What if DreamWorks Pictures/DreamWorks Animation was founded in 1934?/Filmography/Ink and Paint (film)

Ink and Paint is a 2015 American live action/animated fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus, who also produced with Allen Covert, and Mark Radcliffe. The screenplay was written by Tim Herlihy and Timothy Dowling from a screen story by Herlihy. The film stars Bill Murray, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Monaghan, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, and Jane Krakowski, as well as the voices of Kathleen Herles, Mila Kunis, Mathew Lillard, and Seth Rogen. Combining 2D animated Fantasmical World characters and visual effects, the film follows an alien race misinterpreting video feeds of classic Fantasmical World comics and shorts as a declaration of war, resulting in them invading Earth using technology inspired by the Fantasmical World comics, like Gum Girl, Halloween Kid, Cloud Boy and Melvin Beederman. To counter the invasion, the United States hires former comickers to lead the planet's defense. Principal photography on the film began on May 28, 2014, in Toronto; filming was completed in three months.
Produced by 1492 Pictures and Fantasmical World, Ink and Paint was released theatrically by DreamWorks Pictures in the United States on July 24, 2015, in 2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D formats. Ink and Paint received generally mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and grossed over $244 million worldwide against a production budget of between $88 million and $129 million.
== Plot ==
At a comic bookstore in 1982, Inkwell Dreams Factory Comics, with his friend Will Cooper, teenage Sam Brenner discovers he knows characters and plot. He seemingly loses an Underhander contest with Eddie Plant. Videocassette footage of the event is included in a time capsule launched into space. In the present day, Brenner is an installer of home-theater systems while Cooper is the hated President of the United States. In Guam, the Andersen Air Force Base is besieged by an extraterrestrial force attacking in the form of Zom Bees from The Halloween Kid and a soldier is abducted. 
Brenner works at the home of divorced U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Violet van Patten, and the two are separately summoned to the White House. Upon seeing the video footage and meeting with Ludlow "the Wonder Kid" Lamonsoff, Brenner determines the aliens have misinterpreted the videocassette images as a declaration of war and are attacking with technology based on the comics and shorts featured at the championship. The aliens interrupt a television broadcast using footage from the cassette, challenging Earth to a battle where if the aliens win three rounds, they will conquer the planet. Brenner and Cooper are unable to stop one of the attacks as the Taj Mahal is destroyed by the aliens in the form of the McNastys from Melvin Beederman and a bystander is abducted.
Brenner and Ludlow train Navy SEALs to read the comic books and watch the shorts. Violet develops ray guns that are effective against the aliens. In London, the aliens attack Hyde Park in the form of Addison Drake from B.O.O: Bureau of Otherworldly Operations. Brenner and Ludlow step in and shoot them down. The aliens send congratulations and a "trophy" in the form of Specter Inspector.
Ludlow and Cooper retrieve Eddie from a prison sentence for fraud. In New York City, the team must participate as heroes against Mr. Jeffery Hansen/Hamster Hansen from The Gumazing Gum Girl. Rhode Montijo, current Fantasmical World founder, tries to reason with Hamster Hansen peacefully but gets his hand bitten off. Brenner, Ludlow, and Eddie overcome the task using modified Mini Cooper cars. But Violet notices Eddie moved at supersonic speeds around the board. They win Gabriella Gomez/The Gumazing Gum Girl as a trophy. During a celebratory party, however, the aliens declare the challenge for the planet has been forfeited because someone cheated. Violet's son Matty discovers Eddie used a speed cheat during the battle against Hamster Hansen. Eddie flees while Matty is abducted by the aliens.
The aliens launch a massive attack in Washington, D.C. using an army of characters and enemies from the comics and shorts. Cooper joins the team, while Ludlow stays to fight. An alien takes the form of Ninja-Rina, The Gumazing Gum Girl character on whom Ludlow is a fan of since childhood. Ludlow persuades Ninja-Rina to choose love and side with the humans as Eddie, wishing to make amends, returns to fight. Brenner, Violet, and Cooper are summoned to the aliens' mothership where they face their leader, who takes the form of Underhander, on the starting level with the aliens' captives at the top level. As the group dodges balls and jaguars, as well as The Cocodrilos, Brenner is losing hope until Matty reveals Eddie's cheating to him, restoring his self-confidence and allowing him to defeat Underhander. This causes the aliens' forces, including Ninja-Rina, to be eliminated.
The team is hailed as heroes and a peace agreement is reached with the aliens. Eddie apologizes to Brenner for cheating. Brenner and Violet become a couple while Eddie gets to meet Serena Williams and Martha Stewart. The aliens restore Montijo's hand before their departure. A year later, Ludlow meets a girl in Ninja-Rina's likeness. 
== Cast ==
* Bill Murray as Sam Brenner, a former comic book fan, Cooper's childhood friend, and the leader of the Comickers.
** TBD as the young Brenner
* Kevin James as Will "Chewy" Cooper, the President of the United States, Brenner's childhood friend, and a member of the Comickers.
** Jared Riley as the young Cooper 
* Michelle Monaghan as Lieutenant Colonel Violet van Patten, a unique weapons developer and specialist for the military and a member of the Comickers.
* Peter Dinklage as Eddie "The Fireblaster" Plant, Brenner's former rival and a member of the Comickers. 
** Andrew Bambridge as the young Eddie
* Josh Gad as Ludlow "The Wonder Kid" Lamonsoff, a conspiracy-theory-obsessed genius with poor social skills and a member of the Comickers.
** Jacob Shinder as the young Ludlow
* Brian Cox as Admiral James Porter, a military heavyweight. 
* Sean Bean as Corporal Hill
* Jane Krakowski as Jane Cooper, the First Lady of the United States and Cooper's wife.
* Affion Crockett as Sergeant Dylan Cohan, a soldier present during the Zom Bees attack in Guam.
* Kathleen Herles as the voice of Gabriella Gomez/Gum Girl. 
* Mila Kunis as the voice of Ninja-Rina. 
** Kunis also portrays as a woman in Ninja-Rina's likeness. 
*Dee Bradley Baker as Jeffery Hansen/Hamster Hansen
*Antonio Banderas as Everhander/Underhander 
*Matt Lintz as Matty van Patten, Violet's son.
* Lainie Kazan as Mickey Lamonsoff, Ludlow's grandmother.
* Dan Aykroyd as the emcee of the comic championship.
* Nick Swardson as a bystander seen during the Hamster Hansen attack in New York City.
* Dan Patrick, Robert Smigel, and Steve Koren as reporters at the White House. 
* Serena Williams and Martha Stewart have cameo roles as themselves.
* Candi Milo as Melvin Beederman Superhero
* Steve Wiebe as a military scientist. 
* Rhode Montijo as himself, a current founder of Fantasmical World. 
* Fiona Shaw as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
* Holly Beavon and Billy West provide additional character voices.
* Tom McCarthy as Michael, Violet's robotic assistant
* Tim Herlihy as a Secretary of Defense. 
* Jennifer Hale as Jennifer, Cooper's assistant 
* TBD as a girl scout
* TBD as the cousin
* Allen Covert as an aggressive civilian
* Hannah Covert and Abigail Covert as a choir girl and the girl scout.
* Sienna James and Shea Joelle James as girl scouts
* Ron Mustafa as the bystander present during the India attack
* Mehea Pavai as the bystander's fiancée.
== Production ==
=== Development ===
The film is originally meant to be based on Patrick Jean's video-game-themed short film, Pixels. Adam Sandler hired Tim Herlihy to write the film, a draft that Herlihy had said that everybody at the studio "hated". Eventually he and Sandler came up with the concept of having Kevin James be the President of the United States and rewrote the film incorporating this element. In July 2012, Tim Dowling was hired to rewrite the film. Seth Gordon was attached as executive producer and possibly direct the film. Chris Columbus became involved in the project in May 2013. Columbus said he first met Sandler to discuss a possible remake of Hello Ghost, and as he left the meeting, the director was handed a script for the Pixels film. The script affected Columbus, who considered it "one of the most original ideas I had seen since the Amblin days" and a good opportunity to harken back to the 1980s comedies he worked on. Due to fans of Mrs. Doubtfire wanting a sequel to come back without Columbus and Robin Williams' involvement. It was scrapped, causing the cast and crew, aside from Sandler, to move on to DreamWorks Pictures and Fantasmical World to make a comic-book-themed film with the similar plot. 
There were originally plans to include a scene where the Great Wall of China is damaged, but the concept was removed from the script in hopes to improve the film's chances in the Chinese market.
=== Casting ===
On February 26, 2014, it was announced that Bill Murray replaces Sandler as Sam Brenner, while Kevin James and Josh Gad were in early talks to join the cast. On March 28, Peter Dinklage was also in final talks to join the film, playing the fourth and final male lead. Montijo decided to revive the human characters and make Sam, Ludlow, and Eddie comic book fans instead of gamers. Jennifer Aniston was originally considered for the female lead (Violet) but declined due to scheduling conflicts. On April 4, Michelle Monaghan joined the film to star as Violet. On June 11, Brian Cox joined the cast, and plays military heavyweight Admiral Porter. Kathleen Herles and Mila Kunis reprise their roles as the voices of Gum Girl and Ninja-Rina. 
=== Filming ===
Principal photography on the film commenced in Toronto on June 2, 2014, using downtown streets decorated to resemble New York City. Given sequences such as the Hamster Hansen chase happened at night, often the filmmakers would close the streets off from traffic at 7 PM and redecorate to resemble New York until it was dark enough, filming from 9:30 PM up to 5:30 AM. On July 29, filming was taking place outside of Markham, Ontario. Filming was also done in the Rouge Park area, and extras were dressing in costume at Markham's Rouge Valley Mennonite Church. On August 4, actors Josh Gad and Peter Dinklage were spotted in Toronto filming scenes for the film on Bay Street, which was transformed into a city block in Washington, D.C., and littered with wrecked vehicles and giant holes in the pavement. The Ontario Government Buildings was doubled to transform into a federal office building in Washington. Actors were aiming at aliens, which could not be seen, but were added later with computer-generated imagery. On August 26, 2014, filming took place in Cobourg. Filming was completed in three months, with 12 hours of shooting a day.
=== Visual effects ===
Most of the visual effects for Ink and Paint were handled by Mercury Filmworks and Sony Pictures Imageworks, with nine other VFX companies playing supporting roles, all under the leadership of supervisor Matthew Butler and producer Denise Davis. Early tests began in October 2013, with the majority of the effects work starting after principal photography wrapped in September 2014 and finishing by June 2015. The animated characters would be designed by Rhode Montijo, who appeared in the film himself. 
=== Music ===
The score was composed by Henry Jackman. In June 2015, Waka Flocka Flame released a single entitled "Read On", featuring Good Charlotte, which serves as part of the film's soundtrack. The song, "Daydreaming" from the original Gum Girl series in 1967 (which is remixed by Helmut VonLichten in 2012) was heard during the film's Underhander scenes. 
== Release ==
=== Theatrical ===
The film was originally scheduled to be released on May 15, 2015, but on August 12, 2014, the release date was pushed to July 24, 2015. In the United States and Canada, it was released in the Dolby Vision format in Dolby Cinema.
=== Home media ===
Ink and Paint was released on Blu-ray (3D and 2D) and DVD on October 20, 2015. According to The Numbers, the domestic DVD sales are $7,181,924 and the Blu-ray sales are $6,426,936.
== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
Ink and Paint grossed $78.7 million in North America and $164.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $244.9 million. Reports of the production budget of the film range from $88 million to $129 million, with Sony Pictures officially stating the cost as $110 million. The film received tax rebates of $19 million for filming in Canada.
=== Critical response ===
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 18% based on 189 reviews; the average rating is 3.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Much like the best comic books and shorts from the 50s, 60s, and 70s that inspired it, Ink and Paint is easily worth a quarter." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
== Trivia ==