Steamed hams

**Gecko's Million Dollar Movie** is a 1998 American action comedy film written, produced, and directed by, Ralf Hat and based off of the famed Kingson animated series, The Misadventures of Gecko. The film stars Billy West, Tom Kenny, and Richard Steven Horvitzt. The main plot revolves around Gecko, M-Bunny, and Fred who become lost during a trip to the Amazon rainforest. They must rely on the work of each other to escape the many dangers of the forest, including: a cannibalistic tribe, a hungered jaguar, and the army of a South American tyrant named Fairfield (portrayed by ​Jim Carrey​). The film was produced by Deadpan Productions, Kingson Films and distributed by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century FOX internationally.

The film was released on April 14, 1998, receiving generally mixed reviews by critics and fans alike, with many critics claiming the movie lacks the original feels of the series it's based off of, and grossed over $140 million worldwide.

## Synopsis

Following a vacation to South America, the residents of the Timberland Housing Mansion get into a hurdle once the plane carrying them crashes in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. With no connection to modern society, the cast (lead by Dan The Man) must rely on each other to escape the forest. However when a sudden flood happens, the crew are split up and find themselves going different directions to escape the dangers of the forrest. Gecko, M-Bunny, and Fred soon accidentally get involved in a serious crime plot arranged by a South American tyrant named Fairfield Gonzalez.

## Plot

In the Amazon rainforest somewhere in the 1970s, unknown military troops and helicopters arrive, chasing down a panicking man who is seemingly attempting to hide from them. When a group of them hunt him down to a tip of the cliff, their hooded leader appears out of the shadows and demands that he returns the suitcase which the man is holding, to him. The man courageously jumps off the cliff and into the water with the suitcase in his arms, escaping the troops. The militants head back to their helicopters to continue searching for this man and the suitcase.

Back in present day New York, the residents of the Housing Mansion prepare for their South American vacation. Fred, and M-Bunny are especially excited for this trip, and soon begin over thinking about what activities they'll be doing once they get there. Gecko however, isn't as excited as the rest are, and begins to complain about it, due to the fact that he won't get to see the premiere of an upcoming movie: "Action Man 2" with his friends.

## Cast

* Billy West as Gecko McKek
* ​Tom Kenny​ as M-Bunny
* ​Richard Steven Horvitzt​ as Fred
* Ralf Hat as Dan The Man

## Production

Before the film was even idealized, The Misadventures of Gecko was expanding in popularity. As the very first original series on the channel, merchandise to advertise the show were sold throughout. Gecko received positive critical acclaim from critics and viewers alike.

By the end of the fourth season in 1997, Hat, Stuff, and a couple others discussed about a future on-hour series finale. This was at the time when Gecko's popularity began to slowly lower in viewers. Instead of a television film, Hat was promoted by Viacom (which owns Kingson) who gave him $850,000 to help produce a feature length film based on the series. The original plot was scrapped, and multiple other plots moved in and away. During an interview with MTV News, Hat was asked about future plans for the film, with him responding with: *"*Well, we're still working on it, so...it'll take a couple years to fully produce it. I mean, we don't even have a proper name for the film. Right now we just have (Untitled "The Misadventures of Gecko" Movie)*"*. The crew were later surprised that they would actually complete the entire film in less than eleven months.

### Release

The film was released on April 14, 1998 rated PG for "for mild action and rude humor " by the ​Motion Picture Association of America​ in the US. Viacom owns all copyright to the film, though 20th Century FOX internationally distributed the film.

## Reception

### Box office

Box office pundits expected the film to gross $10-15 million during its opening weekend, but the film proved to exceed expectations in the following days. It grossed $6,506,117 on opening Friday and grossed an overall total of $23,017,227 for the weekend, taking the lead spot at the US box office. It was the highest debut for an animated feature based on a television series until it was surpassed in November of that year by ​The Rugrats Movie​. It overall grossed $89,115,612 domestically and $51,385,504 in foreign territories, with a worldwide total of $140,501,116.

## Music

The film's original score was composed by James L.Venable, who also composes music for the original series. Also, the film includes two original songs "The Amazonian Melody" and "Fairfield's Plans" both written by Ralf Hat and performed by the cast.

 Released
 Recorded
 Length
 Label | ​Atlantic​

### Soundtrack

1. "The Amazonian Melody"
2. "Fairfield's Plan"
3. "​In the Mood​" - ​Rush​
4. "​Cannonball​" - ​The Breeders​
5. "​Tutta la vita​" - ​Lucio Dalla​
6. "Terrenal" - Dermis Tatú
7. "Zorra" - Dermis Tatú
8. "Sutíl Sonido" - Pacifica
9. "​Closer to the Heart​" - Rush

### Score

1. "Escape Into the Forrest"
2. "Mansion"
3. "Bon Voyage"
4. "The Private Airplane"
5. "Crash!"
6. "Lost In The Amazon"
7. "Direction Dysfunction"
8. "The Rainstorm"
9. "Quicksand"

TBA

## Home media

*Gecko's Million Dollar Movie*was released on VHS on July 11, 1998. It was released on DVD on August 17, 1998. A HD Blu-ray version was released onto home video on May 12, 2012.