Ferret in the Big City

Ferret in the Big City is a 2019 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Paramount Animation and released by Paramount Pictures on March 22, 2019. The film is set to be released in standard 3-D, and RealD 3-D. The voice cast includes Xavier Mosley, Eden Sher, Maya Rudolph, Jenny Slate and Brian Posehn. This is the first film of Paramount Animation with no other production companies in partnership.

The film has a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and nominated an Annie Award. The film will be released on DVD and Blu-ray on July 2, 2019; a television series premieres in 2020 and concludes two years later. The series is then followed by a Christmas special in 2021, and a spin-off series in 2023.

Plot
Ryan is a human-life living ferret who lives with his owner, Ellen. He passes the time watching television when she is asleep, even socializes with other animal pets, Petirage and Simonton and sometimes antagonizes the next door neighbor's guard dog, Kyle. Back at the house, Ellen sees a possum named Beth stealing food from the kitchen and Ryan gives chase. After chasing her out of the house and having a talk, Ryan retrieves the food. Later, he watches an infomercial about the City Pest Control, which he scolds at. Some time later, Ellen goes out to bring one of her relatives to take her place. After she leaves, Ryan turns off the television and turns on the radio, then dances. Beth arrives and intervenes with Ryan and has a dance-off with him, which later, Ellen comes homes with her granddaughter, Mable and sees Beth, which makes her have a heart attack.

At the hospital, Ellen doesn't make it, much to Ryan's shock. Arriving back home, Ryan blames Beth for scaring her and never wants her around his home again. Later feeling heartbroken, Ryan has memories and sees old photos of him and his late owner. Mable decides to take him to the dog show to cheer him up. After seeing them leave, Beth goes after them and hides under the car. Later, they arrive at the dog and watch the show. Although, Ryan was still depressed for her loss, however becomes furious upon Beth's presence, he chases her around the tent and disrupts the act, which makes the dogs chase Ryan, after Beth hides from him. After Ryan gets surrounded by the dogs, Beth develops courage and saves Ryan by grabbing him and climbing up the tightrope walk. Ryan thanks her for saving him.

Back at the house, Ryan pleases Mable to take in Beth, which she did. As time went on, they have developed a beautiful friendship. Some of Ryan's neighbors notice him with her, though Ryan lies that he still is against her. One day, walking around the neighborhood, Beth notices a pie sitting on a window sill, which made her stomach growl and she goes for it. The pie which was the sill was actually on Ellen's neighbor's sill. When seeing her devouring it, she calls the City Pest Control, which later she gets taken away by the exterminator to be killed inhumanely. Ryan discovers it and does nothing. The pets and animals are dismayed of what Ryan hadn't done. Ryan explains that if he goes to the City, he will never come back. Although the others convince him to go. He works up the courage he needs and goes out to the City, while saying his goodbyes to the animals and pets.

Upon arrival, he gets confronted by two rats, then a mouse named Terry shows up and fends for him. After introducing themselves, he gets her help to rescue Beth, before he is gone. Back in the suburbs, Mable discovers that Ryan left, so she goes to find him. Meanwhile, Beth is worried about what the exterminator will do to her. With Ryan and Terry, they arrive at the building. They sneak inside and find Beth. They later find her and free her from her cage. Before escaping, Beth asks why he hated her back then. Ryan tells a backstory: He was young and had lived in a pet store with his father. As one customer decides to choose Ryan's father, the customer changes his mind and picks a possum. Disappointed, he then tells him never to be friends with any possums that will be around. Young Ellen enters the store and buys Ryan. Before leaving, he promises his father on what he said to him.

After he finishes the story, the exterminator returns and sees the three on the floor, then they run. Meanwhile, Mable looks for Ryan and plasters posters of him all over the neighborhood and goes into the City. With the others, they hit a dead end, as they hide in an alley. Surrounded and helpless, the exterminator gets ready to kill them, but then, a clan of rats arrive and surround him, giving the three a chance to escape. Mabel drives around the City and notices Ryan, Beth and Terry chased by the exterminator, then gets out of her car and goes after him. surrounded again, the exterminator tries again to poison them with gas, but Mable disrupts him and punches him down to the ground cold. Happy that he was okay and not hurt, she picks him up and takes him to the car, Ryan and Beth say goodbye to Terry. They are now back at the neighborhood and Ryan and Beth are best friends living with together.

Cast
Additional voices include Roger Craig Smith, Tom Kenny, Carlos Alazraqui, Rodger Bumpass, Jennifer Hale, Tara Strong, Debi Derryberry, Kath Soucie, Cathy Cavadini, Keith Ferguson, and Kristen Li.
 * Xavier Mosley as Ryan, a self-centered ferret who was the pet of Ellen.
 * Grey Griffin as Young Ryan
 * Eden Sher as Beth, a gluttonous overweight narrow minded possum who tries to be friends with Ryan until the end.
 * Maya Rudolph as Ellen, Ryan's late owner who died from seeing Beth.1
 * Yeardley Smith as Young Ellen
 * Tom Kane as Petirage, a red parrot and neighbor of Ryan.
 * Ian McKellen as Simonton III, a white owl who is friends with Petirage.
 * John DiMaggio as Kyle, a cur who is the guard dog of Ellen's next door neighbor and has a hate for Ryan.
 * Mindy Kaling as Maria, Beth's friend, who is a squirrel.
 * Nicole Sullivan as Mable, Ellen's granddaughter.
 * Betty White as Ellen's next door neighbor
 * Tiny Lister as Red, a bulldog
 * Jenny Slate as Terry, a mouse in the big city who befriends Ryan and Beth.
 * Brian Posehn as the Exterminator, the antagonist of the film.
 * Fred Willard as Ryan's father
 * Brian Stepanek as Albert, a rat who confronts Ryan in his arrival.
 * Sean Ryan Fox as Ferris, Albert's son.

Production
The film's animation will be provided by Sony Pictures Imageworks. Josh Peck was previously considered for the mouse role and to be named Tom, but was given to Jenny Slate, as well as the mouse's name being changed to Terry.

Home media
Ferret in the Big City will release by Paramount Media Home Entertainment on DVD and Blu-ray on July 2, 2019. Bonus features include deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurettes, and one interactive game.

Reception
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 66% "Fresh Tomato" rating based on 187 reviews with an average of 6/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Saved with Eden Sher's comedic moments and being another film revolving around animals, Ferret in the Big City is Paramount's best animated film to date." Metacritic, another review aggregation website, assigned the film a score of 91 out of 100 based on 43 critics, indicating "mixed-or-average reviews".

Expanded franchise
The film later spawns a video game, taking place after the film's events. The game is followed by a 2D animated series featured on Disney XD called A Ferret's Life. Xavier Mosley, Eden Sher, Nicole Sullivan, Tom Kane and John DiMaggio reprise their roles in the series. Whilst Tara Strong and Kevin Michael Richardson replace Mindy Kailing and Tiny Lister respectively. Followed by a Christmas special, titled A Ferret Christmas, and a human-based series, entitled A Ferret's Human Life, featured on Disney Channel.

Cancelled sequel
The sequel was to be focused on Ryan and Beth being captured and put in an animal shelter. Unfortunately, the idea was abandoned due to the creator focused on other projects.

Note

 * This film is dedicated to the creator's pet dog Ellen Mosley, who died on September 2013. Rudolph's character was named after her.