Re-Animated

Plot synopsis:
Jimmy Roberts (Dominic Janes) is a 12-year-old boy who can't seem to say "no" to anybody, and as a result, ends up getting taken advantage of on a regular basis, even by his best friend Craig (Micah Karns). This problem continues during his class trip to Gollyworld, where he misses out on many of the rides because Craig tells the popular kids that Jimmy will hold their items for them. The popular kids then, on Craig's suggestion, tell Jimmy to go try to find Milt Appleday's frozen brain, which supposedly is hidden somewhere in Tux's Arctic Adventure. As usual, Jimmy unwillingly gives in, and once there, bumps into Milt's middle-age clumsy son Sonny (Matt Knudsen), who is attempting to retrieve the brain from underneath the ice. After being spotted by Sonny, Jimmy quickly flees and during his escape, accidentally runs onto the path of an oncoming train and is sent to the hospital, where Milt's brain (which one of the doctors keeps in his lunch cooler) is transplanted into his head. He makes it out of the operation just fine with his personality intact (explained by the doctors salvaging his "personality gland") but, he can now see all of Appleday's characters in real life, while no one else can.
With the help of his crush, Robin (Eunice Cho), who is also Craig's sister, Jimmy and the characters learn that the reason they've lost their popularity is thanks to Sonny, who unwittingly ruined their cartoons through his own ideas, especially Golly who is crushed to learn that his top spot as most popular cartoon character in the world has been reduced to nothing, but he figures with Jimmy now at the helm, he can quickly make him a star again. Now that he's president of Appleday Pictures. Sonny was fired by the Chairman of the Board, Jimmy is immensely popular, but no longer has time for school or his friends.
Meanwhile, Sonny has rented out a room in Jimmy's house and now lives with his family because Jimmy's dad allows him when it is obvious that Sonny is deceiving the family. Sonny has dinner with them and meets Jimmy's alien sister, Yancy (Rhea Lando), all the while constantly scheming to get Milt's brain out of Jimmy's head and for himself. And without the brain, Jimmy would die. He devises a plan to modify Crocco's train to include several dangerous devices on it that will decapitate Jimmy and get him what he wants. However, he says this plan out loud (yelling it at the top of his lungs) and Yancy catches on.
Eventually, Robin attempts to point out to Jimmy that the cartoons are walking all over him just like everybody else used to, but he denies this, adding that the only reason Robin even liked him was because of him having Milt's brain. He takes off for his television debut, leaving her behind to encounter Sonny, who says that since she knows his plan, he'll have to do away with her. At the studio, Jimmy tells the ego-maniac Golly that all that the Presidency of Appleday Studios has gotten him isn't what he really wanted, which drives Golly to get angry at him and shout at him that it is impossible for him to say no to anybody. Jimmy finally realizes Robin was right and denounces his position as President on-air. Sonny, however, still wants the brain, and has tied Robin down to the train tracks, forcing Jimmy and the characters (even Golly who apologizes along the way) to go save her. Golly temporarily changes Jimmy into a cartoon "Knight in shining armor".
Robin is saved from being run over after Jimmy goes inside the train and destroys the engine. Sonny's plan is foiled. Jimmy dresses up as Milt to hide from Sonny, and Sonny is momentarily distracted by his affection for his father. Yancy saves Jimmy just in time by using her power of teleportation. Robin and Jimmy return to Craig's house, where he was planning to throw a party with Jimmy as the guest of honor, and everything is patched up between them. However, since the partygoers were watching the show he was on, and saw him talk about the importance of friendship, they figured Jimmy wasn't cool, and instead just stupid at giving up all that fame, and leave the party.
In an epilogue, Jimmy is leaving for school. Sonny still wants the brain and is seen hiding behind a curtain. He has a device that can grab his head. Sonny almost succeeds, but the crane misses its target. He laughs evilly in the end, with Yancy telling him to shut up.
=== "Golly Gopher: Hero in Train-ing" ===
It is an exclusive animated short always produced by Renegade Animation, imaginarily credited as Appleday Studios, who which is included as a bonus on Re-Animated DVD; an extract was shown in the movie itself but only after the intro. Its main protagonists are Golly Gopher, Dolly Gopher, Crocco, and Tux.
The plot consists of Golly who must save his girlfriend Dolly from an approaching train led by Crocco.

Tags: psychedelic

Review: