Alpha and Omega (film)

Alpha and Omega

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Anthony Bell
Ben Gluck
Produced by Ken Katsumoto
Steve Moore
Richard Rich
Screenplay by Chris Denk
Steve Moore
Story by Steve Moore
Ben Gluck
Starring Justin Long
Hayden Panettiere
Christina Ricci
Chris Carmack
Dennis Hopper
Danny Glover
Vicki Lewis
Larry Miller
Music by Chris P. Bacon
Edited by Scott Anderson
Joe Campana
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate Films
Release dates
  • September 8, 2010 (Toronto International Film Festival)
  • September 17, 2010
Running time
 90 minutes
Country United States
Canada
Language English
Budget $20 million[1]
Box office $50,507,267[2]

Alpha and Omega is a 2010 3D Canadian-American computer-animated adventure/comedy-drama film produced by Crest Animation Productions. The film is directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck, starring the voices of Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover and Christina Ricci. It is based on a story by Steve Moore and Ben Gluck. The film was released in 2-D and 3-D on September 17, 2010 to 2,625 theaters nationwide by Lionsgate.[3] Despite the mostly negative reception, the film was a box office success, making it the highest-grossing animated film from Lionsgate Films. Due to the box office success, a direct-to-DVD sequel, Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8, 2013, making Alpha and Omega the first film in a planned franchise. Another sequel, Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games, was released on March 25, 2014. Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on September 23, 2014. Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation is scheduled to be released to DVD in August 2015 and three more sequels are planned.[4] The film was dedicated to the memory of Dennis Hopper, as this was his final performance prior to his death.

Plot

In Canada's Jasper National Park, Kate (Hayden Panettiere) begins Alpha school with her father and grows up as a fully trained Alpha, but on her first hunt she crosses paths with two wolves from the Eastern pack who are lacking food in their own territory and nearly start a war. The two packs have had a bitter rivalry ever since Tony commanded the Eastern wolves to cross over into Western territory (against pack law) to get sufficient food. Winston and Tony meet up one night and arrange for Kate to marry Garth (Chris Carmack), Tony's son. Kate, having a sense of responsibility and duty, agrees for the good of the pack and meets Garth at the Howling Rock.

Garth seems perfect except that he has a terrible howl. Kate, taken aback, leaves and has a talk with Humphrey about Garth, when suddenly they are tranquilized by some park rangers and taken away to Sawtooth National Recreation Area in Idaho, where they meet golfer Marcel and his caddy Paddy, two ducks that live there. Humphrey and Kate learn that they were relocated to repopulate the species. This horrifies Kate, but intrigues Humphrey so that he can be with Kate, but after coming to an agreement, Marcel and Paddy help the wolves return home to Jasper Park.

The two packs discover that Kate has gone missing. Tony warns Winston that on the next full moon if Kate does not return to marry Garth, war will be declared for their territory. Kate's sister Lilly however has developed a crush on Garth and suggests that she show him around.

Kate and Humphrey's ride home is cut short at a gas station, where Humphrey is mistaken for a rabid wolf after he eats a cream-filled cupcake. Kate attacks a man with the gun, and the two make flee into the forest. During their homeward journey, they cross a ravine with Humphrey saving Kate from a fall.

The next morning, Marcel and Paddy find the wolves and direct them to a train over a mountain that will take them to Jasper. Climbing the mountain, Humphrey meets a bear cub who has never seen wolves, but a mishap gets the cub hurt, angering a trio of adult bears. Kate comes to Humphrey's rescue and, after a slide down the mountain, they manage to board a passing train.

At the midnight howl, Lilly teaches Garth how to howl effectively. The full moon has come and the both packs declare war against each other. As the train passes by Jasper, Kate and Humphrey bonding is cut short by the sight of the wolf pack war. Kate stops the fight by declaring she will marry Garth. The next day, Humphrey decides to leave and says his goodbyes to Kate, Marcel, and Paddy.

During the ceremony, Kate decides not to marry Garth, declaring her love for Humphrey. Garth declares his love for Lilly. An Alpha wolf marrying an Omega wolf goes against pack customs and a conflict ensues, but is cut short when a stampede of caribou comes. Winston and Tony get caught in the stampede but Kate and Humphrey rush in to save them. Kate is almost trampled but survives thanks to Humphrey's protection. Later at the Moonlight Howl, all of the wolves celebrate the marriages of Kate to Humphrey and Garth to Lilly. The film ends with Humphrey and Kate singing a duet together.

Voice cast

Production

Pre-production and post-production took place in Los Angeles, with key animation produced by Crest Animation Productions in India and the script was written in Toronto, Ontario in Canada.[5]

Reception

Alpha and Omega took in $2,288,773 on its opening day, and $9,106,906 on its opening weekend domestically, reaching fifth place at the box office. The film ended its run on December 2, 2010 after grossing $25 million domestically and $25 million in other territories.[2] Alpha and Omega holds a score of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 56 reviews, with the consensus being "With bland visuals and a dull, predictable plot, Alpha and Omega is a runt in 2010's animated litter."[6] At Metacritic, the film holds a score of 36 out of 100, based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[7]

Marketing

Books

Three books based on Alpha and Omega have been published by Scholastic:

  1. Kate and Humphrey's Big Adventure/All about Wolves by Rebecca McCarthy[8]
  2. Alpha and Omega: Marcel and Paddy Save the Day by Tori Kosara[9]
  3. Alpha and Omega: The Junior Novel by Aaron S. Rosenberg[10]

Video game

Published by Storm City Games, a video game adaptation called Alpha and Omega, based on the first film in the franchise, was exclusively released for the Nintendo DS on September 14, 2010 and is only available in North America.[10]

Home media

Alpha and Omega was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 11, 2011, and the PSP version was released on February 8, 2011. The film's characters also came in McDonald's happy meal toys and were only available in the UK.

Soundtrack

No. Title Length
1. "Pre Teen Wolves"   1:54
2. "Main Titles"   1:37
3. "Can-Do Was Jumped"   2:51
4. "Humphrey's Crew"   2:44
5. "Garth"   2:12
6. "Wolfnapped"   1:55
7. "Idaho or Bust"   2:12
8. "The Golfing Goose"   2:48
9. "Flying Fowl"   2:41
10. "Searching for Kate"   1:46
11. "Eat Food, Get Gas"   2:05
12. "Tails It Is"   2:00
13. "Garth and Lilly"   2:34
14. "Bears!"   3:23
15. "Love Train"   2:07
16. "Time's Up"   1:03
17. "I Had Fun"   2:22
18. "Unite the Packs"   2:43
19. "Alphas and Omega"   3:04
20. "Take the Valley"   3:02
21. "Requiem for Kate"   1:27
22. "Big Finish"   1:28

Accolades

The film was nominated for an Artios Award for Outstanding achievement in Casting.

Award Category Winner/Nominee Result
Artios Award Outstanding achievement in Casting Bernie Van De Yacht Nominated

Sequels

Following its success, a number of direct-to-video sequels to Alpha and Omega have been produced. The first, Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8, 2013.[11]

Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games, based on the Winter Olympics and directed by Richard Rich, was released on iTunes on March 4, 2014, and it was later released on March 25, 2014 as a Walmart Exclusive.[12] Common Sense Media gave Alpha and Omega 3 a mixed review, with three out of five stars, writing that the "mildly amusing sports-themed sequel is fun for young kids."[13] The movie was released shortly after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, on which it is based.

Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released to iTunes on September 23, 2014[14][15][16][17] and was released to DVD on October 7, 2014.[17] The plot involves Runt exploring the Saw Tooth Cave and finding a wolf who has been driven from her pack for being different. He must help her and he learns about the joys of lending a paw to a friend in need.[18] The trailer for Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on July 21, 2014.[19]

Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation aired on TV in Mexico on March 28 and is planned for release to DVD in August 2015[4] and three more sequels have been announced for Lionsgate to distribute, the first of which is intended for a release in early 2016, and will follow the "misadventures of Alpha Kate and Omega Humphrey and their three wolf pups, Claudette, Stinky and Runt, as they learn life lessons in the great outdoors".[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 3D". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Alpha and Omega (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  3. ↑ Fischer, Russ (May 25, 2010). "'Alpha and Omega' Movie Trailer". /Film. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Splash, Lionsgate team for more Alpha and Omega". KidsScreen. Daniela Fisher. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 8 April 2015.
  5. ↑ Giardina, Carolyn (April 2, 2008). "Animated cast joins 'Alpha'". The Hollywood Reporter (e5 Global Media). Archived from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Alpha and Omega (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  7. ↑ "Alpha and Omega reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Kate and Humphrey's Big Adventure/All about Wolves". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: Marcel and Paddy Save the Day". Amazon. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Alpha and Omega: The Junior Novel". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  11. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure". Entertainment Weekly. Hillary Busis. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  12. ↑ "Alpha & Omega: The Great Wolf Games (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) (Walmart Exclusive)". Walmart. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  13. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games (review)". Commonsensemedia. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  14. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave". iTunes. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  15. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave arriving on DVD September 23rd A". Alien Bee. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Alpha & Omega: Legend Of The Saw-Tooth Cave (Walmart Exclusive) (Widescreen)". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 "ALPHA AND OMEGA: THE LEGEND OF THE SAW TOOTHED CAVE". Lionsgate. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  18. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave". Lionsgate Publicity. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave Trailer". KidzWorld. Retrieved 21 July 2014.

External links