Shapes: Race Against Time

**Shapes: Race Against Time** is a 2004 American traditionally animated road-comedy action film based on the Kingson television series Shapes. The film was directed by series creator Ralf Hat, and stars the regular television cast of Andy Berman, Tom Kenny, Johnny Galecki, Ralf Hat, and Dan Aykroyd, with guest performances by Hulk Hogan and Gene Wilder. In the film, we follow as the main characters team up with government agents to participate in an undercover cross-country road trip to prevent a disaster caused by a terrorist group known as Delta, and their leader, El Diablo.

The film was released on June 14, 2004, and was released onto home video on August 1, 2004. The film was a box office success, gaining $372,528,466 worldwide and the film was notably the highest grossing feature film produced by Deadpan Productions (until later being beaten by The Sherry Movie in 2014). The film was also a critical success by both fans and critics, with most critics praising its story line and humor.

## Overview

After an occurrence involving a mistaken kidnapping of Grandpa Jones, and the vandalizing of the company by a madman, Square, Triangle, Circle, Cube, and Rector join forces with government agents to go on an undercover road trip from Ohio to Nevada to stop an infamous drug cartel led by notorious Mexican criminal, nicknamed "El Diablo".

## Cast

* Andy Berman as Square
* Tom Kenny as Triangle/Mayor Linning
* Johnny Galecki as Circle
* Ralf Hat as Cube/Grandpa Jones/Antonio
* Dan Aykroyd as Rector
* Gene Wilder as El Diablo
* Hulk Hogan as Project X-17

## Production

Previous ideas for a *Shapes* film date back to the beginning of the television series. All attempts to set up production resulted unsuccessfully, until a 2002 contract with Universal Studios instantly caused the upbringing of the film, which would soon become the fourth film produced by Deadpan Productions, and the first Deadpan Production to be distributed by Universal. It was announced that the television shows original main voice actors: Andy Berman, Tom Kenny, Johnny Galecki, Ralf Hat, and Dan Aykroyd, would be continuing their roles as the main characters. It was also announced that numerous special celebrity appearances would be seen in the film.

Inspirations for the film included the James Bond film series, road trip movies, and plenty other media. Hat had the idea of a cross-country roadtrip comedy action film based on his past experiences on many trips.

## Release

### Box office

The film was a box office success, gaining $372,528,466 worldwide and the film was notably the highest grossing feature film produced by Deadpan Productions. It has been rated as the ninth highest grossing film in 2004 behind Troy and in front of Shark Tale.

### Home media

Shapes: Race Against Time was released on VHS on August 1, 2004 and DVD the following day by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The DVD contains six minutes of extended footage, a commentary by Ralf Hat and others, an alternate ending, and behind-the-scenes footage. In 2014, the film was re-released on Blu-ray and home digital.

## Soundtrack

 Released
 Recorded

## Legacy

The film resulted in a wide cultural impact on the television series. Ratings began to rise, faming the season once more. Not only in the United States, but in other countries where the series is not very known (many Asian and European countries), has given off a positive reception instantly giving Shapes a cult following.

In 2011, a year after the Shapes series ended, Ralf Hat has announced that an untitled sequel is possible. It was announced in 2014 that the sequel film is currently beginning production.