Marco 2

*Marco 2* is a 2013 3D Marcanese-American computer animated action comedy buddy spy film distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia Pictures; Actors 3D and Anaya Animation still helming production/animation. The fourteenth feature film from Actors 3D Entertainment (as well as Anaya's fifth), *Marco 2* is directed by Chris Melendari (in his directorial debut) and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with screenplay done by Steve Gennedy and story by Cody Cameron. Bill Hader, Will Smith, Emma Stone, Robin Williams, Pierre Coffin, Jason Sudekis, Julia Sawalha, Renee Zellweger, Danny DeVito, and Kristen Bell all reprise their roles from the original film. The returning cast is joined by Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Angelina Jolie, Shane Richie, Justin Long, Keanu Reeves, and Terry Crews. In the film, Marco gets kidnapped by a secret agency; whom beg him & his friends to save a diamond from another tougher (and smarter) kid-turned-supervillain, who wants to steal it for world domination.

## Marco 2

### Starring

Bill HaderWill Smith

Emma Stone

Pierre Coffin

Robin Williams

Jason Sudekis

Julia Sawalha

Renee Zellweger

Danny DeVito

Kristen Bell

Ben Stiller

Angelina Jolie

Jack Black

Tom Hanks

Will Ferrell

Shane Richie

Justin Long

Terry Crews

### Followed by

Lego 2 The Toyics

*Marco 2* was released to theaters November 8, 2013 and recieved generally favorable reviews from critics, but some calling it inferior to its predecessor; who praised its animation, voice acting, soundtrack, action scenes, and humor but criticized its plot and some of the new characters. Just like its predecessor, *Marco 2* was a box office hit, surpassing the original film with $993 million over a $135 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of 2013. *Marco 2* arrived to home video February 17, 2014 by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

## Plot

A mysterious supervillain made the Arctic Circle disappear, forcing two inhabitants to the ocean. Seeing all this, Michael tells Stephanie to recruit Marco for yet another mission. Meanwhile, Marco & his loved ones celebrate at home, and eat dinner afterwards. After the party, all parents leave to another meeting, and Marco & Pepe sit down outside to talk, when suddenly...a school bus arrived out of nowhere. Marco goes out and meets Stephanie, who freezes him. They kidnap Marco and cause Pepe (along with Kevin and his cousins) to rescue him. Unfortunately, Pepe and the others couldn't reach the bus since Daniel & Rolando were blocking them. The bus falls down to a small lake, and comes to a submarine. Everyone got off the bus and see the executives of the MISDA (Magnolia Independent Spy Department Agency). Michael warns Marco about the "mysterious supervillain" and that he must keep a valuable diamond safe at the Houston Museum of Natural Science; and also Marco gets terrified after watching a IQ serum injection video. Marco, missing his friends, refuses to but then the executives insist him on doing the task. At home, Pepe & Kevin forewarned their friends about Marco missing and head out to Joe's Tavern, where they think Marco's been at. They decide to go out, but the owner hosted a dance party for them. Marco & the agents travel to the museum, accidentally leaving Daniel & Rolando, and tour around the exhibits while in search of the diamond. They see Owen, who plots to steal the diamond for world domination, although the agents don't understand him and think he's crazy. They move on to the Gems & Minerals Hall and meet Little Henry (the diamond's owner) and he tells Marco to "keep it in good hands." Shortly afterwards, Owen steals the diamond and Marco & the agents go after him. They get picked on by Owen's holograms and Owen gloatingly leaves to his lair; seeing his henchmen waiting for him to play a card game. He refuses to play, and instead commands them to raid the museum in three days and extract the diamond with the IQ serum. Marco comes up with an idea and tells the agents to make paper planes with cameras to spy on Owen's lair and get the diamond back, but that plan failed. Desperate, Marco contacts Pepe and the latter realizes that Marco's been at the museum, so Pepe gathers up his friends and head their way to the museum.

Marco & the agents noticed that Owen hid the diamond at the police station, and they go in pursuit of it. When they get the diamond, an alarm ringed and the police wake up to arrest them. Luckily, Marco & company managed to escape with a NextGen flying car. They arrive at Guillermo's party, only to get humiliated by him, and Marco backfires him afterwards. On their way, Pepe & friends see a carnival full of games and entertainment set up by Owen. Brian sees a giant maze and goes there, much to Derek's embarrassment. Brian and the little kids (except for Joaquin & Emiliano and Derek) get injected by IQ serum guns and turn themselves to mindless "goons", since Owen was plotting revenge on Marco for the diamond. Meanwhile, Marco & his friends stroll around Hermann Park and go to Michael's home after that. Owen arrests Allen & Jacob, and later Marco discovers that Owen injected Joaquin & Emiliano's friends with the IQ serum; the agents fight off Owen's henchmen. Pepe & friends arrive on time, and rescue Allen and Jacob from Owen's lair. When Marco & his cousins are cornered by "goons", Pepe's team comes to the rescue and return the "goons" to their normal state with soda-tomato squirters. Marco beats out Owen's holograms and then confronts Owen at the gigantic domino-toppling base and, as Owen fails to shoot him with the IQ gun, gets smashed by the domino toppler and Joaquin shoots him with the Laugh-a-Lot gun and sleeps permanently, letting the diamond go out of his hand. The agency congratulates Marco and he gives them the diamond; and on a decisive moment, Marco would rather stay with his old friends. Their parents returned home, and they celebrated another party together.

## Cast

* Bill Hader as Marco
* Will Smith as Pepe
* Emma Stone as Isabela
* Pierre Coffin as Joaquin & Emiliano, the little kids, and Brian
* Robin Williams as Kevin
* Jason Sudekis as Josue
* Julia Sawalha as Melissa
* Renee Zellweger as Marlene
* Danny DeVito as Derek
* Kristen Bell as Fabi
* Ben Stiller as Michael (aka Mikey), the president of MISDA and first-in-command
* Angelina Jolie as Stephanie, the second-in-command of the MISDA and secret agent
* Will Ferrell as Owen, a selfish, narcissist, arrogant kid-turned-supervillain responsible for the mystery behind the Arctic Circle; also the one who invented the IQ serum.
* Jack Black as Allen, a former secret agent for the MISDA.
* Tom Hanks as Jacob, a top-notch superspy who also builds gadgets for the MISDA. He's also Marco's friend.
* Shane Richie as Abel, a fat and clumsy kid who joins the MISDA. He also turns out to be Marco's neighbor.
* Justin Long as Guillermo, one of Owen's henchmen; and Andres, another member of the MISDA
* Terry Crews as Frank "Trey" Friday, another henchman of Owen's
* Keanu Reeves as Fernando, Marco's friend and also an executive of the MISDA
* Donald Butler as Deonald, Trey's more serious partner. He later sides with Marco's team.
* Jordan Peele as Little Henry, the owner of the diamond. Stephanie later discovers that he's up to no good; Rolando & Daniel, two goofballs
* James Bente as Henry, Owen's tough but dim-witted henchman
* Maria Custodio as Diana and Alejandra, Andres' two friends.

Additional Voices

* Glori Amanda
* Edward Augustus-John
* Roswell Elene
* Elbis Maria Velasco
* Joaquin Alvarez
* Gabrielle Alvarez
* Lillian Hermide
* Javer Hermide
* Rebecca Silverstan
* Ted Arnold
* Fred Lombarde
* Terell Caldwell
* Pharrell Williams

## Popular culture references

*Marco 2* includes a lot of popular culture cameos/references throughout the film, parodying *Jurassic Park* (on the scene where Marco and the agents encounter a dragonbird at the Cockrell Butterfly Center), *Star Wars* (when Marco & Owen battle each other with lightsabers), *Indiana Jones* (Marco uses a rope to avoid the cars), *Night At The Museum* (saving the museum), among a few others.

## Production

### Development

In 2006, after the success of *Lego,* Actors 3D Entertainment confirmed that there will be a sequel to *Marco* in 2009, but due to schedule challenges and two other Actors 3D films taking the spot, they waited for four more years to start production. The sequel would feature Marco getting kidnapped by a kid-owned agency and that his friends must rescue him and save the world once again before their parents return home. Production began on March 2013; Phil Lord & Christopher Miller (the directors of the original film) were handling production for the sequel. It was rumored that Cody Cameron would direct the film, but he did the story since Chris Melendari would direct the film, and the screenplay was done by Steve Gennedy. As of September 2013, the film was completed.

### Casting

All the voice actors from the previous film returned to reprise their roles as their characters, respectively (with the absence of Mark Ronson and Ed Helms, since their characters won't appear in the film). Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Hanks, Will Ferrell, Angelina Jolie, Shane Richie, Justin Long, Keanu Reeves, and Terry Crews joined the returning cast as the new characters.

### Animation

The animation was done using 3DRender, just like its predecessor. The animation was done at Actors 3D's Hollywood studio; and Actors 3D hired more animators for the sequel.

### Marketing

Actors 3D held the "Actors 3D Parade" at San Angelo, Marco Island before the film's release. McDonald's promoted the film with 7 Happy Meal toys (including Mikey, Owen, and a goon version of Brian as the new characters). Many companies promoted the film as well, among these are: Coca-Cola, M&Ms, Nintendo, Lego, Walmart, Jell-O, Dannon, Nike, Sony, Oreo, Lipton, Kellogg's, and Apple.

* The official movie trailer was released on May 29, 2013 and was shown before *Monsters University, Despicable Me 2, Turbo, The Smurfs 2, Planes, Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2,* and *Free Birds.*

## Soundtrack

The Marco 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on November 7, 2013 by Sony Music and composed by Pharrell Williams and Heitor Periera.

## Release

Before its theatrical release, *Marco 2* was first released on November 1, 2013 at the Regency Village Theater in Los Angeles, California. *Marco 2* was released theatrically on November 8, 2013. It arrived to home video February 17, 2014.

*Marco 2* was rated PG by the MPAA for "action, mild language and rude humor"

## Reception

### Box Office

*Marco 2* grossed $404 million on the United States and $589.4 million worldwide for a total gross of $993 million over a $135 million budget. Alongside *The Book Thief,* *Marco 2* finished #1 at the box office since its opening weekend; and became the 2nd highest-grossing animated film of 2013 (only behind *Frozen*). It also became the highest grossing Actors 3D film until *Marco 3* came in 2015.

### Critical Response

*Marco 2* recieved generally positive reviews from critics, despite it being deemed as inferior to its predecessor. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has approval rating of 83% based on reviews from 124 critics. The critical consensus reads, "While not as what anyone expected, *Marco 2* makes it for its action-packed quirkiness and comedy to keep viewers entertained." Another aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film a score of 59 out of 100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on a A+ to F scale, down from its predecessor's "A+".

Michael Rechtshaffen of *The Hollywood Reporter* gave the film a positive review, saying "While not as great as the original, this sequel does have enough charm & wit for kids & adults alike" Michael Philips from the *Chicago Tribune* gave the film three out of four stars, "This movie was actually funnier than the original. It's also more fun than those other mediocre animated films Marco Island offered this year" Amy Nicholson of *The Village Voice* gave the film a positive review, "Comical and zany to please audiences of all ages, *Marco 2* is that one sequel that's unique (and goofy enough) in its own right" Keith Staskiewicz of *Entertainment Weekly* gave the film a B+, saying, "It's not *Toy Story 2* (or maybe it kind of is), but it's another good addition to the beloved spy classic" Rafer Guzman of *Newsday* gave the film two and a half stars out of four, "I like the original, but this film quite reaches its predecessor. It's the best animated movie of 2013, so far" Stephanie Merry from *The Washington Post* gave the film three out of four stars, "It's very weird and all, but what's good about this one is the comedy and dazzling animation" Peter Travers of *Rolling Stone* gave it three out of four stars, "I was kind of impressed with this sequel, although it wasn't what I'd expect from *Marco"* Kevin Armand from *Movies.com* gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, "Filled with fun and wackiness of its own, it's a rare sequel that actually works" Leonard Roe from *The Post* gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, "The animation's well done, the voice acting is superb, the humor's on point...what else can I say? It's not as good as *Gansito.*" Tom Russo of *The Boston Globe* gave the film three out of four stars, "With a stellar voice cast, great soundtrack, and excellent animation, it's yet another 'good time fun' for the whole family" Peter Debruge of *Variety* gave the film a positive review, "This is the best animated comedy of the year, period." Michael Peaser from *The Wortham Star-Telegram* gave the film 4 out of 5 stars,"Well, it might lack the charm of the original and Lord & Miller's guiding hands, but it totally makes itself a sight to behold" Soren Anderson of *The Seattle Times* gave the film two and a half out of four stars, "We've been all waiting for this...and turns out to be just 'good'." Bill Zwecker of the *Chicago Sun-Times* gave the film three out of four stars, "Unlike most sequels, *Marco 2* is worth the watch. It's even cooler to see the appealing visuals and Marco's wacky antics in 3-D" Kim Newman from *Empire* gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, "Probably not as *James Bond*-esque as its predecessor, but it still maintains that fusion of *Tom & Jerry* and *Jimmy Neutron,* as well as doing a great job poking fun at *Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Indiana Jones,* and *Night At The Museum*."

However, *Marco 2* got criticized for its plot and new characters. Steve Davis of *The Austin Chronicle* gave the film two and a half out of five stars, "Kids will laugh a lot, but parents are most likely to watch the original instead" Kyle Smith of the *New York Post* gave it 2 out of 4 stars, "This is kind of a cashgrab. Why would people go see a movie whose plot is off-topic and filled with unnecessary secret agents? Who knows." Alonso Duralde of *The Wrap* gave this film a mixed review, "Joaquin & Emiliano *always* steal the show, but poor Marco's been dumbed down by these so-called 'agents' that almost ruin the entire plot." Joe Morgenstern of *The Wall Street Journal* said the film "lacked the charm and wit of its predecessor."