Johnson and Friends Movie

Johnson and Friends Movie is a 2004 American computer-animated adventure family buddy comedy film based on the Film Australia television series Johnson and Friends. It was directed by David Ogilvy and Jimmy Hayward and written by Pamela Pettler & Francine McDougall. The film introduced Diesel girlfriend Kathy, The film features the voices of Michael Caine, Renée Zellweger, Will Ferrell, Anna Popplewell, Fran Drescher, Peter Sarsgaard, and Eugene Levy, along with guest stars Jeroen Krabbé, Matthew McGrory, Sophie Traub, Anthony Anderson, and Liam Neeson. The events of the film take place after the fourth season of Johnson & Friends.
Johnson and Friends Movie premiered in Australia on May 13, 2004, and was released in the United States on July 30, 2004 by Victor Hugo Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, grossing over $742 million worldwide over its $85 million budget. It launched a expanded franchise, with a fourth sequel release in 2007, 2011, 2014, 2017 and fifth sequel scheduled for release in 2021.
== Plot ==
In Toytopia, The evil sorcerer Paul is planning to destroy Toytopia for himself by mastering a type of dark magic known as The Time Bomb. Before he can strike, Despite calls, Mayor of Toytopia spares Paul's life and banishes him. A hateful Paul swears to Mayor of Toytopia that he will one day get his power back and take everything Mayor owns and loves. Meanwhile, Micheal's Toys (Johnson, McDuff, Diesel, Alfred, Squeaky and Victoria) is living his dream as the Micheal Family going away from Summer Vacation, protecting the his room However, McDuff tells them that he has yet to achieve Diesel inventions was stupid. Despite Diesel's zealous enthusiasm, his inventions, including, Waffles Cistern, Pterodactyl mushroom, hypnotic elephant seals, a bigfoot macaw, a vulture flood, and crusher stage, all end in failure.
Back in Toytopia, the Toytopia news report of how Paul planning to destory Toytopia, which has been given to the Toytopia Police, and how He has been Evil. Meanwhile, The Micheal Toys is interrupted when Diesel arrives with a call for help, sending Johnson and his friends (expect Victoria) on a new adventure by building a boat leaving Diesel behind, When the Johnson and his friends finally goes on the boat to Toytopia, Squeaky finds that Diesel has hitched a ride on the boat as well. They have a fight, only to find the Johnson Skateboard has left without him. They manage to make their way to the Toytopia by stowing away on a Squeaky tantrums to make a Huge Wave and Stormy. Diesel, still thinking he is a real toy car, despite Squeaky's attempts to convince him otherwise, where they found out they are in Toytopia.
On Toytopia, McDuff decides to contact Alfred. Diesel realizes that the only back seat on the truck available is in McDuff. There, he finds Squeaky and asks to use the back seat. However, Squeaky says it is too heavy. Alfred then talk to McDuff. He thereafter consents to help McDuff. Once the back seat is now larger, Alfred contacts the steak toy. Paul impersonates Magellanic penguin toy, using shape-shifting to disguise himself, but fails because he does not have Penguin's Beak. Pau then commands chimpanzee named "Peter" to go to Earth and capture all of the Micheal's toy to destroy them. Meanwhile Alfred, sensing Diesel is in trouble, asks McDuff for help to what's wrong with him. Meanwhile, Alfred is still not fitting in and causes another disaster. Diesel tries to encourage him by saying he's one-of-a-kind, comparing him to squirrel. Naturally, that just makes him feel worse. Suddenly, a crash is heard from below. Running downstairs, the pair encounters Paul, breaking into their home. In the ensuing chaos, Alfred thrusts his blazes out at Paul, only to be blasted into a net. Paul finds and takes a blue pod before abducting Alfred for interrogation. Diesel and McDuff manage to take Johnson's skateboard to chase Paul into space and engage him in battle, before being defeated and falling back towards Toytopia.
Diesel and McDuff ask Johnson for help and find that He, Squeaky, Vincent and Kathy are part of the resistance movement, led by the Jason. Dee is able to open the portal to the Another dimension, but upon learning about Alfred's capture, McDuff, Kathy, Johnson, Phil and Diesel decide to rescue Alfred. In the another dimension, Alfred falls out of the train and becomes lost. Alfred found out these good Stuff out here, then He realizes that blue and yellow concertina look like McDuff, that She saves him when suddenly, A Blue and Yellow Concertina get bitten by dog, cause Alfred to Freak Out and runs away from him, Later Paul grab Alfred then show it to of his Misfits Toys, They has a problem with one of their sons, Robert, who is a underachieving  and refuses to act the part of a killer. His lord leader, Martin, orders Robert's more savage older brother Bill to tutor Robert in the family business.
Meanwhile, McDuff, Kathy, Johnson and Diesel arrive on an another Dimension populated by a giant Kittens family, who help them make it to McDuff's fortress. Arriving at a hidden bay outside of the fortress, They are attacked by a giant Chameleon. However, McDuff realizes the Chameleon is actually a mechanical device and is able to shut the machine down from inside and save the three. Once inside, Diesel, Kathy, and McDuff rescue the Lawrence and Cosmo but are confronted by Johnson. Finding his self-respect, McDuff uses a chandelier to knock the Wolf down and the group escapes through the fortress's cistern with Diesel in hot pursuit. Back in the bay, McDuff's ship opens fire on the group's small boat, but the Johnson arrives, sinks McDuff's ship and rescues the group and built another one.
As the storm approaches, Paul and the Misfits Toys with Alfred arrival and attack and carry McDuff away. Diesel, Johnson, Kathy and Vincent becomes entangled in vines, where he has a vision of Squeaky leading him home. Diesel, Johnson, Kathy and Vincent instead resolves to rescues Alfred and McDuff, making the vision of Squeaky proud before it fades away. Before Diesel can explain, Vincent and Jason capture Diesel themselves. Johnson demands that they help her rescue Alfred and McDuff, but Vincent insists they only came for Diesel. When Johnson breaks down, Diesel reminds Johnson about his flashback (from Season 1-4) he learned from Johnson (mentioned), and convinces Vincent to help rescue McDuff and Alfred. Johnson, Diesel, Kathy, and Vincent give chase in Vincent's spaceship and rescue Alfred and McDuff from Paul's Ship.
Diesel, Kathy, Alfred, McDuff and Johnson short-circuit Paul's ship, causing it to crash near a waterfall on Toytopia. They give Kathy a new Johnson Friends and they sent off back to Micheal Room, which Micheal and his Parents Finished Holiday. They then persuade the Jason to let them rehabilitate the other their friends, along with Johnson and his friends. The Mayor of Toytopia and Jason places Paul and his Misfits Toy under arrest, Meanwhile, at Micheal Room, Diesel whispers to Alfred that he has plans for gonna Rebuild his Investor. 4 years later, When Micheal is aged 13, He sell his Toy and ship to Toytopia, The film ends with various footage and pictures of Johnson and his old friends and new friends life together.
== Voice cast ==
* Michael Caine as Johnson, A furry pink elephant who stumbles upon Toytopia in his travels.
* Renée Zellweger as McDuff, A blue and yellow concertina who is a legendary arranged to marry Johnson, and friend with Diesel's love interest, Kathy.
* Will Ferrell as Diesel, A red toy truck with a Yellow cap, They manage to rescue Alfred from Paul's and his Misfits Toy, He also love with Kathy.
* Peter Sarsgaard as Alfred, He is an overprotective green hot water bottle.
* Fran Drescher as Squeaky, A black and red robot, She has his own ways of doing the daily tasks, but his world is turned upside-down when they sail to Toytopia. Though Squeaky genuinely cares for her friends, she tends to condescend to them.
* Sophie Traub as Victoria, she is shy, good-hearted orange dinosaur.
* Jeroen Krabbé as Vincent, A Black Dog, who carries the burden of supporting himself.
* Anna Popplewell as Kathy, A beautiful and charismatic pink toy truck with a passion for music and dance, she also love interest with Diesel. 
* Matthew McGrory as Jason, a care-free, egotistical opossum who lives at Toytopia.
* Eugene Levy as Paul, a greedy, redheaded, wicked sorcerer. Upon destory the Toytopia, but it fail, he kidnaps Alfred and later McDuff, to retrieve it for her, as Alfred and McDuff is the only one small enough to fit in it. In the end, he is thwarted and presumably under Arrested along with his sidekicks, Misfits Toys.
* Anthony Anderson as Rob, A toy dog who is the mayor of Toytopia.
* Liam Neeson as Phil, a toy pig who is selfless, devoted, brave, and strong-willed.
=== Additional voices ===
* Scott Menville
* Carlos Alazraqui
* Paul Eiding
* Rob Paulsen
* Jack Angel
* Fred Tatasciore
* John Kassir
* Kirk Baily
* Cam Clarke
* Billy West
* Tress MacNeille
* Pamela Adlon
* Keith Ferguson
* Enn Reitel
* Katie Leigh
* Pat Fraley
* Alan Tudyk
* Candi Milo
* Phil Morris
* Maurice LaMarche
* Susan Blu
* Brian Cummings
* Jeannie Elias
* Gregg Berger
* Michael Bell
== Production ==
David Ogilvy first began working on the story for what became Johnson and Friends Movie about 11 years prior to its release, then directed the film's development from 1996 to 2002. In September 1997, Victor Hugo Pictures announced the film as Johnson and Friends Goes to Toytown, as a live-action family feature scheduled for a 2001 release, which Ogilvy described as a "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town-like" film that revolved around an entirely different concept. In June 1999, Johnson and Friends Goes to Toytown was pushed back to a Christmas 2003 release in order to give Ogilvy "more time to work on the story".
By July 2000, the film was retitled Johnson and Friends: Toy Island and it was announced that the film would be instead a computer animated feature film. In 2001, the film's title was changed once again, this time as Johnson and Friends Movie. Production began in mid-2002, and the release date was pushed back to summer 2004.
== Soundtrack ==
: Main article: Johnson and Friends Movie/Soundtrack
In September 2003, it had been confirmed that John Powell would be composing the score for the film.
== Release ==
Johnson and Friends Movie was originally scheduled to be released on June 8, 2001, but was later pushed back to December 25, 2003, with Totally Superheroine! taking its place and also David Ogilvy to have more time, but it pushed again to July 30, 2004 with Cheaper to the Dozen and Peter Pan taking its place. The film premiered at the Australia on May 13, 2004. The release of the film in the United Kingdom was postponed to June 18, 2004, one month and twelve days ahead of its original July 30, 2004.
=== Marketing ===
Coinciding with the film's release, McDonalds released eight toys in their Happy Meals. A video game adaptation was released on the PlayStation 2, Windows, Macintosh, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and on the Game Boy Advance.
=== Trailers ===
* The first official teaser was released on June 20, 2003, and was shown before Night of the Living Fleas, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over, Super Hedgehog, and Freaky Friday.
* The second official teaser was released on October 3, 2003, and was shown before School of Rock, Good Boy!, Brother Bear, Elf, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and The Cat in the Hat.
* The first theatrical trailer was released on November 26, 2003, and was shown before The Haunted Mansion, Cheaper by the Dozen, Peter Pan, Teacher's Pet, and Catch That Kid.
* The second theatrical trailer was released on February 20, 2004, and was shown before Clifford's Really Big Movie, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Home on the Range, and Ella Enchanted.
* The third theatrical trailer was released on April 30, 2004, and was shown before Lions, Tigers & Bears, Shrek 2, Garfield: The Movie, Computeropolis, Planet Newcastle, and Thunderbirds.
* TV spots began to air between June and July of 2004.
=== Home media ===
Johnson and Friends Movie was released on VHS and DVD on October 23, 2004, becoming the top-selling home video release of 2004.
The film was released on Blu-ray on July 17, 2007 and contained new features not included on the DVD. A 3D Blu-ray version was released on July 17, 2012 and the 4K Ultra Blu-Ray version was released on June 19, 2018.
== Reception ==
=== Critical reception ===
Johnson and Friends Movie has a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 7.8/10 based on 139 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "Johnson and Friends Movie is flashing espionage satire complete with really thrills, very twists, and brisk pacing." Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 64, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
=== Box office ===
Johnson and Friends earned $84,362,732 in the United States and $327,226,527 from international markets for a worldwide total of $361,663,953. Despite grossing $326.7 million over its $73 million budget, the film was deemed a box office failure due to high marketing costs of $121–186 million and falling short of the break even point of $400 million. Co-director Ian Munro attributed the film's performance to audience reactions and releasing it on the same day as The Manchurian Candidate which was less hyped up.
Johnson and Friends Movie opened on July 30, 2004 against The Manchurian Candidate and The Village. The film was projected to gross $42–54 million from 3,454 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $65.5 million from Thursday night previews and $85.5 million on its opening day. Victor Hugo Pictures Animation CEO Bram Moolenaar called these results best Reboot of 1990 Kids show ever. The film ended up grossing $67.6 million in its opening weekend debuting at No. 2 behind The Manchurian Candidate. In its second weekend, the film declined by a huge margin of 75%, grossing $96.8 million and dropped to No. 6. The third weekend suffered a more severe drop declining by 88% and grossed $104.2 while remaining in sixth.
=== Accolades ===
Award 	Category 	Recipient 	Result
Annie Awards 	Character Design in an Animated Feature Production	Carter Goodrich (also for Computeropolis)Shannon Tindle	
Annie Awards 	Music in an Animated Feature Production 	John Powell 	
Annie Awards 	Voice Acting in a Feature Production 	Michael Caine 	
Annie Awards 	Voice Acting in a Feature Production 	Renée Zellweger 	
Annie Awards 	Voice Acting in a Feature Production 	Will Ferrell 	
Golden Globe Awards 	Best Animated Feature Film 	John Powell 	
Golden Trailer Awards	Best Animation/Family TV Spot 	 	
Kids' Choice Awards 	Favorite Animated Movie 	 	
== Transcript ==
=== Main ===
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.
=== Trailers ===
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.Category:Films
Category:Victor Hugo Pictures films
Category:2004
Category:2000s
Category:Johnson and Friends
Category:Victor Hugo Pictures animated films
Category:Victor Hugo Pictures Animation animated films
Category:PG-Rated films
Category:Victor Hugo Pictures animated features canon