OneShot (film)

OneShot is a 2019 American animated adventure film directed by Peter Ramsey from a screenplay by Barry Jenkins. Based on the 2016 game of the same name, its ensemble voice cast features Abby Ryder Fortson, Josh Gad, Ashley Johnson, Gabe and Arry Frost, Michelle Rodriguez, Sam Rockwell, Dave Franco, Jessie T. Usher, Ally Maki, Ellie Kemper, and Anna Akana. Like its source material, the plot follows Niko, who is somehow transported into a mysterious world without sunlight, and has to replace its sun with a lightbulb at the top of a tower, all while encountering new friends along the way.
Initially, it was never planned for OneShot to have a film adaptation due to its complex plot structure and its alternate endings. There were also doubts of it being made due to the busy schedules of various studios in the animation industry. However, Plan B Entertainment entered negotiations with game developer Future Cat to develop a feature film based on OneShot. Negotiations were successful, though the film was in limbo due to it being inferior to its video game counterpart.
OneShot held its world premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2019, and had its theatrical release in the United States a day later on June 14, 2019 by United Artists Releasing under Annapurna Pictures. It received praise for its animation, atmosphere, voice acting, and musical score, but received criticism for its inferiority to its source material. It was a box-office bomb, only grossing $45.2 million on a $30 million budget.
==Synopsis==
"Niko, a child who is just like any other: a bubbly personality with stupidly adorable looks, is mysteriously transported to a world where nothing seems to work out like in real life. They are put to the test when they are tasked to replace the dead Sun with a lightbulb sharing the same functions on top of a tower far away, while having to meet new companions on the way. It is only a matter of time before Niko saves the world from impending disaster, and they only have one shot at this."
-Annapurna Pictures
==Plot==
TBA.
==Voice cast==
*Abby Ryder Fortson as:
**Niko, a child of unknown gender who is tasked to help the world with replacing its dead sun with a lightbulb.
**The World Machine, a simulation of the world Niko is trapped in.
*Josh Gad as:
**Prophetbet, a robot who greets Niko and tasks them with their objective.
**Proto, an advanced prototype of Prophetbet.
*Ashley Johnson as Silver, the head engineer of robots in the Barrens.
*Gabe Frost as Calamus, a bird child and the older brother of Alula.
*Arry Frost as Alula, a bird child and the younger sister of Calamus.
*Michelle Rodriguez as Maize, a plant spirit who lives in the Glen.
*Sam Rockwell as Lamplighter, a man who Niko finds while waiting for a broken elevator.
*Ellie Kemper as Kip, the head of scientists at the Refuge library.
*Anna Akana as George, the head librarian of the Refuge library.
*Dave Franco as Ling, a cafe worker in Refuge.
*Jessie T. Usher as Cedric, a boy with a flying machine.
*Ally Maki as Rue, an anthropomorphic fox.
*Colleen O'Shaughnessy as Magpie, a trader from the Glen.
*Phil LaMarr as Bookbot, a robot in charge of the library reception.
*Roger Craig Smith as Ysef, a reader in the library.
*Kari Wahlgren as Watcher, a humanoid with a clock for her head.
*Scott Menville as Mason, a humanoid with a plant pot for his head.
*Yuri Lowenthal as Rowbot, a robot attached to a boat to transport entities to and from the Glen.
*Ako Mitchell as Kelvin, a robot with a radiator-like furnace for his head.
*Eliza Velasquez as Shepherd, an animal keeper. Shepherd is modeled after Velasquez, the same as from the game.
Additionally, Frank Welker provides vocal effects for the ram, and Maya Rudolph makes a brief voice cameo as Niko's mother.
==Production==
===Development===
When OneShot was being developed, the plan was to never give it a film adaptation. This was the case due to the two endings the game can give the player. Co-developer Nightmargin explained that “it wouldn’t make sense for one ending to be canon and the other not.” However, Nightmargin and co-developers Eliza Velsaquez and Michael Shirt looked for ways to incorporate OneShot into the world of film and television, though this was discarded soon after.
In 2017, Plan B Entertainment presidents Jeremy Kleiner and Dede Gardner found OneShot via social media and were interested in adapting it into a film. They sent an email to Velsaquez about the idea, who was skeptical about it, but accepted the offer. Plan B hired Barry Jenkins to write the film's screenplay and Peter Ramsey to direct the film. In April 2018, Annapurna Pictures won distribution rights in a bidding war against Bleecker Street and A24, and Reel FX Animation Studios would handle the film's animation. Craig Mazin served as an uncredited writer, but received special thanks.
===Casting===
Michelle Rodriguez and Anna Akana were first cast in July 2017 as Maize and George, respectively. Ashley Johnson was cast as Silver in September 2017. In January 2018, Gabe and Arry Frost were cast as siblings Calamus and Alula, respectively. April 2018 saw the voices of Sam Rockwell, Ellie Kemper, and Dave Franco join the cast as Lamplighter, Kip, and Ling, respectively. In June 2018, Josh Gad joined as Prophetbet and Proto, and later in August, Abby Ryder Fortson joined as Niko, the film's main heroine. In September, Jessie T. Usher and Ally Maki were cast respectively as Cedric and Rue, both of whom appear in the Solstice route of OneShot.
Benedict Cumberbatch revealed that he was initially offered the role of Lamplighter, but turned it down due to scheduling conflicts with his role as Doctor Strange in Avengers: Endgame.
===Music===
Main article: OneShot (film)/Soundtrack
In October 2018, Nicholas Britell was announced as the film's composer. Britell had already worked with Jenkins on Moonlight (2016), though this would be the first time Britell worked on a project where Jenkins was not the director of a film. The soundtrack was released on June 14, 2019, the same day as the film's release.
American indie band Bon Iver performed an original song titled "Early Days", which was released as a single on May 10, 2019.
==Release==
OneShot premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 13, 2019. It was released in both the United States and Canada a day later, alongside Men in Black: International and Shaft. It was originally scheduled for a May 24, 2019 release.
===Home media===
OneShot was released on digital on August 13, 2019, and then on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 17, 2019.
==Reception==
===Box office===
OneShot grossed $27.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $17.8 million in other territories.
=== Critical response ===
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 60% based on 163 reviews, with an average rating of 6.22/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "OneShot does a fine job at trying to maintain the lucky charm the game had, but doesn't quite live up to its expectations, blowing its one shot." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score 59 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an overall positive score of 80% and a 65% "definite recommend".
===Accolades===
Awards & nominations 	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations 	Awards & nominations 	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations	Awards & nominations
Award 	Date of ceremony 	Category 	Nominee(s) 	Result 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Academy Awards 	February 9, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	Peter Ramsey 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Academy Awards 	February 9, 2020 	Best Original Song 	Bon Iver for "Early Days"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Annie Awards 	January 25, 2020 	Best Animated Feature 	OneShot 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Annie Awards 	January 25, 2020 	Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production	Nicholas Britell 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Annie Awards 	January 25, 2020 	Outstanding Achievement for Directing in a Feature Production 	Peter Ramsey 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
British Academy Film Awards 	February 2, 2020 	Best Animated Film 	OneShot 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 20, 2019 	Best Original Score in an Animated Film 	Nicholas Britell 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	November 20, 2019 	Best Original Song in an Animated Film 	Bon Iver for "Early Days"	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	May 2, 2020 	Favorite Animated Movie 	OneShot 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards	May 2, 2020 	Favorite Female Voice from an Animated Movie 	Abby Ryder Fortson 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Credits==
Main article: OneShot (film)/Credits
Category:Films
Category:Movies
Category:Films based on video games
Category:Annapurna Pictures
Category:Annapurna Pictures films
Category:Reel FX Animation Studios films
Category:2019 films
Category:2019 animated films
Category:Adventure films
Category:The Indie User's ideas