Mike the Meerkat: Origins (2020 film)

Mike the Meerkat: Origins is an American comedy adventure film and a prequel to Mike the Meerkat. It is produced by Universal Studios and distributed by Cartoon Network Studios. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Lennon Richardson, Gabriel Combs, Will Arnett, Thomas Middleditch, Chris Evans, Maya Rudolph, and Colbi Shofler.

The film was released theatrically in the United States on January 22, 2020. The film was a box office success, grossing $600 million against a $300 million budget, and received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, performances, humor, and heart, while some criticize the pacing.

Plot
4 Years Before the events of the Series, Mike the Meerkat is a new student at Animal School Elementary. He is eyed by local bully Bowser, who dislikes Mike for being skinny. Their teacher, Mr. Waldo, introduces Mike to the class. Bowser promises to be a bully for many years to come and Mike fears Bowser.

After Class, Bowser is revealed to be bullied by local bully Mario and his assistant Teddy. Mike tries to comfort Bowser, but the two get into a fight in the hallway. Mr. Waldo catches the two and sends them both to detention. In Detention, Mike and Bowser are introduced to Harold, the bullied overweight dog in their school. Bowser tries to steal the teacher’s keys as School ends.

At home, Bowser’s parents shame him for getting his third detention of the year, having only being two weeks into the year. Bowser blames Mike, but his parents don’t buy it and ground him. Eventually, Bowser sneaks out and notices a door in the ground, which Mike and Harold notice in their houses. The three open them and are suddenly transported into the Jungle, where the three continue to have their fights uninterrupted. The three try to find solutions.

That Night, Mike and Harold build a treehouse, but Bowser doesn’t trust them enough to sleep in the treehouse. He then realizes that the two are more friendly than he thought and sleeps in the treehouse without them knowing. That Morning, Bowser leaves to find some food and accidentally pushes Mike into a river. Mike wakes up and screams. Bowser goes after Mike and eventually saves him, realizing that they are farther from the treehouse than they should be and forgot about Harold.

They use this time to bond and get to know each other while searching for food. They eventually find a chicken and try to eat it, but fail as an unknown figure stomps on it. He is revealed to be Bigfoot and Mike and Bowser escape. They eventually realize that Bigfoot is going after Harold and they chase after him. Bigfoot eventually captures Harold and Mike and Bowser go after him.

They eventually stop at an abandoned volcano, which turns out to be Bigfoot’s long lost home where his parents died. Bigfoot discovers Mike and Bowser, dropping the two (long with Harold) in a well. Mike and Bowser get into another fight and Bowser is revealed to have started becoming less of a bully. Bigfoot then throws the three into a volcano, but they end up going into a sewer that leads them back into Animal City.

Bigfoot attacks Animal City, but Mike and Bowser convince Bigfoot that bullying is wrong and he realizes the error of his ways, revealing that he was also bullied. Mike and Bowser then convince Bigfoot to move into Animal City and just ignore the bullies and be himself no matter what others think. Harold finally wakes up and the three decide to become friends and go home for the night. In the End, Bowser solves his problems with his parents, Mike and Harold are finally done being bullied, and the three finally put their differences aside and become friends.

Voice Cast

 * Lennon Richardson as Mike, an African Meerkat who is bullied for being skinny and a future friend of Bowser and Harold.
 * Gabriel Combs as Bowser, a Box Turtle who is a bullied bully and a future friend of Mike and Harold.
 * Lennon Richardson as Harold, a St. Bernard who sleeps a lot and is bullied and a future friend of Mike and Bowser.
 * Will Arnett as Bigfoot, a mystical creature from the Jungle who hunts Mike, Harold, and Bowser for invading his land.
 * Thomas Middleditch as Mr. Waldo, Mike and Bowser’s teacher who is a dog and sends them to detention after a fight.
 * Chris Evans as Boser, Bowser’s strict father whose harsh actions caused Bowser to become a bully.
 * Maya Rudolph as Owser, Bowser’s overprotective mother who tries to prevent Bowser from even going to school.
 * Colbi Shofler as Mario, a giant plumber who bullies Bowser for being overweight,
 * Colbi Shofler as Teddy, Mario’s former assistant who bullies Bowser.

Reception
The film received generally positive reviews for its plot, casting, performances, humor, and heart, while some criticize the pacing. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 75% score, based on 831 reviews, with an average rating of 8.17/10. The website’s critical consensus reads, “While its pacing could be better, Mike the Meerkat’s prequel film is still a funny film to behold.” On an A+ to F Scale, the film received a “B+”.

Release
The film was released theatrically in the United States on January 22, 2020. It was also released digitally on March 22, 2020, and on Blu-Ray and DVD on April 14, 2020.