Rick and Morty: The Movie (2021 film)

Rick and Morty: The Movie is a 2021 American animated sci-fi comedy film based on the television series Rick and Morty. It was directed by Wes Archer, who previously directed several episodes of the television series, and stars the show's regular voice cast along with Jared Leto, Rashida Jones, and Peter Capaldi voicing new characters. It is the second film based off of an Adult Swim series, after Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, and the fifth movie to be based on a series originating on Cartoon Network, after The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, and Adventure Time: The Movie''.

Rick and Morty: The Movie was released in the United States on June 4, 2021 and received largely positive reviews. It grossed $154 million worldwide against a budget of $24 million, becoming the second highest grossing R rated animated movie behind Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train

Plot Synopsis
Derek Grieco, a rival and former colleague from Rick's past, suddenly returns after many years and steals the plans to Rick's portal gun, with plans to mass-produce them. Rick and Morty are pursued by the Galactic Government for allowing the plans to fall into the wrong hands. It's up to the two of them to stop Grieco's plan, while Rick is finally forced to confront his past.

Cast
Brad Abrell, Eric Bauza, Jackie Buscarino, Matt Chapman, Jeff Fischer, Hope Levy, Andy Merrill, Nolan North, Cristina Pucelli, Ryan Ridley, Justin Roiland, Rob Schrab, Josh Robert Thompson, Kari Wahlgren, and Pendleton Ward provide additional voices.
 * Justin Roiland as Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith/Mr. Meeseeks/Mr. Poopy Butthole/Other Ricks and Mortys/Teddy Mason/Burning Alien/Szechuan Sauce Commercial Narrator
 * Chris Parnell as Jerry Smith
 * Jemaine Clement as Ninja Smith
 * Spencer Grammer as Summer Smith
 * Sarah Chalke as Beth Smith
 * Jared Leto as Derek Grieco, Rick's old colleague turned rival
 * Rashida Jones as Deandra Winterblock-Sanchez, Rick's ex-wife
 * Peter Capaldi as Roland Sanchez, Rick's father
 * Laura Dern as Drizela Sanchez, Rick's mother
 * Will Arnett as Mark Sanchez, Rick's brother
 * Kristen Schaal as Sharon Sanchez, Rick's sister
 * Cassie Steele as Tammy Gueterman
 * Dan Harmon as Birdperson
 * Kari Wahlgren as Jessica/Diane Sanchez/Alien Hooker #2
 * Brandon Johnson as Mr. Goldenfold
 * Phil Hendrie as Principal Vagina
 * Kiefer Sutherland as the Galactic Prison Warden
 * Jess Harnell as Scary Terry/Policeman
 * Tom Kenny as Squanchy/Alien Slave Driver/Cargo Passenger/TV Announcer
 * Rob Paulsen as Snuffles/Snowball
 * Dana Snyder as Sollix, an alien prisoner who helps Rick escape
 * Carey Means as Zornax, an alien prisoner who Sollix has a grudge against
 * Dave Willis as Gunch, another alien prisoner
 * Kurtwood Smith as General Nathan
 * Echo Kellum as Brad
 * Daniel Benson as Ethan
 * Alex Hirsch as Toby Matthews
 * Arin Hanson as Largo, an alien Grieco sells the plans to
 * Tara Strong as Tinkles/Alien Hooker #1
 * Maurice LaMarche as Abradolf Lincler/Doctor/Newscaster/Golfing Alien #2
 * Jim Rash as Professor Mathis, Rick and Grieco's college professor
 * Keith David as Dean Schump, Rick's college dean
 * Seth MacFarlane as Ant King, an alien ruler who pursues Rick and Morty in the film's cold open
 * Vince Offer as himself, appearing in an infomercial for the mass-produced portal guns
 * DJ Khaled as himself, held captive and forced to perform at an alien club
 * H. Jon Benjamin as the Guns R Us clerk
 * George Lowe as space cop
 * Kevin Smith as a delivery man
 * Dan Castellaneta as Golfing Alien #1
 * Brendon Small as a soldier
 * Don Hertzfeldt as an alien bartender
 * James Urbaniak as Cargo Driver
 * Dan Avidan as the touchy-feely prisoner
 * Ralph Garman as the guy who got the last packet of Szechuan sauce

Production
Development for the film began while they were wrapping up production of the show's Third Season in 2017. Roiland and Harmon agreed to do the film and they were aiming for July 22, 2020 release date until it was postponed to June 4, 2021. Originally, Warner Bros. did not want to distribute the film after the flop of the last Cartoon Network based film, The Powerpuff Girls Movie. FilmRise (who distributed Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters) offered to release the film But Roiland won Warner Bros. over with a $24 million budget to produce the film.

Post-production
Adult Swim President, Michael Ouweleen described post-production "a living hell" due to Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse films being produced during then

Marketing
In the weeks leading up to the film's release, Adult Swim ran a series of self-deprecating bumpers featuring characters from other Adult Swim shows. The bumpers featured characters from Squidbillies, The Venture Brothers, and The Jellies reacting to the news that Rick and Morty would be receiving a film adaptation and wondering why their respective shows had yet to receive movies. Another bumper in the series featured Master Shake and Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force boasting that they were the first Adult Swim series to have a movie, as well as bemoaning the cancellation of its sequel, Death Fighter.

A week before the film opened, McDonald's brought back its Szechuan sauce again, though the McDonald's advertising was not linked directly to the movie. Unlike previous instances, where the sauce was only distributed at select restaurants, the Szechuan sauce was available at all McDonald's restaurants nationwide.

Theatrical Release
The film was originally scheduled to open June 11, 2021, but was pushed forward a week to June 4 to avoid competition with Jurassic World 3. The film opened at 3,546 theaters nationwide, the widest release for an R-rated animated movie, though it never expanded further. The film opened in the UK on July 9, 2021.

Home Media
Rick and Morty: The Movie was released for digital devices on September 14, 2021, followed by a Blu-Ray/DVD release one week later on September 21. Among the special features included on the Blu-Ray and DVD are a full-length audio commentary by series creators Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, director Wes Archer, and writers Ryan Ridley and Eric Acosta, as well as 28 minutes worth of deleted scenes, a few of which were fully animated prior to being cut from the final film.

Box Office
The movie grossed $42.7 million in its opening weekend, beating Sausage Party 's record for an R-rated animated film opening and was the fourth highest opening for a 2D-animated film behind The Simpsons Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and The Lion King, and the third highest for a fully-2D movie. Despite the strong start, the film fell 60% in its second weekend due to the release of Jurassic World 3. The film grossed $96 million domestically and made $154 million worldwide. Domestically, it is the fifth highest-grossing animated film based on a television series, behind The Simpsons Movie, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and The Rugrats Movie, as well as the fifth highest-grossing 2D-animated film not released by Disney (behind The Simpsons Movie, Sponge Out of Water, The Prince of Egypt, and Rugrats).

Critical Reception
The film received critical acclaim, with an approval rating of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised the humor, action, and animation, though some complained that certain jokes wouldn't make sense without a very high IQ. On Metacritic, the film has a 78 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on June 9, 2021, two days before the film.

Track Listing

 * 1) Space Haze - Pharrell Williams
 * 2) Szechuan - The Lonely Island
 * 3) Come With Me - DJ Khaled
 * 4) Human Music - Ryan Elder
 * 5) Death and Destruction - Dethklok
 * 6) Something in the Air - David Bowie
 * 7) Dreams of Grandeur - Insane Clown Posse
 * 8) 21st Century - Bad Religion
 * 9) Born Too Slow - The Crystal Method
 * 10) Goodbye Moonmen - Jemaine Clement
 * 11) Great Gig in the Sky - Pink Floyd
 * 12) More Human Than Human - White Zombie
 * 13) Get Schwifty (Extended Movie Edition) - Justin Roiland ft. Logic

Sequel
In 2022, Justin Roiland expressed his intrest in producing a sequel entitled Rick and Morty ll: Derek's avegement, However in 2023 Justin Roiland was fired from the show, Putting the sequel in jeopardy

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