Critters (film)

Critter Country
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Elliot M. Bour Saul Andrew Blinkoff
Produced by	John A. Smith
Screenplay by	David Reynolds Jeffrey M. Howard
Story by	Elliot M. Bour Saul Andrew Blinkoff Jeffrey M. Howard
Starring	James Corden Jason Segel Oona Laurence Jean Reno Sam Raimi Kristoff St. John David Ogden Stiers Andy Dick Russi Taylor
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Edited by	William J. Caparella
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Wonder Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	April 14, 2017
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$80 million
Box office	$333 million

Critter Country is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Wonder Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Andrew Blinkoff from a screenplay by David Reynolds and Jeffrey M. Howard, it was Walt Disney Wonder Studios' second film after 2016's Disney In The House: Introduction. The film features the voices of James Corden, Jason Segel, Jean Reno, Sam Raimi, Oona Laurence, Andy Dick, Russi Taylor, Kristoff St. John, and David Ogden Stiers. The film follows two critters, Lemy the ring-tailed lemur and Burrows the meerkat setting out on a quest to save Critter Country from a villainous Velociraptor named Razazuki, who intends to take over as king.

Critter Country was released theatrically in the United States on April 14, 2017. Critter Country received generally positive reviews from critics and proved to be a box office success, earning $333 million on a $80 million budget. It was nominated at the 90th Academy Awards for Best Original Song (for "Animal Jam") and Best Animated Feature, but lost both to Coco. The success of Critter Country led to three sequels titled Critter Country 2, Critter Country 3, and Critter Country Jam, which were released on October 27, 2017, March 3, 2018, and December 26, 2018.

Plot

In Critter Country, a modern-civilized world fully inhabited by talking critters and other animals, the king, Kuku the sulphur-crested cockatoo, announces that Lemy the ring-tailed lemur will be the next king. Lemy surprises his best friend, Burrows the meerkat with a present for his birthday, but Burrows idolizes the city's hero, Power the Panda, and longs for a real quest. That night, Lemy and his his friends celebrate Burrows' birthday, but Burrows focuses on his dream of a quest and reveals it to his friends. The next morning, Lemy reveals that his girlfriend Batty the fruit bat planned a road trip to Main Street, much to Burrows' excitement. Lemy, Burrows, and their friends pack up their things and head out.

That night, a mysterious tail flings Lemy and Burrow out of the moving motor home. Lemy and Burrows follow footprints and a Velociraptor named Razazuki lets them into the cave. When they learn of three riddles needed to stop the raptor from defeating Power, they ask for the first riddle, he refuses to give it to them and reveals himself as the raptor who flung them out of the motor home. Lemy and Burrows narrowly escape with the riddle, with help from Power. In the motor home, Batty figures out what happened to Burrows and Lemy and rallies up Chipper the chipmunk, Bext the beaver, Park the parrot, and Hissy the snake to help her rescue them.

Lemy, Burrows, and Power grab the second riddle in Main Street; Batty is wrapped up by Officer, a bat looking for Razazuki, and Chipper, Bext, Park, and Hissy mistake him for Batty on a tour by Tour Guide Bunny. Lemy, Burrows, and Power find the last riddle in Flower Garden. They create a wand out of the three riddles. At that moment, Razazuki adbucts Power, and the wand is destroyed. Batty arrives and tries to get Lemy and Burrows to return home, but Lemy explains that Burrows' dream is coming true and convinces his friends to help him rescue Power.

They drive an old truck in pursuit of Razazuki and Power. Razazuki fights off Power and is about to kill him, but Lemy, Burrows, Batty, Chipper, Bext, Park, and Hissy subdue him with bright lights and throw him into a pit where he is crushed by a falling tree. When the critters bid Power a farewell and return home, Lemy and Burrows are praised for their bravery and Lemy becomes the new king of Critter Country.

Cast

• James Corden as Lemy, a ring-tailed lemur and the soon-to-be-king of Critter Country.
• Jason Segel as Burrows, a meerkat and Lemy's best friend who longs for a quest.
• Jean Reno as Razazuki, a red Velociraptor who is Power's arch-nemesis.
• Oona Laurence as Batty, a fruit bat and Lemy's love interest.
• Russi Taylor as Chipper, a chipmunk who is good friends with Batty.
• Kristoff St. John as Bext, a nervous beaver.
• David Ogden Stiers as Park, a confident-yet-grumpy great green parrot.
• Andy Dick as Hissy, a stretchy, long, flexible blue snake.
• Sam Raimi as Power, a heroic panda and Burrows' inspiration.
• Robert Guillaume as Kuku, a wise old cockatoo who has been king of Critter Country for decades.
• Bonnie Wright as Tour Guide Katie, a bunny and the tour guide of Main Street.
• Bob Iger as Officer, a bat who is in search of Razazuki.
• Kristen Li as Sticker, the leader of the Chicks.
• Alan F. Horn as Wow, one of the Chicks and Sticker's right hand.
• William J. Caparella as Ivite, an eager, lowly member of the Chicks.
• Dee Bradley Baker as Igo, the silent member of the Chicks who can only communicate through squeaking and squawking.

Box office

Critter Country opened on April 14, 2017, and grossed $110 million in the United States and Canada, and $223 million in other territories. It ended its theatrical run on July 1, 2017, after playing in theaters for three months. Its worldwide total was $333 million. Produced on a budget of $80 million, it was a box-office success.

Critical response

Critter Country received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 90% approval rating based on 158 reviews. The consensus reads, "Burrowing socially (and spectacularly) from Pixar and DreamWorks, Critter Country marks another smash hit from Walt Disney Wonder Studios, with impressive animation and an all-star voice cast". On Metacritic, it has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.