| Critter Country | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Elliot M. Bour Saul Andrew Blinkoff |
| Produced by | John A. Smith Audrey Wells Stephen Swofford |
| Screenplay by | David Reynolds |
| Story by | Elliot M. Bour Saul Andrew Blinkoff David Reynolds |
| Starring | James Corden Oona Laurence Jason Segel Sam Raimi Jean Reno John Rhys-Davies Kristoff St. John 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 | November 11, 2016 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $75--90 million |
| Box office | $353 million |
Critter Country is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy 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, the film features the voices of James Corden, Oona Laurence, Jason Segel, Sam Raimi, Jean Reno, John Rhys-Davies, Kristoff St. John, Andy Dick, and Russi Taylor, and follows a group of critters teaming up with an armadillo to foil a komodo dragon's plans to take over Critter Country
Critter Country was released theatrically in the United States on November 11, 2016. Critter Country received critical acclaim and proved to be a box office success, earning $353 million worldwide on a $75--90 million budget. Two sequels, titled Critter Country 2 and Critter Country 3, were released on May 12, 2017 and November 8, 2019, making it Walt Disney Wonder Studios' only fully-animated film to spawn sequels.
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.
- Oona Laurence as Batty, a fruit bat and Lemy's friend.
- Jason Segel as Burrows, a meerkat and Lemy's other best friend.
- Sam Raimi as Power, a heroic armadillo.
- Jean Reno as Razazuki, a komodo dragon and Power's arch-nemesis who plans to rule over Critter Country.
- Russi Taylor as Chipper, a chipmunk who is good friends with Batty.
- Kristoff St. John as Bext, a nervous beaver.
- John Rhys-Davies as Park, a confident-yet-grumpy great green parrot.
- Andy Dick as Hissy, a stretchy, long, flexible blue snake.
- Jim Cummings 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.
- Sam Shepard as Officer, a bat who is in search of Razazuki.
Box office
In the United States, Critter Country was released alongside Arrival, Shut In, and Almost Christmas, and was projected to gross $105 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed $174 million in the United States and Canada, and $179 million in other territories. It ended its theatrical run on June 7, 2017, after playing in theaters for five months. Its worldwide total was $353 million. Produced on a budget of $75--90 million, it was a box-office success.
Critical response
Critter Country received positive reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 93% approval rating based on 158 reviews. The consensus reads, "Borrowing from Pixar and DreamWorks while simultaneously offering creative results, Critter Country boasts impressive animation and an all-star voice cast". On Metacritic, it has a score of 90 out of 100 based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
