Animal Squad (2021 film)

Animal Squad is an upcoming American adventure action film directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. It is produced and distributed by Universal Studios. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Zach Collison, Tom Kenny, Nick Kroll, Zendaya Coleman, Bill Faggerbakke, Nicholas Cage, Bill Hader, Danny DeVito, and Ben Schwartz. It is also the sixth film in the Animal Cinematic Universe (ACU).

The film was released theatrically in the United States on February 5, 2021. It grossed $100 million against a $40 million budget and received generally positive reviews, praising the plot, casting, performances, humor, animation, and heart.

Plot
In the Spy Laboratory, a super villain attacks the employees. The villain, Sinister Shark (Nicholas Cage) steals a potion that creates wild animals and escapes. In the White House, President Charlie Brown (Danny DeVito) deals with how to defeat the Shark. Linus (Bill Hader), his childhood friend, suggests bringing a bunch of animals against the Shark. Brown agrees to the idea and decides to send Linus to recruit a group of animals that would work well together.

In the Jungle, Dr. Monkey Munkerstein (Zach Collison), the son of a world-famous doctor and artist, sits in silence as Linus arrives and tries to recruit him on the team, which Munkerstein agrees to. Linus then recruits the rest of the teammates for the group and sends them to an aircraft to meet each other.

Linus’ recruits, Dr. Monkey Munkerstein, Bald Eagle (Tom Kenny), Super Snake (Nick Kroll), Speedster (Zendaya Coleman), and Gorilla Greg (Bill Faggerbakke) as he tells them about the mission. When he leaves, Bald Eagle discusses how suspicious Linus is, but the group decides not to worry about it too much. They prepare to battle Sinister Shark, as he will try to rob the airship for money. The group is attacked and defeated by Sinister Shark, who steals the Airship in vengeance.

Bald Eagle continues to find Linus as suspicious as the group falls through a tunnel, ending up fighting a bunch of cave spiders. They win the fight and escape, but Super Snake is bitten and presumably dies, until he is revealed to be faking. The group then finds themselves in a jungle, as they lost their way home.

Cast
Voice Cast Live-action Cast
 * Zach Collison as Dr. Monkey Munkerstein, the leader of the Animal Squad.
 * Tom Kenny as Bald Eagle, a member of the Animal Squad.
 * Nick Kroll as Super Snake, a member of the Animal Squad.
 * Zendaya Coleman as Speedster, the only female member of the Animal Squad.
 * Bill Faggerbakke as Gorilla Greg, a member of the Animal Squad.
 * Nicholas Cage as Sinister Shark, an evil Shark who plots to destroy the Universe.
 * Bill Hader as Linus, an officer who works with Charlie Brown.
 * Danny DeVito as President Charlie Brown, the president of the United States.
 * Ben Schwartz as B0T, a robot that is Charlie’s right hand man.

Production
The film was announced shortly after the release of Spike and Brandon: Summer Vacation as an untitled superhero film. The title was revealed in August 2020, with Collison, Kenny, Kroll, Coleman, Faggerbakke, and Cage cast in the voice roles of the animals. Hader, DeVito, and Schwartz were signed on to play the live-actio cast in September. A teaser was released in November 2020, with the reveal of the film’s plot and title.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews, praising the plot, casting, performances, humor, animation, and heart. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an 87% score, based on 567 reviews, with an average score of 8.17 out of 10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “While it may not be as special as previous installments, Animal Squad is still a sight to behold filled with action and humor to spare.”

Release
The film wase released theatrically in the United States on February 5, 2021.