Epic
A young red-headed girl surrounded by a snail and slug, a fairy queen, fairy warriors, a toad and a goblin-like creature in a batskin cloak. In the background is a mountain surrounded by hummingbirds. The words "Epic" are at the bottom in gold.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChris Wedge
Screenplay by
Story by
  • William Joyce
  • James V. Hart
  • Chris Wedge
Based onThe Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs
by William Joyce
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyRenato Falcão
Edited byAndy Keir
Music byDanny Elfman
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • May 16, 2013 (2013-05-16) (International)[1]
  • May 18, 2013 (2013-05-18) (Ziegfeld Theatre)[2]
  • May 24, 2013 (2013-05-24) (United States)
Running time
102 minutes[3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$93 million[4][5]
Box office$268.4 million[6]

Epic (stylized as epic) is a 2013 American animated fantasy action-adventure film loosely based on William Joyce's 1996 children's book The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs,[7][8] produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Chris Wedge from a screenplay written by Joyce, James V. Hart, Daniel Shere, and the writing team of Tom J. Astle and Matt Ember, based on a story conceived by Joyce, Hart, and Wedge. It stars the voices of Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Christoph Waltz, Aziz Ansari, Chris O'Dowd, Pitbull, Jason Sudeikis, Steven Tyler, and Beyoncé Knowles.

After teenager Mary Katherine gets shrunk and teleported to a tiny woodland kingdom inhabited by talking slugs, flower people and tiny soldiers called Leafmen, she is swept up in a wild adventure between good and evil and, alongside her new friends, must fight to protect the world she never knew existed.

Epic was released on May 24, 2013, by 20th Century Fox. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $268 million against its $93 million budget.

Plot

After her mother dies, 17-year-old Mary Katherine (“M.K.”) moves in with her eccentric scientist father Professor Bomba in Danbury, Connecticut. Bomba has spent his life researching the Leafmen, tiny humanoid soldiers who protect the neighboring forest from wicked creatures called Boggans. M.K. is irritated by her father’s work, believing his theories to be nonsense. Meanwhile, Nod, an independent young Leafman, decides to quit, much to the ire of his no-nonsense leader Ronin, who promised Nod’s late father he would look out for him.

The forest’s benevolent ruler, Queen Tara, must choose her successor and arrives at a pool of lily pods, occupied by a laid-back slug named Mub and a wannabe Leafman snail named Grub. Immediately after she chooses a pod, the Boggans attack. The Boggans overwhelm the Leafmen, while Tara flees with Ronin on his hummingbird mount. The pair are pursued by the Boggans’ leader Mandrake and his son Dagda. Dagda is killed by Ronin, but not before he badly wounds Tara with an arrow.

M.K. decides to leave after getting into an argument with Bomba about his research. Outside, M.K. encounters the falling Tara, who entrusts the pod to her, shrinks her with magic, and tells her to take it to Nim Galuu, a glowworm wizard, before finally dying. M.K. is accompanied by Ronin and the Leafmen, along with Mub and Grub. Ronin recruits a reluctant Nod after saving him from short-tempered toad gangster Bufo.

Ronin, Nod, M.K., Mub, and Grub meet Nim Galuu, who informs them that the pod must bloom that night, while exposed to the light of the full moon. When Ronin leaves, Nod takes M.K. on a deer ride and they begin to fall for each other. Meanwhile, Mandrake, enraged by his son's death, interrogates Bufo for the pod’s location. Mandrake goes to Nim Galuu's place, where he learns that if the pod blooms in darkness, it will birth a dark prince who will help Mandrake destroy the forest. He takes the pod and kidnaps Mub and Grub. Ronin scolds Nod for not being there to protect the pod.

To get into Boggan territory undiscovered, M.K., Nod, and Ronin enter Bomba's house to get some disguises. There, M.K. learns that the Leafmen have deliberately been leading Bomba off their trail the whole time. Bomba spies them and captures M.K., but faints when he sees her. M.K. marks the location of Moonhaven on a map of the forest before rejoining Nod and Ronin. Upon reaching Boggan territory, Ronin causes a distraction while M.K. and Nod rescue Mub, Grub, and the pod. An outnumbered Ronin sacrifices himself to ensure the others escape.

Before the full moon can open the pod at Moonhaven, Mandrake's bats block the light, causing the pod to begin blooming in darkness. While the Leafmen set out to fight the Boggans, M.K. tries to get her father’s attention by using the various cameras he had set in the forest. However, upon regaining consciousness, Bomba concludes that he has been insane all these years and begins scrapping his research. He changes his mind when he sees the red push-pin that M.K. had put on his map.

Bomba is overjoyed to see that he has been right and follows M.K. to Moonhaven. M.K. uses the bat sounds on Bomba’s iPod to lure Mandrake's bats away. Meanwhile, Mub and Nim Galuu try to stop Mandrake from reaching the pod, but are unsuccessful. Just then, Ronin reappears, having survived the attack. He is outdone by Mandrake, but Nod, who finally realizes the importance of teamwork, comes to his aid. Before Mandrake can obtain his victory, the pod fully blooms in moonlight, as Mandrake is consumed by the burl of a nearby tree.

A flower child who earlier aided in Tara’s escape is made the new queen. Grub becomes a Leafman, Nod and Ronin reconcile, and Nod and M.K. share a kiss before M.K. is returned to her original size. M.K. reunites with Bomba and later becomes his assistant; the two of them remain in contact with their small friends as they continue the research of their world.

Voice cast

Production

In 2006, it was reported that Chris Wedge would be directing an animated feature film based on William Joyce's book, The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs for Fox Animation. Joyce, who had already collaborated with Wedge as a designer and producer on the 2005 film Robots, was set to produce the film.[17] At one point, Wedge got permission to find a new home for the film and turned to Pixar, led by John Lasseter, a close friend that Wedge knew from working on Tron. When Pixar tried to close the rights for the film and start development, which would have been its first film adaptation of an existing work and a departure from its penchant of basing all of its films on original ideas, Fox changed their mind, and the film returned to Fox. The film was officially greenlit in 2009, under the title Leaf Men.[8] In May 2012, Fox announced the final title for the film (Epic) 3D-CGI its first cast details, and a plot.[9] According to Wedge, he was not satisfied with the renaming, which was decided by the marketing department. He also expressed dissatisfaction with subtitles given to the film in some non-English countries, including the French subtitle, The Battle of the Secret Kingdom.[18]

Although the film is based on and borrows many characters from Joyce's book, its plot has been significantly changed. Wedge explained: "[W]hile Bill wrote a wonderful book, it is a quaint story. We wanted to make a gigantic action-adventure movie." To address online speculations about whether the film is similar to other films, like FernGully: The Last Rainforest or Avatar, Wedge said: "I hate to associate it with other movies. It is adventure on the scale of Star Wars. And it does immerse the audience completely in a world like Avatar. But it has its own personality."[12]

Release

The film was internationally released starting with May 16, 2013.[1] In the United States, it premiered on May 18, 2013, at the Ziegfeld Theatre in New York City,[2] and was theatrically released in on May 24, 2013.[12]

Epic was released on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on August 20, 2013.[19][20] On January 29, 2021, Epic was made available to Disney+ subscribers, following The Walt Disney Company's acquisition of both 20th Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios in 2019, but it later got removed from the service on May 1, 2021 due to pre-existing contracts.[21][22] It was later added again as part of the Hulu hub. (Status: January 2024)

Reception

Box office

Produced on a budget of $93 million,[4][5] Epic grossed $107.5 million in North America, and $160.9 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $268.4 million.[6] In North America, the film earned $9.3 million on its opening day,[5] and opened to number four in its first weekend, with $33.5 million and $42.8 million over the four day Memorial Weekend (Friday–Monday), behind Fast & Furious 6, The Hangover Part III, and Star Trek Into Darkness.[23][24] In its second weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing an additional $16.6 million.[25] In its third weekend, the film stayed at number five, grossing $11.9 million.[26] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number seven, grossing $6.3 million.[27] While the film was overshadowed by other animated films that summer including Monsters University and Despicable Me 2, the film finished in third out of six family films that summer, and became a moderate box office success.[28]

Critical reception

Epic received generally mixed to positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of 128 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. The website's consensus reads: "Though its narrative themes are all too familiar, Epic is beautifully animated and crafted with just enough flair to make for solid family entertainment."[29] Another review aggregation website, Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 52 out of 100 based on 30 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an "A" grade on an A+-to-F scale, while specifically child audiences gave it an "A+" grade.[31]

Stephan Lee of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a B+, saying "The story lacks the specialness of a Pixar movie—it retreads the same eco-battle archetypes as FernGully and Avatar—but it's a perfectly appealing explosion of color for a lazy summer day."[32] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter gave the film a mixed review, saying "Where the animated film comes up short is on the inspiration front—despite the intriguing terrain, its stock inhabitants lack the sort of unique personality traits that would prevent them from feeling overly familiar."[33] Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film two stars, saying "It's difficult to keep its story and characters, or even its visual design, in your mind's eye, in part because the five credited screenwriters overload the narrative with incident and threatening complication."[34] Moira Macdonald of The Seattle Times gave the film three-and-a-half stars out of four, saying "The story's simple enough to appeal to young kids (the 8-year-old with me pronounced the movie "awesome"), but adults will enjoy the beautiful animation, whether 3D or 2D."[35] Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave the film two-and-a-half stars out of five, saying "As beautiful as it is, Epic is fatally lacking in visceral momentum and dramatic edge."[36]

Accolades

Awards
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients and nominees Result
Annie Awards[37] February 1, 2014 Animated Effects in an Animated Production Alen Lai, David Quirus, Diego Garzon Sanchez, and Ilan Gabai Nominated
Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production Thom Roberts Nominated
Directing in an Animated Feature Production Chris Wedge Nominated
Music in an Animated Feature Production Danny Elfman Nominated
Production Design in an Animated Feature Production Michael Knapp, Greg Couch, and William Joyce Nominated
Black Reel Awards[38] 2014 Outstanding Voice Performance Beyoncé Knowles Nominated
Casting Society of America Awards[39] November 18, 2013 Outstanding Achievement in Casting - Animation Feature Christian Kaplan Nominated
Motion Picture Sound Editors[40][41][42] February 16, 2014 Best Sound Editing in an Animated Feature Film Randy Thom, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle Won
Producers Guild of America Award[43] January 19, 2014 Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture Jerry Davis, Lori Forte Nominated
Satellite Awards[44] February 23, 2014 Best Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media Nominated
Visual Effects Society Awards[45] February 12, 2014 Outstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Bomba (Thom Roberts, Haven Gordon Cousins, Tim Bower, Daniel Lima) Nominated
Mary Katherine (Jeff Gabor, Dylan C. Maxwell, Sang Jun Lee, Chris Pagoria) Nominated
Outstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Pod Patch (Aaron Ross, Travis Price, Jake Panian, Antelmo Villarreal) Nominated
Outstanding FX and Simulation Animation in an Animated Feature Motion Picture Boggan Crowds (Thierry Dervieux-Lecocq, David Gatenby, Mark Adams, Matthew D. Simmons) Nominated
World Soundtrack Academy[46] October 25, 2013 Film Composer of the Year Danny Elfman also for Frankenweenie, Hitchcock, Oz the Great and Powerful, Promised Land, and Silver Linings Playbook Nominated

Soundtrack

Epic: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Film score by
Danny Elfman
ReleasedMay 21, 2013
Recorded2013
GenreScore
Length52:25
LabelSony Classics
Danny Elfman film scores chronology
Oz the Great and Powerful
(2013)		 Epic: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(2013)		 American Hustle
(2013)

Danny Elfman, who previously worked on a William Joyce film with Meet the Robinsons, composed the original music for the film, which was released on May 21, 2013 by Sony Classics.[47][48] Beyoncé performed and co-wrote with Sia an original song, titled "Rise Up."[49] The song was released as a digital single[50] and as part of the digital version of the soundtrack.[51][52] This is the first time that a film produced by Blue Sky Studios has not been scored by John Powell since the first Ice Age installment, which was composed by David Newman.

References

  1. 1 2 Wolfe, Jennifer. "Beyoncé Records New Song for 'Epic'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Taddeo, Dana (May 20, 2013). "'Epic' Premiere NYC: Amanda Seyfried, Colin Farrell Walk the Green Carpet (PHOTOS)". Moviefone. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  3. ↑ "EPIC (U)". British Board of Film Classification. May 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 3, 2013. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
  4. 1 2 Oldham, Stuart (May 24, 2013). "UPDATE: 'Fast and Furious 6′ Racing Towards $35 Million Friday, $100 Million Four-Day Weekend; 'Hangover' and 'Epic' Eye $50 Million". Variety. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013. ...along with Fox-Blue Sky Animation's $93 million family film, "Epic,"...
  5. 1 2 3 Finke, Nikki (May 25, 2013). "$317M Record-Breaking Memorial Weekend! #1 'Fast & Furious 6′ $317M Global For Franchise Biggest; 'Hangover III' $82.2M; 'Epic' $86.6M". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 25, 2013. Fox claims cost was $93M for this Chris Wedge-directed animated actioner
  6. 1 2 "Epic (2013)". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. June 2, 2013. Archived from the original on August 15, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2013.
  7. ↑ Kilday, Gregg; Giardina, Carolyn (January 3, 2014). "Roundtable: 5 Top Animators on the Good and Bad of Celebrity Voices and Creative Input From Their Own Kids". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 3, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Fleming, Michael (August 23, 2009). "Wedge turns over new 'Leaf' at Fox". Variety. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fleming, Mike (May 31, 2012). "Beyonce, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Amanda Seyfried, Steven Tyler Lead Voice Cast For Fox Animated Film 'Epic'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  10. 1 2 "Blue Sky Studios breaks new grounds in the animated spectacle 'Epic (3D)'". Philstar. April 15, 2013. Archived from the original on May 5, 2013. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  11. ↑ Desowitz, Bill (May 16, 2013). "Immersed in Movies: Chris Wedge Gets 'Epic'". Animation Scoop. Archived from the original on November 8, 2014. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wloszczyna, Susan (November 18, 2012). "Sneak peek: 'Epic' action in a small world". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 20, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  13. ↑
  14. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (March 21, 2013). "EPIC Behind-the-Scenes Preview with Director Chris Wedge Reveals a Battle Between Life and Decay in a Magical Hidden World Right Beneath Our Noses". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2014. ...Mandrake (Christoph Waltz, who will also be voicing the German version of his character).
  15. ↑ Wedge, Chris (Director) (May 24, 2013). Epic (Motion picture). United States: 20th Century Fox. Event occurs at 1:37:11.
  16. ↑ Twentieth Century Fox (May 31, 2012). "Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios Announce EPIC Casting" (Press release). Business Wire. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  17. ↑ Ball, Ryan (August 23, 2006). "Fox Falls for Joyce's Leaf Men". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  18. ↑ Nbu (October 8, 2013). "(INTERVIEW) A PROPOS D'EPIC AVEC CHRIS WEDGE" (in French). Focus on Animation. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
  19. ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (August 20, 2013). "Blue Sky's 'Epic' Hits Retail Shelves". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Win Epic on Blu-ray". MovieWeb. August 16, 2013. Archived from the original on April 25, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (March 19, 2019). "Disney Completes 21st Century Fox Acquisition". Variety. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  22. ↑ Palmer, Roger (December 20, 2020). ""EPIC" COMING SOON TO DISNEY+". WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for May 24-26, 2013". Box Office Mojo. IMDB. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  24. ↑ Amidi, Amid (May 29, 2013). "Blue Sky's "Epic" Opened in 4th Place at the Box Office". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for May 31-June 2, 2013". Box Office Mojo. June 2, 2013. Archived from the original on January 5, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for June 7-9, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  27. ↑ "Weekend Box Office Results for June 14-16, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 19, 2014. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Summer 2013 Family Movies". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2013.
  29. ↑ "Epic". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Epic Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  31. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (May 27, 2013). "Box Office Report: 'Fast 6' Earns $122 Million-Plus, Runs 'Hangover III' Off Course". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2013.
  32. ↑ Lee, Stephan (May 22, 2013). "Epic Movie Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  33. ↑ Rechtshaffen, Michael (May 17, 2013). "Epic Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  34. ↑ Phillips, Michael (May 23, 2013). "'Epic' can't see the forest for the plot". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  35. ↑ Macdonald, Moira (May 23, 2013). "'Epic': Wee warriors in a grand adventure". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  36. ↑ Holden, Stephen (May 23, 2013). "Tiny Folk in a Big War of Good Versus Evil". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
  37. ↑ "Annie Awards 2014: Complete list of winners and nominees". Los Angeles Times. December 2, 2013. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  38. ↑ "The Blac REEL Awards 2004 nominees". allthatsfab. Archived from the original on May 31, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2009.
  39. ↑ Weisman, Jon (August 19, 2013). "Artios Awards: Casting Society 2013 Nominees Revealed". Variety. Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  40. ↑ "UPDATE: Motion Picture Sound Editors Unveil Full List Of Golden Reel Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. PMC. January 15, 2014. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2014.
  41. ↑ Tapley, Kristopher (February 17, 2014). "2014 MPSE Golden Reel Awards winners". HitFix. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Complete list of 2014 Golden Reel award winners". Los Angeles Times. February 16, 2014. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  43. ↑ "Nominations for Theatrical Motion Picture, Animated Theatrical Motion Picture and Long-Form TV" (Press release). Producers Guild of America. January 2, 2014. Archived from the original on June 18, 2015. Retrieved January 2, 2014.
  44. ↑ International Press Academy (December 2, 2013). "The International Press Academy Announces Nominations For The 18th Annual Satellite Awards™" (Press release). PR Newswire. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
  45. ↑ Pond, Steve (January 14, 2014). "'Gravity' Soars in Visual Effects Society Nominations". TheWrap. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  46. ↑ "World Soundtrack Academy announces 2013 nominees" (Press release). World Soundtrack Academy. August 16, 2013. Archived from the original on May 17, 2014. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  47. ↑ "'Epic' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. May 3, 2013. Archived from the original on May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  48. ↑ "Epic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Amazon. September 9, 2009. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  49. ↑ 20th Century Fox Film (May 6, 2013). "Beyoncé Creates Original Song "RISE UP" for the Upcoming Motion Picture EPIC" (Press release). Business Wire. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved May 11, 2013.{{cite press release}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  50. ↑ "Rise Up". Amazon. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  51. ↑ "Epic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on June 21, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
  52. ↑ "Epic (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Amazon. Archived from the original on November 5, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
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