The Emoji Movie is a colorful and kid-friendly -- if not particularly original -- adventure that imagines a world inside our smartphones in which each emoji is supposed to have a single expression/role. So when "meh" face Gene (voiced by T.J. Miller) breaks those expectations, chaos ensues. Expect to see some destruction, suspense, and peril; the main characters are pursued by intimidating bots bent on deleting them with their laserlike weapons. But it never gets too intense for young elementary schoolers. There's a bit of flirting, and two emoji characters kiss; there are also scenes that take place in a dive bar, where drinking is implied (and there's a beer emoji character). Language is fairly mild but includes a purposely cut-off "oh, s--t," as well as insults like "loser," "shut up," and so on. Jokes about the poop emoji involve (surprise!) potty humor. Many real-life apps are featured prominently, including Dropbox, YouTube, and Just Dance. The story emphasizes the importance of being true to yourself, as well as the value of honesty and teamwork.
The film is directed by Anthony Leondis, American director specializing in animated films. His career began in the animation department of The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998), sequel to the animated classic "The Lion King" (1994). He also participated in The Prince of Egypt (1998) and Home on the Range (2004). The following year he contributed to the screenplay of "Kronk's New Groove" (2005) and wrote and directed his first film Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch (2005), second installment of the Disney franchise "Lilo & Stitch" Which was distributed on video and had a good reception, in addition the film won an Annie award for best production for the domestic market. Three years later, Leondis directed Igor (2008), a film that is inspired in the novel "Frankenstein" of the English writer Mery Shelley and that prrotagonized John Cusack. His next work was "Kung Fu Panda: Secrets of the Masters" (2011), a short film related to the DreamWorks franchise "Kung Fu Panda". This film is starring Jack Black, Angelina Jolie and Dustin Hoffman.
WHAT'S THE STORY? THE EMOJI MOVIE invites viewers into the world of Textopolis, a colorful city inside the phone of a teenager named Alex (voiced by Jake T. Austin). Populated entirely by emojis, Textopolis is a town in which everyone has a single role/expression, and their job is to perform that role flawlessly when Alex needs to send a text. Chaos ensues when eager young "meh" face Gene (T.J. Miller) freaks out on his first day at work and exhibits many different expressions, leading Alex to think something might be wrong with his phone. Head emoji Smiler (Maya Rudolph) is determined to keep Textopolis perfect -- and protected -- so she labels Gene a malfunction. His only hope is to track down a hacker by the name of Jailbreak (Anna Faris) to see whether he can be reprogrammed to correctly fulfill his "meh" destiny. So with the help of new friend Hi-5 (James Corden), Gene leaves Textopolis and ventures into the other apps on Alex's phone. But does Gene really need to be "fixed"?
MOVIE INFO Rating: PG (for rude humor) Genre: Animation, Comedy, Kids & Family Directed By: Anthony Leondis Written By: Anthony Leondis, Eric Siegel, Mike White In Theaters: Jul 28, 2017 Wide Runtime: 86 minutes Music: Patrick Doyle Studio: Sony Pictures Animation Principal Cast: Anna Faris, T.J. Miller, Sofía Vergara, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Coolidge, James Corden, Christina Aguilera, Maya Rudolph, Jake T. Austin, Rob Riggle, Steven Wright
