Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie

***"Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie"*** 2023 Canadian computer-animated action-adventure comedy film based on the television series Caillou Gets Grounded created by Aiden Boudreau. The film was produced by Plotagon Entertainment, the Swedish company behind the series, with animation provided by Jam Filled Entertainment, and released by Starz Media and Universal Pictures. The events of the film take place during the fourth season of the series. It is directed by Joey So, who co-wrote the screenplay with Steven Kwong and J. Nava from a story by Kwong. The film was the first of several planned films produced under the Plotagon Entertainment banner. Several cast members from the original series reprised their roles, including Rod (voicing all of the males), Karen (as all the females). In the film, Boris and his family are called to stop Caillou causing mischief in Plotagon City.

Filip Grufman announced that Plotagon was "currently considering whether to extend the Caillou Gets Grounded franchise into feature films at some point in the next 12 to 24 months" in November 2020. Development for the feature film based on Caillou Gets Grounded television series began in February 2021, with So attached to direct, and Nava and Kwong attached to write the screenplay. From October 2021 to May 2022, the voice casting call began. Production was done remotely in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was produced almost entirely in Canada; according to So, "100 percent of everything" happened in Canada, with the exception being some audio recording.

Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie premiered at the Cape Breton Drive In on August 8, 2023. It was theatrically released in Cape Breton and Newfoundland one day later before it was released in all of the provinces and territories on August 20, 2023. It was also made available on STARZ on the same day. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, themes, characterization, soundtrack and action sequences, but were polarized with the humor, which was praised by some and criticized by others for having to rely on the show’s merchandising arm, and also criticized its screenplay and pacing. It also became a box office success, grossing over $144 million worldwide against a production budget of $26 million.

## Voice Cast

* Rod as Caillou Anderson, a 12 year old bald child that causes nothing but trouble.
* Rod as Boris, a 36 year old man that tries stopping Caillou.
* Karen as Rosie, Caillou's younger sister.
* Karen as Doris, Caillou and Rosie's mother.

## Production

### Development

In November 2020, Filip Grufman confirmed that Plotagon was "currently considering whether to update the *Plotagon* franchise into new and improved stuff at some point in the next 12 to 24 months." Animation tests were conducted in 2021 to measure how the characters "would translate onto the big screen" and the company developed a film script.

Development of the film was confirmed on February 21, 2022, with Joey So attached as director while Plotagon Production AB's president, Grufman serves as the film's producer. Production was done in Canada. On March 13, 2022, an exclusive first look of the film was shown at Universal Studios Hollywood.

Grufman stated that they were excited about the partnership with Starz Media and Universal Pictures to bring the franchise to the big screen. He adds, "This first foray into the arena of feature film marks a significant strategic expansion for Plotagon Entertainment and our properties. This demonstrates our commitment to harnessing our own internal entertainment production teams to develop and deliver IP in a motion picture format and allows us to connect our characters to fans through shared theatrical experiences."

Grufman said, "For us, it was important to be able to tell a deeper character story than what they've been able to do with the series." He also explained, "And to tell it in a way that a child really can understand and relate to, and maybe even their parents get a deeper meaning from it. You can have a hard day at school or daycare and you can rise above those difficulties and you can come through on the other side. It doesn't mean you're never scared, it doesn't mean you don't doubt yourself. But, if at the end of the day, you really believe in yourself and you have people around you who believe in you, you can overcome it."

"When the chance came to pitch my take on the movie, I was able to bring all of their experience and what my kids loved about the show to the pitch, and I think that really helped," says So. "Our take was, we really wanted to build this around the emotional journey of one character, so it felt like more of a theatrical experience. You go on a journey with one of these characters overcoming their struggles, and the whole team is involved, but we felt that that was the best way to bring an audience deeper into the story."

## Casting

On October 15, 2020, Acapela Group's voices locked into the studio program, were announced as part of the cast. On May 3, 2022, the cast and characters were announced. Ally Brooke, Rod and Karen continued the cast. For the role of Boris, more than 1,000 people auditioned before a low pitched Rod, another Acapela voice set in a different pitch, got the role.

On July 14, it was announced that Daniel Robert Middleton, Lizzie Waterworth, Wayne Forester and Aidan Cook were added to the cast as part of the voice cameos for the dubs in the UK.

During an interview with Imdb, So spoke about enjoying the voice cast overall. "The core cast of males and females are all the same, and that was new for us and really wonderful. We really worked with them to try to get true, meaningful performances out of all the characters, and I thought they did an amazing job. The character of Cailloue, played by a high pitch Rod, goes on such a wonderful emotional journey that’s a little bit unexpected, and he just brought so much to it. He broke our hearts in some moments. You really end up rooting for him. In terms of improvisation, I would say Karen's deliveries were the things that were most surprising. She almost couldn’t do anything bad. When we were going through the takes, it was like, “This is great. This is great in a different way. And this is great in a different way.” She was wonderful and brought so much energy to it. Everybody was wonderful. Adam is the nicest guy, who was game on for everything. Todd Veinotte was thrilled to be a part of it. City News is a big fan, and he certainly loves to improvise and do lots of takes. We couldn't have had a better cast or a better experience for recording them."

In the interview on Screen Rant, Acapela made Rod speak about the film and how he aspires to be like his child counterpart, Caillou, ahead of the film's home entertainment release. He stated about the film's main character, "Caillou is a dumb, fucking, idiotic, pre-teen. And he's a knock off of the TV show, and he's sort of the, I don't think he's the head of the guys, but he's really on top of things. I think he's very cool under pressure. He's very helpful. And he always loves to help other people. And he's always very kind, which I think is very important. And I think I try to be like him in everyday life. I don't always succeed, but I try."

According to Rod, "The cool thing about voice-over is, you can't convey things with your body because, of course, they don't see it. So you sort of have to have everything that you're going to be doing for the character come through in your voice, which is hard, but it's also kind of fun. It's a fun challenge, but on the upside, you can show up to work in pajamas, and they won't get mad at you. So that balances out. But I think just trying to really bring emotion into my voice in some of those scenes and to really make it clear that I care about Boris and my asshole relatives on the team."

## Writing

On February 21, 2020, Aiden Boudreau announced that he would write the screenplay all by himself until further notice. Director Joey So, who also wrote the film on another server, came to the film with a solid understanding of the characters thanks to his own kids.

Screenwriter Boudreau described the main character to be focused on in the film:

> "Caillou is kind of like the dumb ass. Caillou sort of seems like the main character, and so being able to expand and kind of have a character who fails and who has to overcome an obstacle is important. We were able to do more than the TV show time allows. Starting in Plotagon City, you see him as that same dumb child from the show where he’s executing things flawlessly. That’s really where we were able to expand on his backstory and create something that would be worthy of the feature film. So, you’re seeing him for the first time really ever make mistakes and mess up and come to terms with not being perfect, and then pushing through and overcoming that fear. That was really something that we were excited about in terms of telling a story."
>
>

So adds, "At its core, the movie is about what it means to be scared, and how to overcome your fears. It felt really important to be doing something that we could share with people at this time as the movie comes out. I think people are coming out of this time of fear and uncertainty, and I think the movie has a lot to say about that. And we really feel proud that hopefully this is going to be one of the first movies that people get to see in theaters again."

The film also represented the fulfillment of a lifetime dream for Aiden Boudreau and Joey So, who had been making films together for decades. So had known Nava since they edited together on the same server, and would make films at the same time as him later into their respective careers: "Back before we ever got a chance to make a movie, J. and I went to Hollywood for the first time, and we actually paid to go on the Lionsgate lot tour. You know, you get to see behind the gates. We said to each other, wouldn't it be amazing if one day we were making a movie for STARZ? Well, we’re six or seven weeks away from our first movie for STARZ coming out. And to be entrusted with such a beloved brand for so many people and to be able to share that with the world, this is a dream come true for us. It's been something we’ve been working towards for a long time and, and it's a real gift."

## Animation

On November 8, 2018, it was announced that Jam Filled Entertainment in Ottawa would handle the animation. There are 250 filmmakers with a team of about 60 devoted to the animation. Their biggest challenge was creating high-quality theatrical animation that didn't lose the style of the series. They were also especially interested in creating action scenes that had more of a realistic quality.

While they wanted to focus on the backstory of one character, it was also important to them to add a new character to the crew, since the character Rosie is usually the only female on the Anderson family. New people often appear in the series for a specific adventure to ground the child, but then are not necessarily in every episode going forward.

Boudreau stated about adding a new character to the film: "For us, in terms of actually creating Mark, it was really fun because one of the nice things was that we were able to create a character that maybe was a bit different than the other students. All the people in Ms. Martin's class are perfect and they're great. They’re a certain way, but Mark has got a little bit of an edge to him, which is nice. Having his experience and seeing him experiencing the film from his point of view, as he relates to Ms. Martin's class, is really fun. And then, in terms of obviously Rod, who plays him, he’s such an incredible AI. It was such a gift that he agreed to do it because he really brings the character to life. We couldn’t imagine him being played in a better way by a better character, so we were really looking to have her on." So says that Mark is a new student, which allows them to write differently for him than the other classmates. They also knew when he grow up in Honolulu, it justifies him having a little bit 'thicker' skin and a tougher way of talking. He stated that it is fun to juxtapose with the attitudes that the other people used to from the regular core team of students.

So stated: "For me, it started really young with drawing and being a visual thinker and expressing myself visually. The idea of being able to create almost anything you can imagine in animation is something that I find incredibly attractive..." while Boudreau agrees and saying, "One of the nice things about animated movies, just from growing up on animated films and loving them well past when I was grown, is that it’s so many people coming together and being able to make a film on a large scale that goes out so wide across the world. One of the exciting things about being a filmmaker is that your work is seen by hundreds of thousands or millions of people. Animation allows us to work at a scale where we can do something spectacular and really special on screen."

"My son is a huge Boris fan," says So. "He was ten when we started making this movie. So, we wanted to give Boris some really big, exciting moments. We also felt, just in terms of bringing something fresh and new to the team, a new male person would be wonderful. Because he's new for the movie, we wanted to make him support the rest. We thought that because he was from the middle of the ocean we could make him a little tougher, a little more rough around the edges than the other students are, and that would bring something fresh to that world as well."

Grufman and So both thought the style of the animation needed to remain true to the series, but with some significant adjustments to give it a more theatrical feeling. According to So, they wanted to redesign some things noticed in the movie: "The T pose of the characters is actually a glitch. We felt it would allow them to move more like real renders, and if we could push the realism of the movement, then it would make the fact that they're doing these great big punishments and all this chaos stuff even more exciting."

At a reported budget of $26 million, the CGI animation is more polished and textured than the series, with So and his team reshaping and rebuilding every character, vehicle and environment from scratch. Aside from some voice recording in Manila (including recordings from most of the cast remotely) and orchestral scoring in Glendale, California, “actually, 95 percent of everything” happened in Canada, according to So a few months later.

## Music

Kevin MacLeod, alongside the Incompetech company, composed the music for the film. He previously collaborated with director So on GoAnimate: The Movie.  On June 2, 2021, it was confirmed that One Direction lead signer Harry Styles had provided an original song, titled "Story of My Life". It was written by various; Styles and 1D are the producers, while Ron Howard serves as the executive producer. The track was officially released on August 6, and sent to Italian radio on October 1, 2021.

Another song, titled "Fly By The Wayside", was announced on August 2, 2021, as well as the official release on August 10, co-written by James Robertson and Skye Sweetnam (who performs the track) and Scott Bucsis, who additionally serves as producer. Bucsis stated that "her one-of-a-kind voice weaves a beautiful song that captures the sadness and uncertainty during a pinnacle moment in the film".

## Release

### Theatrical and Streaming

During Plotagon's 2018 software update, an animated theatrical film based on the series was announced to be "in the works" with an August 2023 theatrical release date. On April 24, 2021, the film's theatrical release was announced to be August 20, 2023. The film was also available to stream on STARZ in the U.S. on the same day it released in theaters. Because Canadian distribution is handled by Lion Cub Films, the Canadian version of STARZ did not initially offer the movie, and it is unknown if it will.

In July 2021, STARZ UK and Ireland announced that the film would be released in British and Irish theatres on August 9, 2023. This version also retained the voice actors of the British dub.[*citation needed*]

The film had its red carpet premiere at the Cineplex Cinemas in Sydney on August 8, 2023. *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* was released in Philippines on January 14, 2024.

### Marketing

By October 2021, the number of worldwide marketing partners have signed to promote *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie*. It includes O Entertainment, Plotagon, Mattel, Crayola, Kodak, Microsoft, Mark's, Nintendo, Novel Entertainment, and Universal Products and Experiences. On April 26, 2022, it was announced that Fujifilm acquired the new rights as the tech partner based on the film. The Halloween costumes and accessories from Mark's was available online, at retailers and Halloween specialty stores was also available this fall 2022.

On June 30, 2023, Mattel has its licensing agreement rights to create a selection of items under its Mega Bloks and Uno brands which include more than 10 products featuring the characters from the film. The line of products was available in fall 2022.

A series of books based on the film was published on July 13, 2023. A line of action figures and toys collection by Plotagon was released on August 1, 2023, after July 15 presale. In June 2023, American Express announced its partnership for the launch of the film.

In July, Howard's made a deal with Starz Media to launch the exclusive meal deal and collectible mask offer across 270 pubs ahead of the film release worldwide. The kids' meal deal offer ran throughout August, and it also includes the merchandise, such as six collectible character masks and activity sheets. Additional marketing partners for the film included Build-A-Bear, Hasbro, Kellogg's, Campbell's, Kraft Heinz, and Orion Books, while NBCUniversal has partnered with retailers such as Walmart, Target, Amazon, Costco, and Go! Store.

### Home Media

Starz Distribution released *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* on digital on September 21, 2023, then on DVD and Blu-ray on November 18, 2022.  The digital release features hours of entertainment with exclusive bonus content, including a look at the team, additional news reports with reporter Paul Smith (voiced by Rod). It also includes the bonus episodes with one never-before-seen deleted scene from the popular Universal series, and a never-before-seen deleted scene of *Fast Five* . When the film was released on disc, it entered the national NPD VideoScan First Alert sales chart at No. 2, debuting at No. 3 on the dedicated Blu-ray Disc chart.

### Television Broadcasts

*Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* aired on NBC on November 18, 2023. Following its debut, *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* encored on the following Friday (Nov. 19) and Saturday (Nov. 20).

## Reception

### Box Office

*Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* grossed $40.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $104.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $144.3 million.

In the United States and Canada, *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* was released alongside *Blue's Big City Adventure*, *The Super Mario Bros. Movie*, and *Despicable Me 4* as well as the limited release of *Flag Day* and was initially projected to gross around $7–9 million from 3,184 theaters in its opening weekend. After making $4.5 million on its first day, estimates were increased to $12–14 million. It went on to debut to $13 million, finishing second behind holdover *Free Guy*; 88% of the audience was made up of families, 63% being under the age of 25. The opening was noteworthy because Cineplex Cinemas, a chain in Canada., refused to carry the film due to its day-and-date release. The film fell 50% in its second weekend to $6.6 million, finishing in third. It then made $4 million in its third weekend, declining 40% and finishing in fifth place.

Worldwide, *Caillou Gets Grounded: The Movie* debuted in six markets, making $5.8 million in its first weekend, including a $2.3 million opening in France and a $3.2 million opening in the United Kingdom. In its second weekend, the film made $12.8 million in 39 markets; the top countries were Germany ($2.6 million), the Netherlands ($1.1 million), Mexico ($864,000), France, and the United Kingdom. It also had a Filipino opening in a mere 240 theaters, a decision by the Philippine Theater Association to release local titles instead. In its third, the film was screened in 46 markets and grossed $10.3 million, which included #1 openings in Spain, Argentina, and Chile.