A Critter's Life

A Critter's Life is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment.

It is directed by Chris Renaud and co-directed by Yarrow Cheney and written by Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio.

The film is about a determined rat who hires failed circus critters to save his family from hungry wolves.

Plot
Rat Island is a gang of rats led by the King and her daughter, Princess Emma. Every season, they are forced to give food to a gang of marauding grey wolves led by Timber.

One day, when Tan, an individualist and would-be inventor, inadvertently knocks the offering into a stream with his latest invention, a grain harvesting device, Timber demands twice as much food as compensation.

When Tan suggests in earnest that they seek help from other stronger critters, the other rats see it as an opportunity to remove him and send him off.

Meanwhile, the naïve Tan mistakes a troupe of Circus Animals who were recently dismissed by their greedy ringmaster, Lemmy Lemur, for the warrior animals he seeks.

The Animals, in turn, mistake Tan for a talent agent and accept his offer to travel with him back to Rat Island.

During a welcome ceremony upon their arrival, the Circus Animals and Tan both discover their mutual misunderstandings.

The Circus Animals attempt to leave but are attacked by a 900 Pound American Grizzly bear; while fleeing, they save Shell, Emma's younger sister, gaining the rats' respect in the process.

At Dan's request, they continue the ruse of being "warriors" so the troupe can continue to enjoy the hospitality of the rats.

Hearing that Timber and his pack fears bears inspires Tan to create a false bear to scare away the wolves.

Meanwhile at the wolves' cave, Timber tells his gang how greatly the rats outnumber them and worries that they will eventually rebel against them.

The rats finish constructing the fake bear, but during a celebration, Lemmy Lemur arrives searching for his troupe and inadvertently exposes their ruse.

Outraged by Tan's deception, the rats exile him and desperately gather food for a new offering to the wolves.

However, when Timber returns to discover the mediocre offering, he takes over the island and demands the rats' winter food supply, planning to assassinate the King afterwards.

Overhearing the plan, Shell has Tan and the Circus Animals return to Ant Island.

After rescuing the King, Tan launches the bear; it initially fools the Wolves, but Lemmy Lemur, also mistaking it for a real bear, burns it, exposing it as a decoy.

Timber beats Tan in retaliation and says that the rats are lowly life forms who live to serve the wolves.

However, Tan responds that Timber actually fears the colony, inspiring the rats and the Circus Animals to fight back against the wolves.

The rats attempt to force Timber out of Rat Island, but it suddenly begins to rain. In the ensuing chaos, Timber kidnaps Tan and flees.

After the Circus Animals fail to catch them, Emma rescues Tan.

As Timber pursues them, Tan lures him to the cave of the Bear he encountered earlier.

Thinking that the bear is another decoy, Timber taunts it before discovering it is real, and is captured and eaten alive saying his last words: Mummy!

Sometime later, Tan has improved his inventions and the quality of life for Rat Island, and Emma professes her love for him.

Emma and Shell respectively become the new queen and princess.

The rats congratulate Tan as a hero and bid a fond farewell to the circus troupe, who promise to return in the future.

In a mid-credit scene, Timber's pack is exhausted and thirsty and agrees to have water.

Cast

 * Matthew McConaughey as Tan, a grayish blue rat who always mess things up, in the end becomes a hero.
 * Jack Black as Timber, the Alpha and Leader of the wolf pack.
 * Charlize Theron as Princess Emma, the soon-to-be queen of the colony.
 * Jessica DiCiocco as Shell, Princess Emma's younger sister and initially Tan's only friend in the ant colony.
 * Sam Elliot as The King, the leader of the rat colony.
 * Ashton Kutcher as Gem, Timber's dim-witted younger brother.
 * William Dafoe as Buck, a gray squirrel and Candy's friend.
 * Steve Coogan as Candy, a German-accented groundhog who wants a friend.
 * Steve Buscemi as Rickis, a North American Porcupine which is mistaken as a female.
 * Dana Carvey as Diego, a Striped skunk and magician in Lemmy Lemur's circus.
 * Jennifer Tilly as Jewel, a Opossum and is Diego's beautiful wife and assistant.
 * Danny Mann as Hide and Seek, twin moles from French.
 * Scarlett Johansson as Abie, a red squirrel and Rimmy's tamer.
 * Peter Dinklage as Rimmy, a falcon who plays the "Angry Mob" In Lemmy Lemur's circus.
 * Stanley Tucci as Lemmy Lemur, a Sahamalaza sportive lemur and the owner of the circus.
 * Carol Mr. Kott as Mr. Wail Mr. Soil, the lead thespian. This was Mr. Kott's first role.

Trivia
Mathew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson previously co-starred in Sing

Scarlett Johansson and Peter Dinklage previously co-starred in Rainmaker Entertainment's Amazon's Most Wanted

Charlize Theron and Matthew McConaughey previously co-starred in Kubo and the Two Strings.