Dash and Dot's Next Adventure

***Dash and Dot's Next Adventure*** is a 2013 American animated direct-to-video adventure comedy film based on the characters of the same name created by the children's programming block PBS Kids. Directed by Norton Virgien from a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who co-wrote the story with Aaron Sorkin, it is a direct sequel to the 2009 animated film *Dash and Dot's Wild Ride*. It reprises the voices of Colin Ford and Grace Rolek as Dash and Dot, who are joined by Chris Parnell, Allison Janney and Jim Carrey. Following the events of the first film, Dash and Dot, who are now 11 years old and 8 years old respectively, find clues about a long-lost treasure hidden somewhere in their town. They decide to search for it, hoping to become rich and famous. However, a new villain named Sir Basil is also after the treasure for nefarious reasons.

Produced by Universal 1440 Entertainment, Universal Animation Studios and Imagine Entertainment, in association with PBS, *Dash and Dot's Next Adventure* was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 23, 2013 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Unlike the first installment, it received mixed reviews; critics praised the animation, voice performances, consistency with the characters and musical score by John Powell, while criticism was given to its derogatory plot, story line, screenplay, continuity errors, and runtime. This was the last piece of PBS Kids media to feature the 2008-2013 version of the program's mascots prior to the modernization in 2013.

## Voice cast

* Colin Ford as Dash, an 11-year old boy who is Dot’s older brother and the son of Dennis and Denise.
* Grace Rolek as Dot, an 8-year old girl who is Dash’s younger sister and the daughter of Dennis and Denise.
* Chris Parnell as Dennis, Dash and Dot’s father and the husband of Denise.
* Allison Janney as Denise, Dash and Dot's mother and the wife of Denise.
* Jim Carrey as Sir Basil, the main antagonist of the film.
* John Goodman as Duncan, Dash and Dot's grandfather, the father of Dennis and Denise and the husband of Donnell.
* Betty White as Donnell, Dash and Dot's grandmother, the mother of Dennis and Denise and the wife of Duncan.
* Madison Pettis as Sally, an 11-year old girl with a red dress and a ponytail who is Dash's closest friend.
* Brandon Baker as Matt, a slightly clumsy boy who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Jimmy Bennett as Mike, a smart boy who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Eden Riegel as Alisa, a cheeky and playful girl who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Heather Goldenhersh as Caroline, a meek yet sweet girl who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Zack Shada as Pablo, a boy with curly hair and a big nose who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends as well as the oldest out of them.
* Jackson Brundage as Estuardo, a boy with thin curly hair who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Dakota Fanning as Kaleigh, a tomboyish girl who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Ariel Winter as Demi, a sassy girl who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
* Kristen Wiig as Ms. Smith, Dash and Dot’s teacher at school.

## Production

The sequel was announced in November 2009. Matthew O'Callaghan didn't return to direct, and was replaced by Norton Virgien, who previously directed the 2009 animated film *Curious George 2: Follow That Monkey!*. Aaron Sorkin wrote the story, while Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger returned to write the screenplay. The latter two wrote the story with Sorkin. Colin Ford and Grace Rolek returned to voice Dash and Dot, with Chris Parnell and Allison Janney also returning to voice Dennis and Denise. Acclaimed Jason Bourne star Matt Damon was cast in the role of Sir Basil. Primal Screen, Yowza! Animation, Premise Entertainment, Neomis Animation, Fat Cat Animation, Duncan Studio, Bardel Entertainment, Wang Film Productions, July Films, Sunwoo Entertainment, TMS Entertainment, Toon City Animation, and Rough Draft Studios provided the animation for the film. Pre-production was done in-house at Universal Animation Studios while visual effects, compositing, and ink & paint services were provided by Mercury Filmworks and Warner Bros. Animation. CGI animation by Reel FX Creative Studios was used to create certain effects, environments, scenes, and transitions. John Powell composed the musical score, replacing James Newton Howard.

## Release

*Dash and Dot's Next Adventure* was released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 23, 2013 by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

## Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 46% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "*Dash and Dot's Next Adventure* may entertain the young ones who grew up on the bumpers, but its derogatory story and screenplay makes for a semi-unfunny and painfully bland film." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.