Horrid Henry: The Movie
Horrid Henry: The Movie is a 2011 British 3D children's film directed by Nick Moore and produced by Allan Niblo, Rupert Preston, Mike Watts and Lucinda Whiteley, who wrote it. In the film, Henry and the Purple Hand Gang fight to prevent the closure of their school by an evil private school headmaster. It is based on the fictional character Horrid Henry from the children's book series of the same name by Francesca Simon. The film itself acts as a prequel to Series 3 of the TV Series. "Horrid Henry: The Movie" stars Theo  Stevenson, Richard E. Grant, Parminder Nagra, Kimberley Walsh, Mathew Horne, Siobhan Hayes, Dick and Dom, Noel Fielding, Jo Brand and Anjelica Huston. It was the first British film for children to be shot in 3D, and was officially released in cinemas on 29 July 2011 in 2D, RealD 3D, and 3D formats by Vertigo Films in the United Kingdom. Phase 4 Films and Entertainment One released the film in theatres in the United States and Canada on 22 December 2012. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, with criticism for the plot, script, humor, visual effects, and lack of  imagination, however, the colour palette, acting, and loyalty to the source material received praise. Horrid Henry: The Movie grossed $10.1 million worldwide. "Horrid Henry: The Movie" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 28 November 2011 in the United Kingdom. Horrid Henry: The Movie has sold over 750,000 DVD copies in the UK. "Horrid Henry: The Movie" aired on Nickelodeon in October 2019. The film had a share of 9.2% and ranked number 1 in its time slot. The film has 4.5 stars out of 5 on Amazon Prime. Plot. 11-year-old Horrid Henry uses his magnetic  yoyo to steal biscuits from Moody Margaret's Secret Club. Before he can eat them, his mother tells him to do his homework. The next morning, Henry searches for his homework, only to find that after he left it on the dining room table, the other members of the household variously spilled milk on it, stepped on it, and squashed it into the couch, leaving it a mess. He leaves it behind and has his friend Brainy Brian forge a note from his mother saying his cat ate it. His teacher, Miss Battle-Axe, realizes that this note is forged  and that Henry did not do it himself, since Brian spelled "homework" correctly, something Henry is incapable of doing. With Henry in detention, his friends join him to practice for a talent contest. Miss Oddbod, the headteacher, and a pair of school inspectors walk in on their rehearsal. She angrily tells them off. Vic Van Wrinkle, headteacher of the exorbitantly expensive private academy Brick House School, has been bribing the school inspectors to put pressure on Ashton Primary, the school Henry attends, in order to justify closing the school. Van Wrinkle stands to make a fortune from the resulting influx  of pupils. Horrid Henry and Moody Margaret's bad behaviour prompts Miss Oddbod to fire Miss Battle-Axe for failing to enforce discipline, and the school inspectors encourage Henry's pranks and even frame him. Miss Lovely ends up getting fired like Miss Battle-Axe for failing to discipline Henry when she gets slimed by him and Margaret after they argue, which was actually because the school inspectors placed the slime in Henry’s bag. After having to fire another teacher because of Henry, Miss Oddbod decides to ban Henry’s band, the Zero Zombies, from entering the Talent Contest . With Ashton Primary on the brink of closing, Henry's Great Aunt Greta volunteers to pay for Henry to attend an all girls school (since she thinks Henry is a girl) and his 9-year-old younger brother Peter to Brick House. Miss Lovely gets a job at Brick House, where she notices the school inspectors. Peter distracts the staff and pupils by performing numerous arrangements of "Frère Jacques" so that Miss Lovely can spy on Van Wrinkle and the inspectors. She is caught by Van Wrinkle, but covertly passes notes about his plan to Peter. Meanwhile, Henry's new  schoolmates immediately realize he is a boy and begin hunting him. Margaret, who has also been transferred to the school, comes to Henry's aid, and the two escape. The traumatic experience motivates them to work together to save Ashton Primary. Henry decides to win the talent contest with his Zero Zombies band, hoping that this will make them famous enough that they won't shut the school down. They sneak in and do compete despite their ban. After the band wins the contest, Miss Oddbod informs Henry that fame is irrelevant in this case. Henry is later invited to  be a Contestant on a game show known as "2 Cool 4 School", with the intention of using the prize money to bribe the school inspectors to leave Ashton Primary alone. In the final round of the competition, he is confronted with Miss Battle-Axe, who challenges him to spell "homework." Recalling Miss Battle-Axe's early admonitions and using "Oh Henry, you horrid boy" as a mnemonic device, he correctly spells "homework" with two "o"s for the first time. Meanwhile, Peter and his friends try to rescue Miss Lovely, but are captured by Van Wrinkle. Miss Lovely tricks him  into explaining his plan while Peter has her mobile phone on speaker phone while on a call with Miss Oddbod, who is shocked to hear what is going on. She tricks the school inspectors to go and get her more ink, and then calls the police. Van Wrinkle attempts to escape, but falls over due to Peter tying his shoelaces together. Vic Van Wrinkle and the school inspectors are arrested. Henry returns and offers the cash prize to Miss Oddbod, who declines it and explains that the school has already been saved. At Margaret's suggestion, the money is instead  used for a large party. Soundtrack. The soundtrack was released on 1 January 2011, New Year's Day, by Universal Music TV. Release. "Horrid Henry: The Movie" was theatrically released on 29 July 2011, in the U.K. by Vertigo Films. It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray on 28 November, that same year, in the United Kingdom. Reception. The film opened at #5 in the box office in the United Kingdom with £1.3 million, in a Top 10 led by "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2" and "". It was knocked down the next week to  #7, by "Super 8" and "Mr. Popper's Penguins". The film received generally negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 9% of 22 reviews for "Horrid Henry: The Movie" are positive; the average rating is 3.60/10. Common criticisms included the unfunny, juvenile humour, stuttering plot, and unimaginative use of stereoscopy. The bright colour palette was widely praised, but generally said to be wasted, given the overall low quality of the film. Leslie Felperin of "Variety" stated: 'Thinly scripted, even for a kidpic, but luridly colored enough to keep even nap needing tots (or parents) awake, this  sophomore effort by Brit helmer Nick Moore ("Wild Child") reps something of a waste of its impressive roster of supporting thespian talent, while its use of 3D is likewise less than imaginative.' Derek Adams offered the film mild praise in "Time Out": ""Horrid Henry" is indelibly flawed and disorderly in tone but not devoid of rambunctious charm". When interviewed on "Desert Island Discs" by Kirsty Young, "Horrid Henry" book author Francesca Simon stated: 'I haven't seen it (the film)...I had nothing to do with it.' Sequel. In an interview with Novel Entertainment, aired out in January 2020 after  the success of "Horrid Henry: The Movie" being aired on Nicktoons, executive producer Lucinda Whiteley said she was 'absolutely (working on a sequel)! And not just one but two sequels, as the story of how Henry ends up saving the world needs more than just 90 minutes!'