Pretty Blood (2023 film)

"It's time for a little fun..."

- Poster tagline

Pretty Blood (also known as Pretty Blood: The Suffering of Cute Stuff) is a 2023 adult animated psycholgoical horror thriller film directed by LittleCuteCorpse and produced by Gabe Frost, Peter Safran, and James Wan. It is based on the web series of the same name. It stars Kimiko Glenn, Bella Ramsey, Alex Hirsch, Kate Micucci, Jenny Slate, Roger Craig Smith, and Awkwafina in voice roles, while Morgan Freeman and James Franco star in live-action roles.

Pretty Blood premiered at the Regency Village Theatre on November 20, 2023 and released theatrically on December 1, 2023 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics, who praised its atmosphere, performances, animation, and music. It grossed $170.4 million worldwide on a $10 million budget.

Premise
"Humans have come in contact with a new universe called the 'Malino world'. In response, a company called 'Pretty Blood' was formed, as a way for the global economy to rise through the pain and suffering of the creatures. However, one Malino has other plans."

-Warner Bros. Pictures

Live-action cast

 * Morgan Freeman as General Altha.
 * James Franco as Sadny Bin.
 * Jesse Eisenberg as Lance.

Voice cast

 * Kimiko Glenn as Rinny, a bear Malino. She is a sadistic serial killer.
 * Bella Ramsey as Elma, a bat Malino. She is one of Rinny's victims.
 * Alex Hirsch as Bloon, a rabbit Malino. He is one of Rinny's victims.
 * Kate Micucci as Copper, a hybrid Pika Malino. He is one of Rinny's victims.
 * Jenny Slate as Carl, a rabbit Malino. She is one of Rinny's victims.
 * Roger Craig Smith as Eluca, a porcupine Malino.
 * Awkwafina as Ron.
 * Tara Strong as Lilly.
 * Kai Zen as Nappy.

Development
Producer Gabe Frost discovered the series Pretty Blood through YouTube in December 2021. Having an interest in creating a film adaptation for the series, he sent a letter to creator LittleCuteCorpse for a possible adaptation, to which she accepted. The script was pitched to Universal Pictures in January 2022, but was put on turnaround. In March 2022, New Line Cinema acquired the script from Universal. James Wan was announced as producer for the film through his Atomic Monster banner.

Casting
Some voice actors that joined the cast had little to no experience with the horror genre, but joined to give it a new start to their careers. Bella Ramsey and Jenny Slate were the first members to join the cast in April 2022. The next month, Kimiko Glenn and Awkwafina joined the cast. Roger Craig Smith, Kate Micucci, and Alex Hirsch were the last members to join the main voice cast.

In July 2022, it was announced that James Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Jesse Eisenberg joined the film in live-action roles.

Animation
Thai-based Igloo Studio provided the film's animation, with Toon City working overseas.

Music
Joseph Bishara composed the film's soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on December 7, 2023 by WaterTower Music.

Release
Warner Bros. Pictures released the film on December 1, 2023. It was originally scheduled for release on October 13, 2023, but was pushed back to December.

Home media
The film was released on digital download on February 6, 2024. It was then released on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on March 13, 2024.

Box office
Pretty Blood grossed $74.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $95.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $170.4 million.

Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 203 reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.08/10. The critical consensus reads: "Being one of the few animated horror films, Pretty Blood brings something new to the table with its inventive twists and scares." Metacritic confirms that 50 critics gave the film a Metascore of 71 out of 100, indicating: "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave the film a "C+" on an "A+ to F" scale.

Peter Travers of ABC News gave the film a 2.5 out of 4 stars, calling it "unique in its own way, but is like any other horror movie." IndieWire's Eric Kohn called the film an "animated masterpiece". Common Sense Media gave the film four out of five stars, and advised that it was suitable for audiences 17 years or older. Collider.com called the film "something that would come from A24, but isn't."