OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe

Theatrical release poster

***OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe*** (also known as ***OK K.O.! The Movie***) is a 2023 American animated action-adventure superhero science fiction comedy film produced by Cartoon Network Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is based on the television series *OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes*. Co-written and directed by Toby Jones in his directorial debut, it is the first feature-length film of the *OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes* series. Set at some point during K.O.'s job at Gar's Bodega depicted in the series, and before the Plaza Tournament arc and the series finale, the film focuses on K.O. as he and the rest of the heroes of Lakewood travel through two dimensions to stop the two Boxmen and save the universe.

While wrapping up production of the series, in 2019, Cartoon Network approached Ian Jones-Quartey for a new *OK K.O.!* film. The film began work at Cartoon Network Studios. The entire *OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes* cast reprise their roles from the series, with Jack Black, and Stephanie Beatriz joining the cast; much of the film's dialogue was recorded remotely. Jake Kaufman returned to compose the score from the series.

*OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* was heavily promoted in marketing campaigns by Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network and was heavily anticipated by fans of the series. The film had its red carpet premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles on January 15, 2023. It was theatrically released in the United States on January 27, 2023. It was also made available on HBO Max 45 days after its theatrical release. The film received positive reviews from critics, and became a box office success, grossing over $319 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million. It was praised for its story, voice acting, animation, and music.

## Premise

After years of failing to attack Lakewood Plaza Turbo and Gar's Bodega, Lord Boxman is just about ready to give up. As a last effort, he invents a dimension-traveling device and which takes him in an alternate dimension where he is actually successful in his Boxmore business and villains have been dominant over heroes. Lord Boxman then meets an alternate version of himself named Neo Boxman, and the two of them team up and create the ultimate plan to destroy Lakewood Plaza Turbo and take over the entire universe, which means that K.O. and the rest of the heroes of Lakewood must travel through the two dimensions in order to stop the two Boxmen and save the entire universe.

## Cast

* Courtenay Taylor as K.O., T.K.O.
* Ashly Burch as Enid
* Ian Jones-Quartey as Radicles, Darrell
	+ Usher Raymond IV as the singing voice of Radicles
* David Herman as Mr. Gar
* Kate Flannery as Carol
* Melissa Fahn as Dendy
* Jim Cummings as Lord Boxman
* Jack Black as Neo Boxman
	+ Jim Cummings provides the singing voice of Neo Boxman
* Kari Wahlgren as Shannon
* Robbie Daymond as Raymond
* Stephanie Beatriz as O.K.
* Chris Niosi as Nick Army
* Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Harley Viper
* Ozioma Akagha as Dynamite Watkins
* Cole Sanchez as Colewort
* Melissa Villaseñor as Potato

## Production

### Development

While production of the series was wrapping up with the third and final season, Cartoon Network approached *OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes* creator Ian Jones-Quartey and asked him to develop a new *OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes* film for theaters. Although initially unsure about making a film, as he "thought [he] had done enough with these characters", he eventually agreed to develop the film upon realizing he "started to miss them", to which he "started thinking about a fun premise that would appeal to everyone, even those who weren't familiar with the show".

On July 4, 2019, it was announced that a new film titled *OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* would be executive produced by Quartey, Brian A. Miller and Rob Sorcher, and be released in theaters. The film is produced by Cartoon Network Studios, marking their third non-television superhero film after *The Powerpuff Girls Movie* (2002) and *Ben 10: The Movie* (2020). The film also marks Cartoon Network's second non-television film to use 2D animation after *Steven Universe: The Movie* (2019). On June 19, 2020, Cartoon Network Studios was still closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but production on the film continued via telecommuting. On December 2, 2020, it was revealed that Toby Jones would direct the film, and that Sam Register would executive produce while Miller and Sorcher's positions were still credited in the film. The film officially wrapped production on August 13, 2022.

### Casting and recording

After the film's announcement, it was confirmed that Courtenay Taylor, Ashly Burch, Quartey, David Herman, Kate Flannery, Jim Cummings, Melissa Fahn, Kari Wahlgren, and Robbie Daymond would reprise their roles from the series. On May 6, 2021, it was announced that Jack Black, and Stephanie Beatriz joined the cast in roles created for the film.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many cast members had to record their lines from their homes. On August 15, 2021, Taylor revealed that she had finished recording her lines. After recording their lines, voice actors sent their dialogue to the film's editors.

### Animation

The film's animation was produced by two animation studios in Seoul, South Korea: Digital eMation and Sunmin Image Pictures. Due to Cartoon Network Studios closing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah Gencarelli did additional animation fixing personally from her home. On September 23, 2021, Quartey said that the film's production wasn't hindered by the temporary closure, since animators "always spend a lot of time drawing at home. So most of them have a pretty full setup and most of them already have the technology to be able to link up". However, on December 20, 2021, he did say that they had to "keep moving things around", having to transfer in-between animation work between several overseas studios due to each studio being closed in response to the pandemic while still working on animation for the film.

## Music

*Main article: OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe (soundtrack)*
On January 11, 2022, Jake Kaufman, who composed the score for the series, was confirmed to be composing the film's score, and Kaufman would co-write "five" original songs with Emanuel Kiriakou. The soundtrack also includes the end-credits version of "Find Your Hero" by Owl City and Christina Aguilera, which was released as a single on December 13, 2022.

## Release

### Theatrical and streaming

The film premiered on January 15, 2023 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, and was theatrically released in the United States on January 27, 2023, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was also available to stream on HBO Max in the United States 45 days after it released in theaters.

### Marketing

The marketing campaign from Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network for *OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* began on February 25, 2022, when a T-shirt with the film's logo became available on the studio's shop websites. In March, it was announced that Mattel made a deal with Warner Bros. and Cartoon Network to make merchandise for the film. On November 10, McDonald's launched its limited time campaign in the participating restaurants by including twelve toys free with the purchase of a Happy Meal.

### Home media

*OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* was released on Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K UHD on April 4, 2023 by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

## Reception

### Critical reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 80% based on the 125 reviews and an average rating of 6.41/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "*OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* may seem like an unlikely attempt to return Cartoon Network's animated series to the big screen, but fans to the original show will adore its story as a long episode nonetheless." On Metacritic, it receives a score of 72 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gives the film an average grade of "A–" on its A+ to F scale.

### Box office

*OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe* grossed $24 million in North America, along with $186 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $319 million, making it a box office success.

## Gallery

*Main article: OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe/Gallery*
## Trivia

* This is the first ever feature film of the series.
* This is the first animated *OK K.O.!* movie to hit theaters.
	+ This is also the first ever *OK K.O.!* movie in general to hit theaters.
* This is Cartoon Network's ninth 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, and *Billy & Mandy The Movie: The Quest of the Diamonds* and *The Amazing World of Gumball: The Movie*, which were both released in 2022.
* The second Warner Bros.' animated film to be released in January, after Mike, Lu & Og: Journey Back to Manhattan (2005).

## Transcripts

### Main Transcripts

*Main article: OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe/Transcript*
### Trailer Transcripts

*Main article: OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe/Trailer transcripts*
## Credits

*Main article: OK K.O.! Let's Save the Universe/Credits*