung, Toyota, and DirecTV. Like Top Gun: Maverick, a deal was made with American dining chain Applebee's to give an offer where a guest can win free tickets to Freedom Planet.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $83.2 million and grossed $131.9 million worldwide, for a total of $215.1 million overall. In North America, the film was projected to gross $20-25 million from 3,055 theaters on its opening weekend. The film grossed $6.8 million on its first day, including $150,000 from Thursday night previews.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 70% based on 287 reviews, with an average rating of 6.08/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Although it still has the amazing charm and adorable chemistry the game offered, Freedom Planet still sticks the unfortunate landing to talk about." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted score of 58 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave the film an "A-" on an "A+ to F" scale, while audiences on PostTrak gave the film an 80% positive score, with 67% saying they'd recommend it.