Mars Needs Moms (2011)

A young boy named Milo gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take her away.

Director:

Simon Wells

Writers:

Simon Wells (screenplay), Wendy Wells (screenplay)

Stars:

Seth Green, Joan Cusack, Dan Fogler

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seth Green	...	Milo
Dan Fogler	...	Gribble
Joan Cusack	...	Mom
Elisabeth Harnois	...	Ki
Mindy Sterling	...	Supervisor
Kevin Cahoon	...	Wingnut
Tom Everett Scott	...	Dad
Jacquie Barnbrook	...	Martian
Matthew Henerson	...	Martian
Adam Jennings	...	Martian
Stephen Kearin	...	Martian
Amber Gainey Meade	...	Martian
Aaron Rapke	...	Martian
Julene Renee	...	Martian
Kirsten Severson	...	Martian

Storyline

On Mars, the female babies are nursed by robots while the male babies are dumped in the junkyard under the command of Supervisor. They research Earth and finds that the boy Milo is raised by his Mom with love and discipline. The Martians come to Earth and abduct Mom, to use her brain to instruct the robots about how to raise children. However, Milo sneaks into the spaceship and comes to Mars. He meets Gribble, a young man that behaves like a child and together with the hippie Martian Ki and Gribble's friend Wingnut, they try to rescue Mom and bring her back to Earth. But Supervisor will give her best efforts to stop Milo and his friends.

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Plot Keywords:

martian | based on children's book | motion capture | psychotronic film | mars | 

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Taglines:

Mom needs a little space.

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action and peril

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 March 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mars Needs Moms

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,914,488, 13 March 2011

Gross USA:

$21,392,758

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,233,678

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Pictures, ImageMovers Digital, FortyFour Studios

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The makers came up with their own alien language. Elisabeth Harnois stated in an interview that she and the cast were given scenarios by Wells to which they acted out responses in improvised Martian language.

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Goofs

Milo's Mom told him that cats are not supposed to eat vegetables. Cats can actually eat some vegetables like cooked/steamed broccoli and some others.

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Quotes

[first lines]
TV Announcer: NASA scientists are excited over recent findings by the Mars Rover of fossilized organic compounds on the surface that indicate at some time in the past there may have been life on the red planet.

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Crazy Credits

The Walt Disney Pictures logo is tinted red for the final eight seconds to make it seem like the logo takes place on Mars (the sunset sky behind the castle morphs into reddish browns).

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Connections

Spoofed in The Simpsons: Steal This Episode (2014)

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Soundtracks

Out of Limits
Written by Michael Z. Gordon
Performed by Los Straitjackets

User Reviews

"You win some you lose some"

When Spielberg discussed themes of awakening and relationships between man and machine in ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE back in early 2000/01, I felt sharp needles having a go at my heart when young David longed for his mothers love. Move in time a few years forward and enter 2011 I am lost for words again. MARS NEEDS MOMS just came out of nowhere and took me by surprise at the very least expected moments. Discussing themes similar to AI and ET this animation is a must watch for all ages. For those few who have out grown animations and consider themselves highly progressive and mature audiences , well tough luck for you, it's a your loss. I always believe we all have a child in us all and at times we need to feed that juvenile hunger.

Milo just the same as we all were when we were younger (that's a long time ago for some of us, not so much for me!) hated doing house hold chores. I myself can proudly say I have boycotted every single household chore that came my way and so has my brother, which goes to say that obviously the parents had a lot of work on their shoulders. Well Milo is not that lucky since his mom has him on a very short leash and makes sure he is well disciplined. (Does that say something about me?) She is in fact super good at what she does that she is being head hunted by the Martians to come train their army of Nanny-bots to look after the little Martians. The Martians have evolved quite so that they do not believe in families, but it's more like a military controlled planet where the Female Martians run the show and the males are banished. So much for male domination! The Martians mummy-nap Milos' mom. Milo in an attempt to save her gets stuck in the landing gear of the ship and ends up in a space trip to mars. Clearly the Martians want only the mom and Milo is not welcomed very well, instead he was shot at and chased until a mysterious voice guides Milo to safety. Milo unites with his savior Gribble and soon is prepared to head out on a mission to save his mum. All because he "loves his mum"

What is animation? Brad Bird once said that animation is not a genre. Animation is a form of art. In animation (this wondrous form of art) any genre of movie may be brought to life. May it be comedy, thriller, or action it can be done. I personally rightly agree with what Brad Bird perceives. Walt Disney Productions along with Imagemovers Productions twists this form of art and uses a different approach in the creative department. It is not the first time that Imagemovers productions has experimented this technology. A Christmas CAROL and THE POLAR EXPRESS both have used this motion capture technology. Real actors are suited in motion capture suits and cameras attached to their body along with sensors connected to their faces in the likes of dots. All these hardware will work in harmony and capture every movement of the actors and then is edited with the needed effects. Seth Green who plays Milo is not child, however this technology successfully enables an adult to do the acting and the editors do the rest. Pretty impressive and well done! It's a very good decision made by director Simon Wells who returns to the directors' seat after quite a long break.

There is not visible flaw in the voicing and the plot. Seth Green, Joan Cusak, Dan Fogler and Elisabeth Harnois put on a very good show. Dan Fogler and Elisabeth Harnois in fact keep the humor on a regular flow and maintain a balance on the whole sci-fi approach. Why this movie was not well accepted when it opened at the box office mostly can be measured with it heavy moments. As an animation the younger viewers may not ideally grasp the concept of the themes of awakening and relationships. I am unable to zero in on anymore contributors for the low demand. As the saying goes "You win some you lose some"

Title: Mars Need Moms Directed by: Simon Wells Starring: Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois and John Cusack Rated: PG for sci-fi action and peril Rating: 06/10 88 Minutes