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: 次の物語 ) is a 2016 computer-animated science fantasy adventure 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 Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, and produced by Ethan Reiff, Cyrus Voris, and Vernon, with a screenplay and original story by Matt Lieberman, Jared Stern, and Joe Ballarini. The film stars Dawn M. Bennett, Andi Sina, Aimee Smith, Ashlyn Selich and Sean Chiplock, who reprised their roles from the game. It also stars newcomers John Hurt, Daniel Radcliffe, Ken Jeong, Taika Waititi, Claire Corlett, and Michelle Creber.

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 when it was acquired by Entertainment One. The film’s animation was mainly provided by Nitrogen Studios, with Top Draw Animation and Boulder Media providing additional animation.

Freedom Planet was released theatrically in the United States by Lionsgate and Entertainment One in Canada. It was released in theaters in China, South Korea, and Japan on June 17, 2016, and then in the United States on July 1, 2016. The film received praise for its animation, performances, female representation, and some faithfulness to the game, but also received criticism for its screenplay and pacing. It grossed $150.1 million worldwide on a $40 million budget, making it a box-office success, along with being Lionsgate's highest-grossing feature-animated film to date. 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 eradicate its living creatures and turn it into their base. 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, along with two newcomers 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?"

-Lionsgate

Plot
After saving and stopping a runaway train from going over a broken bridge, Team Lilac, which consists of water dragon Sash Lilac (Dawn M. Bennett), wildcat Carol Tea (Andi Sina), and basset hound Milla Basset (Aimee Smith), celebrate their victory by seeing a panda named Neera Li (Ashlyn Selich) at a bar in Shang Tu. A news broadcast at the bar explains the rumors of an all-out invasion commanded by Lord Kuro (John Hurt) coming to attack the planet Avalice.

Later, at around midnight, Neera spots a black dot in the sky, noticing it is a spaceship and calls Team Lilac immediately. They then devise a plan to prevent the attack from happening. One of them is hiring two recruiters named Lei (Claire Corlett) and Ai (Michelle Creber). Lilac then finds out that Spade (Sean Chiplock), a panda who is Team Lilac's rival, is helping them out for the mission, with Spade saying "this is only for one time."

To get to know them more, Lilac, Carol, and Milla visit Lei and Ai's house, which are inhabited by Lei's parents Mr. and Mrs. Ember (Ian James Corlett and Nicole Oliver), and May (Madeleine Peters), Lei's playful little sister. Lilac, Carol, and Milla leave the house to get themselves ready for tomorrow. Meanwhile, Lord Kuro and his three assistants, Yoru (Daniel Radcliffe), Hoshi (Ken Jeong), and Eirian (Taika Waititi), devise a plan on how to destroy Avalice once and for all.

The next day, General Gong (Jason Lord), the General of Shang Tu's army, remind Lilac, Carol, Milla, Neera, Spade, Lei, and Ai that they will be transported to the launch site. At the same time, Prince Dail of Shuigang (Chiplock) and Mayor Zao of Shang Mu (Alejandro Saab) visit Shang Tu to attend a meeting hosted by the Royal Magister (Edwyn Tiong). The meeting involves Lord Kuro, along with saying they've done their best to contain the situation to the best of their ability. However, the meeting is interrupted when a pod from Lord Kuro's ship crashes into the tower.

At the launch site, everyone in Avalice gather around to witness the group's descent into outer space, including the Embers, who are surprised to see Lei among those selected, as the launch is being broadcasted throughout Avalice. After a short 30 second countdown, the ship finally blasts off into space. Meanwhile, the Royal Magister, Dail, and Zao look for supplies to keep everyone and themselves safe underground should the worst come to pass.

The ship finally reaches Lord Kuro's spaceship, where they attempt to infiltrate it in order to destroy it. However, it was more complicated than expected, when alien henchmen spot Lilac, Carol, Milla, Lei, and Ai breaking in, and begin attacking them. Yoru, Hoshi, and Eirian catch wind of this and also attack them. Carol, Lei, Ai, and Milla attempt to retreat, but Lilac stays behind, causing the rest of the mission to be in jeopardy. Realizing they're all outnumbered, Lilac finally comes with Carol and Milla, while Neera and Spade head back to their ship, only for them to be detached from Kuro's ship. Lei nearly drifts off into space after a piece of debris hits her, but is saved by Milla at the last second. The five manage to get on the ship, though it crash lands into another planet after being hit by one of the laser beams from one of the ships. Fortunately, the planet is habitable.

Carol tells off Lilac for not helping her friends and just keep on going, while asking her what happened to "friends stick together". Lilac rebels back by saying the fate of Avalice is in their hands, and that they can't just back down, or else the planet would've died out. However, as their argument goes out of hand, Lilac shoves Carol to the ground. Feeling guilty for what she's done, Lilac tries to apologize to Carol, but Carol walks away without answering, along with Milla, Neera, Spade, Lei, and Ai. Lilac breaks down in tears for putting the danger first before her friends, while she and Carol sing to themselves how sympathetic they are to each other. Then, Lilac hears a cry in the distance, so she goes out to investigate. She finds Hoshi, who is disguised to be hurt. When Lilac goes to check on him, he gives the signal, where Yoru, Eirian, and Lord Kuro appear out of the bushes. They all capture Lilac and take her to the ship.

Meanwhile, Carol and the others spot a town in the distance. As they enter, they notice everyone to be aliens. Then, without any warning, one of the aliens surprise them, who is revealed to be Torque (Patrick M. Seymour).

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.
 * Aimee 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 for the space mission.
 * Dail, Spade's brother; also the Prince of Shuigang.
 * Michelle Creber as Ai Frost, a white/baby-blue fox and is the best friend of Lei. She lives with Lei in her house.
 * Claire Corlett as Lei Ember, a red panda and is the best friend of Ai. She has astrophobia, a fear of space, but overcomes it.
 * John Hurt as Lord Kuro, the main antagonist of the film, who is an alien overlord.
 * Daniel Radcliffe as Yoru, one of three assistants of Lord Kuro.
 * Ken Jeong as Hoshi, the second assistant of Lord Kuro.
 * Taika Waititi as Eirian, the third assistant of Lord Kuro.
 * Patrick M. Seymour as Torque, an alien whom Lilac, Carol, and Milla met in Freedom Planet (2014).
 * Alex Hirsch as Klaatu, a friend of Torque.
 * Alejandro Saab as Mayor Zao, the mayor of Shang Mu.
 * Edwyn Tiong as the Royal Magister, the former ruler of Shang Tu.
 * Jason Lord as:
 * General Gong, the General of the Shang Tu army.
 * Serpentine, a viper who was once Lord Brevon's mercenary.
 * Xander Barrigas as Arktivus Brevon, the original antagonist of Freedom Planet (2014). He appears as a hologram.
 * Victoria Vitti as Syntax.
 * Madeleine Peters as May Ember, Lei's little sister.
 * Ian James Corlett as Mr. Ember, Lei's father.
 * Nicole Oliver as Mrs. Ember, Lei's mother.
 * Tara Strong as Lupa, a news reporter of the Tri-Kingdom Network.
 * Sandra Oh as Sam, a fox soldier; cameo.
 * Kirby Morrow as Mitt, an assistant of Mayor Zao.
 * John Hasler as Shiro, Dail's assistant.
 * Joseph May as Lóng, the Royal Magister's assistant.
 * Brian Drummond as the newsroom reporter.
 * Lukas Forchhammer as the featured singer.
 * John de Lancie as the Narrator.
 * Additional voices:
 * Michael Adamthwaite
 * Iris Apatow
 * Ashleigh Ball
 * Kathleen Barr
 * Ashly Burch
 * Shannon Chan-Kent
 * Brian Dobson
 * Michael Dobson
 * Paul Dobson
 * Kazumi Evans
 * Erin Fitzgerald
 * Andrew Francis
 * Andrea Libman
 * Erin Mathews
 * Britt McKillip
 * Brent Miller
 * Peter New
 * Kelly Sheridan
 * Rebecca Shoichet
 * Tabitha St. Germain
 * Fred Tatasciore
 * Greg Tiernan
 * Vincent Tong
 * Conrad Vernon
 * Sam Vincent
 * Cathy Weseluck
 * Diamond White

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 August 2014, GalaxyTrail released on Twitter a snippet of what would be the script used for the film.

On September 15, 2014, it was announced that the film was greenlit by Entertainment One and is in development, with the working title of the film being Planet 9. It was announced that Lieberman, along with Jared Stern and Joe Ballarini, would write the script, while DiDuro would executive produce the film. Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris, who were best known for the Kung Fu Panda franchise, were attached to the project as producers. It was also confirmed that the film's animation would be provided by Canadian animation company Nitrogen Studios, best known for their work on the British television series Thomas & Friends, with directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan set to direct the film. Despite planning for a theatrical release, no distribution company had acquired the rights to distribute the film to theaters until next month.

On October 7, 2014, it was announced that Lionsgate had acquired the distribution rights to the film, with an unspecified release date of somewhere around mid 2016.

The film officially wrapped production on April 8, 2016.

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 the same day as the film's announcement, it was announced by DiDuro that most of the cast from the game would reprise their roles for the film, with the additions of new cast members such as Daniel Radcliffe, John Hurt, and Taika Waititi. On September 24, it was announced that Michelle Creber and Claire Corlett joined the cast. Ken Jeong was cast to the film on October 6. On October 18, it was announced that the film will have a narrator, like in the game, with John de Lancie signing up for the role. Sandra Oh was confirmed to make a cameo appearance in the film.

According to producer Conrad Vernon, it was revealed that numerous actors had auditioned for the role of Lord Kuro before John Hurt got the role, which included: Robert De Niro, Liev Schreiber, and Keith David.

Animation
Animation began in February 2015 and ended in January 2016. To give the film an anime-esque style, Nitrogen took notes from anime such as Pokémon, Danganronpa: The Animation, and many others to get inspiration. According to film director Greg Tiernan in an interview, he stated that it took the animation team around forty hours a week to render each scene, making it a challenge for the animation company. Unlike the game, the animation of the entire film was done through CGI animation, though the end credits and some of the musical sequences would still maintain the original 2D animation. Giant Ant Media animated the opening and ending titles for the film. Additional animation was also done by Top Draw Animation and Boulder Media.

Music
On January 25, 2016, it was announced that composers Daniel Ingram and William Anderson were set to compose the score of the film. A few original songs were made for the film as well, which include: "Best Friends Forever", "All to Ourselves", and "I'm Sorry". Danish pop band Lukas Graham also contributed an original song called "Speed of Light", which was released on May 16, 2016.

Other songs such as "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham!, "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, "Let's Rock" by Qulinez, and "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night appear in the film. The songs "Butterflies & Hurricanes" by Muse, "Livin' Thing" by Electric Light Orchestra, 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 August 12, 2016. It was then delayed to September 16, 2016, but was delayed indefinitely. In October 2015, it was announced that the film’s release date was pushed up to July 1, 2016. It was released in East Asia three days later, before being released in the U.S. a week later.

Home media
Lionsgate Home Entertainment released the film on digital on August 9, 2016, and then on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 13, 2016. 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 made its official American television premiere on Disney Channel on October 15, 2017.

Marketing
In December 2015, the film's teaser trailer was released online by the official Lionsgate YouTube channel. On February 7, 2016, the film's official trailer made its debut on the YouTube channel as well. The second trailer was then released on April 5, 2016. Meanwhile, its final official trailer was released on June 2, 2016. A rough cut preview of the film was shown during the 2016 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, with the presenters being directors Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan.

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

Spin Master merchandise
Canadian toy company Spin Master announced to manufacture toys and other merchandise based on the film.

Promotional partners
Lionsgate spent over $80 million for advertisement purposes. Promotional partners included companies such as McDonald's, [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_Inc. Visa], Samsung, Toyota, DirecTV, and Turkish Airlines.

Box office
In the United States and Canada, the film grossed $90.1 million in the United States and Canada and grossed $60 million worldwide, for a total of $150.1 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 187 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.

Possible sequel
A sequel had been in development since January 2017, but due to Cinesite's purchase of Nitrogen Studios on March 7, 2017, the company responsible for the animation of its predecessor, there was no indication of whether or not it had been halted or canceled, putting it on limbo.

Taglines

 * "Even the small ones can do the big ones." -Main tagline
 * "From the director of Madagascar 3, the makers of Kung Fu Panda, and the studio behind Thomas & Friends." -Secondary tagline
 * "Water you wading for? Come see!" -Lilac's poster
 * "Wild and free!" -Carol's poster
 * "Howlin' to theaters!" -Milla's poster
 * "Freeze! This is an advertisement to see this movie!" -Neera's poster