Pete the Cat (2021 film)

Pete the Cat is an upcoming 2021 American live-action/animated musical comedy film based on the character of the same name. The film is directed by Tim Story and a screenplay from Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Neal H. Moritz. The film stars Neil Patrick Harris, Ed Helms, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ellie Kemper, and Jacob Tremblay. The film is scheduled to release on November 19, 2021 by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the animation, humor, cinematography, and score, though the plot and script were criticized.

Synopsis
Pete is a blue cat from Los Angeles, California. He is a professional guitar player, and dreams to play at the Hollywood Bowl. Along his way, he encounters crazy experiences, such as trying to fight with three bullies, and fitting in with the human world. Is he going to fulfill his dreams by playing at the Hollywood Bowl?

Plot
TBA.

Live-action actors

 * Neil Patrick Harris as Darren Smith, a hard-working employee, and the deuteragonist of the film.
 * Ed Helms as Bobby Brown, the main antagonist of the film, who attempts to get rid of Pete.
 * Chloë Grace Moretz as Samantha, one of the workers at an office building.
 * Ellie Kemper as Lily Williams, Darren's friend, and is a visitor from Canada.
 * Chris Pratt as John Hayes, the secondary antagonist, who bosses Darren around.
 * Noah Jupe as Rob Smith, Darren's little brother, who befriends Pete after being saved by him.
 * Jack McBrayer as Terry Donovan, the regional manager and boss of Samantha.
 * Julia Roberts as Allison, a worker and assistant for Samantha.
 * DJ Shadow as Al, the leader of the Alley gang.
 * Peter Dinklage as Tony, a member of the gang.
 * Daniel Radcliffe as Stu, a second member of the gang.
 * Lizzo as herself.
 * Tim Story as Reginald.

Voice actors

 * Jacob Tremblay as Pete the Cat, the main protagonist of the film, who dreams of playing at the Hollywood Bowl.
 * Tara Strong as Callie, the tritagonist, and a friend of Pete.
 * Mila Kunis as Sally, a squirrel living in Hollenbeck Park.
 * Atticus Shaffer as Grumpy, a frog also living with Sally in Hollenbeck Park.

TBA

Additionally, Frank Welker was originally cast to play as Pete, but was replaced by Jacob Tremblay, as Tim Story thought Pete would sound too old.

Development
In January 2018, Universal and Illumination announced that Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were developing a live-action/animated film titled Cat Dayz. This would've marked the first film where Lord and Miller would collaborate with Illumination. In May 2018, Tim Story would serve as director, while Mark Archer and Pamela Ribon would write the film. In June 2018, it was announced the film would be transferred to Sony Pictures Animation. Sometime in January 2020, images of the film were leaked on Twitter.

Casting
On May 3, 2019, Ed Helms was revealed to have joined the cast. The following week, Neil Patrick Harris and Ellie Kemper would join. In July, Julia Roberts, Noah Jupe, and Daniel Radcliffe would be cast. Later in August 2019, Peter Dinklage, Chloe Grace Moretz, Chris Pratt, Jack McBrayer, and Lizzo were revealed to have joined the cast. In September, Jacob Tremblay and Tara Strong had joined.

Animation
Animation was done at Sony Pictures Imageworks, with Pete being animated in CGI. Other animal characters were also animated, similar to the 2021 film Tom & Jerry.

Filming
Filming began on September 3, 2019, in Downtown Los Angeles under the working title Cat Dayz, and ended on November 26.

Music
On June 19, 2019, it was confirmed that Mark Mothersbaugh will compose the film. There were 2 original songs in the soundtrack, the first being “An Animal Paradise” by DJ Shadow, featuring Flo Rida. The second is “Ballad of Pete” by Jason Mraz.

Release
Pete the Cat is scheduled to release on November 19, 2021. It was originally scheduled to release on June 12, 2020, but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March 2020, the film was removed from the release schedule. In August, the film was shown to release on November 5, 2021, before being delayed 2 weeks to avoid competition with Paramount Pictures film Clifford the Big Red Dog.

Home media
Pete the Cat was released to digital by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on January 21, 2022, with Blu-Ray, DVD, and Ultra HD Blu-ray releasing on February 12. Some deleted scenes from the movie were cut, but were added to the bonus features on the Blu-Ray version.

Box office
The film was released in the US, alongside King Richard, and Mission: Impossible 7. The film has grossed $30.2 million in the US and Canada, and $50 million in other territories, in a total of $80.2 million against a $95 million dollar budget.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has received an approval rating of 78% based on 205 critics, with an average rating of 6.98/10. The website’s critics consensus reads, “With education being told in a movie, similar to the original series, Pete the Cat is one of those educational movies, whereas Pete teaches the audience.” Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave the film a “B+” on an A+ to F. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted score of 59 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.

IGN gave the film a 7/10, stating, "While Pete the Cat isn't an entirely animated film, they do still have references to the books and the show. Some of the characters aren't well written enough, but the film's still a good one."

A Groovy Pete the Cat Christmas
A sequel, entitled A Groovy Pete the Cat Christmas was released on December 22nd, 2023. In this film, strange occurrences start to appear around the world, and Pete isn't sure what's going on. So he, and his friends embark on a wild adventure across the world, and finds out who is behind this devious deed.