Alpha and Omega (film)

Alpha and Omega

Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Produced by
Screenplay by
  • Christopher Denk
  • Steve Moore
Story by
  • Ben Gluck
  • Steve Moore
Starring
Music by Chris Bacon
Edited by Joseph L. Campana
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate Films
Release date
  • September 8, 2010 (2010-09-08) (TIFF)
  • September 17, 2010 (2010-09-17) (United States)
Running time
 88 minutes[1]
Country United States[2]
Language English
Budget $20 million[3]
Box office $50.5 million[4]

Alpha and Omega is a 2010 American 3D computer-animated adventure romantic comedy-drama film directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck. Starring Justin Long, Hayden Panettiere, Dennis Hopper, Danny Glover and Christina Ricci, the film was written by Christopher Denk and Steve Moore, based on a story by Moore and Gluck.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2010, and was released nationwide in 2-D and 3-D on September 17, 2010 by Lionsgate Films.[5] The film was dedicated to the memory of Dennis Hopper, as he died from prostate cancer a few months before it was released, and this was his final performance prior to his death.

A direct-to-DVD sequel, entitled A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8, 2013. Another sequel, The Great Wolf Games, was released on March 25, 2014. The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on September 23, 2014. Family Vacation was released to DVD on August 4, 2015. Dino Digs was released on DVD and Digital HD on May 10, 2016. Two more sequels were made, these include The Big Freeze and Journey To The Bear Kingdom.[6]

Plot

In Alberta, Canada's Jasper National Park, Kate begins Alpha school with her father (Winston) and grows up as a fully trained Alpha. 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 Moonlight Howl.

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. 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 doesn't 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, which a French bulldog had seen. Kate attacks a man with the gun, and they both flee into the forest. During their homeward journey, they cross a dangerous ravine with Humphrey saving Kate from a nasty fall.

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

During this time, Lilly and Garth are bonding. At the midnight howl, Lilly compassionately teaches Garth how to howl effectively. At the same time, Humphrey and Kate begin to fall in love. By this time, the full moon has come and the both packs declare war against each other. As the train passes by Jasper, Kate and Humphrey exchange of feelings is cut short by the sight of the wolf pack war. Kate stops the fight by declaring she will marry Garth. The next day, a devastated Humphrey bids farewell with Kate, Marcel, and Paddy deciding to leave by himself and Kate also feels the same way.

During the ceremony, Kate decides not to marry Garth, declaring her love for Humphrey and Garth declares his own romantic love for Lilly. An Alpha wolf marrying an Omega wolf goes against pack customs and a conflict ensues between the packs, but is cut short when a massive stampede of caribou comes. Winston and Tony get caught in the stampede but Kate and Humphrey rush in to save them. But Kate gets knocked over by the caribou unconscious. After the stampede, Humphrey howls in sadness, then all the wolves howl, But Kate survives the knock out by waking up, leaving Everyone, Especially Humphrey happy again.

Later at the Moonlight Howl, all of the wolves celebrate the love of Kate to Humphrey, and Garth to Lilly, breaking the social classes and traditions. Humphrey and Kate sing a duet.

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.[7]

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.[4]

Alpha and Omega holds an approval rating of 16% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 56 reviews; the consensus is: "With bland visuals and a dull, predictable plot, Alpha and Omega is a runt in 2010's animated litter."[8] At Metacritic, the film holds a score of 36 out of 100 based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.[9] Andrew Barker of Variety gave the film a mixed review, writing: "Not without charm, Lionsgate's 3D animated pic is agreeably unambitious."[10]

Bernie Van De Yacht was nominated for an Artios Award for Outstanding Achievement in Casting.[11]

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[12]
  2. Alpha and Omega: Marcel and Paddy Save the Day by Tori Kosara[13]
  3. Alpha and Omega: The Junior Novel by Aaron S. Rosenberg[14]

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.[15]

Home media

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

Sequels

A number of direct-to-video sequels to Alpha and Omega have been produced. Justin Long is replaced by Benjamin Diskin for Humphrey. The first, Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, was released on October 8, 2013.[16] The film revolves around the disappearance of Runt, one of Kate and Humphrey's pups in the sequel. DVD Talk stated that Alpha and Omega 2 was "so thin and uninteresting, and so lacking in holiday spirit, that you're not going to be pulling this one out each year when the holidays roll around" and that the movie's price combined with its film length made other film choices "even more attractive."[17] Common Sense Media gave the movie a 1 out of 5 stars and wrote that the "Faux holiday-themed sequel is weak and forgettable."[18]

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.[19] 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."[20] 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 produced by Crest Animation Productions and distributed by Lionsgate Films. Written by Tom Kane and directed by Richard Rich, it is the fourth film in the franchise. The film was released to iTunes on September 23, 2014[21][22][23][24] and was released to DVD on October 7, 2014.[24] 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.[25] The trailer for Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave was released on July 21, 2014.[26] The film was officially announced in the DVD features of Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure, along with The Great Wolf Games, with director Richard Rich showing two short clips from the storyboards of both films. Common Sense Media gave the film 3 out of 5, stating "Entertaining wolf sequel has peril and some scares".[27]

The fifth film in the franchise, Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation, aired on TV in Mexico on March 28 and was released to DVD on August 4, 2015.[6] It is written by Tom Kane and directed by Richard Rich. It aired in Mexico on March 28, 2015 before having its DVD premiere in August 4. The plot involves Kate, Humphrey, and the pups attempting to have a vacation together, but must flee from human wolf trappers in the process. Common Sense Media gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, stating "Adorable wolves take on trappers; some peril, suspense."[28]

On April 8, 2015, three more sequels were 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, Stinky, Claudette and Runt, as they learn life lessons in the great outdoors".[6]

As of October 6, 2015, on Splash Entertainment's website, they have revealed the next sequel titled Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze along with a sneak preview clips of the movie, which is also slated to release in 2016. The other two sequel titles have also been revealed as, in order, Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs and Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom.[29]

Alpha and Omega: Dino Digs was released on DVD and Digital HD on May 10, 2016.[30] Alpha and Omega: The Big Fureeze was released on DVD and Digital HD on November 8, 2016.[31] Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom was released on May 9, 2017.[32] As of May 19, 2017, Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom is the last installment in the Alpha and Omega franchise done by Splash Entertainment and Lionsgate.[33]

References

  1. ↑ "Alpha and Omega (U)". British Board of Film Classification. September 13, 2010. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Alpha and Omega (2010)". British Film Institute. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 3D". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Alpha and Omega (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  5. ↑ Fischer, Russ (May 25, 2010). "'Alpha and Omega' Movie Trailer". /Film. Retrieved 20 June 2010.
  6. 1 2 3 "Splash, Lionsgate team for more Alpha and Omega". KidsScreen. Daniela Fisher. April 8, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. ↑ "Alpha and Omega (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  9. ↑ "Alpha and Omega reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
  10. ↑ Barker, Andrew (September 9, 2010). "Review: 'Alpha and Omega'". Variety. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  11. ↑ "2011 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Kate and Humphrey's Big Adventure/All about Wolves". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: Marcel and Paddy Save the Day". Amazon. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Junior Novel". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Alpha & Omega (DS)". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure". Entertainment Weekly. Hillary Busis. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  17. ↑ Rizzo III, Francis. "Alpha & Omega 2: A Howliday Adventure". DVD Talk. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  18. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 2: A Howl-iday Adventure Review". Commonsensemedia. Retrieved 29 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Alpha & Omega: The Great Wolf Games (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD) (Walmart Exclusive)". Walmart. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  20. ↑ "Alpha and Omega 3: The Great Wolf Games (review)". Commonsensemedia. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
  21. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave". iTunes. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave arriving on DVD September 23rd A". Alien Bee. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  23. ↑ "Alpha & Omega: Legend Of The Saw-Tooth Cave (Walmart Exclusive) (Widescreen)". Walmart. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  24. 1 2 "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave". Lionsgate. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
  25. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave". Lionsgate Publicity. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  26. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Alpha and Omega: The Legend of the Saw Tooth Cave Trailer". KidzWorld. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: Legend Of The Saw-Tooth Cave". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  28. ↑ "Alpha and Omega: Family Vacation Movie Review". Common Sense Media. Common Sense Media Inc. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  29. ↑ http://www.splashentertainment.com/node/140
  30. ↑ Lionsgate Alpha and Omega website
  31. ↑ Lionsgate Alpha and Omega Youtube Page
  32. ↑ Alpha and Omega: Journey to Bear Kingdom Release Date
  33. ↑ Splash Entertainment, Alpha and Omega
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