Nepola (film)

Nepola is a 2002 American computer-animated comedy adventure film directed by Andrew Speckle and written by Chris Matheson, Ed Solomon, Bob Tzudiker, Noni White, and Speckle. The film features the voice talents of Drew Barrymore, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Paul Rudd, Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Glenn Close, Kelsey Grammer, David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and Jennifer Aniston. Produced by Megamation as its first feature film, it was released by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing on November 8, 2002. Taking place in ancient Greece, the film follows a young woman who embarks on a journey to find the mysterious realm of Greek gods, hoping they can help her become a powerful goddess.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its animation, humor, visual style, and vocal performances. The film earned a total of $204 million worldwide against a budget of $74 million. The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards, but lost to Spirited Away. It launched an expanded franchise, with a sequel released in 2007.

Plot
In Ancient Greece, a little girl named Nepola listens to her mother Astydameia tell a story of gods in Greek mythology. Years later, Nepola has grown into an aspiring young woman who is interested in gods and fantasizes about becoming one of them while also calling herself "the goddess of everything". Her obsession with gods often makes her an outcast in her village, and a constant embarrassment to Astydameia. One day, while helping Astydameia set up vases, Nepola befriends Deimos, a talkative rodent sent to recruit someone to join the mysterious realm of Greek gods, much to Nepola's desire. The two embark to the realm in which Nepola hopes the gods can help her become one of them.

Meanwhile, the evil snake-headed monster Medusa has a meeting with a group of godly monsters where she plots to take Nepola into her realm to make her one of them. She decides to pursue a mortal boy named Perseus so she can send him to find Nepola and take her to the realms. However, while finding Nepola, Perseus trips over a rock, causing him to fall onto a cliff. To his surprise, Nepola rescues him by pulling him up when Perseus managed to hang on to the edge of the cliff. The two begin to bond to each other, much to Deimos' jealously. As Perseus knows which way the Realm of Gods is, Nepola and Deimos decide to follow him.

Nepola, Deimos, and Perseus come across a temple, where the Hydra that Medusa sends lives under the temple in an eternal sleep. The three enter the temple, but Nepola senses a great danger of the Hydra in the temple, and suggest they keep quiet. However, Deimos causes a bunch of noise which awakes the Hydra, erupting from the temple one head at a time, in the process destroying the temple. Nepola, Deimos, and Perseus run out, and are left with the task of destroying the Hydra. After that, Medusa then later sends Cerberus in which Deimos should attract the Cerberus' attention as a means to let Nepola and Perseus get into the underworld unharmed.

After these and other incidents, Nepola and Perseus talk in a brief moment of peace - they share a word of peace, reflecting on their journey thus far, it is a point of no return at this point, they enter the underworld where they suddenly then reach the Realm of Gods. There, Medusa offers Nepola to become a goddess but secretly plans to take her into the realm to make Nepola one of them. Medusa also reveals that she is planning to turn Nepola evil so she can use her to destroy the innocent and conquer Greek, but Nepola refuses. However, as Nepola has no choice, she eventually accepts Medusa's offering and is given evil dark powers and Medusa later returns her, Perseus and Deimos to the mortal world. Distraught, Nepola is now being slowly consumed by the powers she has been given. Perseus starts to realize what he has done, and he along with Deimos attempt to get back to Nepola's village to defeat Medusa and her monsters once and for all. Nepola, now alone, starts to accept her fate before two gods emerge from the skies, revealing Zeus and Hera, who get rid of Nepola's old powers and grant her new ones which are much more powerful than Medusa's. As a result, Nepola decides to return to her village to stop Medusa.

Nepola finds that Medusa and her monsters have attacked the village and confronts her, where they start a battle with the help of Perseus, Deimos and the rest of the Greek gods. While Medusa tries to defeat Nepola, Medusa's abilities don't seem to affect Nepola one bit, resulting in Nepola managing to defeat her. After being defeated, Medusa's monsters turn against her, proceeding to turn her to stone using their own powers. The village is brought back to normal and everyone praises Nepola for what she did. Then, Zeus and Hera return from the skies where they tell Nepola is ready to become a goddess, and so she bids farewell to the village and joins Zeus and Hera alongside Perseus and Deimos, heading off into the skies through Mount Olympus where Nepola and the others enjoy their new lives with the gods.

Cast

 * Drew Barrymore as Nepola, an aspiring, kind, curious woman who wants to become a goddess.
 * Liliana Mumy as young Nepola
 * Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Medusa, a wicked, greedy, ruthless humanoid monster with snakes on her head.
 * Paul Rudd as Perseus, a mortal boy who follows Nepola along.
 * Ben Stiller as Deimos, Nepola's wise-cracking talking rodent friend.
 * Patrick Stewart as Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods.
 * Glenn Close as Hera, Zeus' wife and assistant.
 * Frankie Muniz and Dakota Fanning]] as Eric and Lilas respectively, a pair of siblings who look up to Nepola.
 * Alex Borstein as Astydameia, Nepola's mother.
 * Kelsey Grammer as Hades, the god of the underworld.
 * David Cross as Apollo
 * Bob Odenkirk as Dionysus
 * Jennifer Aniston as Pandora
 * Wayne Knight and Fred Stoller as Phobos and Deimos
 * Jim Cummings as the Cyclops
 * Frank Welker as Cerberus and Medusa's snakes

Additional voices

 * Steve Alterman
 * Jack Angel
 * Tom Amundsen
 * Jeff Bennett
 * Rodger Bumpass
 * Corey Burton
 * Catherine Cavadini
 * Tom Conner
 * Kat Cressida
 * John DeMita
 * Holly Dorff
 * Jeff Fischer
 * Barbara Harris
 * Daamen J. Krall
 * Sherry Lynn
 * Danny Mann
 * Mickie McGowan
 * Melissa MacKay
 * David McCharen
 * Jason Pace
 * Patrick Pinney
 * Paige Pollack
 * Phil Proctor
 * Evan Sabara
 * Brianne Siddall
 * Kath Soucie
 * Andrew Speckle
 * Claudette Wells

Production
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Soundtrack
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Release
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Home media
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Video game
Main article: Nepola (video game)

Box office
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Critical response
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