Taglines: Go on the ride.
June Bailey and her mother come up with the story of Wonderland, a magical amusement park run by animal creatures that entertain and dazzle children of all ages. The gang consists of Boomer, a big blue bear that greets patrons; Greta, a boar who manages and keeps things under control; Gus and Cooper, beaver brothers; Steve, a porcupine who is in love with Greta; and the park’s mascot/leader Peanut, a monkey who hears Mrs. Bailey’s voice and is given the inspiration to create with his magic marker.
As June gets older, her imagination grows. She and her friend Banky create a contraption that functions like a theme park ride, but it goes out of control and causes massive damage to the town. June’s parents scold her, but her mom tells her she can keep her imagination going as long as it doesn’t destroy the neighborhood.
Over time, the family continues to have fun, but Mrs. Bailey starts to get sick. She is sent away for recovery, leaving June scared and depressed. She starts to become cynical and refuses to play with the other kids because she thinks they only care about her giving them Wonderland. June and her father are then visited by Uncle Tony and Aunt Albertine. They try to cheer June up by sparking her imagination with talk of Wonderland, but June snaps and throws out the map of Wonderland into the fire before running to her room to cry.
Mr. Bailey gets ready to send June to math camp with Banky and their other friends. Barely ten minutes into the bus ride, June becomes paranoid that her father will not be able to handle himself without her, so she uses Banky to create a distraction on the bus and get them to pull over. June uses the opportunity to run back home through the woods. She then finds a burnt piece of the Wonderland map flying toward it. June chases after it as it takes her deeper into the woods, and she finds herself in a completely different place. She steps inside a rocket ride and is transported into Wonderland before her very eyes…or at least, what used to be Wonderland.
Wonder Park is a 2019 computer animated adventure film produced by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies, with Ilion Animation Studios handling animation. The plot follows a young girl who encounters a real version of her magical amusement park, run by talking animals. The film stars the voice talents of newcomer Brianna Denski, and Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Kath Soucie, Norbert Leo Butz, and Kevin Chamberlin. The film was directed by former Pixar animator Dylan Brown in his directorial debut; while he was involved through most of the production period, Paramount Pictures dismissed him in January 2018, citing “inappropriate and unwanted conduct.”
Wonder Park was released in 2D and 3D formats in the United States on March 15, 2019. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed over $119 million worldwide. A television series based on the film was scheduled to debut in 2019 on Nickelodeon, making it the third animated film from Nickelodeon Movies, after Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Barnyard, to serve as the basis for an animated series on the network.
Wonder Park (2019)
Directed by: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec
Starring: Brianna Denski, Jennifer Garner, Kenan Thompson, Mila Kunis, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, Norbert Leo Butz, Kate McGregor-Stewart, Kath Soucie, Kevin Chamberlin, Noen Perez
Screenplay by: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec
Production Design by: Fred Warter
Cinematography by: Juan García Gonzalez
Film Editing by: Edie Ichioka
Music by: Steven Price
MPAA Rating: PG for some mild thematic elements and action.
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: March 15, 2019
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