Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic (film)

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic is a 2023 2D-animated fantasy adventure comedy film serving as a sequel to the 2021 film Aster and the Accidental Magic. The film was directed by Paul King, who also directed the first film, and with a screenplay written by Jared Stern, Josh Appelbaum, and André Nemec. The film began development shortly after post-production of the first film had finished. Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and most other makers remained to produce the film.

Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic premiered in January 3, 2023 in New York City and was released theatrically in theatres across the United States by Warner Bros. Pictures. It also received positive reviews from critics like the first film, with many saying it was an improvement over its predecessor. It grossed $202 million worldwide on a $48 million budget, grossing less than its predecessor. Although widely discussed by the filmmakers, a third film is not in development.

Synopsis
"Ever since moving to the middle of nowhere has made Aster's life turned upside-down, but effectively admitting that she had fun adventures ever since. So she can finally have a rest now, right? Oh no, we're not done yet."

-Warner Bros. Pictures

Development
In December 2020, it was announced by Collider.com that New Line Cinema and StudioCanal were developing a sequel film based on Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic, and that it would be written by new writers such as Jared Stern. On March 14, 2021, Haley Tju revealed on her Instagram that she was in talks to reprise her role as Aster in the sequel, but hadn't decided yet.

Production began under the working title A2ter, with a scheduled release date of February 17, 2023. Media Rights Capital, who co-financed the first film, also co-financed the film, along with Rough Draft Studios animating the film. The film was later re-titled back to Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic.

Marketing & release
Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic was originally scheduled to release on February 17, 2023, before being pulled up to January 6, 2023.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, 83% of 184 critics were positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The critical consensus reads, "Much more physical comedy and action, Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic serves quite an impressive comeback than the first." Metacritic assigned an average score of 66 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave the film an "A-" on an "A+ to F" scale, an improvement over the "B+" score its predecessor got, while PostTrak gave the film a 4 out of 5, with 70% giving it a "definite recommend".

Future
Shortly after the release of Aster and the Mixed-Up Magic in January 2023, film producer Dan Lin discussed with Rolling Stone about a third film, saying: “A third film is not in development right now. But we’re not saying that it might not be possible, it’s just that we may need to wait for the third book to come out sometime soon. Either that or we can just write an original story, but it may not be well done.”