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Monsters vs. Aliens (franchise)

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Monsters vs. Aliens
Created byConrad Vernon
Rob Letterman
OwnersDreamWorks Animation
(Universal Pictures)
Years2009–2014
Films and television
Film(s)Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
Short film(s)
Animated seriesMonsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014)
Games
Video game(s)
Audio
Soundtrack(s)Monsters vs. Aliens
Official website
Monsters vs Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens is a media franchise made by DreamWorks Animation. The franchise began with the 2009 film Monsters vs. Aliens and has since grown to include two short films, a television special, a television series, and a tie-in video game.

The franchise follows a group of monsters: Susan (also called Ginormica), a woman who was struck by an asteroid on her wedding day and grew to be 50 feet tall; B.O.B., an indestructible gelatinous mass who was created when a dessert topping was crossed with a tomato; The Missing Link, a 20,000-year-old macho fish man, who was thawed out from deep ice by scientists; Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D., a scientist who became a bug guy after his experiment went wrong; and Insectosaurus, a massive bug who was mutated by nuclear radiation. The monsters are assigned by the U.S. Government to defend Earth from alien invasions and supernatural threats.

Theatrical film

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Film U.S. release date Director(s) Screenwriter(s) Story by Producer(s)
Monsters vs. Aliens March 27, 2009 Conrad Vernon & Rob Letterman Maya Forbes, Wallace Wolodarsky, Rob Letterman, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon Lisa Stewart

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

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Main article: Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens is a 2009 American animated science fiction action comedy film. It was DreamWorks Animation's first feature film to be directly produced in a stereoscopic 3D format instead of being converted into 3D after completion, which added $15 million to the film's budget.[1]

The film involves the story of Susan Murphy who is excited to be married to weatherman Derek Dietl. But moments before her ceremony, she gets unexpectedly struck by a radioactive asteroid and during the ceremony, she grows up to a size of 50 feet tall. Once she grows into a giant, known as Ginormica, she gets whisked away by the United States Army and gets sent to a secret maximum security prison where she meets other monsters who had been rounded up over the past 50 years: Dr. Cockroach, (a scientist who became part cockroach during an experiment), The Missing Link, (a 20,000 year old macho fish ape who was thawed out from deep ice), B.O.B. (an indestructible gelatinous blob who was injected with salad dressing as a tomato), and Insectosaurus (a 350 grub who was mutated by nuclear radiation). The monsters do not fit in with society and are kept in the prison by General W.R. Monger, the army officer who is in charge of the facility. All the monsters get released when they are called in to save the world from an invasion by Gallaxhar, a villain from outer space, who wants to use the asteroid that hit Susan as the key to his invasion.

The film was originally scheduled for a May 2009 release, but the release date was moved to March 27, 2009. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray September 29, 2009, in North America and included the easter egg to the upcoming movies and previews. The film features the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Conrad Vernon, Rainn Wilson, Kiefer Sutherland, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Rudd.

Canceled sequel

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Despite its success in the United States market, DreamWorks Animation's CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg was quoted in the Los Angeles Times that a sequel would not be made because of the film's weak performance in some key international markets. "There was enough of a consensus from our distribution and marketing folks in certain parts of the world that 'doing a sequel' would be pushing a boulder up a hill."[2] After the release of Megamind, Katzenberg commented Shark Tale, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Megamind: "All shared an approach and tone and idea of parody, and did not travel well internationally. We don't have anything like that coming on our schedule now."[3]

Television special

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Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)

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Main article: Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space

Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space is a 2009 Halloween special, directed by Peter Ramsey. It premiered in Ireland on RTÉ One on October 26, 2009, and aired in USA on the NBC channel on October 28, 2009.[4] The special was first released on DVD in the UK on September 27, 2010, exclusive to Tesco stores, and in US it was released on September 13, 2011,[5] and on September 27, 2011,[6] along with Scared Shrekless.[7] It was released on DVD[8] and Blu-ray[9] on August 28, 2012, as part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales (DreamWorks Spooky Stories).

After saving the day from Gallaxhar's wrath, Susan and her fellow monsters go back to Susan's home in Modesto, California; just in time for Halloween celebrations. Susan spends time with her parents, while the other monsters join in trick-or-treating and collect a large amount of candy. Later, it is revealed that the monsters came to destroy mutant pumpkins disguised as Jack-o-lanterns. When the pumpkins begin to eat children's candies to grow larger, the monsters and children defeat them by throwing excessive candy to bloat them up and explode them. But, in a twist ending, some of the pumpkin "blood" (a green goo that mutated the ordinary pumpkins) falls into a planting of carrots, causing a mutant carrot to be formed.

Short films

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B.O.B.'s Big Break (2009)

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B.O.B.'s Big Break is a 3D animated short prequel film. The short premiered on Nickelodeon in 2D on September 26, 2009, and was released 3 days later in 2D and 3D on the Monsters vs Aliens Blu-ray and the double DVD pack.[10]

Many years before the events of the first film, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. and The Missing Link are trying to outwit Captain W.R. Monger to escape from Area 52, the government's top-secret holding cell, by disguising their escape plan as celebrating an oblivious B.O.B.'s "birthday". Cockroach's escape attempt by feeding B.O.B. a chemical mixture to turn him into a bomb instead results in B.O.B. temporarily acquiring the ability to read minds, and allowing them to find out about a secret exit from Area 52. Unfortunately, the plan fails when B.O.B. smashes the jet they were using to escape believing it to be a piñata, with the resulting explosion erasing B.O.B.'s new power. Afterwards, Link and Dr. Cockroach are forced to endure their humiliating defeat at B.O.B.'s "birthday party" by being mocked by both Monger and The Invisible Man.

Night of the Living Carrots (2011)

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Night of the Living Carrots is a 2011 13-minute[11] 3D Halloween short film based on Monsters vs. Aliens, and a sequel to Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space. It was directed by Robert Porter. First part of the short premiered on October 13, 2011,[12] and the second part five days later,[13] for a limited time, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS video service.[14] It was released on August 28, 2012, on DVD[8] and Blu-ray[9] as a part of Shrek's Thrilling Tales (DreamWorks Spooky Stories).

Following the cliffhanger at the end of Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space, the mutated carrot has spawned hundreds of zombie carrots, which can take control of a person's mind after biting them. Dr. Cockroach determines that the only way to defeat the carrots and free their victims is for B.O.B. to eat all of the carrots (specifically because B.O.B. has no brain and, thus, is immune to the carrots' mind control powers). Eventually, albeit reluctantly, B.O.B. agrees. At the end of the short, B.O.B. is turned into a giant zombie carrot, though this is never explained or followed up on.

Television series

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Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014)

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Main article: Monsters vs. Aliens (TV series)

An animated television series based on the film, titled Monsters vs. Aliens, aired on Nickelodeon between March 23, 2013[15] and February 8, 2014. A total of 26[16] episodes consisting of 2 11-minute segments were released. The cast featured new voice actors for the characters of Susan (Riki Lindhome), Dr. Cockroach (Chris O'Dowd), The Missing Link (Diedrich Bader), and B.O.B. (Eric Edelstein).[17] This series was partly produced by New Zealand CG animation studio Oktobor Animation.[15] The series was cancelled after one season due to low ratings and plans to refocus on more "Nickish" shows.[18]

Cast and characters

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List indicator(s)
  • A dark gray cell indicates the character did not appear in that installment.
  • An A indicates an appearance through previously recorded material.
  • A U indicates an actor or actress was not credited for their respective role.
  • A Y indicates a younger version of a character.
Main article: List of Monsters vs. Aliens characters
Characters Feature film Short films Television special Television series
Monsters vs. Aliens B.O.B.'s Big Break Night of the Living Carrots Monsters vs. Aliens:
Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space 		Monsters vs. Aliens
Susan Murphy / Ginormica Reese Witherspoon Archive footage Reese Witherspoon Riki Lindhome
B.O.B.
Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate 		Seth Rogen Eric Edelstein
Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. Hugh Laurie James Horan Hugh Laurie Chris O'Dowd
The Missing Link Will Arnett David Kaye Will Arnett Diedrich Bader
Will ArnettA
General Warren R. Monger Kiefer Sutherland Kevin Michael Richardson
Insectosaurus / Butterflyosaurus Jimmy KimmelU Appeared
Carl Murphy Jeffrey Tambor Jeffrey Tambor
Wendy Murphy Julie White Julie White
Gallaxhar Rainn Wilson
President Hathaway Stephen Colbert Photograph James Patrick Stuart
Kari WahlgrenY
Derek Dietl Paul Rudd Nolan North
The Invisible Man Mike Mitchell
King Coverton Jeff Bennett
Sqweep Haley Tju
Sta'abi Gillian Jacobs

Additional crew and production details

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Film Detail
Composer Editor(s) Production
companies 		Distributor Running time
Monsters vs. Aliens Henry Jackman Joyce Arrastia and Eric Dapkewicz DreamWorks Animation Paramount Pictures 94 minutes

Video games

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Two video games Monsters vs. Aliens were released on March 24, 2009 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, and Wii, and one for the Nintendo DS, developed by Amaze Entertainment. The game, developed by Beenox, allows users to play through scenes from the movie as Susan, The Missing Link, and B.O.B., and features drop-in/out co-op. Players can play as Dr. Cockroach, Ph.D. in multiplayer co-op, as well as Insectosaurus in the Nintendo DS game. The music was composed by Jim Dooley, with live brass recorded at the Warner Brothers Eastwood Scoring Stage.[19] The Monsters vs. Aliens video game has garnered a Metacritic score of 63 for the Xbox 360 version of the title.

Another video game titled Madagascar Kartz was released by Activision on October 27, 2009, for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS.[20] Mainly based on the Madagascar franchise, the game also features B.O.B.[21] and a racetrack based on the spaceship from Monsters vs. Aliens.[20]

Another video game titled Super Star Kartz was released by Activision on November 15, 2011,[22] for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. The game features 14 different characters from DreamWorks' films – Monsters vs. Aliens, Madagascar, Shrek, and How to Train Your Dragon.[23]

A free mobile game based on the 2013 TV series, titled B.O.B.'s Super Freaky Job, was developed by Adrenaline and released on October 10, 2013 to iOS and Android. In the game, player must guide B.O.B. through challenges by rotating the world around him, to obtain spare parts for Dr. Cockroach, and earn stars for the Presidential Medal.[24]

Chronology

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Chronological order of the Monsters vs. Aliens franchise history:

  1. B.O.B.'s Big Break (2009)
  2. Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)
  3. Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (2009)
  4. Monsters vs. Aliens: Night of the Living Carrots (2011)
  5. Monsters vs. Aliens (2013–2014)

References

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  1. ^ Wloszczyna, Susan (March 11, 2008). "First look: Monsters vs. Aliens is the ultimate; a 3D 'first'". USA Today. Retrieved May 16, 2008.
  2. ^ Verrier, Richard (October 27, 2009). "DreamWorks Animation's profit drops; no sequel for 'Monsters vs. Aliens'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  3. ^ Lieberman, David (April 26, 2011). "DreamWorks Animation Pins Hopes On 'Kung Fu Panda 2' After 1Q Earnings Fall Short". Deadline. Retrieved November 5, 2011.
  4. ^ Lowry, Brian (October 23, 2009). "Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space". Variety. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  5. ^ "Monsters Vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins Outer Space (2009)". Amazon. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  6. ^ "Scared Shrekless & Monsters Vs Pumpkins Halloween". Amazon. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  7. ^ "Scared Shrekless and Monsters vs Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space Halloween Party Double Pack". Starpulse.com. August 22, 2011. Archived from the original on July 9, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Shrek's Thrilling Tales (Widescreen)". Walmart. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Dreamwork's Spooky Stories: Shreks Thrilling Tales / Scared Shrekless / Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space (Blu-ray) (Widescreen)". Walmart. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  10. ^ "The Smash Hit Comedy, MONSTERS VS. ALIENS, Gets Even Bigger September 29, 2009 on DVD and Blu-ray With the World Premiere of B.O.B.'S BIG BREAK the All New Adventure in Monster 3D". DreamWorks Animation via PR Newswire. July 8, 2009. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  11. ^ Gaudiosi, John (October 5, 2011). "Nintendo Partners with DreamWorks Animation for Exclusive 3DS Video Content". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  12. ^ "NINTENDO DOWNLOAD HIGHLIGHTS NEW DIGITAL CONTENT FOR NINTENDO SYSTEMS – OCTOBER 13, 2011". Nintendo. October 20, 2011. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  13. ^ "Night of the Living Carrots Part 1". Nintendo. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  14. ^ "ADDING MULTIMEDIA DreamWorks Animation, 3net, Blue Man Group Provide 3D Videos for Nintendo 3DS". DreamWorks Animation via Business Wire. October 4, 2011. Retrieved October 4, 2011.
  15. ^ a b Armstrong, Josh (March 15, 2013). "Monsters vs. Aliens TV series trailer premieres". Animated Views. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  16. ^ Nickelodeon (March 12, 2012). "Nickelodeon Unveils Plans at Annual Upfront for More than 650 New Episodes Across Every Genre" (Press release). PR Newswire. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  17. ^ Zahed, Ramin (March 18, 2013). "'Monsters vs. Aliens' Series Debuts on Nick This Sat". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  18. ^ Schooley, Bob [@bob_schooley] (February 16, 2014). "@tlrledbetter Ratings, desire of Nick to get back to the more "Nickish" shows" (Tweet). Retrieved February 20, 2014 – via Twitter.
  19. ^ Dan Goldwasser (March 9, 2009). "Jim Dooley scores the Monsters vs. Aliens video game". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  20. ^ a b Sykes, Tom (November 13, 2009). "Madagascar Kartz Review". GamesRadar. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  21. ^ Harris, Craig (October 30, 2009). "Madagascar Kartz Review". IGN. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  22. ^ "DreamWorks Super Star Kartz". Metacritic. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  23. ^ O'Connor, Alice (September 8, 2011). "DreamWorks Super Star Kartz announced". Shacknews. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  24. ^ "DreamWorks Animation And Adrenaline Unleash The Monsters With B.O.B.'s Super Freaky Job Mobile Game". PR Newswire. October 10, 2013. Retrieved October 11, 2013.
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