Underdogs (2013 animated film)
| Underdogs | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Juan José Campanella |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by |
|
| Based on |
Memoirs of a Right Winger by Roberto Fontanarrosa |
| Starring |
|
| Music by | Emilio Kauderer |
| Cinematography | Félix Monti |
| Edited by |
Juan José Campanella Abel Goldfarb |
Production company |
|
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures International[1] |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Argentina |
| Language | Spanish |
| Budget | $21 million[2] |
| Box office | $25,100,000[3] |
Underdogs (known as The Unbeatables in the United Kingdom and Metegol in Argentina) is a 2013 Argentine 3D computer-animated comedy adventure film co-written and directed by Juan J. Campanella. The film is inspired on the short story Memorias de un wing derecho (Memoirs of a Right Wing) by the Argentine writer Roberto Fontanarrosa.[4] Gaston Gorali, co-writer and producer of the film, and Eduardo Sacheri, who worked on the script of Campanella's The Secret in Their Eyes, developed the screenplay with Campanella.
The film is an Argentine production, and was released in Argentina on 18 July 2013, setting an all-time record for an Argentine film opening at the box-office.[2] Costing $21 million, the film is the most expensive Argentine film of all time, and the most expensive Latin American animated feature ever.[2]
An English-language version of the film was produced in the United Kingdom by 369 Productions with Vertigo Films handling the distribution rights and was released under the name The Unbeatables on 15 August 2014. The UK dub features stars such as Rupert Grint, Rob Brydon, Anthony Head, Ralf Little, Alistair McGowan, Peter Serafinowicz and Eve Ponsonby.
On 17 March 2014, The Weinstein Company had acquired distribution rights for the film in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and France, and has plans to release their own English-language version of the film under the title Underdogs.[5] The US dub features stars such as Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Morrison, Katie Holmes, John Leguizamo, Eugenio Derbez, Tarran Killam, Bobby Moynihan and Chazz Palminteri.[6] The film was originally going to be released on 27 August 2014[5] but was pushed to 16 January 2015.[7] It was pushed again to 10 April 2015[6] before settling to 14 August 2015.[8]
Plot
Amadeo is a shy but talented boy, and of a foosball team that is trying to get back together after having been dismantled. With the help of the foosball players, Amadeo will have to face his most terrible rival on the football pitch: Grosso (An Argentine expression that loosely translates into "Awesome/Talented Guy"). Guided by their leader, the charismatic Capi, the foosball players and Amadeo will set off on a great adventure together, like a true team, to get back the dignity that Grosso stole from them.[4]
Synopsis
The film begins with the narrator telling to his son, Matías, the story before going to sleep, where he have to use his imagination. Many years ago, Amadeo, a timid boy, is working in a bar where he met Laura, whom he fell in love and showed her the foosball table. In that moment arrives a kid who believed in winning the game of soccer and challenged Amadeo to a game of foosball in front of Laura. Although initially he beats him, Amadeo becomes victorious, and everyone at the bar applaud. Outside of the bar, the boy encounters the Manager (Coco Sily), who offers him to convert him in a crack.
Many years later, after Laura (Lucía Maciel) announces to Amadeo (David Masajnik) that she will go to Europe to study, the defeated boy returns as "Grosso" (Diego Ramos), willing to take revenge. Now that he is famous, he announces that he has purchased the whole village and goes to construct it into a gigantic soccer stadium, although he is more interested in owning the foosball table which overcame Amadeo and to destroying the bar where he is defeated, addition to abduct Laura to conquer. At the demolished bar Amadeo, in solo, gets bailed by the captain of the foosball's Pinstripes players, Capi, finishing the rest at the dump. One of Amadeo's tears falls over to Capi (Pablo Rago), bringing him to life, that leads him to convince to go rescue the rest of the players to save Laura.
Amadeo and Capi encounter in the dump by two of the Pinstripes, Loco and Beto, and much later Liso, captain of the Sleeks team. The rest of the players were taken by a van to the fair that Amadeo and his friends encounter thanks to the track that leaves Beto's hair in the asphalt, when he tried to climb on it. In the fair, Amadeo rescues five of the players and Capi rescues the other two, the Malparitti Brothers, while the rest of the Sleeks and Pulpo, goalie of the Pinstripes, are invaded by the Manager and arrive to Grosso's mansion, who retains Laura and trys her to fall in love in him.
When Amadeo and the rescued players get to enter Grosso's laboratory, where he tries to melt the players he already have, Amadeo stops him and escapes with Laura, while the last players are rescued, exploding the laboratory as a result. Later, Amadeo challenges Grosso a rematch of the foosball game that he has when they were children. Grosso, in change, challenges him to a revenge match at a soccer game, which Laura makes a request, demanding to return the village if Amadeo wins the game.
Amadeo and Laura begin to recruit people for arming a team, reuniting the elderly men Armando and Eusebio, The Priest, The Thief, Carmiño, The Emo Boy, Deputy Pisano, Double Shaft, The Scab, and a want of more men in the village, Hormona Domínguez. Though during the first minutes of the game "The Absolutes", Grosso's team, they receive two goals, the Manager communicates with Grosso and asks them to "dance awhile" because of the superiority of his team and the game loses emotion.
Seeing the huge disadvantage that Amadeo's team have, Capi and the rest of the foosball players rush directly in the game, causing some "Absolutes" to make accidents and get that Amadeo notes a goal. In the process they discover and they not yet want to live more within the foosball. Amadeo discovers the cheater, and convinces Capi that they will recover the village as the same. Without Capi's help, Amadeo's group ties the game and during the goal's opportunity for Amadeo, Grosso injures his ankle, which cause Amadeo to fall to the ground hurt. Despite Amadeo's effort to stop him, Grosso makes a third goal, winning the game. Albeit he celebrates his victory, the audience applaud Amadeo's team, that efforts him to try to keep his village and they reject Grosso for his egocentrism, including the Manager, resigning. The habitants head back to the village with Amadeo and his team, who founded another village in the surroundings. After that time, Amadeo and Laura wed and have a son.
Concluding the story, Matías enthuasizes himself, knowing that the foosball players are alive, but the narrator tells him only to see if he can think. Later in the same night, Matías listens to the foosball players to discuss and view. His father, revealing to be Amadeo from the story, tells him that the Sleeks win, but that he can turn at any time, because that's soccer: he can go either way.
Cast
| Character | Original dub | UK dub | US dub |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amadeo (Jake in the US) | David Masajnik (adult) Luciana Falcón (young) |
Rupert Grint | Matthew Morrison (adult) Henry Nile (young) |
| Laura (Lara in the UK) | Lucía Maciel (adult) Fern Deacon (young) |
Eve Ponsonby | Ariana Grande (adult) Bella Thorne (young) |
| Grosso (Ace in the US and Flash in the UK) | Diego Ramos (adult) Mariana Otero (young) |
Anthony Head | Nicholas Hoult (adult) Mark Jason Roth (young) |
| Capi (Captain Skip in the UK) | Pablo Rago | Ralf Little | Bobby Moynihan |
| Loco | Horacio Fontova | Peter Serafinowicz | John Leguizamo |
| Beto (Rico in the US and UK) | Fabián Gianola | Rob Brydon | Eugenio Derbez |
| Capitán Liso (Captain Liso in the US and Captain Ray in the UK) | Miguel Ángel Rodríguez | Alistair McGowan | Taran Killam |
Production
The film was announced on 27 November 2009.[9] The voices of the main characters of the cast are Pablo Rago, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Fabian Gianola, Horacio Fontova and David Masajnik.[10]
Sergio Pablos, executive producer and creator of the original idea and story for Despicable Me, acted as animation director[4] for 20 minutes of the movie. The rest of the 70 minutes is mostly under the animation direction of Federico Radero.
Puerto Rican band Calle 13 composed and performed the original song of the movie.
Reception
Critical reception
Underdogs received mixed reviews from critics upon release. Based on 13 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a rating of 62%, with an average rating of 5.5/10.[11] On Metacritic, the film currently has a rating of 38 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[12]
Box office
The film opened #1 at the Argentine box-office, earning 16,622,178 pesos on its opening weekend, outperforming other animated blockbusters such as Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University.[13]
References
- ↑ "Global Biz Briefs: Google-YouTube, ‘Foosball 3D’, Edinburgh Film Festival". Deadline. May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Hopewell, John (19 July 2013). "Universal’s ‘Foosball’ Smashes Argentine Records". Variety. Retrieved 21 July 2013.
- ↑ "Underdogs (2015) - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "FOOSBALL 3D". Film Factory Entertainment. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 McNary, Dave (17 March 2014). "Weinstein Co. Buys Animated ‘Foosball,’ Re-Titled as ‘Underdogs’". Variety. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Gallagher, Brian (14 October 2014). "'Underdogs' Animated Comedy Adds Ariana Grande and Nicholas Hoult". MovieWeb. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
- ↑ Lang, Brent (10 June 2014). "‘Paddington’ Shifts to Christmas Release, ‘Underdogs’ Decamps for 2015". Variety. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ↑ Fleming Jr., Mike (6 February 2015). "Animated Soccer Pic ‘Underdogs’ Gets August 14 Berth From TWC". Deadline.com. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
- ↑ Newbery, Charles (27 November 2009). "Campanella lines up animated feature". Variety. Retrieved 31 March 2012.
- ↑ Gallagher, Brian (18 October 2010). "Juan Jose Campanella Directing Metegol". MovieWeb. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ↑ "Underdogs". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ↑ "Underdogs Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ↑ "Argentina Box Office July 18–21, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Underdogs at the Internet Movie Database
- Underdogs at the Big Cartoon DataBase
| ||||||
| ||||||