Down (film)

Down would be a 2028 American animated fantasy adventure musical film directed by Byron Howard from a script by Howard and Victoria Strouse, and produced by Osnat Shurer. Produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, the film would star the voices of Glenn Close, Lauren Potter, and J.K. Simmons. The film's score would be composed by Danny Elfman, who would also co-write songs for the film alongside Cormac Neeson.

Development on the film would begin in mid- 2025, with Howard set to write and direct a film centered on a character with Down syndrome. Strousse would join the film as a co-screenwriter in late-2025. Close, Potter, and Simmons would join the film's cast in early 2026. Howard and Strousse would consult with several therapysts and psychologists in order to depict an accurate depiction of Down syndrome in the film, as well as to study how families live with people with Down syndrome.

Down would be released in November 22, 2018, and would become a critical and commercial success, with critics praising the film's depiction of people with Down syndrome, writing, direction, voice acting (particularly Close and Potter's), themes, emotional weight, heart, songs, score, visuals, and animation. The film would earn 1.3 billion dollars at the worldwide box office over a budget of 130 million dollars, becoming the third hightest-grossing animated film of all time. The film would earn three Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature, Best Original Score, and Best Original Song, as well as a Golden Golbe nomination for Best Film.

Synopsis
In a distant future, where the most advanced technology and the medieval era are combined, there's a queen named Helen, who became the mother of a beautiful princess named Elizabeth. While initially caring for Elizabeth, Helen's relationship with her, as well as her faith in her abilities as a queen, falter with the years, as it turns out Elizabeth has Down syndrome, and thus, has a very childlike behavior. Hoping to "cure" Elizabeth of her syndrome, Helen chooses to take bothe her and herself in a journey to find a mysterious sphere that can grant one wish. While traveling and fighting a warlord named Rage, Helen slowly begins to understand how Elizabeth sees the world, and begins to reconsider whether what she wants to do is right.

Voice cast
Additionally, Alan Tudyk would voice the Captain of the Soldiers, while Nikita Futterman would provide the voice of The Sphere. Corey Burton would voice the King, Helen's late husband and Elizabeth's deceased father.
 * Glenn Close as Queen Helen, the queen of a futuristic land who, seeing her daughter's Down syndrome as a "sickness", tries to find an sphere in order to "cure" her of that syndrome. According to director Byron Howard, Close would be cast due to her work as Kala in Disney's Tarzan (1999), which proved that "she can deliver a heartfelt mother", througth she would also "put a more strict and not-understanding spuin to that performance, that slowly evolves".
 * Lauren Potter as Princess Elizabeth, a princess with Down syndrome, who helps her mother find a wish-granting sphere, unaware of what her mother plans to do with it. According to Howard, Potter would be cast in the role due to her actually having Down sydrome, which he would say "not only prevents controversy, but allows the actress to understand completly the character because she already sees the world the way her character does". In additon to voicing the character, Potter would serve as a consultant on the character's potrayal"
 * J.K. Simmons as Rage, a power-hungry warlord who wants to use the sphere to become unstopabble. Simmons would describe him as "a guy who attacks on two fronts: the body and the heart". According to Howard, the character would be created "mostly to have a third act"

Music
Danny Elfman would compose the film's score. Elfman would describe the score as "something purerly emotional". Elfman would compose a theme for Queen Helen that requires both a vocal chorus and only a few instruments in order to "potray both her close-minded and caring sides". Elfman would compose a "playful" theme for Princess Elizabeth in order to "catch her child-like personality". Elfamn would also write "very threatening" theme for Rage.

Elfman and Cormac Neeson would write several songs for the film, which would be performed by the film's cast. Neeson would be hired to write the songs' lyrcs by director Byron Howard due to Neeson being the father of a chil with Down syndrome, an experience Howard would feel it "can help the songs to have a deeper emotional impact than what even the most experienced lyricist can gave them". Neeson would say that "while the lyrics do have a lot of emotional depth, it is the music what helps the songs to have a true Disney feel".

Reception
On Rotten Tomaotes, the film would have an approval rating of 99%, with an average rating of 9.3/10, based on 250 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read, "Very thougth-provoking an very emotional, Down 's timely themes are supported by a timeless story, A-level vocal performances, an explendid soundtrack, strong writing, and a beautiful animation, creating an experience that parents must watch and enjoy alongside their children". On Metacritic, the film would have a weighted rating of 90 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".

Trivia

 * This would be Disney's first non-Pixar animated film to star a mentally impaired character.
 * This would be J.K. Simmons' second Disney film, after Zootopia (2016).