Jetsons: The Movie

Jetsons: The Movie is a 1990 animated film produced by Steve Hickner, directed by Simon Wells and based on the television series The Jetsons. The film stars Billy Crystal, Jennifer Tilly, Don Messick and Mel Blanc, some veterans of the television show, in their last voice roles.
Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Amblin Entertainment, the film released by Universal Pictures in the United States on December 21, 1990. It was the first film to be earned mixed reviews from critics, who praised The Jetsons' performance. It was also the first movie to be the #1 film in the United States, and grossed $476 million worldwide and was the fifth-highest grossing film of 1990.
In 1989, George O'Hanlon was replaced by Billy Crystal, before dying and Mel Blanc died during production of the film, which was dedicated to both their memories.
== Plot ==
In the late 21st century, Spacely Sprockets and Spindles has opened a new mining colony on an asteroid. The proposed project is meant to increase productivity at 1/10 the cost of making the items on Earth. However, the factory continues to be sabotaged by someone or something. As Cosmo Spacely (voiced by Mel Blanc and Jeff Bergman) checks up on the "Orbiting-Ore Asteroid" again, he learns from the plant engineer, Rudy-2, that the latest head of the factory, Alexander Throttlebottom, has run off, making four vice presidents of the new plant that Spacely has lost so far. Fearing for his company (and profits), Spacely names George Jetson (voiced by O'Hanlon and Bergman) as Throttlebottom's successor and sends George and his family to the plant. While the family is thoroughly upset at being thrown from their normal lifestyle (and the plans that they had coming up that week), they set up apartments on the adjoining apartment community to the asteroid and its neighboring shopping complex, while it takes the family time to adjust.
Rudy-2 (voiced by Ronnie Schell) shows George around the plant as they prepare for the grand re-opening of the plant. Meanwhile, Judy Jetson (voiced by Tiffany) is having a hard time adjusting, and accepting the fact that she lost her chance at a date with rock star Cosmic Cosmo (voiced by Steve McClintock) (which a friend of hers later takes), but soon feels better after meeting a teenaged boy named Apollo Blue (voiced by Paul Kreppel). Elroy Jetson (voiced by Patric Zimmerman) meets Rudy-2's son, Teddy-2 (voiced by Dana Hill), with whom he first is at odds, but eventually befriends. George soon figures that he is ready to set the plant running again, and Mr. Spacely is all set to see the plant working full-throttle, and soon to churn out the one-millionth Spacely sprocket. However, the opening-day festivities give way to panic as the factory is sabotaged once again. Over the next several days, George and Rudy-2 try to fix things, but the problems persist, to the point that, fed up with the problems and thinking George is responsible, Mr. Spacely heads on up to check on things personally. Thinking he has to take charge, George stays overnight, only to fall asleep and be taken off by the mysterious creatures. Elroy, Teddy-2, and their neighbor Fergie Furbelow (voiced by Russi Taylor) sneak into the plant, and meet Squeep (voiced by Frank Welker), a member of a furry alien race known as Grungees.
Squeep tells them (with Teddy-2 translating) that the factory is actually drilling into his people's community, which is based inside the asteroid. Soon, Jane, Judy, Apollo, Rudy-2, and Astro show up, and realize what is happening, as well. George is found hog-tied in the Grungees' colony, and although he soon realizes just what the factory is doing, Spacely does not. Seeing his factory at a stand-still, he starts it up (despite that it is the night and after disconnecting Rudy-2, who tries to stop him), nearly burying Elroy and Squeep alive under rubble, and prompting everyone in the asteroid to get top-side, where George manages to shut down the factory and show his boss exactly what he is doing. After some talk, when George finally stands up to his boss, telling him that all he cares about is money, they come to an agreement: the Grungees will run the plant, and create new Spacely sprockets through recycling old ones (thus stopping the further destruction of the Grungees' homes inside the asteroid).
Spacely Sprockets reaches the millionth sprocket at long last, and when George asks about being vice president, Spacely retorts, stating, "he's lucky that he'll be getting his old job back". Only when pressured by everyone else does he reluctantly promote him to vice president (without a raise). However, George knows that with the Grungees now running the plant, he is no longer needed as head of the asteroid. With heavy hearts, the Jetsons then bid their new friends goodbye, including Fergie, who attempted to stow away aboard the Jetsons' car. They then return home to Earth. As the family passes over the factory, the Grungees arrange themselves to form the words: "THANKS GEORGE", as a friendly goodbye to him for saving their home.
== Voice cast ==
* Billy Crystal as George Jetson
* Mel Blanc as Mr. Cosmo Spacely
* Jennifer Tilly as Jane Jetson
* Tiffany as Judy Jetson
* Patric Zimmerman as Elroy Jetson
* Don Messick as Astro the Space Mutt
* Jean Vander Pyl as Rosie the Robot
* Ronnie Schell as Rudy-2
* Patti Deutsch as Lucy-2
* Dana Hill as Teddy-2
* Paul Kreppel as Apollo Blue
* Russi Taylor as Fergie Furbelow
* Brad Garrett (in his film debut) as Bertie Furbelow
* B.J. Ward as Gertie Furbelow
* Steve McClintock as Cosmic Cosmo
* Rick Dees as Rocket Rick Ragnarok
* Frank Welker as Squeep / Grungees
* Janet Waldo as Robot secretary
* Susan Silo as Gertrude
* Jim Ward as Mac
* Brian Cummings as Movie Announcer
* Michael Bell, Jeff Bergman and Rob Paulsen as Board members
* Michael Bell and Frank Welker as basketball coaches.
== Production ==
A problem that arose during production of the movie was the advanced age and poor health of many of the voice actors from the series; all of the major cast members except Don Messick (himself in his early 60s) were over 65 years old by this point. Daws Butler, the voice of Elroy, was the first to die; Butler did not live long enough to record any lines for the film due to dying of a sudden heart attack on May 18, 1988. To replace Butler, voice coordinator Kris Zimmermanbrought in her then-husband Patric, then a relative unknown, to fill the role of Elroy. George O'Hanlon died of a stroke on February 11, 1989 after he finished recording; Romano later recalled that he could record only an hour at a time due to ill health and had his final stroke while at the studio. Mel Blanc, the voice of Mr. Spacely, would also die during the film's production on July 10, 1989, following a long battle with emphysema and coronary artery disease brought on by age and decades of smoking. Jeff Bergman, already on the payroll for bit parts in the film, filled in roles left unfinished when Blanc and O'Hanlon died; the film is dedicated to the memory of O'Hanlon and Blanc.
Janet Waldo, the original voice of Judy Jetson, recorded the role for the film but her voice was later replaced by singer Tiffany (though Waldo still provided the voice of a robot secretary). Studio executives hoped that Tiffany's involvement would result in a stronger box office performance. Displeased with the casting change, voice director Andrea Romano had her name removed from the finished film. Tiffany said her singing voice was what initially drew the attention of Barbera. Tiffany sang three songs used in the film ("I Always Thought I'd See You Again", "You and Me" and "Home"), which are on the soundtrack album along with "Jetsons' Rap" by XXL and tracks by other artists. =Tiffany did not write any of the songs, but she cited "I Always Thought I’d See You Again" as one of her favorites to sing.
== Release ==
In a first-time accomplishment for Universal City Studios, an unfinished version of Jetsons: The Movie was shown at the New York Film Festival on October 27, 1990. The film was deemed a "work in progress" because roughly only 70% of the animation had been completed; storyboards and pencil tests were used in replacement of the remaining 30%. Additionally, certain segments of the film that had already been finished were reverted to previous stages of completion. At the end of the screening, Jetsons: The Movie received a ten-minute-long standing ovation from the film festival audience. The completed film was also screened out of competition at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival. The finished film premiered at the Universal City Studios in Hollywood on December 13, 1990, beginning a limited release before expanding wide on December 21, following up the success of The Rescuers Down Under.
== Home media releases ==
The film was first released on VHS, Betamax, and Laserdisc on July 2, 1991. On November 22, 2000, it was released on DVD - in the United States and re-released to DVD (in new packaging art) on September 8, 2015 and was aired in its original aspect ratio on Universal HD on February 2, 2007. The film is also available via digital download on the Sony Entertainment Network and the iTunes Store. A Region B Blu-ray was released on June 6, 2016 in the United Kingdom.
== Reception ==
=== Critical response ===
Jetsons: The Movie received a 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews; the average rating is 7.8/10. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars and wrote, "Animation can give us the glory of sights and experiences that are impossible in the real world, and one of those sights, in 'Jetsons: The Movie'.
=== Box office ===
During its opening weekend, Jetsons: The Movie grossed $3.5 million, ranking fourth, after Home Alone, The Rescuers Down Under, Rocky V, and Child's Play 2,and below the studio's expectations. As a result, Katzenberg decided to recall the film's television advertising. The film eventually went on to make $65.6 million in the United States and $476.7 million worldwide.
== Soundtrack ==
The soundtrack was released by MCA Records on November 20, 1990. The film's score, composed by John Debney, who had composed in the television series Dink, the Little Dinosaur and was left off the commercial release but was later issued as a promotional album with his score for the television film Jonny's Golden Quest (1993). "I Always Thought I'd See You Again" by Tiffany was released as a single. Composer Mark Mancina helped on writing the songs for the film.
# "We're the Jetsons" (Jetsons' Rap) – XXL
# "With You All the Way" – Shane Sutton
# "You and Me" – Tiffany
# "I Always Thought I'd See You Again" – Tiffany
# "Maybe Love" – Steven McClintock
# "Stayin' Together" – Shane Sutton
# "Through the Blue" – Gayle Rose
# "Mall Theme" – John Duarte
# "Home" – Tiffany
# "Jetsons Main Title" – The Stunners
== Marketing tie-ins ==
During the summer of the film's release, Kool-Aid had a tie-in where Kool-Aid points could be redeemed for a red Jetsons car featuring the cast. However, the promotion was not carried by some theaters, and instead of a red Jetsons car, the points were redeemed for a miniature film poster. Wendy's restaurants had a Jetsons kids' meal tie-in. When clips were shown on television, scenes with George had re-dubbed lines from an unnamed voice actor. The commercials showed Wendy's founder Dave Thomas either in a theater watching the movie or at his restaurant promoting the film. A tie-in simulator ride titled "The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera" opened at Universal Studios Florida, one month before the movie's release. In the attraction, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera state that the Jetsons will star in their next project (presuming the film), which angers Dick Dastardly and Muttley and causes them to kidnap Elroy, and Yogi Bear and Boo-Boo Bear must save him by riding through the worlds of The Flintstones, Scooby-Doo, and The Jetsons, and Dastardly and Muttley are arrested. Merchandise based on the film and other Hanna-Barbera-related stuff was sold at the ride's gift shop. Also in 1990, Ralston released an apple and cinnamon–flavored Jetsons Cereal.
Category:1990 films
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Category:Films set in London
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Category:Films produced by Joseph Barbera
Category:Films directed by Phil Roman
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Category:G-Rated films
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Category:Animated comedy films
Category:List of films based on Hanna-Barbera cartoons
Category:Films directed by William Hanna
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Category:Amblin Entertainment films