Enchantimals: The Movie (2024 film)

'''hi it's me uh violxtfaerie this is just made to meme a cringe fanfic i made in 5th-6th grade called enchantimals: the movie thats still on wattpad and somehow got thousands of views. it sucks btw. lmao. dont edit without asking pls and thank you.'''

Enchantimals: The Movie is an American animated children's fantasy film, produced by Mattel Films and based on the titular doll line manufactured by Mattel. Starting production in. 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it ended up being pushed back from its original release date of Spring 2022 to Spring 2024. The development of the film itself started in 2019 but was pushed to the side by Mattel to focus on other Enchantimals-related projects. The film ultimately was released to theaters on May 10, 2024, in North America, and a week later in other territories by Lionsgate. It received mixed reviews from critics, with the animation a la the Spiderverse series receiving praise, along with the voice acting and soundtrack, but was lambasted for its storytelling, script, and product placement. It bombed at the box office, grossing $89.8 million on a budget of $98.7 million and losing Mattel around $8.9 million.

Plot
In Everwilde, a crisis is spreading that's corrupting nature that is quickly noticed by Felicity Fox, Patter Peacock, Bree Bunny, Sage Skunk, and Danessa Deer as they see plants turn ill and black. After a short while, Sancha Squirrel, Saffi Swan, Zelena Zebra, Lorna Lamb, Winsley Wolf, Ohana Owl, Petya Pig, Bren Bear, and Preena Penguin notice too, and want to help them. The girls are met by Prue Panda, who has a better idea on how to save Everwilde as they head to a meadow. Prue reveals that since Everwilde is in danger, she chose them all to go to biomes throughout the world to collect gems to save it. Thought it must remain a secret. They head to Wonderwood, which they’re already in first.

In Wonderwood, they search for a gem and find it. Once that happens a whirlpool appears in the sky, turning it black and full of smoke as a flying ship comes out. The citizens of wonderwood panic and for their lives as the leader of the ship, Sheila Snake introduces herself and states that she’ll destroy Everwilde. She also wants the gems.

The girls evacuate everyone else and quickly head to other biomes that each get attacked by Sheila and her squad, including Junglewood, Grazy grasslands, Frozenwood, Wishing Waters, Raindrop Forest, and Paradise Plains. Paradise Plains is where Sage meets up with her cousin Sadie and gets the final gem. They all head to save Everwilde. Sheila poisons the lifeline of Everwilde, the Babbling Brook and everything turns dark and murky as it becomes decimated. The gems suddenly spin around in a circle with powerful magic as the girls float too, changing their outfits and granting them superpowers. The girls and Sheila fight, causing Sheila’s ship to tilt and eventually crash to the ground. The girls unleash a magic blast that causes it to crash to the ground, as everyone on the ship aborts with Sheila refusing to do so. She falls along with the ship and the corruption goes away. They proclaim that everwilde is saved as the gems combine and split back into gems for each of the girls. Sheila angrily gets out of the ship’s crash site and complains, and when asked why she tried to take over the world she answers with that she has no friends. She is instantly forgiven, as Sage’s other cousin Shane Skunk, who joined forces with Sheila due to crushing on her is mocked and sentenced to community service cause betrayal. Everyone celebrates by inviting Katy Kitty (basically Katy Perry) to a concert. The concert happens but it turns out Katy is working for Sheila and blasts a sonic boom of green energy that destroys everything at the concert, as a new ship arrives as Sheila and her followers attack once again and poisoning the whole world again. Felicity and the other girls are forced into the ship as it begins flying,

Inside the ship, Sheila attempts to steal their gems while explaining her evil plan and desire to destroy their crystals. The girls immediately started attacking, and Patter took the bag of crystals and took them to safety while telling Felicity to gain control of the ship. Felicity got control and flew north as Patter gave her directions. The sky was black, smoky and stormy with green lightning and it was hard to find a place to land. Felicity was directed to a mountain and signaled her friends on the ship to jump out. They all did. Felicity jumped last and steered the ship so it would sonic speed to the southern ground as she jumped. What happened to all the followers of Sheila’s fates as they crashed to the ground miles away is not ever addressed.

Inside the mountain, the girls use their crystals to power up. Sheila got a neon green diamond crystal and touched it as she arrived. When she does she looks like a walmart Medusa with a green diamond superglued onto her forehead. So she started blasting. The girls get in a circle using their crystals to shoot magical blast that destroyed the crystal on Sheila’s forehead, making a sonic boom. Sheila got encased in pure white crystal with a keyhole that said “May the dark spirit be locked up forever.” in Latin for no reason. The case was covered by flowers. Some of the magic formed a key to open the case but then it vanished so making it was pointless anyway Everwilde went back to normal and became more beautiful and everyone lived happily ever after the end.

Production
In late 2019, it was reported that Mattel Films started plans for a potential feature-length film based on one of their newer properties, that would use CGI animation and be distributed by Amazon Prime Studios. It was soon leaked on Twitter that the film would be for Enchantimals, one of their doll lines released in 2017. Other than the film having a potential release date of Spring 2022 on Amazon Prime Video, no more news about the project came out and it was assumed to be quietly canceled after it wasn't listed as part of Prime Video's 2022 movie slate.

More news about the movie would be released in early 2020 when it was announced that development on the project was paused in order to focus on the toy line. and that the film, given the simple title of Enchantimals: The Movie, was now officially in production, changed to be released theatrically on May 6, 2022, with Paramount Animation agreeing to animate the film and Lionsgate being in charge of distribrution. As the COVID-19 pandemic spread more and more, production slowed until the release date of May 6, 2022, was stated to be "a pipe dream" by a crew member who wished to remain private, with more issues occurring behind the scenes as some higher-ups desired a celebrity voice cast.

In December 2021, it was announced by Mattel Films in a Variety news article that the film's screenplay was, "undergoing revisions", due to undisclosed reasons. It was also reported that it originally was given a modest budget of $20 million that soon became higher, with the reasons as to why also not being revealed. Three months later rumors spread on Instagram that over half of the film's voiceover had to be rerecorded, and Paramount Animation left the project due to the crew's dissatisfaction with the style of the animation. As only a third of the film was animated, Enchantimals: The Movie, was in need of a new animation studio. Mattel Films tweeted that the movie "will unfortunately not hit theaters this spring." Though it was speculated that it was going to have its release date changed regardless, due to May 6 also being the release date of Doctor Strange In The Multiverse of Madness.

Updates on the film were stagnant until Sony Pictures Animation announced in June of that year that they had entered a formal agreement with Mattel Films and Lionsgate to take over the animation. The studio stated to the New York Times, "We're very grateful to be given this opportunity to animate Enchantimals in a way that reflects the vision of the creators, while not cutting corners on bringing the whimsical series to the big screen." and that they would reanimate the whole film from scratch, increasing the budget of the movie. More leaks, this time from the social media app TikTok, revealed that the screenplay was rewritten once again between January and May 2022. When asked what the film's new release date would be, a Mattel Films worker replied, "We're aiming for spring of next year or the one after, but we're avoiding a set deadline at the moment."

In July 2023, it was reported by Deadline that Enchantimals: The Movie was finally nearing completion, and that if production continued at the rate it was then it would be theatrically released in next year's spring. Those predictions were correct as Mattel Films publically announced that it had completely finished production in September and that the film was "in perfect shape to be released" in Spring 2024. The first promotional visuals were revealed along with the announcement.

Release
Enchantimals: The Movie, had its world premiere at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles, California on April 26, 2024. It was later released in North American theaters on May 10, 2024, and then a week later on May 17, 2024, in European countries by Lionsgate and its international division. Releases for other countries were in discussion and eventually made as it finished production, but were not given much consideration at first by Mattel Films due to the franchise having lower sales outside of the states and Europe. The film hit South American and Asian theaters on July 5.

Marketing
The teaser trailer for the film, along with the first real description of the plot, was posted to YouTube on December 31, 2023. It gained 12 million views on its first day of being on the platform, and soon gained 37.2 million views. The like count of the teaser was "admittedly below expectations." according to one of the people in charge of promotional assets, as it debuted to positive, albeit unenthusiastic reactions due to the plot displayed by the teaser being "underwhelming." with multiple users comparing it to My Little Pony: The Movie, another film based on a toy property targeted towards young girls. However, the animation received acclaim, with tons of people commending its softer, painterly art style.

Merchandise, including dolls, playsets, and miscellaneous items was rolled out to retail stores during January 2024, notably receiving much more promotion than the franchise has had prior. BusinessWire expressed fear that "the clearly high budget for a movie based on a lesser-known brand in Mattel's catalog may hinder its performance in the box office." and noted that the budget for the film as a whole has still not been disclosed. Meanwhile, Mattel stated that "In order to avoid spoilers, the extra plot-relevant merchandise will be on store shelves and sites weeks after Enchantimals: The Movie's theatrical release." Due to Paramount Animation leaving during production, the 10-minute sneak peek of the movie was posted to YouTube instead of aired on Nickelodeon, along with a longer trailer on February 8, 2024. The 10-minute preview, despite garnering 40 million views in a week, was met with even more lukewarm reception, with growing concerns of the film having a lacking narrative. Once again, the animation was praised.

On some social media platforms, mostly TikTok and Instagram, promotional material for Enchantimals: The Movie, was met with negative reception by many fans of Ever After High and Monster High.

Box Office
Enchantimals: The Movie grossed $65.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $24.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $89.8 million. It was one of the lowest-grossing films of 2024.

In the United States and Canada, Enchantimals: The Movie, was projected to gross $20-30 million from 3,762 theaters in its opening weekend, with some estimating it could debut to as high as $45 million due to the lack of family friendly films that month. The movie ended up going below expectations, making $11.8 million on its first day, including $1.3 million from Thursday night previews. it was then projected to gross $10-25 million. At the end of the weekend, it earned $33.2 million in North America. Business Insider noted that the high sales of the toys following the release could potentially make up for its underperformance, though it would be hard to know for sure considering the still unknown budget. In the following weeks, it grossed $20 million more, struggling due to newcomers IF and the Garfield Movie, before finishing its theatrical run in North America with a thinly spread out $12.5 million in early June, due to competition from Inside Out 2. It made the least amount of money on May 31, 2024, earning a meager $540,000 out of that earlier $20 million due to competition from The Peppa Pig Movie.

Overseas, Enchantimals: The Movie made $18.6 million in European countries over the rest of May and bleeding into June. Its final $6.1 million would come from its dubbed releases in Asian and South American theaters during early July, bringing its gross outside of North America to $24.1 million. The film would release dubs in African languages on streaming services also in July, while the film was made available on Australian streaming services the same month.

On May 18, it was revealed due to a data hack that the film had a budget of $98.7 million due to struggles during production, over $70 million more than its original budget. It's speculated to have lost Mattel Films $8.9 million and thus was considered a box office bomb. Business Insider, BusinessWire, and Variety among others cited the poor writing, mixed reviews, lack of mainstream brand popularity, strong competition, and problems behind the scenes as reasons for its undesirable performance.

Streaming
Enchantimals: The Movie, was released on streaming services outside of Africa and Australia on July 12, 2024. It was the sixth most streamed film across all platforms, and there was influx in merchandise sales in the weeks of being available to watch.

Critical Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 500 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "Despite its whimsical animation and charming, if run-of-the-mill characters, Enchantimals: The Movie is a cute feature-length commercial that fails to enchant." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a 30 out of 100, based on 63 critics, indicating "mostly negative reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of a C.

Igantiy Simon of the Hollywood Reporter gave the film a 2-star review, writing. “The animation is simply wonderful and the characters look adorable, but unfortunately the unremarkable story makes watching it feel like a joke.” And mentioned that most children who bought the tie-in toys have little interest in the film itself. Meanwhile, Antonia Gita of Thrillist gave a much harsher, 1-star review, ending it with. “If you’re looking for a film that’s nothing but poorly done sweetness and no substance, Enchantimals: The Movie fits the bill.” Tamara Koyode particularly criticized the product placement, saying in her Variety review that “them transforming with the crystals in the climax was clearly shoehorned in to sell the Wonderfully Wild doll line.” and felt that one of the characters was only created to be sold as a doll, as they only appeared for two minutes out of the film’s 95-minute runtime; Ruslan Balbus, in his Screen Rant review, gave the film a single star and called the writing “cringe-worthy.” insisting it was immature even for 2-year-olds, adding on that “it was a movie no one asked for.”

Adam Bernetta of IndieWire gave it a negative review, writing "Enchantimals: The Movie checks off all the boxes for a kid-friendly movie, but does little to make itself more than a lengthy advertisement." while Michelle Alexa of The Guardian also criticized the film. "It's a generic mishmash of overdone kids show elements with nothing to distinguish it from what's airing on Nick Jr these days, even the dialogue is lazy as hell. The script was said to be rewritten but it looks like everyone in the writers room was high when doing so." Aaliyah Tyfon posted her review on TheWrap, remarking that "It's a shame beautiful animation was wasted on such a disappointment." at the end of her review, she stated that the makers of the film were on too much "copium" for it to succeed.

The film was review bombed by many fans of Monster High and Ever After high, calling it a waste of time and “insulting,” to both franchises.

Future
In the data hack of Mattel Films, it was found that they had proposals for various sequels to Enchantimals: The Movie, such as Enchantimals: Nature Games, Enchantimals: Lost In New York, and Enchantimals: Story of Seasons, being in preliminary development since 2020. Only one of them if accepted would enter production, and if so would be released in Spring 2026. There were also plans for an animated series exclusive to either Netflix or Prime Video, continuing the film’s story, as in one cut of the film it had a cliffhanger that was scrapped months before being released in theaters. Since Enchantimals: The Movie, completed its theatrical run, Mattel Films has remained silent on whether or not any of the mentioned projects will be released. Deadline noted that the poor performance of the film may have caused them all to be quietly canceled.

in August 2024, it was reported that newly established media production company Phantasis Studios was in talks with Mattel Films to reboot Enchantimals: The Movie, though nothing was confirmed.