| Iko | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Owen Laramore |
| Produced by | Owen Laramore Lori Forte |
| Screenplay by | Andrew J. Cohen |
| Story by | Owen Laramore Andrew J. Cohen |
| Starring | Owen Wilson Jennifer Lopez Vincent D'Onofrio Chris Hemsworth Ken Jeong Common Lil Rel Howery Kristen Bell |
| Music by | Heitor Pereira |
| Cinematography | Adolph Lusinsky |
| Edited by | Ally Garrett |
| Production company |
Olaramore04 |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date | June 4, 2027 |
| Running time | 99 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $95 million |
| Box office | $521 million |
Iko is a 2029 American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by Olaramore04 and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Owen Laramore from a screenplay by Andrew J. Cohen, the film stars Owen Wilson, Jennifer Lopez, Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Hemsworth, Ken Jeong, Common, Lil Rel Howery and Kristen Bell. Iko tells the story of the titular character, a domesticated male squirrel monkey who is taken to Mexico to mate with a free-spirited squirrel monkey named Gemstone. The two eventually fall in love, and together, they have to escape being smuggled by an evil tamarin named Sky.
Iko was released in the United States on June 4, 2027 to universal acclaim, garnering praise from critics for its story, humor, visuals, animation, characters, and voice performances (particularly Wilson and Lopez). It was also a commercial success at the box office, grossing over $521 million worldwide against $95 million budget. The film received several film awards, including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
Plot[]
In the Lacandon Jungle in Mexico, various New World monkeys are smuggled out of the country. In Nome, Alaska, a crate with a male squirrel monkey infant falls out of a truck and is found by a little girl named Tina Anderson, who names him Iko. Over the next 18 years, Tina comes to own a bookstore. Highly tame and domesticated, Iko is frequently ridiculed by the pigeons that come by outside of Tina's bookstore, much to his annoyance. One day, ornithologist Marcos Monteiro invites Iko and Tina to come to Mexico because Iko, who is one of the remaining males of his kind, needs to mate with one of the remaining females. Afraid of losing her only pet, Tina initially refuses, but later accepts.
At the Mexican Wildlife Rescue Center (a.k.a MWRC), Iko meets Gemstone, a fiercely independent squirrel monkey female longing to flee back into the jungle. They are captured by Rodrigo, an orphaned boy, and a tamarin named Sky, both of whom work for a group of smugglers led by Olmos, who wants to leave the country as soon as possible to secure a black market deal regarding Iko and Gemstone. While Rodrigo has second thoughts about his actions, Sky reveals his desire to exact revenge on New World monkeys after a Mico replaced his role on a television show. Due to Iko's familiarity with cages, they are able to escape and flee into the Lacandon Jungle.
The squirrel monkeys meet a howler monkey named Robert, who offers to take them to his German Shepard friend Rodriguez to remove their leg chain. Meanwhile, Tina is distraught over Iko's disappearance upon hearing that he and Gemstone were smuggled and initially admonishes Marcos until Rodrigo arrives to help them. Iko, Gemstone, and Robert meet up with a Gee's golden langur named Armitage and his Black-crested Sumatran langur friend Rico. Rodrigo meets Marcos and Tina and helps them find the birds. Meanwhile, Sky coerces a group of thieving rats led by Shell to capture Iko and Gemstone. Armitage and Rico then take the monkeys to a Mexican dance party, where Iko and Gemstone dance for the first time and fall in love. Just as they are about to kiss, the rats crash the party. The monkeys fight them off and are captured, but Iko, Gemstone, Robert, Armitage, and Rico escape on a tram.
Rodrigo takes Tina and Marcos to the smugglers' hideout, where they discover that the monkeys have already been moved out and that the smugglers are planning to use a Mexican Festival to take the monkeys to the airport, as the other streets are blocked off for the festival. Meanwhile, Iko and the others meet Rodriguez, who releases the chain holding Iko and Gemstone. After a heated argument, Iko and Gemstone decide to go their separate ways. Armitage and Rico witness Sky being capturing Gemstone. When Iko and Robert learn of it, they rush off to the festival to rescue her. Meanwhile, Marcos and Tina have spotted the smugglers' plane and organize a rescue attempt for the monkeys. As Tina and Marcos pose as dancers in monkey costumes, Sky captures Iko, Robert, Armitage, and Rico while Rodriguez joins the festival. Tina and Marcos are unable to stop the smugglers in time as they take off in an Antonov An-32.
During the flight, Iko, refusing to give up, breaks out of his cage using a fire extinguisher and releases the Gemstone, Robert, Armitage, Rico, and the other captive monkeys, who jump from the plane with parachutes. However, after Iko gets his parachute, Sky attacks him, injuring Gemstone's tail in the process. Iko sends Sky flying into one of the plane's propellers with the fire extinguisher, causing the plane to fall. The smugglers flee the plane while Gemstone falls out of the open cargo hatch and towards the ocean. Iko jumps after Gemstone to save her and uses the parachute to carry her to Tina and Marcos. Later, Tina and Marcos adopt Rodrigo and live in the Lacandon Jungle to help protect it from smugglers, who are sent to prison and arrested. Iko and Gemstone eventually raise three chicks, and celebrate with Robert, Armitage, Rico, Rodriguez, Tina, and Marcos as the credits roll.
In a mid-credits scene, Sky survives the plane crash but is ridiculed for his loss of fur by Shell.
Cast[]
- Owen Wilson as Iko, a domesticated male squirrel monkey who was born in the Lacandon Jungle but raised in Nome, Alaska after he was smuggled.
- Jennifer Lopez as Gemstone, a female squirrel monkey who came from the Lacandon Jungle but was taken into the Mexican Wildlife Rescue Center.
- Vincent D'Onofrio as Sky, a sadistic tamarin who used to be a TV star, but got replaced, resulting in his hatred of New World Monkeys.
- Chris Hemsworth as Robert, a romantic howler monkey fond of the Mexican festival.
- Ken Jeong as Rico, a Black-crested Sumatran langur who loves to dance and is Armitage's friend.
- Common as Armitage, a Gee's golden langur who is a rapper and Rico's best friend.
- Lil Rel Howery as Rodriguez, a German Shepherd who is Robert's friend and a chainsaw expert.
- Kristen Bell as Tina Anderson, a girl who discovered Iko after he was taken from Mexico to Alaska and adopted him for 18 years.
- Carlos Alazraqui as Marco Monterio, a Mexican ornithologist.
- Kyle Catlett as Rodrigo, Olmos' impoverished young assistant.
- Benicio del Toro as Olmos, Sky's owner and the leader of a group of smugglers.
- Diego Luna as Shell, the leader of a group of thieving rats.
- Ana Brenda Contreras as Ooola, a female howler monkey and Robert's wife.
- Freddy Rodriguez as Hayek and Derbez, the two smugglers who work for Olmos.
- Jim Hanks and Dee Bradley Baker as two pigeons who frequently ridicule Iko.
Reception[]
Box office[]
Iko was released in American theaters on June 4. 2027 by 20th Century Studios and Olaramore04, and grossed $145 million in its opening weekend. By the end of its theatrical run, the film grossed $259 million in North America and $262 million internationally, for a total of $521 million worldwide. Produced on a budget of $95 million, the film was a commercial success.
Critical response[]
Iko was met with critical acclaim upon release. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 85% approval rating based on 214 reviews. The consensus reads, "Despite its somewhat thinly-written story, Iko marks another hit for Olaramore04, with colorful animation and winning performances by Owen Wilson and Jennifer Lopez". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 73 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.