Sunnie 2

***Sunnie 2*** is a 2020 American computer-animated adventure musical comedy film produced by Frenzy Animation and distributed by 20th Century Studios with animation handled by Reel FX Creative Studios and Mikros Image, and is based on Mike Copeland's daily comic strip of the same name. The film is a sequel to the 2017 film *Sunnie*, written and directed by Ryan Marshall, from a screenplay by Nicholas Stoller, Eyal Podell, Jonathon E. Stewart, and Brad Garland and a story by Brian Cowan, Podell, Stewart, and Marshall. The film stars the reprised roles of Amanda Leighton, Ben Schwartz, Katie Crown, Josh Gad, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, and Amy Poehler, along with new additions including Taraji P. Henson, Rachel Bloom, Dave Bautista, Lil Rel Howery, Alfred Molina, Awkwafina, Stephanie Beatriz, and James Corden. In the film, Sunnie Stewart attempts to rescue her friends from outer space from intergalactic (and nice) invaders while a new powerful villain is planning to cause an incoming cataclysm against Earth.

*Sunnie 2*was formerly slated for a worldwide theatrical release by 20th Century Studios, plans were changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released theatrically in Canada on October 2, 2020, and was released in theaters and on Disney+ simultaneously in the United States on January 29, 2021. It has grossed $144.4 million worldwide and received positive reviews, with many critics considering it an improvement over its predecessor. The film is dedicated to Fox Animation veteran Alan Perkins, who died on August 8, 2020.

## Plot

*To be added.*

 Voice cast

* Amanda Leighton as Sunnie Stewart
* Ben Schwartz as Justin Barker
* Katie Crown as Bella Robbins
* Josh Gad as R.O.B.E.R.T.
* Chris Pratt as Captain Zenn
* Elizabeth Banks as Alyia Starling
* Taraji P. Henson as Queen Jelle
* Rachel Bloom as Ruby Rivest
* Dave Bautista as Slyak Haywos
* James Corden as Thyocus
* Stephanie Beatriz as Zetta
* Awkwafina as Jem
* Lil Rel Howery as TBA
* Alfred Molina as TBA
* David Cross as Doctor Dog
* Amy Poehler as Emily Stewart

### ADR Loop Group

* Rosemary Alexander
* Holly J. Barrett
* Ryan Bartley
* Daniel Booko
* Mitch Carter
* Vic Chao
* Niall Cunningham
* Robin Atkin Downes
* Giselle Eisenberg
* Chase Fein
* Johnny Gidcomb
* Jason Harris
* Karen Huie
* Joyce Kurtz
* Marcella Lentz-Pope
* David Michie
* Capri Oliver
* Arthur Ortiz
* Shakira Ja'nai Paye
* Jessica Pennington
* Maddix Robinson
* Warren Sroka
* Byron Thames
* Jessika Van
* Diamond White
* ViviAnn Yee

## Production

On December 18, 2017, Frenzy Animation announced that a sequel to its 2017 film Sunnie was in development, with Amanda Leighton, Ben Schwartz, Katie Crown, Josh Gad, and Chris Pratt reprising their roles as Sunnie Stewart, Justin Barker, Bella Robbins, R.O.B.E.R.T., and Captain Zenn, respectively. Ryan Marshall will return to direct and write the sequel with Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart writing the film's script. Further, the majority of the voice cast, new and returning, was also announced. Marshall also announced that due to the success of competing Disney musical films like *Frozen* and *Moana*, he said "the sequel is going to be more of an animated musical".

Production of the film done and shifted to work remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Release

### Theatrical and streaming

*Sunnie 2* was originally set for a worldwide theatrical release on July 31, 2020 by 20th Century Studios. It was pushed back to November 6, 2020, before being delayed months earlier to August 14, 2020. It was later moved to September 25, 2020 (as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic). On July 23, 2020, the film was then rescheduled for a February 2021 release, as a result of Fox's updated film slate due to the pandemic.

On August 19, 2020, 20th Century Studios Canada announced the film would be released in Canadian theaters on October 2, 2020.

On September 23, 2020, The film's American release was moved up a couple months back to December 23, 2020, with *The King's Man* taking its February slot. On November 5, 2020, it was announced that the film's theatrical release had been cancelled and it would instead be released through video on demand and Disney+ on March 19, 2021. However, on November 27, 2020, Disney then announced that the film would instead release the film for a premium fee for $19.99 on Disney+ on January 29, 2021. *Sunnie 2* will be available for the purchase until March 1, 2021, before becoming available for all subscribers on March 19.

On December 10, 2020, 20th Century Studios and Disney announced that the film will be simultaneously released back in theatres and on Disney+ (with the $20 Premier Access fee intact) on the same day it will release in American theaters. The film was later released in UK theaters on June 4, 2021.

### Home media

*Sunnie 2* was released on digital HD on April 20, 2021, and on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on May 4, 2021 by 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment.

## Marketing

On November 20, 2019, Frenzy Animation and 20th Century Studios officially released a teaser trailer on their official YouTube channels and in theaters in front of *Frozen II* and *Spies in Disguise*. An official trailer was released on March 2, 2020 in front of *Onward*. A final trailer was released online on December 14, 2020.

## Reception

### Box office

As of April 17, 2021, *Sunnie 2* grossed $38.1 million in the United States and Canada and $106.3 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $144.4 million.

In the film's debut Canadian weekend, it grossed $4,214,229 from 450 theaters. Since Canada's grosses are factored into American totals, *Sunnie 2* finished first at the box office. IndieWire estimated that had the film had a traditional North American theatrical release it would have opened to $40-45 million, including a $7 million total from Canada.

In the United States and Canada, the film was released alongside *The Little Things*, and was initially projected to gross around $4.5 million from 2,004 theaters in its opening weekend. After making just $900,000 in its opening day, weekend box office projections were lowered to $3 million. It ended up debuting $3.7 million, finishing second at the box office, 93% less than its predecessor's opening weekend ($53.5 million). The opening weekend audiences were 47% female and 37% under the age of 17, while 31% was Hispanic, 26% Caucasian, 22% African American, and 11% Asian. However, Cinemark, a theater chain in the United States, did not run the film after declining Disney's rental terms. In its second weekend, the film made $1.7 million in its second weekend and $2.5 million in its third.

In its first international opening weekend, the film grossed $700,000 million in Australia and $870,000 in Mexico. The film then made $18.8 million in China.

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 109 reviews, with an average rating of 6.67/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "*Sunnie 2* fits nicely into an animated sci-fi sequel with a heartwarming plot, its fast-paced humor and frenetic writing to be more fun and entertaining than its predecessor's." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 58 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

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