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 comedy film based on the 1997-2000 Disney animated television series Pepper Ann, created by Sue Rose. It was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, Dimension Films, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Disney Channel Movies, Mandeville Films, Film Roman Animation Studios, Spyglass Entertainment and Brenda Chapman Productions and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by Brenda Chapman (who also directed Prince of Egypt), produced by Todd Lieberman, Roger Birnbaum, Laura McCreary, Sue Rose, Phil Roman, Lillian Amanda Chapman and Scott M. Gimple and written by Aileen Quinn, Melanie Mayron, Mike Mitchell, Sherie Pollack, Bonnie Arnold and Marianne Chandler with a screenplay by Drew Barrymore, Maryann Brandon and Kellie Lauhon and was theatrically released in theatres on May 24, 2002. Its original songs were performed and sung by Kathleen Wilhoite, Anne Hathaway and Brenda Chapman, with a score by Mark Mothersbaugh, Anne Marie McDermott, Kevin Manthei, Nathan Wang, Pat Irwin, Jamshied Sharifi and Lee Ann Womack. The movie features an ensemble cast that includes the voice talents of Kathleen Wilhoite, Clea Lewis, Danny Cooksey, Tara Charendoff, Jeff Bennett, Cree Summer, Pamela Segall, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Anne Hathaway,  Marianne Curan, Diane Keaton, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Rachael Leigh Cook, Lacey Chabert, Cameron Diaz, Marlee Matlin, Christine Baranski, Julia Roberts, Jodie Carlisle, Madeline Zima, Aileen Quinn, Wendie Malick and Julie Andrews. The film's director Brenda Chapman voices a new Pepper Ann character: Pepper Ann's cousin named Maryann and Mickey, Minnie, Daisy and Goofy (voiced by Wayne Allwine, Russi Taylor, Tress MacNeille and Bill Farmer) make a cameo appearance in the film.

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 highest-grossing traditionally animated film of all time, as well as the best-selling film on home video, having sold over 30 million DVDs and VHS tapes. In 2003, Pepper Ann's 1st Movie garnered four Academy Awards for its achievement in four categories: Best Animated Feature, 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 sequel, Maryann's 1st Movie, released in February 2005, centered around Maryann (voiced again by Brenda Chapman) and her quirky adventures.

Synopsis
Get ready to see Pepper Ann like you've never seen her before! In the tradition of 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 big-screen film debut in "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie", the year's biggest, stoinkiest, and funniest new animated Disney animated movie that everyone will love! In the city of Hazelnut, the rockin' 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 ampitheatre, they can't wait to see the biggest acts hit the stage - including Flaming Snot, of course! When Pepper Ann's new cousin Maryann (voiced by Brenda Chapman) enters the picture and meets Pepper Ann for the first time, Pepper Ann's life is totally stoinked! Forced to know what the difference is between a Maryann and a Pepper Ann, will they learn the secret of rockin' out and havin' fun? Filled with new music, adventure, action, fun and laughs, Disney's "Pepper Ann's 1st Movie" is the one movie that will have you saying, "Pepper Ann's Got the Chalk!" over and over!

Cast
ADDITIONAL VOICES

Production
The idea for Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was originally conceived in early March 1998 as a direct-to-video film by Disney's television animation unit (directed by Scott M. Gimple and written by Brenda Chapman), but after screenings, Walt Disney Pictures, Dimension Films, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Disney Channel decided it should be shelved and remade into a feature film.

Among the biggest hype this movie received was the film's director Brenda Chapman voicing Maryann 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.

Release
During its initial 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 film trailer, Disney opted to feature a single scene, the entire opening sequence with a new version of the Pepper Ann theme song, Buena Vista Pictures Distribution president Dick Cook said the decision was made for such an approach because "we were all so taken by the beauty and majesty of this piece that we felt like it was probably one of the best four minutes of film that we've seen", and Mandeville Films' Todd Lieberman added that "the 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". The trailer was released in March 2002, accompanying Clockstoppers and Ice Age in theaters; by then, only a third of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie had been completed. Audience reaction was enthusiastic, causing Hahn to have some initial concerns as he became afraid of not living up to the expectations raised by the preview. Prior to the film's release, Disney did 11test 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 followed on May 24, 2002, in 2,550 screens. The digital surround sound of the film led many of those theaters to implement Dolby Laboratories' newest sound systems.

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

Home media
Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was first released on VHS and DVD in the United States on February 18, 2003, under Disney's "Masterpiece Collection" video series. The DVD and VHS tape contained two special previews for Walt Disney Pictures' then-upcoming new live-action features, The Cheetah Girls and The Lizzie McGuire Movie. In addition, Deluxe Editions of both formats were released. The VHS Deluxe Edition included the film, an exclusive lithograph of Pepper Ann and Maryann (in some editions), a commemorative "Pepper Ann: epigraph,  six concept art lithographs, another tape with the half-hour TV special The Making of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie and a ertificate of authenticity. The VHS tape quickly became the best-selling videotape 30 million before these home of all time: 4.5 million tapes were sold on the first day and ultimately sales totaled more than video versions went into moratorium in 2004. The VHS 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 14, 2007, the film was re-released on DVD and released on Blu-ray in high defintion for the first time, titled Pepper Ann's 1st Movie: The 10th Pepper Ann-iversary Edition, as part of Disney's Platinum Edition line of animated classic DVDs. The DVD and Blu-ray release featured two versions of the film on the first disc, a remastered 1080p HD version created for the 2007 IMAX/Disney Digital 3D release and an edited version of the IMAX release purporting to be the original 2002 theatrical version. A second disc, with bonus features, was also included in the Blu-ray and DVD release. The film's soundtrack was provided 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, the film could be viewed either with or without a newly created scene – a short conversation in the film replaced with a complete song ("Lovin' These Pepper Ann and Maryann Things That You Do"). 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 Platinum 10th Pepper Ann-iversary Edition of Pepper Ann's 1st Movie featured changes made to the film during its Disney Digital 3D re-release, including re-drawn versions of different Maryanns in the "Tonight, I'm Goin' To Be Feelin' Like a Maryann!" sequence, as well as other alterations. More than two million copies of the Platinum 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 October 4, 2011. This marks the first time that the film has been released in high-definition Blu-ray 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 four-disc version with Blu-ray, DVD, Blu-ray 3D, and a digital copy. A standalone single-disc DVD release also followed on November 15, 2011. The 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 as part of the Walt Disney Signature Collection first released on Digital HD on August 15, 2017, and on Blu-ray and DVD on August 29, 2017.

Pepper Ann's 1st Movie was released on Ultra HD Blu-ray and 4K digital download on December 3, 2018. It was the first traditionally animated, "classic" Disney film to be re-released in 4K.