Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie (2001)

Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie is a live action/animated film based on the Canadian children's television series Maggie and the Ferocious Beast. The film was released in Canada on August 3, 2001 and in the United States on September 7, 2001.

The plot of the film follows Maggie (played by Kristen Bone) as she tries to find a way to get her friends Hamilton (played by Michael Caruana) and Beast (voiced by Stephen Ouimette) back together after they have a fight. Along the way, she must deal with her own problems, including trying to make new friends at school and dealing with her parents' divorce.

The movie was directed by Betty Paraskevas and written by Michael Paraskevas. It features songs performed by Raffi Cavoukian, Deborah Cox, Barenaked Ladies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Our Lady Peace, Prozzäk and Sarah McLachlan.

Plot:
Maggie (Kristen Bone) is a redheaded 5-year-old girl (who later turns 6 years old) and the human protagonist of the show. She is Hamilton's and Beast's best friend. They both look up to Maggie very much and always turn to her for advice. Maggie is the leader of the group and is always there to be the compassionate voice of reason to her dear friends.

The Ferocious Beast (voiced by Stephen Ouimette) appears ferocious, but is actually gentle and kind. He is a yellow dog-centaur (half-bear, half-pig, half-elephant and half-cow), with big red removable spots, and a human's head with three horns. He often wears multi-coloured galoshes which he pronounces as "Goo-lashes". His favourite catchphrase is "Great googly moogly!". Beast loves pretty much any kind of food, especially Hamilton's cooking, and is almost always hungry. He even loves baths. Maggie and Hamilton are his best friends. Hamilton often corrects his pronunciation, but he does not believe him.

Hamilton Hocks (played by Michael Caruana) is a pig who can be bossy and quite fussy, but he does have a warm heart. He lives inside a portable cardboard box which he loves, is the best cook in Nowhere Land, and is a total clean freak. Hamilton's most prized possessions are his beautiful "H" sweater and his cardboard box, which also happens to be his home. Maggie and the Beast are his best friends. His catchphrase is "Hoo-wee!".

Rudy (voiced by John McGrath) is a cheese-loving mouse who lives in a large wheel of cheese in a part of Nowhere Land called Cheese Town. It is revealed in one episode that Rudy's hat and boots do not come off because they are glued to him. Strangely enough, this character started off with the name Pippy but was renamed by the writers soon after.

Nedley (voiced by Dwayne Hill) is a white jackrabbit who speaks in rhymes. He says rhymes almost all through every episode that he appears in, but sometimes he talks normally a little bit before starting his rhyme again. Nedley lives in a rabbit hole next to his carrot patch in Nowhere Land.

The Moo Sisters (Mavis voiced by Tamara Bernier): They are the three cows who live in a part of Nowhere Land called Mooville. They all love to sing and do it very often. They are sisters and their names are Millicent, Mavis and Marge.

Distributed:
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

Soundtrack:
The film's soundtrack was released on August 7, 2001, by Nickelodeon Music. It features songs performed by Raffi Cavoukian, Deborah Cox, Barenaked Ladies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Our Lady Peace, Prozzäk and Sarah McLachlan.

Animation:
The film's animation was provided by CinéGroupe.

Trailers:
The film's trailer was attached to Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

Development:
The idea for the film came about when Nickelodeon asked the Paraskevases if they would be interested in making a feature-length Maggie and the Ferocious Beast movie. Betty Paraskevas said that she and her husband "jumped at the chance".

Writing:
The script for the film was written by Michael Paraskevas.

Casting:
The cast of the film includes Kristen Bone as Maggie, Michael Caruana as Hamilton, Stephen Ouimette as Beast, John McGrath as Rudy, Dwayne Hill as Nedley and Tamara Bernier as Mavis.

Release:
The film was released in Canada on August 3, 2001, and in the United States on September 7, 2001.

Screening:
The film had its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 24, 2001.

Home media:
The film was released on VHS and DVD on March 12, 2002.

Box office:
The film grossed $1,764,854 in the United States and Canada.

Accolades:
The film won the Genie Award for Best Animated Short or Mid-Length Film at the 22nd Genie Awards.

Visual effects:
The film's visual effects were provided by CinéGroupe.

Trivia:
* This is the first and only Maggie and the Ferocious Beast project to be animated by CinéGroupe.

* This is the first and only Maggie and the Ferocious Beast project to be released in theaters.

* The film's working title was Maggie and the Ferocious Beast: The Movie.

* The film was originally going to be released in 2000, but it was pushed back to 2001.

* The film's budget was $5 million.

* Raffi Cavoukian, Deborah Cox, Barenaked Ladies, Chantal Kreviazuk, Our Lady Peace, Prozzäk and Sarah McLachlan all contributed songs to the film's soundtrack.

* The film's trailer was attached to Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.

* The film had its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival on August 24, 2001.

* The film won the Genie Award for Best Animated Short or Mid-Length Film at the 22nd Genie Awards.

* The film's visual effects were provided by CinéGroupe.