Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West

Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Walt Becker Simon J. Smith Steve Pink
Produced by	Audrey Wells Stephen Swofford Jeannine Roussel
Screenplay by	Michael Colton John Aboud Brandon Sawyer
Story by	Alan Schoolcraft Brent Simons Bob Tzudiker Noni White
Starring	Sarah Silverman Tom Hanks Joan Cusack Kelsey Grammer Patton Oswalt Ginnifer Goodwin Ed O'Neill Kyle MacLachlan Amy Adams Alyvia Alyn Lind Rosario Dawson Dick van Dyke
Music by	Christophe Beck
Cinematography	Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by	David Brenner Mark W. Rosenbaum Christopher K. Gee John Royer
Production companies	Walt Disney Pictures Dice Productions
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	March 23, 2018
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$175 million
Box office	$616 million

Disney In The House: Wild Wild West is a 2018 American animated Western comedy film produced by Dice Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. Directed by Walt Becker, Simon J. Smith, and Steve Pink from a screenplay penned by Michael Colton, John Aboud, and Brandon Sawyer, it is the sequel to Vanellope & Friends: Christmas and the fourth installment in the Vanellope & Friends film series. The film features an ensemble voice cast consisting of Sarah Silverman, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Patton Oswalt, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ed O'Neill, Kyle MacLachlan, Amy Adams, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Rosario Dawson, and Dick Van Dyke. It is set on the New Years Eve after the events of the previous film, in which Vanellope von Schweetz, Woody, Judy Hopps, and Hank join their new friends Jessie and Bullseye for a day inside a magical book about the Wild Wild West, where they have fun and adventure throughout a Western town.

Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West was released across the United States on March 23, 2018. This was the first film from Dice and the Vanellope & Friends franchise to receive a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. It was not as positively-received as the first three films, receiving mixed reviews from critics, but was still a box office success, grossing $616 million worldwide against a $175 million budget. It became the highest-grossing Western comedy film of all time. A sequel, Vanellope & Friends: Music Circus, was released on June 29, 2018, which was better-received than Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West.

Plot

On the New Year's Eve after the events of the third film, Vanellope von Schweetz, Judy Hopps, Hank, Sheriff Woody, Lawrence Broderick West, Mr. Ziploc, and Iggy are at the Anythingville Library for the year's New Book's Eve. Vanellope and the gang line up to read books to the costumers during Line-up-and-Read at the library's Book Corner. After Vanellope reads Goodnight Moon, Woody tries to read Barbara Freethy's One True Love, but then sulks when one person in the crowd mentions that he has not met a cowgirl.

Vanellope, Judy, and Hank follow Woody out of the library, and they soon meet a carefree cowgirl named Jessie, and her horse, Bullseye. Jessie and Bullseye decide to take them to the Wild Wild West. Woody is stoked to have found a cowgirl, but since the Wild Wild West happened a long time ago, he is skeptical at first, but with urging from Vanellope, Judy, and Hank, he reluctantly accepts. Jessie and Bullseye lead Woody and Vanellope to a magic wooden box, where they receive a book about the Wild Wild West. Reluctantly, Woody wishes they could go there for just one day of fun and adventure, causing the book to transport the box containing Vanellope, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Judy, and Hank there.

Meanwhile, in a desert in the Old West, a prairie dog named Chris is an outcast in his colony due to frequently messing things up by accident, because, even when supported unconditionally by his father, Charles, he is tired of the same old thing other prairie dogs do, which is constantly digging tunnels and hiding from predators, and wants to live a life of discovering what lies beyond the prairie dog colony. Charles assigns Chris as a sentry in an attempt to get him accepted, but his daydreaming leads to her cynical sister, Cat Cat, almost being eaten by three coyotes. Convinced that he will never belong in the colony, Chris leaves to adhere to a new adventurous lifestyle.

Vanellope, Woody, Jessie, Bullseye, Judy, and Hank travel to the town of Western Oates meet the sheriff, Bulb Shandling, his daughter Kennedi Shandling, wife Janet Shandling, and the mayor, Stinky Pete the prospector, who give them a tour, although Stinky Pete rumors that Jessie spreads insanity and suspects the "new guests" might be worse, to which the Shandlings are oblivious. A trail of fun across Western Oates spreads, with activities such as Woody, Jessie, Bulb, Janet, and Kennedi making chocolate chip cookies, attempting to rope a fence post to no avail, and holding a first-class cowpoke sing-along, while Vanellope, Judy, and Hank journey around town as a cowgirl while meeting Chris, who has also made it to Western Oates. During this time, Woody and Jessie grow closer.

Later, bandits led by the town's most feared outlaw, Krei Overkill, break into Western Oates, abduct the Shandlings, and destroy the Saloon Bar with dynamite, though everyone escapes unharmed. Seeing Jessie's carefree style of "having fun" as the reason for Krei capturing the Shandlings, Stinky Pete exiles her, Woody, Vanellope, Chris, Judy, Hank, and Bullseye from Western Oates. Jessie and Bullseye vow to save the Shandlings and prove themselves as heroes, but Woody chastises her for nearly depriving them of time to celebrate New Year's Eve in Anythingville. An argument between Jessie and Woody ends with him calling her the worst cowgirl around, breaking up with her, and deciding to leave the Wild Wild West.

Jessie, Bullseye, and Chris approach Krei's hideout, Bandit Mine Cove, where they find out that Stinky Pete was actually Krei's boss who posed as the mayor of Western Oates just to try to keep everything his way forever. They inadvertently get spotted, and Jessie is captured and put with the Shandlings in a locomotive headed for a pit as Jessie's punishment to prevent any more of her "fun" ways from being spread over Western Oates. However, Chris and Bullseye escape and inform Vanellope, Judy, Hank, and Woody just as they prepare to head for the magic box back to Anythingville. Charles and Cat Cat, having went looking for Chris after the latter had a change of heart, suddenly pop out of the ground, and Cat Cat reconciles with her brother. Woody suddenly starts to regret what he said during his and Jessie's argument and sets out to save Jessie and the Shandlings to make amends. Woody and Vanellope ride on Bullseye pursuit of the runaway locomotive, while Judy, Hank, and the three prairie dogs stay behind to think of a plan.

Krei steals the gold, destroys the bridge with dynamite, and gets away with his goons. Woody frees Jessie and the Shandlings while apologizing to the former, who reconciles with and kisses him. Vanellope applies the locomotive's brakes, and the locomotive stops just an inch away from the destroyed bridge. They take the train back to Western Oates. Meanwhile, Chris instructs Cat Cat and Charles to construct a series of tunnels. When the tunnels are finished, on Chris' signal once Krei and the bandits approach, Cat Cat and Charles knock down the supporting beams, breaking the ground beneath the bad guys. However, the last few beams get jammed, so Chris dives underground and breaks them. In the ensuing cave-in, Krei and the bandits are ejected through the tunnels. Back in town, once Stinky Pete appears, Jessie exposes his treachery to the townsfolk and forces him to surrender. See Jessie threatening to shoot him with a pistol, he surrenders. With Stinky Pete and the bad guys arrested, the Shandlings free, and the Wild Wild West saved, the townsfolk praise the group for their heroism, and Jessie becomes the new mayor.

Jessie, Bullseye, Chris, Bulb, Janet, Kennedi, Cat Cat, and Charles lead Vanellope, Judy, Hank, and Woody to the magic box for their ride back to Anythingville. With Vanellope's blessing, Woody decides to stay in the Wild Wild West with Jessie, Bullseye, Chris, Cat Cat, Charles, and the Shandlings, and bids a heartfelt farewell to Vanellope, Judy, and Hank. Vanellope, Judy, and Hank point to the Wild Wild West book and wishes to go back home, causing the magic box to bring her back to Anythingville. Back in Anythingville, Vanellope, Judy, and Hank return in time for the New Year's Eve countdown and celebrates with everyone as the new year begins. In the Wild Wild West, Woody and Jessie marry, and Chris, Cat Cat, Charles, and the prairie dog colony settle into their new home with Jessie, Woody, Bullseye, and the Shandlings.

Cast

• Sarah Silverman as Vanellope von Schweetz
• Tom Hanks as Woody
• Joan Cusack as Jessie, a carefree, eccentric cowgirl who does whatever she wants throughout Western Oates.
• Kelsey Grammer as Stinky Pete, a prospector and the pompous mayor of the Wild Wild West who mistrusts Jessie and her carefree approach to the fun things in life as insanity.
• Patton Oswalt as Chris, a prairie dog who wants to see what lies beyond his colony and is an outcast among them due to frequently breaking tunnels by accident because of this.
• Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps
• Ed O'Neill as Hank
• Kyle MacLachlan as Bulb Shandling, a cowboy who is Kennedi's father and Janet's husband.
• Amy Adams as Janet Shandling, a cowgirl who is Bulb's wife and and Kennedi's mother.
• Alyvia Alyn Lind as Kennedi Shandling, Bulb and Janet's daughter.
• Rosario Dawson as Cat Cat, Chris' paranoid and eccentric but good-hearted older sister. She initially doubts Chris' ability due to his difference from the colony, but warms up to him at the film's climax.
• Dick Van Dyke as Charles, Chris' caring and supportive father. He often tries to get Chris accepted into the colony, but never succeeds. His name is never mentioned in the film.
• John DiMaggio as Krei Overkill, the most feared outlaw by Western Oates.
• Dominic Monaghan, Andy Dick, and Alan Cumming as the bandits who work for Krei.
• Anthony Gonzalez as Cowboy Mel, a Mexican cowboy.
• Ivy George as Cowgirl Mindy, Mel's friend.
• Kirk Baily as Ground John, a scraggly prairie dog.
• Cameron Boyce as Lawrence Broderick West
• Michael J. Fox as Mr. Ziploc
• Audrey Wells as Iggy

Box office

In the United States, Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West was released alongside Game Night and Annihilation, and was projected to gross $235--275 million in its opening weekend. Earning $245 million in its opening weekend, it grossed $240 million in the United States and Canada, and $376 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $616 million. It is the highest-grossing Western comedy film.

Critical response

Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West received mixed reviews from critics. The film has a 50% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 233 reviews. The consensus reads, "It's an impressively-animated film younger viewers will enjoy until the cows come home, but Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West trades the previous three films' charm for incoherent writing and scattershot humor". It is Dice's worst-ranked film on the site, and the only one to earn a "rotten" certification. Metacritic calculated a score of 56 out of 100 based on 53 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.