Taglines: Mom needs a little space.
A mischievious and rebellious nine-year-old boy named Milo (Seth Green, voice-over by Seth Dusky) is just beginning summer vacation, and his father (Tom Everett Scott) is leaving for a business trip. While Milo is wanting his summer to be a fun one, his mother (Joan Cusack) assigns him chores and tasks like taking out the trash.
At dinnertime, Milo is given broccoli. His mother has a “no broccoli, no TV” rule which Milo cleverly evades by feeding the broccoli to his pet cat. When Milo’s mother finds the cat throwing up from the broccoli, she grounds him and sends him to bed early. After a heated argument with his mother, Milo wishes that he never had a mom. Later that night, his wish comes true when his mother is abducted by Martians who plan to steal her “momness” to rear their own young.
Milo’s quest to save his mom involves stowing away on a spaceship, navigating an elaborate, multi-level planet and taking on the alien nation and their leader, the Supervisor (Mindy Sterling). With the help of tech-savvy subterranean-dwelling earthling Gribble (Dan Fogler), his bionic underground pet Two-Cat (Dee Bradley Baker), and rebellious Martian Ki (Elisabeth Harnois), Milo finds his way back to his mom.
The Martians are born from the ground every five years. By an automated process, robots separate the males from the females. The males are cast into the garbage dump (where they live a primitive existence). Each female is placed in the care of a nanny robot. Each batch of nannies requires an earthling mother to provide their maternal programing. The process which will download each mother’s memories results in her death.
The females are raised by the robot nannies to join a highly regimented matriarchal society; highly technological and free of physical affection. The Supervisor constructed this society to be freed from the burdens of child rearing.
At the beginning of the film, Martians observe Earth mothers, passing up those who are too indulgent or unable to control their children. They select Milo’s mother based on her ability to command Milo to take out the trash.
Mars Needs Moms
Directed by: Simon Wells
Starring: Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Joan Cusack, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Jacquie Barnbrook, Amber Gainey Meade, Julene Renee, Kirsten Severson
Screenplay by: Simon Wells, Wendy Wells
Production Design by: Doug Chiang
Cinematography by: Robert Presley
Film Editing by: Wayne Wahrman
Art Direction by: Brian Flora, Kurt Kaufman, Norman Newberry, Mike Stassi
Music by: John Powell
MPAA Rating: PG for sci-fi action and peril.
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Release Date: March 11, 2011
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