Power Down

***Power Down*** is a 2019 American animated science fiction fantasy comedy film produced by Redman Films for Columbia Pictures, distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film was directed by Raja Gosnell from a screenplay by Tim Herlihy and Dane Martin. The film follows a group of three astronauts on a mission for a fictional spaceflight company Pinnacle who experience a sudden power outage, and have to find a way back to Earth before they get lost in space.

*Power Down* premiered at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019 and was released theatrically in the United States on September 20, 2019. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised the animation, characters and visual effects, but criticised its ending and stereotyping of elderly with dementia. Despite its criticism, the film was a commercial box office success, grossing $152.2 million against a $45 million budget.

A spin-off television series on Amazon Prime Video, *P-57 on Earth*, premiered on April 23, 2020. A sequel, *Power Down 2: Earth Invasion*, is currently slated to be released on November 20, 2024.

## Plot

Years ago, P-57, an alien who lives with her family on the Aspen planet and is constantly outcasted by most Aspen aliens, aspires to visit the “blue planet” one day.

In 2018, astronaut Jimmy Oram is among the three selected on Pinnacle Technologies’ (a fictionalised version of SpaceX) Phoenix 4, along with newcomer Jack Herman, and Fred Hill who is on his final spaceflight before retirement and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. After a Pinnacle professional briefs the trio, they board the spacecraft before the main flight controller at Pinnacle’s Mission Control Center Dean Redwood gives the go for launch.

As the Phoenix 4 exits its uneventful first stage, Fred attempts to activate the touchscreen controls, however he inadvertently activates the liquid nitrogen stirring fans, causing the service module’s electrical system to short circuit and both engines to stop functioning. After Fred and Jimmy go into a heated argument, Jimmy eventually decides to contact Mission Control as a last result. Dean then convinces Jimmy that restarting the power main would rectify the problem, but this only results in Jack getting electrocuted and knocked unconscious temporarily.

Jimmy tries to contact back to Mission Control, only to realise that Dean has gone on toilet break and his brother Ken Redwood starts to make mindless dad jokes. When Dean comes back with news that Mission Control is unable to assist at the moment, Jimmy gets even more annoyed and frustrated. Five days into the mission, the crew are still at orbit and oxygen supply is at a low. Jimmy starts to feel bored when he discovers a mysterious pink planet in close proximity. Jimmy then instructs Jack to help him emergency land the spacecraft in hopes of finding a way back to Earth.

After the service module crashes, the three astronauts exit the spacecraft and realise that they have landed in the Aspen planet, an unexplored planet outside the solar system. While the trio attempt to set up camp, Jimmy is ambushed by an unknown extraterrestrial figure. He wakes up under the watch of several blue-purple native aliens surrounding him and that Jack and Fred are trapped under nets. The aliens then question and release him, while P-57 introduces herself and makes them comfortable in her house.

Jimmy successfully persuades P-57 to help him fix the crashed Phoenix 4 spacecraft, who uses her discovery of the astronauts to convince the alien population to find resources to rebuild the spacecraft and send them back to their home planet. Meanwhile, P-57 expresses her daisy to explore the “blue planet” one day and Jimmy promises her that that wish would come true one day after a change of heart.

With the rebuilt spacecraft nearing completion, Jimmy decides to use the Aspen planet’s liquid oxygen lake to supply the fuel, however this causes the module to go haywire and destroy most of the civilisation. The chief orders the astronauts to be banished and they are separated with P-57. Jimmy then decides that their fate is sealed and they would be stuck on Aspen for the rest of their lives. When a speaker from the wrecked spacecraft plays a few of Mission Control’s messages, Jimmy decides to build a new spacecraft identical to the Phoenix 4 from scratch and they finally manage to start the engine system.

When the Aspen aliens finds the new spacecraft at its launching phase, P-57 pleads Jimmy to stop the engines and they bade goodbye. The trio successfully splashdown the spacecraft on Earth, greeted by a massive crowd. That same night, Jimmy drives back home to his family, looks at a pink moon and wonders about when P-57 would come to Earth.

## Cast

* Chris Hardwick as Jimmy Oram, a 36-year-old astronaut who is selected to lead Phoenix 4.
* Tim Allen as Jack Herman, a 25-year-old recruit on Phoenix 4 who has recently joined Pinnacle Technologies.
* David Spade as Fred Hill, a 69-year-old astronaut on his last spaceflight before retiring with Pinnacle Technologies.
* Billy West as Dean Redwood, a flight controller at Pinnacle’s Mission Control Center.
* Tom Kenny as Ken Redwood, Dean’s brother who also works at the Mission Control Center.
* Tara Strong as P-57, an alien who lives on the Aspen planet and befriends the Phoenix 4 crew and wants to visit Earth.
	+ Dawn Martin as a 9-year-old P-57
* Steve Martin as the Aspen Chief
* Sigourney Weaver as the *Pinnacle Phoenix*'s computer system

## Production

*Power Down* was originally conceived by Dane Martin during his time at DreamWorks Animation in February 2012, where he wanted to produce a satirical space film. However, when he left DWA in late 2013, the project was initally cancelled until it was revived at Redman Films as its slated first film, though later it was decided that *Miao: The Movie* be released first due to high production costs and time.

In December 2017, Chris Hardwick was cast as the lead role. On February 19, 2018, Henry Jackman was announced as the composer for the score of the film.

## Release

### Theatrical

*Power Down* premiered at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019 and was released in wide theaters in the United States on September 20th. The film was originally scheduled to be released on August 16, 2019, then to September 6th after swapping release dates with *The Angry Birds Movie 2*.

### Marketing

The teaser trailer for *Power Down* was released on October 12, 2018, tied before screenings of *Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween*. The first official trailer was released on February 4, 2019, before the second official and final trailer was released on August 9, 2019.

### Home media

*Power Down* was released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on digital and Movies Anywhere on November 12, 2019, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on November 26.

## Reception

### Box office

*Power Down* grossed $93.7 million in the United States and Canada and $58.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide gross of $152.2 million against a budget of $45 million.

In the United States and Canada, *Power Down* was projected to gross between $25-30 million on its opening weekend. The film opened with $10.3 million on its first day and debuted with $29.2 million on its opening weekend. In its second weekend, *Power Down* dropped by 15% and made $24.8 million, followed by $22.2 million on its third weekend and $17.5 million on its fourth weekend.

## Sequel

*Main article: Power Down 2: Earth Invasion*

In July 2023, Lionsgate and Redman Films jointly announced *Power Down 2: Earth Invasion*, with Dane Martin returning to produce and Conrad Vernon directing.

## Transcripts

### Main

To view the main transcript of the film, click here.

### Trailers

To view the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.