Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (film)

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi is a 2023 American-Japanese animated musical adventure comedy film based on the Japanese pop-rock group Puffy AmiYumi, and the series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi. It was directed by Scott O'Brien, produced by Renegade Animation and Cartoon Network and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, with animation provided by Rough Draft Studios in California and South Korea and TMS Entertainment in Japan. The film features a ensemble cast with Janice Kawaye and Grey DeLisle as the main characters, alongside Keone Young, Jess Harnell, Cree Summer, David Hyde-Pierce, Rob Paulsen, Nika Futterman, Larry Drake, Fred Stoller, April Winchell, Jeff Bennett, Rodger Bumpass, Tom Kenny, Lara Jill Miller, and John Rhys-Davies. In the film, Ami and Yumi must band together as friends in order to stop evil queen Malicia and her plans for world domination. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi was released on July 13, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received generally mixed reviews and was a box office success, grossing $645.2 million worldwide against a $45 million budget and later gaining a cult through its home video release. This film along with Illumination/Nintendo's The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Disney/Pixar's Elemental were all nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2023, but this film and The Super Mario Bros. Movie lost to Elemental. It was the first 2023 Cartoon Network theatrical film. The film made its television and streaming debut on Cartoon Network and on Hulu on November 19, 2023 to celebrate the series's 20th anniversary. Due to the success of the film, a sequel movie is yet to be released under the title Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: World Tour.

Plot
After Ami and Yumi timeline, Ami was at the woods with her drumsticks to find a monster. Then, she spots the monster, but Ami heard a voice. It was Yumi. She tells Ami what's he dreaming about. Kaz comes here to say that it's time to pick up Ned Nicholas from School.

Ami, Yumi and Kaz went in the Puffy Van to pick up Ned. Ned Nicolas sees the Puffy Van. Ned gets in the Puffy Van and drove away. Ami asks Ned how's his day going. She said that he went to arcade with Zoe Zero and Yuri Yoshimura, Kaz tells Ami, Yumi and Ned who wants ice cream. Then they spot on Takuya Nagsako holding his skateboard at his front lawn. Kaz tells him want to go for a ride. Takuya gets in the Puffy Van to go for a ride. Behind the other side of the red car, it's Julie Jewel. Julie Jewel was an evil villain which she was planning to get rid of Ami Onuki.

Takuya heard about Julie Jewel, having a plan to destroy Jacksonville. They stopped the Puffy Van and they said "what". Takuya said again that Julie Jewel and her minions are planning to destroy them. Puffys gasped. Emi said that she don't want to die, she wants to live. Takuya had a friend named Yuri Yoshimura, who likes to use his Tele-O-Manic. It teleports everywhere. Puffys wants to visit Yuri's home.

When Puffys and Takuya got to Yuri's lab, they want to use the Tele-O-Manic. Yuri test it with a apple and teleports to Nagsako's house. Puffys said can they try it along with Takuya. Yuri said yes they can. Puffys went in the Tele-O-Manic to teleport anywhere. When they got in it, they teleported to their house. They said it worked. Zoe gives Emi a high five. Kaz tells their friends (expect Ami and Yumi) that they would head off for Julie Jewel's Evil Lair in the Puffy Van.

Meanwhile in Julie Jewel's Evil Lair, Julie Jewel and his henchmen are shooting at a Ami Onuki picture. Julie Jewel enacts a plot to destroy Puffys and Jacksonville and rule the world. She called dad, Bill Blake for help, and they laughed evil, with supreme ultimate evil powers.

Ami lives in a boring life at her house with Yumi. He wants to think of something, but when a message from her nemesis, Julie Jewel, appeared on his computer, she said in the message that she'll be taking over the world. So Ami had to enter a portal, which Yumi built to the Forest to see Kaz Harada, Zoe Zero and Emi, who saw Julie Jewel and her evil friends, Matthew Dennison, Issac Paisley, Bobby Clarkson, Max Morris, Tyler McBrien, Jake Gilbert, Aaron Bennett, Dee Dee, Amy James, Tom Chandler, Mia Johnson, Blaze Todoroki, Claire Miller, and Bill Blake taking over the world and even their house, including the Takuya House, Yuri House, Tokyo and worst of all, Jacksonville.

Following Ami and Yumi through the portal to their workshop, Ami and Yumi meets Kaz, Ned, Yuri, Takuya, Emi, and Ami Onuki created her team called "Puffy AmiYumi". Together, Puffy AmiYumi go through a portal and must save it to defeat Julie Jewel, Bill Blake and her henchmen, who are ruling the world. When they arrive at an forest, they suddenly got captured in cages by Julie Jewel and her minions.

More Coming Soon!

Cast

 * Janice Kawaye as Ami Onuki, an pink-haired girl and aspiring rockstar.
 * Kari Wahlgren as Young Ami
 * Grey DeLisle as Yumi Yoshimura, a purple-haired girl who is friends with Ami.


 * DeLisle also voices Young Yumi


 * Jess Harnell as Ned Nicholas, a level-headed executive at Kaz Industries and Ami's love interest, However, he does not appear on TV Series of the same name.
 * Keone Young as Kaz, a money-grubbing manager.
 * Lara Jill Miller as Julie Jewel, the treacherous, greedy right-hand-man of Kaz, and Bill Blake's daughter.
 * John Rhys-Davies as Bill Blake, the father of Julie Jewel.
 * Rhys-Davies also voice Aaron Bennett, one of Julie's henchmen
 * David Hyde Pierce as Yuri Yoshimura, a feisty blue-haired boy who is Yumi's older brother.
 * Cree Summer as Zoe Zero, a pessimistic purple-haired girl who befriends Ami.
 * Summer also voice Mia Johnson, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Rob Paulsen as Takuya Nagsako, a large, friendly green-haired boy who befriends Ami along with his little sister, Emi.
 * Nika Futterman as Emi, a cheerful obsessed little girl.
 * Fred Tatasciore as Issac Paisley, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Fred Tatasciore also voice Bobby Clarkson, also one of Julie's henchmen
 * Dee Bradley Baker as Max Morris, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Freddie Prinze Jr. as Tyler McBrien, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Kat Cressida as Dee Dee, one of Julie's henchmen, unlike the others, she quitted one of her henchmen.
 * Mr. Lawrence as Tom Chandler, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Blaze Todoroki, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Candi Milo as Claire Miller, one of Julie's henchmen
 * Jeff Bennett as Phil Onuki, Ami's father.
 * Bennett also voices Matthew Dennison and Jake Gilbert, two of Julie's henchmen
 * April Winchell as Chiyo Onuki, Ami's mother.
 * Frank Welker as Tekirai, Ami's pet cat and sidekick.
 * Welker also voice Jang-Keng.
 * Rodger Bumpass as Mike Darling, Yumi's love interest.
 * John DiMaggio as Will Phillips
 * Tom Kenny as Corey Proctor, Phil's rude, inconsiderate neighbor.
 * Jennifer Hale as Yumi Mum

Additional Voices

 * Jim Cummings
 * Carlos Alazraqui
 * Fred Tatasciore
 * Rob Paulsen
 * Kimberly Brooks
 * Bob Bergen
 * Richard Steven Horvitz
 * Jeff Fischer
 * André Sogliuzzo
 * Pat Fraley
 * Candi Milo
 * Bradley Pierce
 * Katie Leigh
 * Laraine Newman
 * Michael Sorich
 * Kath Soucie
 * Tom Kane
 * Bill Farmer
 * Justin Shenkarow
 * Teresa Ganzel
 * Sherry Lynn
 * Nika Futterman
 * Michael Beattie
 * Cathy Cavadini
 * Philip Proctor
 * Maurice LaMarche
 * Roger L. Jackson
 * J. Grant Albrecht
 * Susan Blu
 * Cree Summer
 * Jess Harnell
 * Danny Mann
 * Phil LaMarr
 * John Kassir
 * Jack Angel

Development
Scott O'Brien, Michelle Lamoreaux, and Robert Lamoreaux started working on the film in late 2023 when O'Brien came up with the idea. In March, Variety reported that O'Brien would direct in his directorial debut on an animated musical comedy film based on the Japanese rock band. It was once expected to be released in February under the title Puffy AmiYumi, Production began in January.

In March, it was announced that Cartoon Network had won the bidding war against Nickelodeon and Disney over production rights to the film.

In April, Warner Bros. Pictures and Cartoon Network revealed the film's new title to be Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which would be produced by Sam Register, with Ramsey Ann Naito, Michael Ouweleen, and John Pomeroy writing the film's screenplay. In May, it was announced that Adam Beechen would be added as a story writer.

One month later, after seeing the four teaser trailers that blue creature that ruin movies fourth time, Scott O'Brien, Michelle Lamoreaux, and Robert Lamoreaux dedicated to do this same thing, but with Ami and Yumi ruin four Cartoon Network shows for their teaser trailers are released in theaters; with Ami Onuki ruin Ed, Edd n Eddy and Dexter's Laboratory, and Yumi Yoshimura ruin Grim and Evil and The Powerpuff Girls. The four teaser trailers were released in July.

Casting
In the same month, it was announced that actresses Addison Holley and Grey DeLisle were cast as Ami and Yumi, This was going to be Addison Holley's eleventh animated film role, However, Holley was too busy voicing for PJ Masks, and the new actress for Ami was yet to be announced. By August, it was later announced that Janice Kawaye, the original voice of Ami in the series would replace the late Holley. The rest of the cast was announced later.

Animation
The film was animated in-house by Cartoon Network Studios in Burbank, California and Renegade Animation in Glendale, California.

Additional animation was done both domestically and overseas at Rough Draft Studios in both Seoul, South Korea and Los Angeles, California, TMS Entertainment Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan, AKOM Production Co., Ltd. in Seoul, South Korea, Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd. in Taipei, Taiwan, Bardel Entertainment, Inc. in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Mercury Filmworks in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Yowza! Animation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The layouts for the movie were done at Studio B Productions in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The digital production services for the movie were provided by Warner Bros. Animation in Burbank, California.

Soundtrack

 * Main article: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (film)/Soundtrack

The film's score was composed by John Debney. Michelle Lamoreaux and Robert Lamoreaux wrote the songs for the film. The score was released on July 15, 2003.

Release
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi was originally going to be released in October 2023; however the date was changed. This all happened because Cartoon Network released Craig of the Creek: The Movie in October, thus pushing Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi to November.

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi premiered in Japan in July 2023, and was theatrically released in November 2023 in the United States, Canada and Australia. The film's theatrical release was combined with Amelia's Date, a Power Rangers Dino Fury short.

Marketing

 * The film had a large marketing campaign, with thousands of merchandise becoming available throughout 2023, Such as:


 * Burger King, having put 9 toys for their Kids' Meal in the US. The toys are Ami, Yumi, and Kaz.
 * in the US, UK, and in EU Mattel released action figures, plushies and a playset.
 * in the US General Mills's Froot Loops have one of 2 mini figures including Ami and Yumi.

Home media

 * Main articles: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (film)/Home media

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi was released in the US and UK on DVD on November 18, 2023, one day before its television debut, along with a Gold Edition. The original DVD included behind the scenes featurretes. The Gold Edition DVD included 3 new mini movies, bloopers, music videos, interactive games, trailers and TV spots.

A 4K Ultra HD version of this film released on January 15th, 2024. Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi became available on Netflix until March 2028.

The movie will be available on the streaming service Max in December 2023.

Television broadcasting

 * Main articles: Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (film)/Television broadcast timeline

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi had its network television premiere on Cartoon Network on November 19th, 2023, at 7:45 pm. It then aired again on December 12th, 2023. ABC Family also aired this movie on the same month of that year. Then NBC aired the movie on January 3rd, 2024.

Video game
A video game based on the film was published by Outright Games and released on June 21, 2024, for PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X and S.

Critical reception
Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi has received positive reviews from critics. Based on 183 reviews, the film holds an approval rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6.3/10, with the consensus stating "Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi rides the beginning of the AmiYumi to grand effect, and the final result is an emotionally effective, visually stunning, and wholly witty adaptation that will satisfy both children and adults." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has an average score of 73 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Box office
The film opened at the fourth position behind Bad Boys II and Johnny English with $32,584,941 in 3,783 theaters with an average of $5,385; on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the film was in second. The film closed in October 2003 after grossing $86 million domestically. The film grossed an additional $58 million overseas for a total of $84 million.

Main
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.

Trailers
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.