Upland

**Upland** is a 3D-animated action/adventure fantasy drama jukebox musical film.

## Synopsis

An evil cultist named Eyeangle banishes the warriors of Upland to various floating archipelagos based on geological eras of the Earth. The Upland warriors must reunite under the leadership of Dillon and Tanner Emeril, now equipped with the technologies of their given period.

Eyeangle is taken prisoner of war and transported to Earth by a portal, where he is horrified to find himself frozen and beaten up by everyone. Dillon returns to Earth after saving Upland.

## Themes

Upfront, the main issues in Upland are discrimination, which tie to major characters but are portrayed and resolved in different ways. Upland condemns discrimination and those who take part in it, portraying the antagonistic Evil Parable as a parallel to the Axis Powers of World War II. Despite the analogies to past conflict, the film also portrays discrimination as a very modern issue; Neo-Nazism is core to Eyeangle's character.

## Production

In May 2012, it was announced that Illumination would make an animated feature film in collaboration with Brendan and 1001 Spears called Upland. Wes Anderson was set to produce, with Brendan also writing the screenplay. Rami Malek was set to executive produce. Four years later, in 2016, *Variety* magazine reported that Upland would be the first 1001 Spears project produced by Sony Pictures Animation. On March 28, 2018, Daniel Brühl signed on to direct and produce the film, with a release date set for May 10, 2020. Animation for the film was done as a collaboration between 1001 Spears and Sony Pictures Animation.

In March 2019, it was announced that the voices of actress Erin Sanders and actor Alden Ehrenreich would be featured in the film for unknown roles. In May 2019, it was announced that Brendan had taken over directing the film. In July 2019, actress Shelby Young and musician Headhunterz joined the voice cast of the film as the voices of Emily and Dillon Emeril, respectively. In August 2019, Asher Angel joined the voice cast of the film, along with Zazzie Beetz. In September 2018, actresses Tricia Helfer and Aya Uchida joined the film along with actor Dee Bradley Baker. On September 20, 2019, it was announced that voice actress Suzuko Mimori and basketball player Michael B. Jordan had joined the film, the former playing Sword Sprite and the latter cast a pilot character. In October 2019, it was announced that Emily Hart, Timothée Chalamet and David Mazouz had been cast in the film. The film was delayed to October 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

## Reception

### Box office

Upland grossed $40.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $22.4 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $62.8 million.

In the United States and Canada, Upland was released alongside and, and was projected to gross $24–28 million from 7,304 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5 million on its first day, including $600,000 from Thursday night previews. Despite finishing first in box office receipts, it under-performed in its first week, at only $17.2 million. The film fell 51.8% in its second weekend, grossing $8.2 million and finishing in fourth place.

### Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 48% based on 174 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Young viewers will probably find joy in Upland, if only because they are unlikely to recognize some of the poorly-portrayed elements in its progressive yet confused plot." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 59 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars and a 71% "definite recommend".

Owen Gleiberman of *Variety* magazine gave a very positive review, saying that "the sincerity with which Upland pits ultra-nationalistic racism against tolerance is beautiful yet tear-inducing—and, yes, educational—in a perfect way." Jesse Hassenger of *The A.V. Club* gave the film a grade B− and wrote: "Not unlike Venturian Battle, Upland combines the undying beauty of Brendan's direction with an army of heroes we barely get to know."

### Accolades

Upland was awarded a ReFrame Stamp in the category "Top 100-Grossing Narrative Feature" for involving female-identifying people in at least four of eight key areas of production. The film was nominated in the 2020 Teen Choice Awards in the category "Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie".

## Parents Guide

### **Sex & Nudity**

Mild

* There are innuendoes regarding “dropping bombs/mines”.
* One joke subtly compares the explosion of a wall to someone hitting a G-spot.
* Many warriors wear tight and/or revealing clothing, but they are not extremely sexualized.
* Some of the characters speak in a seductive tone, such as Sword Sprite and the Drow Priestesses.
* People in paintings are seen with bare buttocks as well as penises (this is only shown briefly).

### **Violence & Gore**

Moderate

* The film is about a war between the Upland Warriors and the Evil Parable. The Upland Warriors often kill soldiers of the Evil Parable, including bugbears, robots/golems, drow elves, and huge insects. Likewise, the Evil Parable is intent on committing genocide on the Upland Warriors and eventually people who Eyeangle considers "impure" (although they don't succeed).
* Firearms (modern and otherwise), blades, and other weapons used by the heroes, antagonists use bladed weapons, mechs, armored trains, and explosives.
* Characters are rarely killed on-screen, with the camera often cutting away before they die.
* Characters who use fire and lava burn their enemies alive (we see them getting caught on fire and hear screaming, no graphic burnings).
* G.I. Gerar impales evil minions with harpoons; viewers see the harpoons getting stuck inside of the creatures’ bodies, but there is no onscreen blood or injury.
* A few baddies get crushed and bludgeoned by boulders but fractured bones are not visible.
* Robots/golems, insect-like monsters, suits of armor, and human zombies get dismembered but injury detail isn't depicted. One part involves zombies getting shot apart by a submachine gun, sending arms flying, before a cannon fires and explodes them (arms and eyeballs fly out, the rest gets reduced to ashes).
* Most of the blood in the film is green and comes from giant insects and arachnids. Red blood is mostly seen on teeth/claws and blades, as well as a scene in which a human gets bitten and a small amount comes out and a character getting shot with a brief spray.
* In a few scenes, ground turrets fire at flying gunships and airships; large explosions appear as a result, and we occasionally cut to the interior as the explosions occur.
* Eyeangle is very discriminatory.
* Bones and corpses appear in a crypt and next to death traps. Spikes and weapons impale skeletons but no blood is visible.

### **Profanity**

Moderate

* The word "hell" is used countless times, often in reference to characters (Hellfire Hydra), weapons ("shells of hell," "hell-heat arrows,") and locations (the rising action of the film is located in hell).
* Some double entendres are used, such as "ash" (ass), "carp" (crap), and a few lines are pronounced similarly to "f\*\*k."

### **Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking**

Mild

* Tankards, mugs, and bottles of alcoholic beverages are depicted and consumed.
* A few characters smoke cigars in the film; this includes heroic characters, such as the Upland warriors.

### **Frightening/Intense Scenes**

Moderate

* The film is much like the animated works of Disney and Pixar but taken to a PG-13 level. As such, violence is emphasized further, but not to the extent of later entries.
* The film is very likely to frighten young and/or sensitive viewers, with depictions of dark areas, giant spiders, demonic creatures, and the undead. The zombies are particularly realistic and decomposed-looking; they try to tear apart the Upland Warriors with their teeth and claws (almost none of the heroes die). Charybdis, the Drow Giants, and many other monsters that work for the Evil Parable might frighten younger viewers.
* Falchion Fire's backstory involves him getting permanently attached to his suit of armor and becoming involuntarily immortal; Falchion's decayed face is visible when he flips up his visor.
* One of the warriors, Easter Eggs, lays eggs full of ghost chicks that she commands to attack her enemies. Easter explains how this works in a fairly poignant scene, revealing that her children were killed and that they can only return for her aid in combat.
* Many Upland Warriors almost die and are genuinely distressed when they fail their objectives.
* The sight of ashen, rotting corpses may disturb some viewers.
* Charybdis' appearance is rather frightening and disturbing, as is her backstory (she is a conglomeration of many dragons who were torn apart and assembled into one being.)
* The movie tackles the topic of racism.
* Hence the PG-13 rating, parents are very strongly cautioned and viewers should be 13 before watching.

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, violence, and intense action.

Suggested BBFC rating 12 for discrimination, violence, threat, horror, language

## Classification

* Argentina: 13+
* Australia: M
* Austria: 12
* Belgium: 9
* Brazil: 12
* Bulgaria: C
* Canada: PG (Not recommended for young children)
* Canada (Quebec): 13
* Chile: 7
* China: Banned
* Colombia: 12
* Denmark: 11
* Finland: K-12
* France: -12
* Germany: 12
* Greece: 13
* Hong Kong: IIA
* Hungary: 12
* Iceland: 9
* India: UA
* Indonesia: 13+
* Ireland: 12A
* Italy: VM6
* Japan: PG12
* Lithuania: PG-13
* Luxembourg: B
* Malaysia: PG13
* Malta: 12A
* Mexico: B
* Netherlands: 9
* New Zealand: R13
* Nigeria: 12A
* Norway: 12
* Peru: PG-13
* Philippines: R13
* Portugal: M/12
* Puerto Rico:PG-13
* Romania: AP-12
* Russia: 12+
* Singapore:PG13
* South Africa: 13
* South Korea: 12
* Spain: 12
* Sweden: 11 (at least)
* Switzerland: 12
* Taiwan: 12+
* Turkey: 13A
* United Kingdom: 12A
* United States: PG-13
* Ukraine: PG-13
* Vietnam: C13

## BBFC Description

Rated 12 for discrimination, violence, threat, horror, language.

### Discrimination

There is discriminatory behavior that is condemned by other characters and the work as a whole.

### Threat

Characters are executed by getting inserted in an incinerator with spinning blades, although no kills are depicted. Another sequence depicts character traversing a dark tunnel and falling a few times, before getting attacked by grotesque zombies. A character brings an assault rifle with him to a hospital but doesn't harm anyone and they are unaware of his threat.

### Violence

Characters are impaled by a spear gun, shot by a machine gun and burned by a fire-breathing dragon during battle scenes with no visible injury detail. Some scenes depict character getting bitten by monsters and shaken until they're killed but no wounds are visible. In one scene, a villain shoots a slave off-screen, to the horror of those around him. Implied violence is also present, including a scene where a character accidentally drops a spinning hat-blade on himself before cutting to it landing on the floor, stained with blood.

### Language

There is use of bad language ('bitch').

Abortion is a frequently-featured theme and discussions related to it feature prominently. Artistic but mildly sexualized nudity is depicted in historical-type paintings, and there is rude humour about it.

## Common Sense Media

* Age: 14+
* Quality: ★★★★
* Synopsis: Beautiful visuals and scenes face in unnecessarily disturbing film.
* Runtime: 144 minutes
* Rating: PG-13
* Review: Parents need to know that Upland is about a trio of teenagers who lead fantasy heroes and conquer three racist villains and their army. While the core message of rising above hate is indisputably a great one, the outlook of the film is generally grim and nihilistic. Adults will probably get that this subject matter is there for moral analysis but that is uncertain for tween audiences and will certainly unsettle sensitive viewers. Thankfully, more positive themes are also present, such as the initially unlikable Emily Akira (Shelby Young) eventually showing that she is a kind young woman who sees the best in even very flawed people. Characters show persistence and cooperation as they chase their objectives, as well. There is a lot more horror, disturbing content, blood, and violence than you would expect, including pervasive hand-to-hand fights with blood and injuries; gunfights; and countless scenes where characters fall or are shoved off of tall landmasses or down dark, terrifying abysses. This is to say nothing of extremely horrifying and disturbing scenes in which characters are shredded by the razor-sharp, bloody blades of a grinder before being eaten by a large, loud troll, and Nazi imagery and themes. There is little sex and romance, aside from brief buttock nudity and emphasis on bare breasts, buttocks, and genitals in paintings. Underage characters drink from steins and bottles of alcoholic beverages, as do older heroes. The villains are stereotyped as "neo-Axis," believing in the racism, corruption, and other evil that fueled the Axis Powers during World War II, a relatively misrepresentative depiction given the contemporary setting. Other characters are relatively sympathetic, however, namely Emily, who motivates Dillon during his darkest hours, and the ghostly Leader (Zazzie Beetz) who unites the main trio in the first place, believing that even a land where she was discriminated against should be saved and changed for the better. Alden Ehrenreich and Asher Angel co-star.
* Positive Messages: ★★ Messages are mixed. The intended message is that discrimination is always evil and must always be fought. the film happily promotes diversity and claims that loyalty is what drives the Upland Warriors to fight. The team demonstrates cooperation and persistence in chasing and completing objectives.
* Positive Role Models & Representations: ★★ Past her first impression, Emily is a lovable character who, after getting to know Dillon for a while, proves she is a true ally, trying to understand him when the rest feel like he is beyond saving. Dillon, the protagonist, is a complex character, arguably a bad guy in the middle but one who eventually gets past his anger and trauma, sympathetic to the other heroes' goal; Dillon makes a vital shift, emotionally. The Upland Warriors support each other and their leaders. The main villain is an unchanging white supremacist Neo-Nazi who hates everyone who does not meet his racist, brutal standards.
* Violence & Scariness: ★★★★ At least a few levels more graphic and intense than you'd expect: countless scenes where characters are thrown to their deaths through dark, terrifying abysses, into fire, and are held underwater. There is a ton of intense violence in the movie but much of it is bloodless; every superhero in the team has their own "elemental" attacks, from shooting fire to spraying water to chucking stones and firing laser beams. Most of the Upland Warriors carry weaponry, including guns, and are frequently threatened with death. In one extremely harrowing scene, enemies to Eyeangle's rule are shredded out of frame by the razor-sharp, bloodstained blades of a grinder before a loud, red-eyed, fluorescent troll eats their remains (and a sole survivor). Characters bloodily fight hand-to-hand and battles usually involve gunfire; soldiers yelp and scream on impact and fall over when killed. Warriors go up against terrifying monsters (which bite characters and chew them to their deaths), a large dragon (which inhales and eats a heroic dragon), and titanic, looming monsters. Several characters are abducted and transported through very threatening locations. Be warned that, while the film sometimes has a relatively soft and vibrant sensibility, there are countless terrifying and nihilistic scenes, primarily in the form of jump-scares and sudden loud noises but also encompassing the disturbing material mentioned above.
* Sexy Stuff: ★★ Brief male rear nudity. Focus on nudity in paintings. Both Dillon and Tanner show a romantic interest in Emily, drinking with her and trying to talk smoothly to her.
* Language: ★★ Not quite frequent yet not rare use of words like "ass," "oh my god," "son of a bitch," "damn," "hell."
* Consumerism: ★★★★ Little product placement within the film, aside from iPhones and Xbox, but there are countless merchandise tie-ins for the movie and references to other works by 1001 Spears and Sony.
* Drinking, Drugs, & Smoking: ★★ Teenage characters are seen with steins and bottles of beer, in some scenes drinking from them; the Upland Warriors are depicted drinking.
* Is It Any Good? The visuals are bright and beautiful, the jukebox soundtrack is very catchy, and the love-triumphs-over-hate setup is heartwarming enough to appeal to older audiences. But there are way more nihilistic messages in it than most parents should be comfortable with. Fine, the film's overarching theme is "discrimination is always evil," but we get to these concepts. The fact that the antagonists deliver the racism makes it slightly easier to handle, but their hate speech and rhetoric are super nasty, nauseating, and wince-worthy. Good thing it's all fought with... nihilism? To adults, it is obvious that Dillon is just a teen coping with trauma and doesn't mean all of his jaded talk. But to tweens, the message that Dillon sends is horrifically uncomfortable. It is not until he can shut up and start to win against the villains that parents will sit up and love the vibe Upland pumps out. Once Upland turns that corner, it is mostly heartwarming and cheerful: the Nazis are defeated and meaning is found to life. Spoiler alert? You could tell it was gonna happen, be honest. It just sucks that this resolution couldn't feel slightly more deserved, because the movie is expertly crafted.
* Talk To Your Kids About...
	+ Families can talk about Upland's worldview. Is nihilism an acceptable viewpoint? Why would Dillon dedicate his life to fighting fascism if he felt nothing mattered?
	+ What does the villain's perspective tell us about discrimination? Why do they think race factors into someone's worth? How does this differ from the views of the heroes?
	+ Which parts of the film were terrifying or disturbing? Why? How much horror can kids handle?
	+ What does it mean to act persistent? How did the characters in Upland persevere through seemingly impossible odds? How did cooperation fit into their adventure? Why are teamwork and perseverance significant strengths in characters?

### Parents Say

* Age: 11+
* Quality: ★★★★
	+ Shockingly dark and disturbing without a clear message
		- Age: 10+
		- Quality: ★★★★
		- Review: As someone who grew up with more mature animated movies like Tokyo Godfathers, I was looking forward to this film since it looked attractive and interesting. However, I saw it last week, and it wasn't as great as I'd expected. Not much happens; there is a cast of voice actors who play a ton of warriors we barely get to know. The soundtrack was decent, the main theme by Danny Elfman, and the use of existing songs stands out. The voice actors did a great job playing the characters. It is also bewilderingly disturbing for a PG-13 movie. The setting deals with Nazi and Holocaust themes. A man hangs himself just off-screen (he comes back as a ghost but this is completely unacceptable for a PG-13 movie). There are a lot of battle scenes that could scare kids, countless henchmen get burned alive and impaled by weapons. Considering that this movie seems like it's aimed at kids ages 14 and younger, this is SUPER HEAVY. I'd imagine kids getting traumatized by a lot of things in the movie. I'm just perplexed about what age group this movie is targeting.

### Kids Say

* Age: 11+
* Quality: ★★★★
	+ STABBED DIRECTLY IN THE HEART!?!?
		- So gross and brutal.

## Tropes

* Alliterative Name: As is common for 1001 Spears, most locations have one; Massacre Meadows, Beech Balcony, Terrifying Tombs, etc.
* And I Must Scream: Eyeangle gets extremely karmic and deserved one, becoming agonized and frozen after he is sent to Earth and gets beaten up by everyone.
* Meganekko: Emily, with the glasses being the only thing making it apparent that she even has a face.

## Does the Dog Die

* Does a Cat Die? Emily confirms that one of her cats was killed by a dog when she was younger and she can't get over this.
* Are Animals Abused? Charybdis is abused by getting electrocuted and the process of her creation was abusive.
* Does a Dragon Die? Hellfire Hydra gets eaten alive by Charybdis, who is also a dragon, and Charybdis herself is euthanized in the final battle.
* Is There Addiction? It isn't confirmed but it is pretty obvious that Dillon is an alcoholic in one scene.
* Does Someone Abuse Alcohol? Dillon downs many steins of apple cider and it is implied that they are alcoholic.
* Is Someone Tortured? Emily is tortured by waterboarding, electroshock, bludgeoning, and having a tooth ripped out.
* Is There Shaving/Cutting? Characters are slashed by blades over the course of the movie and it is heavily implied that one character is cut in half.
* Are Any Teeth Damaged? Emily has a tooth torn out by the claw of a dead lobster.
* Is a Head Squashed? Upland Warriors who use hammers crush the heads of Eyeangle's minions.
* Does a Kid Die? The zombie girl was killed at one point and she dies again after Enol slices her head off out of frame.
* Is Someone Kidnapped? Dillon is abducted and has a bag put over his head, he is injured in the process of his capture.
* Are There Ghosts? The Sensei is a ghost and so are Hari and Kari, many other undead/zombie characters appear in the film, as well.
* Does Someone Fart or Spit? The movie has tons of fart and spit gags.
* Is Electro-Therapy Used? Emily is tortured by biting an electrocuted steak, played for laughs. Eyeangle elctrocutes Charybdis to get her to do his biding, not played for laughs.
* Is There Body Dismorphia? Emily suffers from some form of this.
* Does Someone Commit Suicide? Three rioters commit suicide to evade punishment and return to Upland, one shoots himself and the other two commit harakiri. A woman shoots herself and while there isn't any blood it's still disturbing.
* Is Someone Gaslighted? Eyeangle, the main antagonist, gaslights Dillon throughout the movie.
* Are There Flashing Lights or Images? Yes.
* Is There Ableist Language or Behavior? Yes
* Are There Fat Jokes? Yes, but in-universe and not by the work itself.
* Is There Antisemitism? Yes
* Is There a Sad Ending? It's debatable, people die and the former slaves are scarred for life.
* Is There Blood/Gore? Some fight scenes have blood and gore, Enol accidentally cuts himself in half off-screen and his hatblade is covered in blood from this.
* Is There Gun Violence? Guns that shoot coins, boiling water, laser beams, and spears are used frequently. Realistic firearms are rarely seen and they never kill anyone on-screen even if it is confirmed that people are shot by them.
* Does Someone Drown? G.I. Gerawr uses his squirt gun to suffocate henchmen and others are held underwater and drowned.
* Is Someone Hit By a Car? Dillon is hit by an ice cream truck and it seems like he dies as a result of this.

## Behind the Scenes

* Upland, initially named Dragon Monarchy, was created to ”get in a lawsuit with *Activision*”, with many similarities to *Skylanders* noted. The idea of “getting in a lawsuit” came to Brendan after he saw a *Mixels* Wiki blog post about someone’s idea that was very similar to *Mixels*. One of the commenters claimed that the blog writer was likely to get sued by Cartoon Network if they went through with their idea, and Brendan decided that he wanted to get in a lawsuit.
* Many elements of the film are inspired by *Skylanders*, *Terraria*, and games made by Blizzard Entertainment (most notably *Overwatch*).
* Due to Brendan’s inexperience in developing games without using a tutorial, Upland was turned from a video game to a movie.
* Several of the characters in the film are similar to preexisting characters in other films and video games; the Upland Warriors are based on *Skylanders* characters, the Drow Leader and Priestess are respectively based on Soldier 76 and Widowmaker from *Overwatch*, and the Drow Giants are based on Doomsday from DC Comics and the Drow Goliaths from *Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure*.