Abominable (2019 film)

2019 computer-animated adventure film directed by Jill CultonTemplate:SHORTDESC:2019 computer-animated adventure film directed by Jill Culton

## Abominable

### **Produced by**

Suzanne Buirgy
Peilin Chou

### **Starring**

* Chloe Bennet
* Albert Tsai
* Tenzing Norgay Trainor
* Eddie Izzard
* Sarah Paulson
* Tsai Chin

### **Production company**

* DreamWorks Animation
* Pearl Studio

### **Distributed by**

* Universal Pictures (Worldwide)
* Pearl Studio (China)

### **Release date**

* September 7, 2019 (2019-09-07) (TIFF)
* September 27, 2019 (2019-09-27) (United States)

### **Country**

* United States
* China

### **Box office**

$189.7 million

***Abominable*** is a 2019 computer-animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio. It was written and directed by Jill Culton and co-directed by Todd Wilderman, and stars the voices of Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin, and Michelle Wong. The film follows a teenage girl named Yi, who encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, names him Everest and embarks on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth along with her mischievous friends Jin and Peng, but the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish, a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara to help Everest get home.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019, and was released by Universal Pictures in the United States on September 27 while Pearl Studio distributed the film in China. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed over $181 million worldwide. In Southeast Asia, *Abominable* has garnered controversy for a scene involving a map of the region with the Nine-Dash Line, a contested demarcation line used by China to lay claim over a portion of the South China Sea. Due to this, the film has been banned in several countries involved in territorial disputes with China over the South China Sea—namely, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

*Abominable* received two Movie Land Fun and Excitement Award winners for Best Animated Feature and Voice Actor.

A follow up television series, *Abominable and the Invisible City*, was announced for streaming service Peacock in 2022.

## Plot

A young Yeti escapes from a compound in Shanghai owned by wealthy businessman Mr. Burnish, who intends to use him to prove the existence of yetis to the world. Meanwhile, teenager Yi lives with her mother and Nai Nai (grandmother) in an apartment building. She leads a busy life, and neglects to spend time with her family and her friends, basketball fan Peng and his tech-savvy and popular cousin Jin. Yi is also a violinist, but has not played since her father's death, as he was a violinist, too.

One evening, Yi encounters the Yeti near her cubby house on the roof of her Shanghai apartment building, and names him "Everest". While hiding him from Burnish Industries' helicopters, Yi gains his trust by feeding him Baozi and treating his wounds. Yi learns that Everest wants to reunite with his family on Mount Everest, while Everest learns about Yi's desire to travel across China - something her father had always wanted. When Burnish Industries' private security forces close in on Everest' hiding place, Everest flees with Yi. After narrowly escaping a Burnish helicopter at the Oriental Pearl Tower, Yi and Everest flee on a ship carrying red cola cans, followed by Peng and a reluctant Jin.

Yi, Everest, and the boys reach a port in southern China and travel on a truck. After their crate falls off the truck, they end up in a forest. There, Everest awes the humans with his mystical powers of stimulating growth among blueberry plants. Meanwhile, Mr. Burnish and zoologist Dr. Zara continue the hunt for Everest. Following Everest and his human friends' trail, they catch up with them in the Sichuan region, where Everest uses his power to cause a plant to grow to a gigantic size. While Yi, Everest, and Peng manage to escape on the wind-blown shoot, Jin is left behind and captured by Burnish Industries' Goon Leader.

Despite Dr. Zara's pretense of caring for animals, Jin learns that she is planning to hunt down the yeti to sell it. He also learns that the seemingly cold-hearted Mr. Burnish has a soft spot for animals, including Dr. Zara's pet albino jerboa Duchess. He manages to escape the camp, and pursues the others on foot. Meanwhile, Yi, Everest and Peng reach the Gobi Desert, where they befriend several tortoises, who gratefully accept their giant shoot. Later, they travel to a town on the banks of the Yellow River, where Burnish Industries corners them. Peng helps them escape by unleashing a yak stampede. With the help of Jin, they escape across the Yellow River to a field of yellow flowers, which Everest causes to move like waves, creating more distance from their pursuers.

Continuing their journey, which Yi realizes echoes her father's dream trip exactly, the humans and Everest eventually reach the Himalayas. While crossing a bridge, they are trapped on both sides by Burnish Industries' forces. However, Mr. Burnish experiences a change of heart after seeing Everest protecting the children, causing him to experience a flashback to his first encounter with a female yeti, which was protecting her young. Still seeking to sell Everest, Dr. Zara injects Mr. Burnish with a tranquilizer before tranquilizing Everest as well. When Yi tries to protect Everest, Dr. Zara throws her over the bridge, then departs the mountain with the captive Everest, Peng, and Jin in tow.

However, Yi manages to cling on to a rope. She then uses her violin, which Everest has magically repaired, to summon ice. This reinvigorates Everest, who breaks free of his cage. Dr. Zara attempts to kill Everest and sell his parts instead, but the avalanche she causes knocks her and the Goon Leader off the cliffside to their demise.

To protect Everest and the yetis from humanity, Mr. Burnish agrees to help Yi, Peng, and Jin keep his existence a secret. Yi, Peng, Jin, and Everest continue the journey to Mount Everest, where they reunite Everest with his family.

Returning home to Shanghai with the help of Mr. Burnish, Yi spends more time with her mother, grandmother, Peng, and Jin.

## Cast

* Chloe Bennet as Yi, a violin-playing teenager.
* Albert Tsai as Peng, a friend of Yi's and Jin's cousin .
* Tenzing Norgay Trainor as Jin, a millennial friend of Yi's and Peng's cousin.
* Eddie Izzard as Burnish, a wealthy man and head of Burnish Industries who wants to catch a Yeti. This was Izzard's last performance before he reidentified himself as female.
* Sarah Paulson as Dr. Zara, a poacher under the guise of a zoologist who works with Burnish.
* Tsai Chin as Nai Nai
* Joseph Izzo as Everest, a Yeti that Yi befriends.
	+ Rupert Gregson-Williams as Everest's humming voice
* Michelle Wong as Yi's mother
* Rich Dietl as Goon Leader, the leader of the goons that work for Burnish Industries. Burnish often referred to him as a "Captain".
* James Hong as a Yak Herder living on the banks of the Yellow River whose yak herd Everest blends in with.
* Christine Lin as Teenage Girl #1, Boy's Mother, Female Customer
* Kym Miller as Teenage Girl #2
* Jason Ko as Teenage Boy
* Trevor Devall as Van Driver
* Karen Huie as Dog Lady, Doc Worker
* Vic Chao as Jin Impersonator, a man in a village on the banks of the Yellow River who Yi thought was Jin.
* Fernando Chien as Merchant

## Production

*Abominable* was in development at DreamWorks Animation since 2010. For some time, Jill Culton was writing and directing the film, originally titled *Everest*, which was about a little girl and a Yeti, but by 2016, she had left the project. She was then replaced by Tim Johnson and Todd Wilderman.

In December 2016, DreamWorks announced that the film would be released on September 27, 2019, and that it would be co-produced by Oriental DreamWorks (now Pearl Studio), marking their second collaboration after *Kung Fu Panda 3*. On February 2, 2018, it was announced that Culton had returned as the director, replacing Johnson. On March 20, 2018, it was announced that Chloe Bennet has been cast in the lead role as Yi. On May 18, 2018, DreamWorks and Pearl Studio announced that the film has been retitled from *Everest* to *Abominable*, and Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, and Tsai Chin were cast the following month.

## Music

The film's music was composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams, who had previously collaborated with the studio on *Over the Hedge* and *Bee Movie*. Also featured on the soundtrack is an original song titled "Beautiful Life" sung by American musician, Bebe Rexha. The film also featured a version of Coldplay's Fix You. The soundtrack was released digitally on September 13, 2019 by Back Lot Music.

## Release

*Abominable* had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019. The film was released on September 27, 2019 in the United States and on October 11 in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures. Universal also handles worldwide distribution alongside various regional partners except for China, where the film was solely distributed by co-producer Pearl Studio, who (under their former name of Oriental DreamWorks) had distributed all of DreamWorks Animation's films in the country since the partnership began.

### Home media

*Abominable* was released on digital and Movies Anywhere by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on December 3, 2019, with Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD releases following on December 17. All releases included the short film *Marooned*, which had previously been screened at the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival and as part of a cross-promotion between DreamWorks Animation and AMC Theatres. The 4K Ultra HD version additionally uses HDR10+, making it Universal's second animated film to use the format after *The Secret Life of Pets 2* and their sixth film overall.

## Reception

### Box office

*Abominable* has grossed $60.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $120.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $181.4 million, against a production budget of $75 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $17–20 million from 4,200 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5.7 million on its first day, including $650,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $20.9 million, finishing first at the box office and marking the best opening for an original animated film of 2019. The film made $12 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer *Joker*.

### Critical response

Rotten Tomatoes reported that **Lua error in Module:Rotten\_Tomatoes\_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).** of critics have given the film a positive review based on **Lua error in Module:Rotten\_Tomatoes\_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).** reviews, with an average rating of **Lua error in Module:Rotten\_Tomatoes\_data at line 136: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**. The website's critics consensus reads, "Working with admittedly familiar ingredients, *Abominable* offers audiences a beautifully animated and overall engaging adventure that the whole family can enjoy." On Metacritic, the film has an weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 4 out of 5 stars.

Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave *Abominable* two out of four stars, opining that it "lack[ed] the personality to distinguish it from superior animated films that cover most of the same ground." Similarly, Peter Travers of *Rolling Stone* gave the film 2.5 out of five stars, likening it to fellow DreamWorks film *How to Train Your Dragon* (2010). While praising Yi's violin music and the animated scenes featuring whooping snakes and Everest' visual wonders, he thought that *Abominable* failed to distinguish itself in a crowded market. Glenn Kenny of *The New York Times* praised the film for its "exceptionally watchable and amiable" story and animated visual effects.

Clarissa Loughrey of *The Independent* gave *Abominable* three out of five stars, describing the film as "occasionally original, but not quite daring enough." She also praised the director Jill Culton for writing Yi as a grounded and authentic female protagonist while avoiding forcing her to prove herself and shoe-horned romances. Nick De Semiyen of *Empire* magazine awarded *Abominable* three out of five stars. He praised the film for its first female animated film director Culton, female lead character Yi, and for embracing its Chinese milieu including Yi's grandma Nai Nai. However, he observed that the film brought nothing new to the animation medium but praised it for incorporating a reference to *Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade*.

Peter Bradshaw of *The Guardian* gave *Abominable* two out of five stars, regarding the yeti as a bland character and observing the film's similarities to *How to Train Your Dragon* and *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial*. By contrast, Simran Hans of *The Observer* gave the film a more favorable review, awarding it three out of five stars. She praised the film for its animation effects of the yeti's magical powers and also likened the film to *How to Train Your Dragon*.

### Nine-Dash Line controversy

The film was banned in Vietnam on October 14, 2019, ten days after its release, due to the appearance of the Nine-Dash Line in a scene. The Philippines and Malaysia also reacted negatively to this scene. Filipino lawyer Jay Batongbacal requested that the film be banned, while the Philippines' Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. thought it was better to cut the scene in question. On October 17, Malaysia ordered the scene be cut from the film through its film censorship board. However, after Universal refused to make the censor cut, the film was banned entirely in Malaysia. The following day, the Philippines' Movie and Television Review and Classification Board followed suit, also banning the film.

## Television series

On February 11, 2022, it was announced that Peacock had ordered a CG animated series from DreamWorks Animation Television serving as a follow up to the film, titled *Abominable and the Invisible City*. Cast and format have not been revealed. The series will chronicle Yi, Jin and Peng learning more about Everest and the magical creatures of the world. *Spirit Riding Free* workers Jim Schumann and Katherine Nolfi will executive produce the series while Tiffany Lo and Ethel Lung will serve as story editors.

## References

<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />

1. ↑ Abominable. Universal Pictures.
2. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>McNary, Dave (May 18, 2018). "DreamWorks-Pearl Studio Animated Movie 'Everest' Retitled 'Abominable' (EXCLUSIVE)". *Variety*. Variety Media. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Film releases. *Variety Insight*. Variety Media.
4. ↑ DreamWorks Animation And Pearl Studio Announce Cast Of "Abominable" At Annecy International Animation Festival (June 14, 2018).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>McLean, Tom (September 8, 2019). "'Abominable': All Yeti for the Big Screen". *Animation Magazine*. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
6. ↑ Abominable.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Template:Cite BOM
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:Cite the numbers
9. ↑ Universal Delays DreamWorks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon 3,' Sets 'Everest' Feature. Animation World Network (December 7, 2016).
10. ↑ Brendon Connelly (23 March 2017). What's going on at DreamWorks Animation?. Den of Geek.
11. ↑ Abominable.
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Abominable. Universal Pictures.
13. ↑ Two in One Interview: NY Illustrators – Character Designers. CTN Animation Expo.
14. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Gachman, Dina (March 21, 2013). "Bringing 'The Croods' to Life: A Spotlight Interview with Producers Kristine Belson and Jane Hartwell". *Studio System News*. Retrieved December 21, 2013. We have a project tentatively titled Everest, but that's a temp title. It's about a little girl and a Yeti, and the writer-director is Jill Culton.
15. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Milligan, Mercedes (March 26, 2014). "DreamWorks Adopts FLIX for Story Development". *Animation Magazine*. Retrieved March 27, 2014. Culton, who made her directorial debut with Sony's Open Season, is currently writing and directing a film about a young girl and a Yeti for DWA with the working title Everest.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 'How To Train Your Dragon 3' Flies To 2019; Uni's DWA To Scale 'Everest'. Deadline (December 5, 2016).
17. ↑ Oriental Dreamworks Relaunches As 100% Chinese-Owned Pearl Studio (February 2, 2018).
18. ↑ 'Agents of SHIELD' Star Chloe Bennet to Lead Pearl Studios' Animated 'Everest' (Exclusive) (20 March 2018).
19. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>McNary, Dave (May 18, 2018). "DreamWorks-Pearl Studio Animated Movie 'Everest' Retitled 'Abominable' (EXCLUSIVE)". *Variety*. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
20. ↑ China's Pearl Studio Teams With Stephen Chow For Animated 'Monkey King', Sets Voice Cast For 'Abominable' (June 14, 2018).
21. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Rupert Gregson-Williams to Score Brian Henson's 'The Happytime Murders'". *Film Music Reporter*. December 20, 2017. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
22. ↑ 'Joker,' 'Lion King,' 'Us' Lead 2019 Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominees. Penske Media Corporation (Nov 5, 2019).
23. ↑ How Coldplay Let 'Abominable' Use Their Song (en-US) (2019-09-27).
24. ↑ Lang, Brent (July 23, 2019). Toronto Film Festival: 'Joker,' 'Ford v Ferrari,' 'Hustlers' Among Big Premieres.
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hunt, Bill (November 11, 2019). "The Limey on 4K Digital, plus Abominable, new Kino Lorber Studio Classics titles & more". *The Digital Bits*. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
26. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Abominable 4K Blu-ray". Blu-ray.com. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
27. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (September 24, 2019). Box Office: 'Abominable' to Close Out Unexpectedly Strong September.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 29, 2019). Dreamworks Animation-Pearl Studios' 'Abominable' Bigfoots B.O. With Near $21M Opening Weekend. *Deadline Hollywood*.
29. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 6, 2019). Warner Bros. Laughing All The Way To The Bank With 'Joker': $94M Debut Reps Records For October, Todd Phillips, Joaquin Phoenix & Robert De Niro.
30. ↑ Template:Cite Rotten Tomatoes
31. ↑ Template:Cite mc
32. ↑ Abominable (25 September 2019).
33. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
34. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Kenny, Glenn (26 September 2019). "'Abominable' Review: Are We There, Yeti?". *The New York Times*. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
35. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Loughrey, Clarisse (8 October 2019). "Abominable review: Occasionally original, but not quite daring enough". *The Independent*. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
36. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>De Semiyen, Nick (10 October 2019). "Abominable Review". *Empire*. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
37. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Bradshaw, Peter (11 October 2019). "Abominable review – escaped baby yeti gears up for Everest". *The Guardian*. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
38. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Hans, Simran (13 October 2019). "Abominable review – sweet animated yeti adventure". *The Observer*. The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
39. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"47th Annie Awards" (Press release). Annie Awards. December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
40. ↑ Schaffstall, Katherine (January 2, 2020). Artios Awards: 'Hustlers,' 'Knives Out,' 'Rocketman' Among Casting Society Film Nominees.
41. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"25th Critics' Choice Awards" (Press release). Critics' Choice Awards. December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
42. ↑ B. Vary, Adam (January 18, 2020). PGA Awards Winners: Complete List.
43. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (January 7, 2020). VES Awards Nominations: 'The Lion King', 'Alita: Battle Angel', 'The Mandalorian' & 'GoT' Top List. *Deadline*.
44. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (February 1, 2019). 'Parasite,' 'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' Win Art Directors Guild Awards.
45. ↑ TBA
46. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Saturn Awards Nominations 2021". *Deadline Hollywood*. Archived from the original on March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
47. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Khanh Vu; Phuong Nguyen; Nguyen Tien Thinh; Karishma Singh; Jason Neely (October 14, 2019). "Vietnam pulls DreamWorks' 'Abominable' film over South China Sea map". *Reuters*. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
48. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>An Nguyen (October 14, 2019). ""Abominable" with controversial nine-dash line removed from Vietnamese cinemas". *VnExpress*. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
49. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Daniel Victor (October 15, 2019). "DreamWorks Film 'Abominable' Is Pulled by Vietnam Over Chinese Map Scene". *The New York Times*. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
50. ↑ Philippines' top diplomat calls for cut to 'Abominable' over China map. Reuters (October 16, 2019).
51. ↑ Malaysia orders China map cut from 'Abominable' film as furor widens. Reuters (October 17, 2019).
52. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>@JayBatongbacal (October 14, 2019). "I agree, this film should be BANNED" (Tweet). Retrieved October 17, 2019 – via Twitter.
53. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Charmaine A. Tadalan (October 16, 2019). "Locsin suggests: Cut 'offending scene' in Abominable movie". *Business World*. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
54. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Mario Ritter Jr. (October 16, 2019). "Philippines Objects to 'Abominable' Movie Map". *Voice of America*. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
55. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Patrick Frater (October 17, 2019). "Malaysia Orders Cuts to 'Abominable' Over Controversial Map Scene". *Variety*. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
56. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Abominable: A DreamWorks movie, a map, and a huge regional row". *BBC News*. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
57. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Abominable film won't be screened in Malaysia over South China Sea map". *Channel News Asia*. October 20, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
58. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Ananthalakshmi, A.; Gopalakrishnan, Raju (20 October 2019). "'Abominable' film axed in Malaysia after rebuffing order to cut China map". *Reuters*. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
59. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"MTRCB bans 'Abominable' over China map–report". *Philippine Daily Inquirer*. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
60. ↑ Peacock Bolsters Animated Kids Programming Slate With 'Megamind,' 'Abomianble' Series & More (February 11, 2022).
61. ↑ Peacock Doubles Kids' Animation Slate with Fresh Originals & DreamWorks Franchise Shows (11 February 2022).

## External links

* **Lua error in Module:Official\_website at line 90: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).**
* *Abominable* at IMDb

 2010s
 2020s

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