| Follow That Koala! | |
|---|---|
| Directed by |
Owen Laramore Kaitlyn Porras |
| Produced by |
Owen Laramore Kaitlyn Porras John Hughes Bill Westenhofer Charles Gibson |
| Screenplay by |
Anna Boden Ryan Fleck |
| Story by |
Owen Laramore Kaitlyn Porras Anna Boden Ryan Fleck |
| Starring |
Xochitl Gomez Tara Reid Skylar Betteridge Christopher Mintz-Plasse Iain Glen Wendi McLendon-Covey Siena Agudong Robert De Niro Martin Scorsese |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
| Cinematography | Renato Falcão |
| Edited by |
Christopher Campbell Darren T. Holmes |
| Production company |
HumboldtMation |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | August 9, 2024 |
| Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Box office | $1.158 billion |
Follow That Koala! is a 2024 American animated adventure comedy film produced by HumboldtMation and directed by Owen Laramore and Kaitlyn Porras from a screenplay penned by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. The film features the voices of Xochitl Gomez, Tara Reid, Skylar Betteridge, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Iain Glen, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Siena Agudong, Robert De Niro, and Martin Scorcese. Set in Humboldt County, California, the film's story centers on a homeless koala with autism taking a baby koala from a circus to visit her family while on the run from a kangaroo police officer; her actions cause Humboldt County to think she is a "bear-thief".
Follow That Koala! was released in the United States on August 9, 2024 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received universal acclaim from critics and was a box office success, grossing $1.158 million worldwide and becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 2024, and the highest-grossing animated film Warner Bros. has released. It also was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. A sequel, The Return of That Koala!, is scheduled to released on August 2, 2030.
Cast[]
- Xochitl Gomez as Kai, a homeless and orphaned teenage koala with autism who is desperate for home and and a job and. She attempts to become a Eureka High School student to do so. She takes Teddy home to visit her family, but ends up on the run because of it.
- Tara Reid as K-Roo, a tough-as-nails red kangaroo who is an officer for the Eureka Police Department.
- Skylar Betteridge as Teddy, a bear cub who is a performer at the Picker Circus. As energetic and excitable as she can be, she also suffers severe trauma from being separated from her mom and dad when she was acquired by the Picker's Circus.
- Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Phil Franco, a single-minded and selfish dalmatian who is a security guard and views Kai as a "bear-napper" for stealing Teddy from the Picker's Circus.
- Iain Glen as the Great Master, an African elephant who is an English magician and the star attraction of the Picker's Circus.
- Leigh-Allyn Baker as Chief Emmanuel, a Holstein cow who is the chief of Police at the Eureka Police Department.
- Zachary Levi as Beck Benson, a grey crowned crane who is a news reporter for Humboldt County.
- Roger Craig Smith as Farmer James, a kind German Shepherd who is a farmer at the Humboldt Valley Ranch.
- Adelyn Lebaron as Jane, James' daughter who befriends Cupcake and Teddy.
- Jennifer Lawrence as Kimberley-Forlord Bergel, the mayor of Eureka.
- Laraine Newman and David Koechner as Dianne and Davidson, Teddy's parents.
- Jessica Szohr as Tiffany, an emu and Phil's quirky assistant.
- Ellie Kemper as Jennifer, a spoonbill and the Great Master's lovely assistant.
Reception[]
Box office[]
Follow That Koala! opened theatrically on August 16, 2024, and grossed about $156 million during its opening weekend. It has grossed $450 million in North America and $708 million in other territories. The film ended its theatrical run on March 4, 2025, having grossed $1.158 billion worldwide, against a $100 million production budget.
Critical response[]
Critics and audiences praised Follow That Koala! upon release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 98% rating based on 324 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Follow That Koala! is sure to provide audiences another successful animated film from Eureka-Arcata". On Metacritic, it has a score of 87 out of 100 based on 39 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.