Pat & Mat (1989 film)

Pat & Mat is a 1989 American-Czechoslovak animated comedy buddy film based on the characters created by Lubomír Beneš and Vladimír Jiránek, it was produced and directed by Don Bluth and Phil Roman. It was released in United States on November 27, 1989 by Universal Pictures.

It was a first feature film to have two handymen named Pat and Mat, which is after the events of Karl Domova film about him and his painting talents named Karel Domova’s Tale: The Painting Adventures.

Synopsis
Pat has moved to a new house with his grandmother (Lucy) and a pet rabbit (Cuddles), he meets his friend named Mat. they are able to solve their imaginary problems to make people happy, but turns out that Marek’s mall is going bankruptcy. it’s up to Pat & Mat, as they may have to save the mall before the dogs come and get them.

Main cast

 * Tom Kenny as Pat, a handyman who wore a yellow turtleneck sweater, large jeans, blue beret, and black shoes.
 * Jim Cummings as Mat, a second handyman who wore a red turtleneck sweater, wider jeans, blue and white beanie, and black shoes. he is a neighbor, and friend of Pat.
 * June Foray as Lucy, a grandmother of Pat who wears blue dress, purple glasses, pink slippers, and a sapphire bracelets. she also wears shoes as she goes to town with Cuddles.
 * John Hurt as Cuddles, Pat’s oldest pet cream and white rabbit.
 * Paul Winchell as Marek Miler, a mall owner who is a friend of Pat and Mat.
 * Peter Sallis as Rex Bremé, a retired rich man who is friend to Karl Mirova.
 * Richard Kind as Karl Mirova, a former store manager who is a friend of Rex Bremé.
 * Ken Sansom as Karel Domova, a former painter who paints everything in the world, he is a friend to Pat and Mat.
 * Kath Soucie as Kathy Miler, Marek’s wife.
 * Jeff Bergman as Tomáš Eben, a world traveler who travels to Czechoslovakian states and worlds.
 * Dana Hill as Mrs. Merlot, a housekeeper who is a friend of Lucy.
 * Joey Lawrence as Vladimir Slonova, a missing little boy who gets lost.
 * Frank Welker as guard dogs, a main antagonist who chases Pat and Mat.

Additional cast

 * Paul Fusco as various
 * Carolyn Lawrence as various
 * Peter Cullen as various
 * Rob Paulsen as various

Development
In 1981, Chuck Jones has been working on the film based on the two handymen, he had been developing and storyboarding the film. he wanted to make a film about two handymen who could solve problems, but it was scrapped in 1984.

In 1986, Phil Roman and Don Bluth revived the project which is developed and storyboarded, it was filmed between 1987-1988. on January 30, 1989, the animators decided to repaint Mat’s shirt red after fall of communist regime.

Sequels
The first sequel Pat & Mat 2: Traffic Jam was released on March 27, 1992. the film was first stated before Tom and Jerry: The Movie.

The second sequel Pat & Mat 3: Adventure in London was released on July 25, 1997. it was a final film distributed by Polygram Filmed Entertainment before the distribution rights absorbed to Pathé in United Kingdom.

The third sequel based on the 1997 episode “In Space” was called Pat & Mat: Journey Into Space was released on February 28, 2003. it was a first film to feature Sandy B. Cuddly while the last and final film to feature Cuddles right after the final episode of the Australian television series.

The fourth sequel was released on February 25, 2005, and was called Pat & Mat: The Truck Problem. which it’s never been having a sequel until 2026.

In 2026, Shout! Studios has announced that the sixth Pat & Mat film will be released in 2026 about two handymen going to Australia for vacation.

Remakes
The film of the same name was released on March 1, 2009 in United States and United Kingdom, which is produced by Aardman Animations and PatMat Studio s.r.o.

The 2021 film was named Pat & Mat: The Movie which is released on July 31, 2021, it was a final Universal Studios animated film before Shout! Factory acquiring distribution rights to the franchise after its negative reviews on the 2021 film remake. it was banned in several countries while it was censored in Europe and Southeast Asia.

Television series adaptation
The show Pat & Mat was premiered in United Kingdom and Ireland on October 1, 2007, and was aired on Cartoon Network.

Release
The film was released on November 27, 1989 in United States, the said film was also released in Germany by Tobis on February 26, 1990. the official Dutch version was released on May 3, 1990, which starred with two Dutch voice actors.

In October 1990, the films were released in United Kingdom and Czech Republic.

Marketing
Teaser trailer was released on April 28, 1989, it was attached to 1988-1989 films in theaters. The official trailer was released on June 29, 1989, it was also attached to 1989 films in theaters.

The merchandises appears in local stores (such as plush, toys, puzzles, keepsakes, board games, etc.), the video game by SEGA was released in 1990 as it continued to release on some consoles and PCs. the storybook versions was released on June 4, 1990, along with “The art of” book.

Home media and streaming
The film was released on VHS on February 20, 1990 by Family Home Entertainment, and it was released on VHS in 1998 by same home video distributor. it was released on DVD on March 12, 2002 by both Universal Home Entertainment and Family Home Entertainment. DVD and Blu-ray version of the five films was released on July 28, 2009 by Universal Home Entertainment.

It was later streamed on Tubi on May 1, 2018, moreover the Shout! Factory distribution rights were acquired and streamed on December 1st (including, Shout! Factory TV, Freevee, Pluto TV, etc.).

Box office
Pat & Mat grossed $27 million in worldwide.

Reception
The film had received grade “A” according to TV spot of the said film, which the television series about reviews and interviews gave it thumbs up rewards.

The film has been shown “79%” ratings according to Rotten Tomatoes.