| Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Simon J. Smith |
| Produced by | Teresa Cheng |
| Written by | Clare Sera |
| Based on | Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose by Dr. Seuss |
| Starring | Ryan Reynolds Henry Cavill Liam Neeson Bethany Joy Lenz J. K. Simmons Brittany Snow |
| Narrated by | Billy Dee Williams |
| Music by | John Powell |
| Edited by | Sylvian Blais |
| Production company |
HumboldtMation |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date | August 19, 2022 |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million |
| Box office | $291 million |
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose (also known as and shown on-screen as Dr. Seuss' Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose) is a 2022 American animated adventure comedy film produced by HumboldtMation and released by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the studio's third feature-length film. Based on the 1948 children's book of the same name by Dr. Seuss, it was directed by Simon J. Smith and stars Ryan Reynolds as the titular character, with Henry Cavill, Liam Neeson, Bethany Joy Lenz, J. K. Simmons, and Brittany Snow in supporting roles. The story focuses on the titular moose as he sets out to protect his herd from starvation, as well as from hunters keen on getting his head for the Harvard Club wall.
Thidwick The Big-Hearted Moose was released in the United States on August 19, 2022. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $291 million worldwide on an $80 million budget.
Plot[]
The big-hearted but clumsy Thidwick is a moose lives in a herd consisting of approximately sixty other moose who subsist on moose-moss and live on the northern shore of Lake Winna-Bango. Even though he is frequently ridiculed by the moose elders led by Grandmoose due to his clumsy nature, he is nonetheless enarmored with Gladys, a female moose who is regarded as the most beautiful moose in the herd. One day, a family called the Woodrows, led by the mean-spirited hunter Rancis arrive for the hunting season. His son, Barry, loves animals and dreams of being a researcher at the Forest Rescue Center, Rancis constantly objects to this, since he won't let him near forest creatures, so as not to end up meeting the same fate as his mother.
On the first day of autumn, the herd's winter supply gets harder to find. Thidwick, determined to earn the herd's respect, promises he will not let the herd starve, encouraging them to find all the moose-moss they can find to get them through the winter. As Thidwick searches for moose-moss, he encounters Barry, and after Thidwick has his leg injured by a wolf, Barry takes him to the Forest Rescue Center, where a veterinarian named Dr. Sarah, who Barry falls in love with, who wraps a bandage around Thidwick's leg.
Meanwhile, Rancis discovers that Barry left. He orders Sarah to find Barry and bring him home, and rallies the hunters to hunt Thidwick, planning to mount his head on the wall of the Harvard Club of New York, a building well known in the 1930s and 1940s for its hunting trophies. At Lake Winna-Bango, Thidwick brings Barry to the herd to attempt to demonstrate that humans' peaceful side to nature. However, Barry's presence appalls Grandmoose, who places blame on Thidwick for breaking his promise, saying humans are a threat to the herd. When Thidwick refuses to give up on Barry, the moose exile him from Lake Winna-Bango and desperately attempt to find more moose-moss.
Thidwick sees the hunters approaching and decides to stop them with Barry's help. After Thidwick and Barry survive a dangerous field of geysers, later that night, a snowflake falls on Thidwick as winter approaches, and, at Lake Winna-Bango, the herd swims across the lake to find fresh supplies of moose-moss. That morning, Thidwick and Barry are ambushed by the arrival of Rancis, Rancis sedates Thidwick with a tranquilizer gun and puts him a cage to take him to the Harvard Club wall, and takes Barry home to keep him away from any more animals.
With encouragement from Sarah, who has come to the Woodrows' cabin to express that she loves him, Barry borrows a hunter's jeep and pursues Rancis and the hunters, with Sarah helping. Sarah takes the keys to the cage and they free Thidwick. Thidwick, Barry, and Sarah return to the same side of Lake Winna-Bango that the herd swam to, nut Rancis and the hunters arrive, compromising themselves to the herd. Thidwick bravely challenges Grandmoose's will, saying that humans and moose are alike in many ways, and that it is not necessary to hunt moose. Barry, Grandmoose, Sarah, Gladys, and the herd listen, but Rancis resists. Thidwick tries to outrun Rancis and the hunters, but is cornered. As Rancis prepares to shoot Thidwick, Thidwick remembers that it is time to shed his antlers and uses this to his advantage to push Rancis and his hunters into the river.
With the herd saved, Rancis and his croonies are arrested, while Barry and Sarah live in the forest to protect it from hunters. Hailed as a hero, Thidwick rejoins the herd and reveals his feelings for Gladys, and the two become a couple, as do Barry and Sarah. A new era begins, with moose and humans now co-existing in peace.
Cast[]
- Ryan Reynolds as Thidwick, a big-hearted but clumsy moose.
- Henry Cavill as Barry Roodrows, Rancis' son who dreams of becoming a researcher at the Forest Rescue Center and is befriended by Thidwick.
- Liam Neeson as Rancis Woodrows, a hunter and Barry's mean-spirited father who wants Thidwick's head put on the wall of Harvard Club of New York.
- Bethany Joy Lenz as Gladys, a female moose and Thidwick's love interest.
- Brittany Snow as Dr. Sarah Dutch, a veterinarian of the Forest Rescue Center and Barry's love interest.
- J. K. Simmons as Grandmoose, the leader of the moose in Lake Winna-Bang.
- John Kassir as Howling Harry, a wolf and a big bad bully.
- June Squibb as Turtle mom
- Billy Dee Williams as Narrator
Box office[]
In the United States, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose was projected to gross $75 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed $125 million in the United States, and $166 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $291 million by the end of the theatrical run.
Critical response[]
Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose received mixed reviews. It has a 54% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 245 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Though its writing is dull and and feels like they're missing a few elements from the Dr. Seuss book, Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose has good animation and Ryan Reynolds delivers a solid voice performance". Metacritic assigned the film to a score of 55 out of 100 based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.