Ghostbusters: The Animated Movie (2012 film)

Ghostbusters: The Animated Movie (also known as simply Ghostbusters) is a 2012 computer-animated film and a soft reboot of the Ghostbusters film series. The film takes place seven years after Ghostbusters II, with the titular team now trying to stop a supernatural entity from collecting items to let an evil force onto Earth, which would ultimately cause mass destruction. The film reunites the original cast from the first film, which includes Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Harold Ramis, and is Ramis' final film role before his death in 2014.
Released theatrically on June 22, 2012, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who hailed it as an improvement over the second film and praised the animation and performances, although the plot was criticized. Despite grossing $223 million worldwide and turning a small profit, with a budget of $100 million, the film was deemed a box office disappointment, prompting Sony to make a third film in the live-action Ghostbusters series. However, after Ramis' death, the company produced a 2016 reboot with an all-female lead cast. The reboot was a box office failure, leading Sony to instead make a direct sequel to the original Ghostbusters films with a new cast and the remaining original cast reprising their roles. The sequel was titled Ghostbusters: Afterlife and was released on November 11, 2021.