| Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jimmy Hayward |
| Produced by |
Audrey Wells David K. Lovegren David W. King Stephen Swofford |
| Screenplay by |
Michael Colton John Aboud III Brandon Sawyer |
| Story by |
Alan J. Schoolcraft Brent Simons Bob Tzudiker Noni White |
| Starring |
Sarah Silverman Tom Hanks Joan Cusack Brendan Fraser Kelsey Grammer Albert Brooks Kyle MacLachlan Amy Adams Kennedi Clements |
| Music by | Christophe Beck |
| Cinematography | Pablo Plaisted |
| Edited by | Lois Freeman-Fox |
| Production companies |
Walt Disney Pictures Dice Productions |
| Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
| Release date |
April 27, 2018 (El Capitan Theatre) May 4, 2018 (United States) |
| Running time | 118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $175 million |
| Box office | $692 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 Jimmy Hayward from a screenplay penned by Michael Colton, John Aboud III, and Brandon Sawyer, it is the sequel to Vanellope & Friends: Christmas and the third installment in the Vanellope & Friends film series. The film features the voices of Sarah Silverman, Tom Hanks, Joan Cusack, Brendan Fraser, Kelsey Grammer, Albert Brooks, Kyle MacLachlan, Amy Adams, and Kennedi Clements. It is set on the New Years Eve after the events of the previous film, in which Vanellope von Schweetz and Woody join a happy-go-lucky cowgirl named Jessie for a day inside a magical book about the Wild Wild West.
Vanellope & Friends: Wild Wild West premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on April 20, 2018, and was released across the United States on May 4, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. This was the first Vanellope & Friends film and first Dice film overall to receive a PG rating from the Motion Picture Association of America. It was not as well-received as the first two films, receiving mixed reviews from critics, but was still commercially successful, grossing $692 million worldwide and becoming the highest-grossing Western comedy film of all time. A sequel, Vanellope & Friends: Time Travel, was released on April 19, 2019.
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, and leaves the library.
Soon, Vanellope and Woody meet a carefree cowgirl named Jessie, and her fellow cowpokes, Bullseye the horse, and Stinky Pete the prospector. Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete 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, he reluctantly accepts. Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete 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, and Stinky Pete there.
Jessie, Woody, Vanellope, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete arrive in the town of Western Oates, where they meet the sheriff, Bartholomew, his deputy Bulb Shandling, and the latter's wife Janet and daughter Kennedi, who give them a tour of the town. Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete are revealed to be local outcasts in Western Oates, as Bartholomew rumors that they spreads Insanity and suspects that their new accomplices might be worse, but the Shandlings are oblivious as they are the only cowpokes in town who sympathize with Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete.
Meanwhile, in a desert in the Wild Wild 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 doesn't belong in the colony, Chris leaves to adhere to a new adventurous lifestyle.
Jessie, Woody, Vanellope, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete trail of fun across Western Oates, with activities such as making chocolate chip cookies, attempting to rope a fence post to no avail, and holding a first-class cowpoke sing-along, while Vanellope journeying 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, Bartholomew exiles her, Woody, Vanellope, Chris, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete from Western Oates. Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete to vow to save the Shandlings and prove themselves as heroes, but Woody rages at the cowpokes for recklessly depriving him and Vanellope of time to celebrate New Years' Eve and decides he will never return to the Wild Wild West again.
Jessie, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, and Chris approach Krei's hideout, Bandit Mine Cove, where they find out that Bartholomew was actually Krei's boss who posed as the sheriff of Western Oates just to try to keep everything his way forever. Bartholomew, Krei, and the bandits capture Jessie, Bullseye, and Stinky Pete and puts them with the Shandlings in a locomotive headed for a pit to prevent any more of her "fun" ways from being spread over Western Oates. However, Chris escapes and informs Vanellope 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. Woody and Vanellope pursue the runaway locomotive, while 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, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, and the Shandlings while apologizing to them, who reconciles with 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 while on the lookout for Krei and the bandits. 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 Western Oates, Jessie exposes Bartholomew's treachery to the townsfolk and threatens to shoot him with a pistol unless he surrenders. Bartholomew, Krei, and the bandits are arrested, while the townsfolk praise the group for their heroism, and Jessie becomes the new sheriff.
Jessie, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, the Shandlings, and the prairie dogs lead Vanellope and Woody to the magic box for their ride back to Anythingville. With Vanellope's blessing, Woody decides his true place is in Wild Wild West with Jessie, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, Chris, Cat Cat, Charles, and the Shandlings, and bids a heartfelt farewell to Vanellope. Vanellope points to the Wild Wild West book and wishes to go back home, causing the magic box to bring her to Anythingville. Back in Anythingville, Vanellope returns 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 in Western Oates with Jessie, Woody, Bullseye, Stinky Pete, 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 one of Jessie's misfit friends.
- Albert Brooks as Bartholomew, a cowboy and the boastful sheriff of Western Oates who loathes Jessie and mistrusts her carefree approach to the fun things in life as insanity.
- Brendan Fraser 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.
- 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.
- Kennedi Clements as Kennedi Shandling, Bulb and Janet's daughter.
- Rosario Dawson as Cat Cat, Chris' paranoid and eccentric older sister. She initially doubts Chris' ability due to his difference from the colony, but warms up to him at the film's climax.
- Philip Baker Hall 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
- Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps
- Ed O'Neill as Hank
- 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 $262 million in the United States and Canada, and $430 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $692 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 two films' charm for incoherent writing and scattershot humor". It is Dice's worst-ranked film on the site, and so far the only one to earn a "rotten" certification. Metacritic calculated a score of 50 out of 100 based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave it a grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.