Hyper

Hyper is a 2023 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by 20th Century Animation and distributed by 20th Century Studios. The film was directed by Mike Bell from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman, Joel Quinn, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet and stars the voices of Abbi Jacobson, Jacob Tremblay, John Mulaney, Gal Gadot, John Krasinski, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Marie Tran, Bill Nighy, and Mark Wahlberg. In the film, two siblings (Jacobson and Tremblay) must set aside their differences when their parents are abducted by an galactic alien empire, who are planning to wipe out the whole galaxy, and they embark on a long intergalactic journey through dangerous but exotic planets with the help of a ragtag team of misfits, to stop the ruthless aliens before it is too late.

Hyper premiered at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles on March 19, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 31 in RealD 3D, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised the performances, animation, and musical score but criticized the screenplay and the plot as clichéd and too similar to Ruby Rivest (2005) and Strange World (2022). Despite grossing over $400 million worldwide, due to its high production budget not including marketing of $250 million, it was labeled a box-office flop, falling short of its reported break-even point of $700 million.

Plot
To be added.

Cast

 * Abbi Jacobson as Kayla Starseeker, a optimistic teenage girl, and is also Noah's sister.
 * Jacob Tremblay as Noah Starseeker, a young yet highly intelligent boy, and is also Kayla's brother.
 * John Mulaney as P.E.T.E., a gullible robot who gets roped in Kayla and Noah's quest.
 * Mark Wahlberg as Neil Starseeker, Kayla and Noah's overprotective father.
 * Gal Gadot as Robyn Starseeker, Kayla and Noah's mother.
 * Woody Harrelson as Lord Stuukel, a tyrannical alien emperor who plans on wiping out the galaxy.
 * Sam Neill as Hector Crux, a famous space explorer.
 * Kelly Marie Tran as Millie Netzen, a tomboyish girl who is part of Crux's crew.
 * Taika Waititi as Floik, an wisecracking, but dull-witted shape-shifting alien who is part of Crux's crew.
 * Bill Nighy as Melvin, an cautious android who is part of Crux's crew.
 * Eric Bana as Tolhan, Stuukel's right-hand man.
 * Aziz Ansari as Ooffrox, an dim-witted alien who works for Stuukel's empire.
 * John Krasinski as Bob, an Earth man who was kidnapped by Stuukel.

Additional Voices

 * Rajia Baroudi
 * Mike Bell
 * Ivan Bilancio
 * Daniel Booko
 * Jeremy Bowker
 * Susan Boyajian
 * Vicki Davis
 * Terri Douglas
 * Johnny Gidcomb
 * Wendy Hoffmann
 * Daniel Kaz
 * Sean Kenin
 * Phil LaMarr
 * Cullen McCarthy
 * Scott Menville
 * David Michie
 * Richard Miro
 * Heidi Brook Myers
 * Jacqueline Piñol
 * Arthur Ortiz
 * Ben Pronsky
 * Warren Sroka
 * Al Rodrigo
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Matthew Wood
 * Ruth Zalduondo
 * David Zyler

Development
Mike Bell first pitched an idea for the film in 2017, when Alaina Gleen: Imaginary Vacation (2017), which he also directed with Emma Maxwell, was released. In August 2019, 20th Century Fox Animation officially announced an original animated sci-fi comedy titled Hyper during their D23 Expo presentation panel, which was being directed by Bell, and would pay homage to various sci-fi media such as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Star Trek, as well as vintage 1950s sci-fi B-movies. In October 2020, it was reported that Captain Marvel screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet had been hired to write the screenplay along with Matt Lieberman, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers, with the film being produced by John Cohen and Roy Kobayashi.

On November 23, 2021, 20th Century Animation revealed further more details about Hyper, including its synopsis and its protagonists. It was also announced that Joel Quinn, former writer of the animated series Toonmania, joined Robertson-Dworet, Lieberman, McKenna, and Sommers to co-write the film's screenplay.

Casting
On November 23, 2021, Abbi Jacobson and Jacob Tremblay were cast as Kayla and Noah, respectively. On June 17, 2022, other voice cast members were announced; these include John Mulaney, Mark Wahlberg, Kelly Marie Tran, Gal Gadot, Bill Nighy, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Neill. Following the release of the film's first trailer in September 2022, it was revealed that John Krasinski and Aziz Ansari had been cast in supporting roles.

Music
In May 2022, Michael Giacchino and Tom Holkenborg were announced to be composing the film's score. The soundtrack album was released by Walt Disney Records on March 24, 2023.

Release
Hyper had its world premiere on March 19, 2023, at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, California, and was theatrically released in the United States on March 31, 2023 by 20th Century Studios in RealD 3D, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. Hyper also became 20th Century Animation's first film to have virtual IMAX cameras in its progress. The film was originally scheduled to be theatrically released on November 4, 2022, but was later delayed to April 21, 2023, swapping dates with Princess Joanna and the Four Kingdoms. By September 2022, the film was moved up to its current March 2023 release. In theaters, the film was accompanied by The Last Donut, a short film based on The Simpsons franchise.

Hyper was not released theatrically in some regions; as Deadline Hollywood reported that Disney and 20th Century pulled out for a theatrical release in 15 countries, mainly the Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Russia and China, due to the inclusion of a LGBT main character, Kayla Starseeker. This was done to prevent those regions' censorship of LGBTQ+ references, as a minor storyline in the film revolves around Kayla having a crush on Millie Netzen. In Singapore, the film was allowed only for people above 16 years of age.

The film will also feature a new animated logo opening for 20th Century Animation, showcasing characters from Twentieth Toons, Crystal, Cool Spot, Alaina Gleen, The Pixelators, Kate & Chris, and Puppet Pals with a new fanfare from Christophe Beck, produced by Mark Wilson, and Patrick Marc Hanenberger served as the production designer. According to Wilson, the logo was made to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Century City in-house studio.

Marketing
The film's teaser poster was revealed on September 7, 2022 and the teaser trailer was officially released online on 20th Century Studios' YouTube channel on September 9. The official trailer was later released online on December 4, 2022. The final trailer was released online on February 13, 2023, later attaching to the theatrical release of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17.

Home media
Hyper was released on digital download on May 23, 2023. The film was released on Disney+ on June 14, 2023. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment distributed Hyper on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on June 27, 2023.

Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 44% based on 256 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "Hyper may be fascinating enough for younger audiences and nostalgic hardcore fans of classic sci-fi films, but its predictable story and quirky gags doesn't truly go out of this world." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 49 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, and those polled by PostTrak reported 75% of audience members gave the film a positive score, with 60% saying they would definitely recommend it.

Box office
Hyper grossed $114.5 million in the United States and Canada and $286.1 million in other territories for worldwide total of $400.8 million. It was a box office bomb, falling short of its reported break-even point of $700 million.

United States and Canada
In the United States and Canada, Hyper was released alongside Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and A Thousand and One, and was initially projected to make $65–70 million in its opening weekend. The film made $27.6 million including $6.2 million in Thursday night previews and $60.4 million in its opening weekend, topping box office. The film's second weekend saw a -69% drop, down to $18.4 million in North America, the largest second-week domestic drop-off for a 20th Century Animation film.

Internationally
Internationally, the film opened up to $37.3 million internationally in early markets in it's opening weekend. In the UK, the film opened up to £4.6 million ($4.9 million). In its second weekend, the film expanded to 67 markets and grossed $76.3 million, topping box office that weekend as well.

Future
During the Q1 earning calls of Disney on February 8, 2023, CEO Bob Iger announced that he has sequels for various franchises throughout companies owned by The Walt Disney Company and Hyper was listed as “the next big franchise for 20th Century”, hinting a sequel.