The Save-Ums! The Movie

The Save-Ums! The Movie is a Canadian CGI animated children's comedy adventure film produced by Decode Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The Save-Ums! are patrol group of six aliens who help various critters when they run into difficulty, must save their world from the evil Dr. Blip (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) and his sidekick Snipe (voiced by Rob Paulsen).

Plot
The Save-Ums, which consist of Jazzi, Noodle, Custard, Ka-Chung and Foo are patrol group of six aliens who help various critters when they run into difficulty. One day in their safety headquarters (a giant treehouse), the adventure screen rings with a call from Winston the whale. He tells them that Dr. Blip is up to no good again and he needs their help! The Save-Ums travel to Wave World where they find out that Dr. Blip has created an evil robot called Snipe (voiced by Rob Paulsen) to do his bidding!

Can the Save-Ums stop him before it's too late? Find out in this all new movie!

Distributed:
The Save-Ums! The Movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Soundtrack:
The Save-Ums! The Movie Soundtrack is the official soundtrack of the film, released on June 24th, 2003 by Lakeshore Records. It features songs from and inspired by the movie performed by various artists including John Powell, Rufus Wainwright, They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies.

Animation:
The animation for this film was provided Decode Entertainment using Maya software from AliasWavefront. This marks as one of their first films to use computer generated imagery rather than traditional cel animation methods which they used in previous productions such as Angela Anaconda or Pippi Longstocking (1997 TV series).

Trailers:
A teaser trailer for The Save-Ums! The Movie was attached to prints of Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams when it was released in theaters on August 7th, 2002 while the theatrical trailer made its debut online on Apple's QuickTime website on May 9th, 2003 before being widely seen with prints of Finding Nemo which opened in theaters a month later. A final trailer would be included with home video releases starting with the VHS release on October 14th that same year.

Production:
Development on The Save-Ums! The Movie began in 2001 after the success of the television series which aired on Discovery Kids and CBC Television. According to executive producer Steven Hoban, they wanted to make a movie that would "appeal to kids and families" and be something that they could all enjoy together. To achieve this goal, the team decided to focus more on action and adventure while still keeping with the comedic elements that made the show popular. In order for it to stand out from other animated films being released at around same time such as Finding Nemo or Brother Bear, they also incorporated various musical numbers into film's narrative including songs performed by Rufus Wainwright, They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies.

The majority of production took place at Decode Entertainment's studio in Toronto with additional work being done overseas at studios in South Korea, Taiwan and China. A total of $12 million was spent on making The Save-Ums! The Movie which makes it one of most expensive Canadian productions ever created up until that point.

Casting:
Most of voice cast from television series returned to reprise their roles for film with few exceptions such as Tajja Isen who was replaced by Katie Griffin due to scheduling conflicts. New additions to cast included Kevin Michael Richardson, Rob Paulsen and Andrea Martin who were brought in to provide voices for Dr. Blip, Snipe and Mrs. Jammies respectively.

Release:
The Save-Ums! The Movie was originally scheduled to be released on June 6th, 2003 but Paramount pushed back date until July 4th weekend in order accommodate with release of Finding Nemo which ended up being a box office success grossing over $940 million worldwide. In addition promoting film's theatrical run, various merchandise tie-ins were also produced including toys, video games and books all of which hit store shelves around same time as movie itself. A soundtrack album featuring songs from film was also released on Lakeshore Records while VHS and DVD home media releases followed suit on October 14th later that year complete with bonus features such as behind the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes and music videos performed by Barenaked Ladies & Rufus Wainwright.

Screenings:
To help promote film's theatrical release special advance screenings were held at select locations across Canada starting June 28th in Toronto followed by showings Vancouver (June 29), Halifax (July 2) & Montreal (July 3). All attendees received goody bags containing various The Save-Ums! themed items such as stickers, tattoos and coloring books.

Home media:
The Save-Ums! The Movie was released on VHS and DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on October 14th, 2003. In addition to film itself, bonus features included behind the scenes featurettes, deleted scenes & music videos performed by Barenaked Ladies & Rufus Wainwright. It would later be reissued in Canada by Alliance Atlantis Home Video on March 9th, 2004 with same content as original release albeit presented in anamorphic widescreen format rather than full screen. To date there has yet to be a Blu-ray release of movie although it is available for digital purchase through Amazon Prime Video, iTunes Store & Google Play Movies.

Reception:
Critical response to The Save-Ums! The Movie was generally positive with most praising its animation and musical numbers while others found fault with its plot which they felt was too similar to that of Finding Nemo which had been released month earlier. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, film holds a 73% rating based off 61 reviews with average score 6.4/10. Writing for Common Sense Media, Melissa Camacho gave movie 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "While The Save-Ums! the Movie isn't as original as it could be, kids will still find plenty to enjoy." In his review for Variety, Todd McCarthy praised film's visuals but criticized its story calling it "a pale imitation" of Finding Nemo.

Box office:
The Save-Ums! The Movie grossed $16.1 million in North America & $32.3 million worldwide against a budget of $12 million making it one most expensive Canadian productions ever made at time. While not being box office bomb, movie failed recoup its production costs leading to financial difficulties for Decode Entertainment which would eventually lead them declare bankruptcy in 2005.

Accolades:
At 2003 Genie Awards, The Save-Ums! The Movie was nominated for Best Animated Feature but lost out eventual winner René Laloux's Fantastic Planet. It did however win Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing – Domestic Fiction (Animated) Film which was shared between Supervising Sound Editor Steve Baine & Foley Artist Craig Norris. At 2004 Annie Awards ceremony, movie received nominations Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Motion Picture, Outstanding Individual Achievement For Voice Acting by a Female Performer In An Animated Feature Production (Katie Griffin as Jazzi) & Outstanding Individual Achievement For Voice Acting by a Male Performer In An Animated Feature Production (Rob Paulsen as Snipe) but failed to win any of them.

Legacy:
Despite being box office disappointment, The Save-Ums! the Movie has managed maintain large cult following in years since its release with many fans praising film's animation, musical numbers & voice performances while others continue hold negative opinion towards it due what they feel is unoriginality of its plot. In 2006, series creator Michael Hirsh expressed interest making sequel which would have focused on Dr. Blip's backstory however financial difficulties at Decode Entertainment prevented this from happening. In recent years, there has been growing demand among fans for movie to be released on Blu-ray with petitions being created online in hopes of convincing Paramount Pictures give film high definition release. As of 2019, these efforts have yet to bear fruit although digital copies are available purchase through Amazon Prime Video, iTunes Store & Google Play Movies.

Trivia:
• The Save-Ums! the Movie was one most expensive Canadian productions ever made at time with total budget $12 million.

• This is first Decode Entertainment production use computer generated imagery rather than traditional cel animation methods.

• A sequel to this film was planned but never came fruition due financial difficulties faced by Decode Entertainment following its release.

• To date there has yet to be a Blu-ray release of movie although it is available for digital purchase through Amazon Prime Video, iTunes Store & Google Play Movies.

Categories:
2003 films | 2000s adventure films | Canadian animated feature films | English-language films | Alien visitations in fiction | Films about extraterrestrial life|Animated space adventure films   Space exploration in fiction    Science fiction comedy-drama film

Films set on fictional planets   Films shot in Toronto | Paramount Pictures animated films | Decode Entertainment films | Canadian children's films |2000s comedy-drama films   2000s science fiction films