Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2


Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The sequel to 2009's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, the film was directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller returning as executive producers. Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt reprise their roles from the first film, while Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V. in this one. New cast members include Kristen Schaal as orangutan Barb and Terry Crews as Officer Earl, replacing Mr. T in the role. The film's plot involves Flint Lockwood and his friends returning to Chewandswallow to save the world after the presumably-destroyed FLDSMDFR reawakens, this time producing sentient food animals. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was released in the United States on September 27, 2013, and grossed over $274 million worldwide against its budget of $78 million. It received generally positive reviews from critics, though it was deemed as inferior to its predecessor.

Plot

The film begins where the previous film left off. Inventor Flint Lockwood and his friends celebrate their success in saving the world from the food storm created by the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator", but this has left their island home town of Swallow Falls covered in food. Super-inventor Chester V, the CEO of Live Corp and Flint's childhood idol, offers his company's services to clean the island and helps to relocate the population to nearby San Franjose, California. Chester also invites Flint to work at Live Corp. During his short tenure at Live Corp, Flint attempts to become a Thinkquanaut, only to humiliate himself during a presentation.
Chester shows Flint that the FLDSMDFR is apparently still functioning, as the island is full of food-animal hybrids, one of which is attacking and eating the thinkquanauts stationed on the island. Chester tells Flint he needs to travel to the island, find the FLDSMDFR, and insert a special USB device into it to destroy it and end the threat. Though the mission is meant to be classified, Flint invites his friends to help: his girlfriend and meteorologist Sam Sparks; her cameraman Manny; police officer Earl Devereaux; Steve, Flint's pet monkey who communicates via a device on his chest; and reformed bully “Chicken” Brent. He also grudgingly accepts the help of Tim, his widowed father, who takes them to the island by his fishing boat. When Chester learns that Flint is not alone, he and his assistant Barb, a super-intelligent orangutan with a human brain, soon follow along with several Live Corp employees.
While Tim stays with the boat, making friends with some living pickles and teaching them to fish, Flint and his friends work their way through the jungle-like environment that now completely covers Swallow Falls. They encounter more foodimals, such as sushieep, shrimpanzees,tacodiles, and watermelephants, including a living strawberry they call "Barry". A giant cheespider chases Flint and the gang, but Chester arrives shortly before it closes in on them, scaring it off and offering to help Flint with the rest of the mission. Sam becomes suspicious of Chester's motives, as his claims that the foodimals are dangerous do not align with what they have observed already. Flint, afraid to fail again, refuses to accept Sam's statements, and she and the rest of Flint's friends strike out on their own. Sam and the gang eventually encounter the cheespider again, only to find that she's a warm and gentle foodimal. She and the other animals only attack people wearing Live Corp gear, which Sam and the gang were doing earlier. When Manny deduces that the foodimals have realized "live" is merely meant to be an anagram of "evil", the remaining Live Corp employees attack and hold the group hostage.
Flint, Barb, and Chester finally track down the FLDSMDFR. As Flint is about to insert the USB device, the sentient machine creates a baby marshmallow, which is lovingly welcomed by a family of marshmallows, who subsequently welcome Flint in as well. Flint is forced to recognize that Sam is right. He refuses to use the USB device, but Chester does, stealing the machine and revealing the USB is a hacking device to take control of it, not a kill code. Chester knocks Flint into a river, where he is rescued by the marshmallows and reunites with Tim. They realize that, without the FLDSMDFR to create baby foodimals, the existing foodimals will die out. As Flint offers his condolences, he is surprised to discover that the foodimals, having watched old footage of Flint inventing the FLDSMDFR, have dubbed him "Inwoo" the creator, and revere him. Inspired, Flint vows to get his machine and friends back.
Tim and the foodimals help Flint and Barry sneak into the Live Corp base. Flint challenges Chester to turn over the FLDSMDFR, but Chester threatens to use his friends in his food bar processing machine. Chester announces his plan to use the FLDSMDFR and the foodimals he's captured to make food bars as well. Barb, who has grown tired of Chester's insults, objects to the violence and is fired by Chester. Flint apologizes to the gang, and with the help of Sam and Steve is able to use his inventions to beat Chester and free the others, while Chester's captive foodimals are freed by Barry and proceed to drive away the Live Corp employees. Chester tries to escape with the FLDSMDFR, but he is cornered by the gang and the foodimals, and Barb steals the machine back from him, inadvertently sending him tumbling into the food processor. Chester manages to survive with the help of his own inventions, but is swallowed by the cheespider while he is gloating. Later, Flint returns the FLDSMDFR to the rock candy mountain where he found it and removes the USB device, restoring the machine's sentience. Flint reconciles with Sam and Tim, who lets him try out fishing for the first time. It is shown during the credits that the residents of Swallow Falls have returned to their proper homes, adapting to the altered ecosystem and happily continuing their lives. The FLDSMDFR still continues foodimal production, and they live peacefully alongside the humans.
In a mid-credit scene, Barb develops a crush on Steve, attempting to ask him out on a date.

Voice cast

Development

The first news of the sequel came out in April 2010, when website io9 reported that the original directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, won't return for the sequel. In December 2011, it was reported that Cody Cameron, the story artist on the first film, and Kris Pearn, the head of story on the first, would direct the sequel, with Lord and Miller serving as executive producers. John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Erica Rivinoja wrote the screenplay, which is based on an original story idea, not on Pickles to Pittsburgh, Ron and Judi Barrett's follow-up book. In February 2012, it was announced that the sequel would be titled Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers, but it was later retitled to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.

Casting

, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt reprised their roles. The role of Earl, the town cop, was taken over by Terry Crews, since Mr. T declined to return. Kristen Schaal joined the cast to voice Barb, a talking and lipstick-wearing orangutan with a human brain. Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V, a world-famous super-inventor who commands Barb and is the head of the Live Corp Company. On January 17, 2013, concept art from the film was released.

Music

The music was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. Cody Simpson provided a single "La Da Dee", which was played at the film's end credits. Simpson also performed in a music video that incorporated footage from the film. Paul McCartney's single, "New", from his 2013 album, was featured in the film.

Release

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was originally scheduled for release on December 20, 2013, then pushed to February 7, 2014, before moving up to September 27, 2013.
In promotional events before the film's release, Sony Pictures Animation partnered with some produce companies to provide more than of produce for Feeding America's action to help children and families in need. Several food-packing events across the country were organized, with Anna Faris and Will Forte attending the main one in Los Angeles. Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States to promote the film through Subway Kids Meals with a set of 6 customized bags.

Home media

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 28, 2014. The home media was accompanied with four short animated films based on the main feature: Super Manny, Earl Scouts, Steve's First Bath, and Attack of the 50-Foot Gummi Bear. Two of the shorts, Super Manny and Earl Scouts, were already released online before the media release, premiering in October 2013 on Univision and Fandango, respectively. David Feiss directed all four shorts, which feature a computer-generated wraparound animation and a hand-drawn animation, provided by Six Point Harness.

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 71%, based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "While not as clever or inventive as its predecessor, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 compensates with enough dazzling visuals to keep younger viewers entertained." Another aggregator, Metacritic, gave the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, saying "While not as delightfully breezy as the original, an engaging voice cast and hordes of 'Foodimals' still manage to serve up a tasty sequel." Linda Barnard of the Toronto Star gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At its heart, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is fun, even if it is occasionally so chaotic it tramples the movie's flow like a herd of stampeding Buffaloafs." Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The movie is better in every respect than the original Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. It's also more fun than all three Ice Ages; Monsters University; Planes; Epic; Despicable Me 2; and though I could go on, I won't." Jordan Hoffman of the New York Daily News gave the film four out of five stars, saying "Cloudy 2 is loud, weird and chaotic—just as kids like it. There's plenty of screaming and running while arms flail about, and even the obligatory message bit is given a healthy dose of 'yeah, yeah, yeah.' Your car ride back from the theater won't be a quiet one, but sometimes it's good to have a sugary treat." Dave McGinn of The Globe and Mail gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Unfortunately, the film promises more fun and laughs than it delivers, and this meal tastes like too many that have gone before it." Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic gave the film four out of five stars, saying "It's the rare sequel that takes the spirit of the original and runs with it, coming up with something uniquely good in its own right."
Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph gave the film three out of four stars, saying "For all its properly surreal mayhem, this flick isn't quite as nimble or emotionally rounded as its predecessor." Sean O'Connell of The Washington Post gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Kids will chuckle, for sure. But parents who were pleasantly surprised by the original film's intelligence will miss Lord and Miller's guiding hands, as what once felt so funny now leaves a stale taste." Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the film one out of four stars, saying "Whelk, I hope the makers of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs earned a nice celery, but I'm afraid they made a hash of things. A hash seasoned with oy sauce." Rafer Guzman of Newsday gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Mostly, Cloudy 2 relies on the usual noxious recipe for junky kid flicks: loud noise, pop music and poop jokes." Miriam Bale of The New York Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At times it felt as if this film might challenge Pixar's decade-long reign, but that promise wanes. Instead, the movie is sometimes so strange, colorful and wildly cute that it may end up becoming a Yellow Submarine for a new generation." Tom Russo of The Boston Globe gave the film two out of four stars, saying "It's another brightly rendered effort, but, as the title indicates, a lot of the real creativity seems to have been used up the first time around." Mike Clark of USA Today gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "There's not a surprise or moment of tension to be found here, but the film is all energy and color that makes the discomfort of 3-D glasses seem worth it."
Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Your enjoyment will probably depend on your tolerance of those countless food-based puns dreamed up by script writers Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Some might find these tiresome, but let's just note here that this is a kid movie, and KIDS LOVE PUNS. So they laugh at 'There's a leek in the boat.' And they laugh even more the second time." A. A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a C, saying "Like too many sequels, this second helping of Meatballs confuses bigger for better, piling on the action but misplacing much of the original's charm." David Hiltbrand of The Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three out of four stars, saying "This scrumptious sequel follows the same recipe as the 2009 original." Peter Hartlaub of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a humorous yet unfocused romp, so unwilling to settle on a single theme that hyperactivity medication should be handed out with the 3-D glasses." Matt Patches of Film.com gave the film 7.1 out of 10, saying "The 2009 original separated itself from the Pixar and Dreamworks competition with a joke-first approach. The sequel quadruples the recipe, with gags on top of gags on top of gags in a way only animation could achieve. Like a foodie Jurassic Park conjured up by Tex Avery, Cloudy 2 is a sight to behold … as long as your brain hasn't turned to mush by the halfway point."
Amy Nicholson of The Village Voice gave the film a positive review, saying "The Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs franchise takes its comic cues from The Muppets and Pee Wee's Playhouse, kids' shows that ripen as their audience matures." Keith Staskiewicz of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying "While no one was exactly crying out for second helpings of this animated meat-eorology franchise, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2 is charming enough on its own not to feel like just reheated leftovers." Steve Davis of The Austin Chronicle gave the film two out of five stars, saying "For both kids and adults, CWCM2 is little more than a vague memory as soon as it's over." Peter Debruge of Variety gave the film a positive review, saying "What Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's script lacks in lingering nutritional value, it compensates for with amusing food puns. If nothing else, the pic's zany tone and manic pace are good for a quick-hit sugar high." Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying "Honestly, anyone who can pull off a running joke about leeks that does not make you gag, and is in fact a silly delight, deserves props." Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Unlike so many sequels, this fun-filled 3D adventure is sure to entertain younger kids but also charm the adults who will be accompanying them to the multiplexes."

Box office

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 grossed $119,793,567 in North America, and $154,532,382 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $274,325,949. Its budget was reported at $78 million, while Sony spent $48.2 million for the film's marketing in the United States, and $41.3 million in other countries.
In North America, the film earned $9.3 million on its opening day, and opened to number one in its first weekend, with $34,017,930. In its second weekend, the film dropped to number two, grossing an additional $20,950,192. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $13,774,742. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $9,672,791.

Accolades

Video games

A video game titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, published by GameMill Entertainment, was released on September 24, 2013 for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Its gameplay mechanic is similar to Fruit Ninja.
A free mobile game titled Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2: Foodimal Frenzy was developed by PlayFirst and released for both iOS and Android devices. The game is no longer available on App Stores.
A downloadable app titled Foodimal Funimal was released for free by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on iOS and Android mobile devices on August 20, 2013.