Planet 51 (2009)

American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck!

Directors:

Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad,

Writers:

Javier Abad (original idea by), Jorge Blanco (original idea by),

Stars:

Jessica Biel, John Cleese, Dwayne Johnson

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jessica Biel	...	Neera (voice)
John Cleese	...	Professor Kipple (voice)
Gary Oldman	...	General Grawl (voice)
Dwayne Johnson	...	Captain Charles T. Baker (voice)
Justin Long	...	Lem (voice)
Seann William Scott	...	Skiff (voice)
Freddie Benedict	...	Eckle (voice)
Alan Marriott	...	Glar (voice)
Mathew Horne	...	Soldier Vesklin (voice)
James Corden	...	Soldier Vernkot (voice)
Lewis Macleod	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Rupert Degas	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Rebecca Front	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Vincent Marzello	...	Additional Voice (voice)
Emma Tate	...	Additional Voice (voice)

Storyline

Lem is just an average teenager working on getting the girl and furthering his career at the local planetarium - except that he's an alien. At least to U.S. astronaut Captain Charles T. Baker who lands on Lem's planet hoping for a quick flag plant and a hasty return to earth and his millions of screaming fans. But on this alien planet the media has tagged spacemen as brain-eating, zombie-creating monsters, causing Baker to run for his life and into Lem's house. Now it's up to the green native to get the clumsy astronaut back to his spaceship before military dictator General Grawl and mad scientist Professor Kipple manage to exterminate the Earthly visitor.

---

Plot Keywords:

planet | astronaut | alien | spaceship | alien planet | 

---

Taglines:

Right stuff. Wrong planet.

---

Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild sci-fi action and some suggestive humor

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [pt] Sony Pictures [us]

Country:

Spain UK USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

20 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Planeta 51

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,513,003 (UK) (4 December 2009)

Gross:

$42,194,060 (USA) (5 March 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ilion Animation, HandMade Films, Antena 3 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally going to be called "Planet One" but the owners of Planet One, who make children's and teen TV programs in the USA, threatened to sue. The film's producers chose to call the movie Planet 51, acknowledging Area 51, the supposed center of UFO investigation in America.

---

Goofs

As astronaut Chuck Baker gets tangled up in a planet mobile in the planetarium, his air hose becomes dislodged and his oxygen becomes depleted. Upon realizing the planet has breathable air, he removes his helmet, and the air hose is now reconnected to his suit. It is then again disconnected in the following shot.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
girl: I've never gone parking before. I'm really not that kind of a girl.
boy: Well, I'm not the kind of a guy who would go with *that* kind of girl.
girl: Why that's so sweet - I think.
boy: There's nothing to be scared of.
[as alien craft rears up in front of them]

---

Crazy Credits

There is an additional scene halfway through the end credits.

---

Connections

Spin-off Planet 51: The Game (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"Singing in the Rain"
Written by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd
Performed by The London Metropolitan Orchestra
Orchestrated by James Seymour Brett (as James Brett)
Produced by James Seymour Brett (as James Brett) and Graham Walker

User Reviews

Beautifully animated, if rather bland

I have always loved animation, whether it's cartoons(Looney Tunes and Silly Symphonies), films or TV shows. Planet 51 is not a bad movie, but at the end of the day it felt rather bland. I've seen worse certainly, but I can also think of better out there. The animation is wonderful though, very rich in colour and detail. The soundtrack is memorable, there are a few funny moments that will have children chuckling, fun set pieces and a couple of Cold War pastiches that will keep adults interested, Rover is a great character and by far the best character of the movie and it all begins very promisingly. The voice cast are full of great actors, especially Gary Oldman and John Cleese, and Planet 51 generally uses them well, Dwayne Johnson is an especially likable lead. However, the story, despite its great premise, is rather weak and unoriginal in structure and after a promising twenty minutes it is never quite as interesting. I liked the Cold War pastiches, but some of the other references were verging on tired. Among the funny moments, there is the overall mediocrity of the script, with a lot of clichéd dialogue. The characters are weak and stereotypical, with one of the blandest villains I've seen in an animated film recently, and the ending is very predictable. In conclusion, looks great but at the end of the day it felt very bland and forgettable. 6/10 Bethany Cox