With all the financial and legal problems that DreamWorks Animation has been going through lately the last thing that the studio needs right now is another bomb. But that is exactly what it may have on its hands with the big budget film “Home” due out this Friday.
Starring the voices of Steve Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Rihanna, the film has gotten all of 43% on the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter have been exceptionally harsh.
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DreamWorks Animation was recently forced to lay off a large number of workers, sell its main production campus and settle lawsuits out of court. If it was hoping for the next “Kung Fu Panda” or “Penguins” movie to get it going again, the studio has failed with “Home.”
The movie tells the story of what happens when a loveable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself on the run from his own people. He then forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl named Tip who is on a quest of her own.
Through a series of comic adventures with Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being human, and together they discover the true meaning of the word HOME.
The Hollywood Reporter said, “Revisiting aspects of a number of movies that have preceded it, starting with Lilo & Stitch, the film does manage to distinguish itself with some inspired voice casting — recruiting Rihanna and Jim Parsons, who both manage to impress in their animation debuts.
But while it will have the family audience all to itself ahead of Easter weekend, the 20th Century Fox release will likely not provide the big box-office boost DreamWorks Animation needs following the disappointing performance of Penguins of Madagascar.”
And Variety said, “Unimaginative and downright predictable by grownup standards, but bursting with elements sure to appeal to younger auds — including cutesy character design, quotable alien catchphrases and solid musical/vocal contributions from Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez, who add a dose of diversity to the human cast — DWA’s lone 2015 feature release should manage to squeak past the $100 million mark during a relatively competition-free spring, while reinforcing the studio’s recent standing as the Pepsi of the animation world: It’s potable, but a distant second to the real thing.”
