The Jumping Ground Movie

The Jumping Ground Movie is an 2016 3D traditionally-animated/computer-animated surreal action-adventure-science fiction-comedy film based on the Cartoon Network television series The Jumping Ground, directed by Josh Holt, and produced and co-written by series creators Lee Eisenhower and Conrad Vernon. It is an international co-production between Australia, Canada and the United States, and the third theatrical film based on a Cartoon Network series, the first was The Powerpuff Girls Movie and the second was Regular Show: The Movie.

The film was announced in September 2014, with further details being announced at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con International.

The Jumping Ground Movie was screened at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2016. It was released in the United States on July 15, 2016, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D, by Warner Bros. Pictures. As of August 28, 2024, the film has grossed over $1.2 billion worldwide, making it the current highest-grossing film of 2016, the 10th highest-grossing film of all time, the 2nd highest-grossing animated film, and the highest-grossing non-Disney animated film.

A sequel is currently in the works, set for a January 26, 2018 release.

Synopsis
SG-1, led by PuffPuff Humbert (voiced by Sean Astin), have been attacked by a powerful unstoppable wave of unknown aliens, who destroy the USS Odyssey, leaving them stranded on a new, Groundbridge-less planet, where they find themselves in conflict with a new ruthless enemy (voiced by Peter Dinklage), while finding a way to get off the planet.

Plot
PuffPuff Humbert and Lance Patrick are fined $5.6 million dollars by Stamford Gate GCC's commanding officer Peter Mandelson, for violating the Prime Directive by saving the planet Nibiru from a volcanic eruption and exposing Tau'ri weaponry to the primitive inhabitants. Upon hearing of Puff's fining by the National Executive Committee, Puff's father David tells his son that there is greatness in him, even if he is punished by Stamford Gate's staff regarding his heroic acts. After a one-week recess, Michigan State Senator and prominent Groundbridge government regulator Michael Finch pays a visit to Stamford Gate, and announces a summer-long voyage on the USS Odyssey, with one student being chosen to guide the mission. Puff, despite his fining, is handpicked by Finch to supervise the mission, in which nearly every student would be going on.

Puff, Lance, and any of their colleagues, including fellow group members Rob Broflovski, Zowie Hosker and Melvin Sneedly travel to the Jebidiah Pencaster Space Centre for the launching ceremony, with their families at the launch. Less than a few hours into the operation, the ship reaches the Skylab, where Space Monitor Paul Callaghan gives the team a task to deliver sacred goods to PC5-Y78. Six days into the voyage, Clyde Donovan detects a suspicious signal in front of the ship. A swarm of cybernetic aliens attacks the Odyssey, in which Puff gives the immediate order to abandon ship. The passengers escape the ship using escape pods, in which are bound towards an unauthorised planet on the 1989 Off-World Planets List.

As the crew evacuates, most of their escape pods are captured by the drone ships. Later, the crew escapes the pods, and soon find out that the Odyssey was destroyed in the process. As the team figures out what happened and where they are, Toad Sanderson borrows Rob's GPS to track their coordinates, but it can't determine where they are.

A swarm of drones then ambushes a majority of the group, leaving the others to explore onslaught. Puff Zowie, Lance, Rob, Melvin, Toad, Clyde, Tobias Wilson, Jimmy Swanson, Timmy Burch, Skipper and Dino-Rang are abducted and taken to the basecamp of Edward G. Rathcock, a corrupt military general who is strictly concerned about the activity of the Stamford Gate student body and has an alliance with the Goa'uld. He harshly confronts the kids, and threatens them on their past actions and warns them that there are consequences on them. As a fight between the kids and Rathcock ensues, Rathcock summons his group of minions: The Hellfire Club, consisting of Doug Duerson, Stink-Oh, Clobba, Spot, Grimer and Tussle Sprout. Toad falls in love with Spot, whilst Puff continues to plea with Rathcock to help him and his friends to return home. As Rathcock, unconvinced by Puff's remarks, orders the capture of the kids, they are rescued by an emerald warrior named Kyrah, who takes them to a nearby village, and explains to them what happened and why they are on the planet on the first place.

Meanwhile, Rathock is confronted by the Goa'uld ruler Shinnok, who questions the general on the kids' motifs, and introduces him to Draxoid. Draxoid orders Rathcock to be genetically enhanced, using Arkeyan fossil fuels. Shinnok then orders Draxoid and the Hellfire Club to annihilate the Stamford Gate student body with ease.

The kids later arrive at the village, and reluctantly accept it as their basecamp until they are rescued. Rob, however, is eager to check the village out more; he shoplifts from various stalls and shops, Much to Lance's disgust. Zowie asks whether the planet has any Groundbridges of any kind. Puff, having figured the whole situation out, says there are no Groundbridges, on the planet, codenamed PCY-009, as it has not been discovered by people visiting from Earth. They also learn that the enemy, Draxoid, is an Arkeyan, an evil race of aliens thought to have been destroyed several years ago.

Back on Earth, Stamford Gate receives an unclassified signal. Suddenly, Draxoid appears, and threateningly interrogates Mr. Mandelson and Dr. Janet Frasier on the student body's whereabouts and their intentions for sealing their purpose for victory. Draxoid then warns Mandelson and Frasier that if Puff and his friends do not return home within 140 hours, Earth, and many other planets in the galaxy, will be annihilated, one by one.

When Draxoid invades the village and threatens to start murdering the crew, an Arkeyan gives up a Kara Kesh, which is the final component of a bioweapon he intends to unleash on PCY-009.

The group and the Hellfire Club reach the surface, with Doug saying he lured the the group into a trap. They proceed to the saucer section of a Anubis-class warship, the Dreadyacht, where Puff is tricked into giving away the location of Draxoid's base. The drones attack, but Stink-Oh activates the main engines and the club escapes with the group on board by activating the saucer's manoeuvring thrusters, accidently killing Tussle Sprout, leaving Doug to blame Stink-Oh for his death.

Thanks to another student, Hoot Loop, The rest of the student body follows the others to the next basecamp, which Clyde, Tobias and Jimmy have set up. As Draxoid's fleet departs, Puff and Lance decide to explore the area a little bit more, whilst the others consult with Kyrah on how to move forward.

As Lance and Puff explore, they are spotted and cornered up by Arkeyan forces, but they are saved by Kyrah and the rest of the student body. Draxoid, however, flees along with Clobba and Grimer, with Kyrah, Lance and Puff following in close pursuit. They arrive at an Arkeyan hideout, and are ambushed by Clobba and Grimer, who chase them around the outpost until their rampage causes a wall to crush them.

They then reach another section of the outpost, where Draxoid confronts the trio, telling them that the Arkeyan army is winning against the fight back at the village. After Zowie is overpowered by Rathcock, The kids continue to hold him off until the point Spike Wachowski throws a nearby railgun towards Clyde, who kills Rathcock with it. Nevertheless, they are still outnumbered and Arkeyan droids prepare to kill them.

Puff, Lance and Kyrah fight Draxoid, but as he manages to hold off Lance and Kyrah, Draxoid telekinetically throws Puff towards a bottomless hole. Puff eventually dismisses his impending doom, leaps out of the pit, and steals Draxoid's sword, killing him with a single slash through the waist. Kyrah then helps Puff and Lance escape the hideout, and the three return to the village. where Lance's joy turns to sadness as he arrives to find Zowie dying. As Kyrah is unwilling to repay Lance for saving the kids' lives in that way, Rob arrives and farts in Zowie's mouth, resuscitating her, and reuniting her with Lance.

Hoot Loop then volunteers to get the student body home by creating a portal to Pencaster. Puff bids farewell to Kyrah, who states her intention of providing a sustainable life for other people on the planet. The kids then arrive home, and are reunited with their distraught families, whilst Doug, Spot, and Stink-Oh are arrested. Meanwhile, upon learning of the Arkeyans' downfall, Shinnok vows to resume his conquest for power.

As the students celebrate Puff's birthday, They receive an incoming wormhole, and get to work. Puff, Rob, Zowie, Lance and Melvin wait for the Groundbridge to open as their colleagues get preparations ready. After Mandelson wishes the team God-speed, Puff and his friends set off on their next mission.

Production
In December 2013, It was reported that Warner Bros. was in negotiations with the co-creators of the Cartoon Network series The Jumping Ground, Lee Eisenhower and Conrad Vernon for a feature film based on the show, co-written and produced by Eisenhower and Vernon, alongside Ryan Todd, Dan Lin, Chris McKay, and Mary Parent.

In September 2014, it was then announced that the film had already entered production under the title of The Jumping Ground Movie and Josh Holt came on board as the director.

Music
In October 2015, Michael Giacchino was hired to compose the film's score. In addition to his score, the film will re-use original sound-bytes from the show composed by Kevin MacLeod.

Release
On May 12, 2016, IMAX Corporation and Warner Bros. announced that The Jumping Ground Movie would be digitally re-mastered into the IMAX 3D format and released into IMAX theatres domestically. The film was released in 2D, RealD 3D, IMAX 3D and large-format screens in the United States on July 15, 2016, by Warner Bros. Pictures.

It was first released in Australia on June 29, two weeks and two days early before opening in the USA and other countries. For its UK release, Entertainment Film Distributors will distribute the film, whilst Constantin Film and Roadshow Films will release the film in Germany and Australia, respectively.

The film was screened outside of competition at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2016.

Marketing
The film's first teaser trailer debuted in front of Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation on July 31, 2015.

In September 2015, To help with the film's promotion, Jumping Ground Studios, the studio responsible for the Jumping Ground franchise's creation, made a deal with The Lego Group to make a series of Lego sets or Lego Dimensions packs, scheduled for a spring 2016 release.

A balloon-themed after Rob debuted at the 2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote the film.

A second trailer debuted on December 11, 2015, and was shown in front of screenings of In the Heart of the Sea. An extended version of that trailer was shown during March 2016 in front of screenings of Zootopia and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

A TV spot was shown during Super Bowl 50, on February 7, 2016.

Product placement partners on the film include McDonald's, 7-Eleven, AT&amp;T, Walmart, and M&amp;M's, as well as Premier League football club Arsenal F.C., satellite television network Sky, and train operating company Virgin Trains, in the United Kingdom.

A third trailer debuted in front of The Jungle Book, on April 15, 2016, before a fourth and final trailer debuted on May 20, 2016, shown in front of The Angry Birds Movie.

Box Office
The Hollywood Reporter placed the film among the biggest summer box office risks of 2016.

Internationally, The Jumping Ground Movie received a scattered release from the end of June to September in a total of 66 markets, and is set to face competitions from other animated films like Finding Dory, The Secret Life of Pets and Ice Age: Collision Course. It was released in Australia and France two weeks ahead of its U.S. release where it grossed $10.20 million in the two markets.

In the United States and Canada, the film, which opened along with Ghostbusters, was projected to gross around $120 million in its opening weekend, with some predictions going as high as $250 million. In the Canadian box office, it grossed a record 90.6 million on its debut on July 13, two days before its U.S. debut. On its opening night, it grossed 140.5 million. It grossed grossed 48.5 million on Saturday and 240.4 million on Sunday, coming first to Ghostbusters, The Secret Life of Pets and The Legend of Tarzan. On its third weekend, having grossed a total of $889.7 million domestically and adjusted for inflation, the film became the third to cross the 1-billion mark in 2016, after Zootopia and Captain America: Civil War, respectively. It grossed $56.4 million on it's fourth weekend, finally bringing its three-weekend run in the box office to an end when it was overtaken by Suicide Squad, which grossed a record $135.1 million domestically.

It is currently the highest-grossing film of 2016, the second highest-grossing animated film and the 10th highest-grossing film of all time, as well as the highest-grossing film produced in Australia and Canada respectively, breaking the records previously set by both Mad Max: Fury Road and Bon Cop, Bad Cop.

Critical response
The Jumping Ground Movie has received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 36%, based on 86 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Jumping Ground Movie boasts more of the big ideas and surreal mishaps than usual as if it was an extended episode of the Cartoon Network cult classic, but when equipped with a slew of flaws such as an unthoughtful, tissue-thin script and an unprecedented amount of unwanted clichés, it's no match for the dark forces that would threaten it's somewhat whimsical premise." On another review aggregator, Metacritic, the film has a normalized score of 43 out of 100, based on 58 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average "A-" grade on a scale of A+ to F.

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film three stars out of five, saying "It's a nice surprise to see the beloved Cartoon Network characters on the big screen in the third theatrical film from one of American television's leading animation destinations, but sadly, the intense action sequences are not enough to prevent enthusiastic cinemagoers to eventually get bored half-way into the actual feature."

Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "This film has been one of the most anticipated and most talked-about compartments of a long-running Cartoon Network series, as well as a massive letdown for many JG fans willing to see this film, which doesn't put enough emotional depth into the iconic characters, instead showcasing loud, lousy and prolonged combat sequences as if it was a game of Call of Duty."

Sequels
During an interview with MTV News in mid-November 2015, Sean Astin, the voice of PuffPuff, talked about possible sequels: "It might be two films, three films, It could be four. It could be five. Who knows? The story will continue."

On March 21, 2016, it was reported that a sequel is already in the works with Jared Bush writing the screenplay and Eisenhower and Vernon returning to produce. On July 14, one day before the first film's US debut, it was announced that a sequel was officially going ahead based upon strong financial results internationally, with a January 26, 2018 release date. On August 2, it was reported that Daniel Brühl was in talks to voice the main villain.