Knight School

Theatrical release poster

***Knight School*** is a 2024 American animated comedy film produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Gulfstream Pictures and directed by Andrew Adamson and Conrad Vernon. The film stars Anna Kendrick, who voices the main protagonist; joined by Ben Schwartz, John Cleese, and Rupert Everett. The film centers around a high school student transferred to Knight School to learn more about medieval history.

The story was thought up by Kristin Hahn in 2020, and had the idea of having a theatrical Cartoon Network film in computer animation before going with traditional animation after wanting to keep the former alive. This is the first ever original feature film released by Cartoon Network Studios, and not based on the studio's existing shows.

*Knight School* released worldwide in February 16, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film grossed $167 million worldwide against a $50 million budget and was met with positive reviews, with praise for the animation, voice acting (mostly Kendrick and Cleese), score, humor, and story. Its success is partially attributed to Cartoon Network Studios' strategic expansion into the feature film business. A series of specials, a subsequent series, a sequel, and a prequel had soon followed.

## Plot

Ellenor is an optimistic and easygoing teenage girl who achieved her grades in Yeoll High. One day, she fails in Medieval history by saying what she knew was there in her own simple way rather than doing the research. The school principal calls her parents about her failing and recommends they transfer their daughter to Knight School, a high school for teaching students about the medieval times, run by Professor Gerald Reginald III.

On her first day, she makes the best of it. While she enjoys the food in the cafeteria and makes new friends, she fails all her classes. Taking advice from one of his classmate, Lance, she does research on medieval history. The next day, she aces her classes, much to Reginald's amazement and befuddlement. Meanwhile, Wellington Snide, Reginald's assistant, plots his great-great-grandfather Lord Snide's plan to take over Yeoll.

Later that day, Lance, who developed a crush on Ellenor since her second day, digs up the courage to ask her out on a date, to which she accepts as she never got asked out before back at her old school. Beforehand, she introduces him to her parents, Anthony and Gretchen; Anthony was proud she chose an ordinary boy, but Gretchen was disappointed she did. On their date, they go to the Local Theater for a movie, then to a random fast-food restaurant for dinner. While Lance had mixed feelings about their first date, he was just glad he got to know Ellenor.

The next day, Snide goes through his great-great grandfather's old diary, and it reveals that the only way Snide could take over Yeoll was by using his magical staff, which Lord Snide hid in the woods in a cave long ago. Only problem was, he did not know where in the woods it was, and that "only a cynical but kindhearted would know that cave's whereabouts", leaving Snide puzzled since there are seven students he knows that are as described. Meanwhile, Ellenor competes with Hugh in an eating contest in the cafeteria, in which she wins. Lance comes by and asks Ellenor if she wanted to come over to his house after class, which she agrees to on account of having a free schedule. There, she admires how his house is a two-story kind and how he is a regular type of boy, but his parents are pretty worried about him dating a girl.

As the school year ends, Reginald asks Ellenor into his office; he was very proud of how she took her time studying the knowledge of medieval history than any of his other students, he rewards her by making her into a Class III. With Snide, he looks into his great-great grandfather's diary, and that the "cynical but kindhearted" person would be a female, as the figure on the page resembled one. Realizing that Ellenor is the only female in his class, he goes to her about the cave, to which she knows one near the Oak Forest. After persuading Reginald to take Ellenor out on a walk in the woods, she leads him to the cave she knows.

Arriving there, she shows him the staff she found in it, which is the one from Lord Snide's diary. Snide immediately takes it from her and reveals that it is his great-grandfather Lord Snide's magical staff that was hidden for eternity for one day a chosen soul would take on his legacy, and he will continue his goal in taking over Yeoll. As Ellenor tried to take the staff back from him, Snide knocks her out hard with it. He leaves her for dead. Wondering about Ellenor's whereabouts, Snide returns and claims to the school that Ellenor was killed by a bear during their walk, much to the class' heartbroken dismay and Lance's suspicion. Waking from her unconsciousness, Ellenor heads into town to warn the citizens about Snide's takeover.

After Lance researched that bears are not located in Yeoll, he eavesdrops on Snide, and discovers about his attempt to take over the town. He records his plan as evidence to show to the class. Meanwhile, Ellenor tells everyone to evacuate town before Snide takes over, only to result in the police to arrest her for disturbing the piece. Before they could, a storm cloud towers over the town. Snide arrives and terrorizes the town and the citizens cower from Snide's takeover. Upon showing Reginald the proof, he and Lance arrive to convince him to stop, only for him to turn Reginald into stone and have Lance captive. Ellenor reaches Snide by borrowing a horse from the school, and faces off with him through a sword duel, until it ends with Snide snatching her sword and stabbing her through the chest. As he enjoys wounding Ellenor, he did not notice he dropped the staff; Lance grasps it and subdues Snide via levitation, as well as heal Ellenor. Ellenor takes over dealing with Snide and tasks Lance to evacuate the town. Snide tries to manipulate her into letting him go and let her take over the town with him, only to Ellenor to launch him into space.

The citizens congratulate her for saving Yeoll and receives the respect from Reginald, who saw the whole event while frozen in stone, and Ellenor professes her love to Lance. Back at Knight School, the students have a dance party, in which Ellenor requested to Reginald.

## Cast

* Anna Kendrick as Ellenor, a former student of Yeoll High who gets transferred to Knight School.
* Ben Schwartz as Lance, a Class V student in Knight School who develops a crush on Ellenor.
* John Cleese as Professor Gerald Reginald III, the teacher and founder of Knight School.
* Rupert Everett as Wellington Snide, Reginald's assistant in his class who is a descendant to his great-great grandfather Lord Snide who takes on his legacy to reign over the town of Yeoll.
* William Shatner as Anthony, Ellenor's father.
* Jane Lynch as Gretchen, Ellenor's mother.
* Damon Wayans Jr. as Oliver Jade, the only African-American student in Reginald's class.
* Seann William Scott as Alexander, one of Reginald students that is more popular than his fellow classmates.
* Chris Hardwick as Bill, one of Reginald's students that smuggles outside food in spite of the cafeteria rule.
* Jerry Trainor as Troy, one of Reginald's students that is egotistical and attractive but dense.
* Conrad Vernon as Principal Begley, principal of Knight School.
* Cedric the Entertainer as Mike, the janitor of Knight School.
* Avril Lavigne as Darcey, Ellenor's shy but laid-back friend and a student in Yeoll High.
* Abby Elliott as Jane, Ellenor's vitriolic friend and student of Yeoll High.
* Cheri Oteri as Principal Wilson, principal of Yeoll High.
* Adam Pally as Whitey, teacher of Yeoll High.
* Jon Hamm as Myer, Lance's father.
* Leslie Mann as Hollie, Lance's mother.

## Production

### Development

Kristin Hahn, co-writer of the film, had the idea in late April 2020. It was one of her ideas to help Cartoon Network Studios expand further into the theatrical feature film business, and this idea was a fully computer-animated film, before she opted in going for 2D animation for the film after realizing that just because computer-animated features have become more successful, doesn't mean that hand-drawn animation is now obsolete.

### Animation

In September 2021, veteran Disney Animation animators Mark Henn, Sandro Cleuzo, and Darlie Brewster were hired by Cartoon Network Studios to work on the film. In November 2021, Brian Sheesley and Frank Molieri were hired on to the project as animation directors while Robert Sledge was also hired on to work in the film's animation department.

In April 2022, Chad Stewart was hired to work in the animation department as well. Bill Waldman, who has worked for Cartoon Network Studios since 2003, started doing animation for the film in April of the same year. In December 2021, Andrew Friz, who worked extensively on animation for *Space Jam: A New Legacy*, announced that he will serve as an animator on the film. The film was for the most part tradigitally created with Toon Boom's Harmony software.

Additional 2D animation was provided by Company 3 Animation and Tonic DNA, while additional CG animation was provided by Framestore and Industrial Light & Magic.

### Music

The soundtrack was released on February 9, 2024, and labeled by Hollywood Records, featuring two lead singles: Bea Miller's "Could It Be", and "Wonder", by New Hope Club. Other artists from the late 1900s and early 2000s were also featured on the soundtrack, mainly Smash Mouth and Bowling for Soup; which are rare band names to be present in an animated film.

Most of the songs display Ellenor's character; "Beautiful Freak" by Eels, for example, shows that her boyfriend Lance loves her for who she is.

***Knight School: Songs from the Motion Picture* track listing**

**(\*)** The original recorded version by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes is titled with the parenthesis brackets.

### Score

Ludwig Göransson composed the film's score, making it his second animated film composition after Pixar's *Turning Red*. Göransson said he attempted to create the medieval-inspired music for the film, accompanied by a synthesizer. The sounds, were accompanied by the 75-piece members from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The score was recorded within two weeks. Three days later, the score album was released on February 12, 2024 by WaterTower Music.

*Knight School* used classic pop music such as Smash Mouth's "Come On, Come On" in the opening credits and "Magic" near the end. Other songs include Eels' "Beautiful Freak" and Bowling for Soup's "High School Never Ends".

## Release

*Knight School* was released in theatrically by Warner Bros. Pictures on February 16, 2024. This is the second Cartoon Network Studios feature film to be in the 2:35.1 aspect ratio, after *Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds*. The film was paired with a short film called *Sir Jeff*, a short film based on Cartoon Network's 2014 television series *Clarence*.

### Marketing

A teaser was released on July 29, 2022 on the Warner Bros. Pictures YouTube channel; the trailer followed Anna Kendrick dressed as Ellenor on a movie set of the school's hallway, akin to the promotional trailers to *Bee Movie* (2007). A second trailer was released on November 17, 2023.

The film's tie-in campaign consisted of food brands (General Mills, Campbell's), toys (Mattel, Moose Toys), and television/streaming (Spectrum, HBO Max).

A tie-in video game was released on January 30, 2024 by Activision.

### Home media

The film was released on digital on May 7, 2024 and on DVD and Blu-ray on May 28, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. One of the special features includes an individual character interview with the film's characters Ellenor (voiced by Kendrick), Lance (voiced by Ben Schwartz), and Gerald Reginald III (voiced by John Cleese).

## Reception

### Box office

*Knight School* has grossed a worldwide total of $167.5 million, with $105 million in the United States and $62.6 million in other territories.

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 71% based on 90 reviews and an average rating of 7.26/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With its big-name cast and well as its original storyline, this shows *Knight School* can stand on its own." Metacritic gave the film a score of 95 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gives the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

## Sequel and follow-ups

*Main article: Knight School (franchise)*
### Television series

A television series *Back to Knight School* was released on Cartoon Network in July 2025 with Amanda Leighton as Ellenor in place of Kendrick. This makes it the fourth animated film from Cartoon Network Studios to have a series spin-off, after *Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi*, *Class of 3000* and *The CN Movie*.

### Sequel/prequel

A sequel, *Knight School II* was released in December 2026, which was met with mixed reviews but a streaming hit on HBO Max, where it became the number one film being streamed for 19 days. Then, a prequel entitled *Yeoll High* was released on HBO Max in March 2027.

### Specials

Before *Knight School II*, a Christmas special *Knight School Before Christmas* was released in December 2024. A Halloween special *Fright Knight School* was released October 2025 with Amanda Leighton as Ellenor in place of Kendrick. Another special, *Promenade*, was released in May 2026 on HBO Max.

## Trivia

* This is Cartoon Network's twelfth original movie to be released theatrically, after *The Powerpuff Girls Movie*, which was released in 2002, *Regular Show: The Movie*, which was released in 2015, *Teen Titans Go! To the Movies*, which was released in 2018, *Clarence's Big Break* and *A Foster's Movie: Imagination Desolation*, which were both released in 2021, *Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds* and *The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie*, which were both released in 2022, and *OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe*, *Adventure Time: The Kingdom of Ooo* and *Craig Before the Creek*, which were all released in 2023.
* The film was made for 4 years in production.
* William Shatner and Avril Lavigne's first animated feature film together since Over the Hedge (2006).
	+ This is also William Shatner's first Warner Bros.' hand-drawn animated film since Osmosis Jones (2001) (NOTE: *Osmosis Jones* was a live-action/animated hybrid film).
* The soundtrack album also features new music by Bea Miller.
* Is the 3rd animated film by Cartoon Network Studios to be a pilot to a TV show coming to Cartoon Network, in this case being Back to Knight School (2025). The other 2 had been Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2003), which preceded Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (2004), and Class of 3000 (2005), which preceded Class of 3000 (2006), respectively. It is also the first of the three to not have any characters voiced by Grey Griffin and Rob Paulsen, who'd been in both of those films.
* Bea Miller recorded the song "Could It Be" for the film.
* Adam Pally (*Regular Show*) has starred in another Cartoon Network project.
* Seann William Scott's third Cartoon Network feature film after Camp Lazlo The Movie (2008) and Clarence's Big Break (2021).
* Instead of a cast of veteran voice actors and actresses like *The Powerpuff Girls Movie* (2002), as this is an original feature film, this film's cast consists of several celebrities who have also done voice work in animated feature films.
* This film reunites John Cleese and Rupert Everett after their last collaboration together after *Shrek 2* and *Shrek the Third*.
* Jerry Trainor's second Cartoon Network feature film after Codename: Kids Next Door: The Movie (2009).
* Cartoon Network's first theatrical pilot to an upcoming TV series to not feature Tom Kenny, John DiMaggio, Cree Summer, Phil Proctor, or Janice Kawaye, although Carlos Alazraqui, Fred Tatasciore, Keith Ferguson, and Dee Bradley Baker can be heard in the film.
* This is Cartoon Network Studios' second animated film film to be produced in the widescreen 2.35:1 "scope" aspect ratio, after Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds (2022).

## Transcripts

### Trailer transcripts

*Main article: Knight School/Trailer transcripts*