Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (formerly titled Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers) is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction comedy film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. The sequel to 2009's "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" (which in turn was loosely based on Judi and Ron Barrett's book of the same name, however the film is not based on the book's sequel, "Pickles to Pittsburgh"), the film was directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller returning as executive producers. Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt reprise their roles from the first film, while Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V. in this one. New cast members include Kristen Schaal as orangutan Barb and Terry Crews as Officer Earl, replacing Mr. T in the role. The film's plot involves Flint Lockwood and his friends returning to Chewandswallow to save the world after the presumably-destroyed FLDSMDFR reawakens, this time producing sentient food animals. 
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" was released in the United States on September 27, 2013, and grossed over $274 million worldwide against its budget of $78 million, slightly more than its predecessor. It received generally positive reviews from critics, though it was deemed inferior to its predecessor.
Plot.
Following the events of the first film, inventor Flint Lockwood and his friends celebrate their success in saving the world from the food storm created by the "Flint Lockwood Diatonic Super Mutating Dynamic Food Replicator" (FLDSMDFR). Chester V., the CEO of Live Corp and Flint's childhood idol, offers his company's services to help clean up the mess left by the storm. He hires Flint, but during his short tenure at Live Corp, Flint enters a competition for a promotion only to humiliate himself during a presentation.
Chester shows Flint that the FLDSMDFR is still functioning and creating food-animal hybrids (foodimals), one of which attacked his employees stationed on Swallow Falls. Chester tells Flint that he needs to travel alone to the island, find the FLDSMDFR, and insert a “BS-USB” device with a kill code to stop it. However, Flint gathers a team: his girlfriend Sam Sparks; her cameraman Manny; police officer Earl; Steve, Flint’s pet monkey; and reformed bully “Chicken” Brent McHale. Flint also grudgingly accepts the help of Tim, his widowed father, who takes them to the island using his fishing boat. When Chester learns that Flint is not alone, he and his much-abused orangutan assistant Barb gather some Live Corp employees and follow.
While Tim stays on the boat, making friends with some living pickles and teaching them to fish, Flint and his friends work their way through the jungle-like environment that now completely covers Swallow Falls. They encounter more foodimals, such as sushisheep (susheep), shrimp chimpanzees (shrimpanzees), taco crocodile (tacodile), watermelon elephant, and a living strawberry they name "Barry". A giant cheeseburger spider (cheespider) chases Flint and the gang, but Chester arrives, scaring it off and joining in the mission. Sam becomes suspicious of Chester's motives, as his claims that the foodimals are dangerous do not align with what they have observed already, and the others start to agree. Flint is too afraid of failure to listen, eventually leading to Sam and the gang striking out on their own. They meet up with and befriend the cheespider, realizing she only hurts people wearing Live Corp gear. When Manny deduces that the foodimals have realized "live" is merely meant to be an anagram of "evil", a Live Corp security team ambushes and takes them captive.
Flint, Barb, and Chester finally track down the FLDSMDFR, but after meeting and befriending some living marshmallows it created, Flint defies Chester and refuses to use the kill code. Chester knocks Flint into a river, where he is rescued by the marshmallows and reunites with Tim. Chester uses the device, which actually is a hacking device, to reprogram and steal the machine. The Lockwoods realize that, without the FLDSMDFR, the existing foodimals will die out. As Flint offers his condolences, he is surprised to discover that the foodimals, having watched old footage of Flint inventing the FLDSMDFR, have dubbed him "Nwoo," the creator, and revere him. Inspired, Flint vows to get his machine and his friends back.
Tim and the foodimals help Flint and Barry sneak into the Live Corp base, where some captive foodimals are freed by Barry and proceed to drive away the Live Corp employees. When cornered, Chester threatens to put Flint's friends in his food bar machine, which is also the fate he had designed for all foodimals and the reason he wanted to find the FLDSMDFR in the first place. He fires Barb when she objects to the violence, but Flint is able to overpower him with his inventions and frees his friends. Chester attempts to escape with the FLDSMDFR but Barb, having had enough with Chester's cruelty towards her, steals it back and he is eaten by the Cheespider. Flint returns the FLDSMDFR to where he found it and restores it to normal. Flint reconciles with Sam, the gang, and his father Tim, whom he goes out to try out fishing for the first time. It is shown during the closing credits that the residents of Swallow Falls have returned to their proper homes, adapting to the altered ecosystem and happily continuing their lives. The FLDSMDFR still continues foodimal production, and they live peacefully alongside the humans.
In a mid credits scene, Barb develops a crush on Steve, attempting to ask him on a date.
Voice cast.
Additionally, archive recordings of Mr T. as Earl Devereaux can be heard in the film's opening.
Production.
Development.
The sequel was announced in April 2010, when website io9 reported that the original film’s directors, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, would not return for the sequel. In December 2011, it was reported that Cody Cameron, one of the story artists on the first film, and Kris Pearn, the head of story on the first, would direct the sequel, with Lord and Miller serving as executive producers. John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, and Erica Rivinoja wrote the screenplay, which is based on an original story idea, not on "Pickles to Pittsburgh", Ron and Judi Barrett's follow-up book. In February 2012, it was announced that the sequel would be titled "Cloudy 2: Revenge of the Leftovers", but it was later retitled to "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2".
Casting.
Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris, and Benjamin Bratt reprised their roles. The role of Earl, the town cop, was taken over by Terry Crews, since Mr. T declined to return. Kristen Schaal joined the cast to voice Barb, a talking and lipstick-wearing orangutan with a human brain. Will Forte, who voiced Joseph Towne in the first film, voices Chester V, a world-famous super-inventor who commands Barb and is the head of the Live Corp Company. On January 17, 2013, concept art from the film was released.
Music.
The music was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh. Cody Simpson provided a single "La Da Dee", which was played at the film's end credits. Simpson also performed in a music video that incorporated footage from the film. Paul McCartney's single, "New", from his 2013 album, was featured in the film.
Release.
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" was originally scheduled for release on December 20, 2013, then pushed to February 7, 2014, before moving up to September 27, 2013.
In promotional events before the film's release, Sony Pictures Animation partnered with some produce companies to provide more than of produce for Feeding America's action to help children and families in need. Several food-packing events across the country were organized, with Anna Faris and Will Forte attending the main one in Los Angeles. Sony teamed up with marketing partners in the United States to promote the film through Subway Kids Meals with a set of 6 customized bags.
Home media.
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" was released on DVD and Blu-ray on January 28, 2014. The home media was accompanied with four short animated films based on the main feature: "Super Manny", "Earl Scouts", "Steve's First Bath", and "Attack of the 50-Foot Gummi Bear". Two of the shorts, "Super Manny" and "Earl Scouts", were already released online before the media release, premiering in October 2013 on Univision and Fandango, respectively. David Feiss directed all four shorts, which feature a computer-generated wraparound animation and a hand-drawn animation, provided by Six Point Harness.
Reception.
Critical response.
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 71%, based on 120 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "While not as clever or inventive as its predecessor, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" compensates with enough dazzling visuals to keep younger viewers entertained." Metacritic, gave the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 31 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade A-, the same as the first film.
Michael Rechtshaffen of "The Hollywood Reporter" gave the film a positive review, saying "While not as delightfully breezy as the original, an engaging voice cast and hordes of 'Foodimals' still manage to serve up a tasty sequel." Linda Barnard of the "Toronto Star" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At its heart, "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" is fun, even if it is occasionally so chaotic it tramples the movie's flow like a herd of stampeding Buffaloafs." Michael Phillips of the "Chicago Tribune" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "The movie is better in every respect than the original "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs". It's also more fun than all three "Ice Ages"; "Monsters University"; "Planes"; "Epic"; "Despicable Me 2"; and though I could go on, I won't." Jordan Hoffman of the "New York Daily News" gave the film four out of five stars, saying ""Cloudy 2" is loud, weird and chaotic—just as kids like it. There's plenty of screaming and running while arms flail about, and even the obligatory message bit is given a healthy dose of 'yeah, yeah, yeah.' Your car ride back from the theater won't be a quiet one, but sometimes it's good to have a sugary treat." Dave McGinn of "The Globe and Mail" gave the film two out of four stars, saying "Unfortunately, the film promises more fun and laughs than it delivers, and this meal tastes like too many that have gone before it." Bill Goodykoontz of "The Arizona Republic" gave the film four out of five stars, saying "It's the rare sequel that takes the spirit of the original and runs with it, coming up with something uniquely good in its own right."
Tim Robey of "The Daily Telegraph" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "For all its properly surreal mayhem, this flick isn't quite as nimble or emotionally rounded as its predecessor." Sean O'Connell of "The Washington Post" gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Kids will chuckle, for sure. But parents who were pleasantly surprised by the original film's intelligence will miss Lord and Miller's guiding hands, as what once felt so funny now leaves a stale taste." Kyle Smith of the "New York Post" gave the film one out of four stars, saying "Whelk, I hope the makers of "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" earned a nice celery, but I'm afraid they made a hash of things. A hash seasoned with oy sauce." Rafer Guzman of "Newsday" gave the film one and a half stars out of four, saying "Mostly, "Cloudy 2" relies on the usual noxious recipe for junky kid flicks: loud noise, pop music and poop jokes." Miriam Bale of "The New York Times" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "At times it felt as if this film might challenge Pixar's decade-long reign, but that promise wanes. Instead, the movie is sometimes so strange, colorful and wildly cute that it may end up becoming a "Yellow Submarine" for a new generation." Tom Russo of "The Boston Globe" gave the film two out of four stars, saying "It's another brightly rendered effort, but, as the title indicates, a lot of the real creativity seems to have been used up the first time around." Mike Clark of "USA Today" gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying "There's not a surprise or moment of tension to be found here, but the film is all energy and color that makes the discomfort of 3-D glasses seem worth it."
Jocelyn Noveck of the Associated Press gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Your enjoyment will probably depend on your tolerance of those countless food-based puns dreamed up by script writers Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. Some might find these tiresome, but let's just note here that this is a kid movie, and KIDS LOVE PUNS. So they laugh at 'There's a leek in the boat.' And they laugh even more the second time." A. A. Dowd of "The A.V. Club" gave the film a C, saying "Like too many sequels, this second helping of Meatballs confuses bigger for better, piling on the action but misplacing much of the original's charm." David Hiltbrand of "The Philadelphia Inquirer" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "This scrumptious sequel follows the same recipe as the 2009 original." Peter Hartlaub of the "San Francisco Chronicle" gave the film two out of four stars, saying ""Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" is a humorous yet unfocused romp, so unwilling to settle on a single theme that hyperactivity medication should be handed out with the 3-D glasses." Matt Patches of "Film.com" gave the film 7.1 out of 10, saying "The 2009 original separated itself from the Pixar and Dreamworks competition with a joke-first approach. The sequel quadruples the recipe, with gags on top of gags on top of gags in a way only animation could achieve. Like a foodie "Jurassic Park" conjured up by Tex Avery, "Cloudy 2" is a sight to behold … as long as your brain hasn't turned to mush by the halfway point."
Amy Nicholson of "The Village Voice" gave the film a positive review, saying "The "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs" franchise takes its comic cues from "The Muppets" and "Pee Wee's Playhouse", kids' shows that ripen as their audience matures." Keith Staskiewicz of "Entertainment Weekly" gave the film a B, saying "While no one was exactly crying out for second helpings of this animated meat-eorology franchise, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs 2" is charming enough on its own not to feel like just reheated leftovers." Steve Davis of "The Austin Chronicle" gave the film two out of five stars, saying "For both kids and adults, "CWCM2" is little more than a vague memory as soon as it's over." Peter Debruge of "Variety" gave the film a positive review, saying "What Erica Rivinoja, John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein's script lacks in lingering nutritional value, it compensates for with amusing food puns. If nothing else, the pic's zany tone and manic pace are good for a quick-hit sugar high." Betsy Sharkey of the "Los Angeles Times" gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying "Honestly, anyone who can pull off a running joke about leeks that does not make you gag, and is in fact a silly delight, deserves props." Bill Zwecker of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Unlike so many sequels, this fun-filled 3D adventure is sure to entertain younger kids but also charm the adults who will be accompanying them to the multiplexes."
Box office.
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2" grossed $119,793,567 in North America, and $154,532,382 in other countries, for a worldwide total of $274,325,949. Its budget was reported at $78 million, while Sony spent $48.2 million for the film's marketing in the United States, and $41.3 million in other countries.
In North America, the film earned $9.3 million on its opening day, and opened to number one in its first weekend, with $34,017,930. In its second weekend, the film dropped to number two, grossing an additional $20,950,192. In its third weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing $13,774,742. In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number five, grossing $9,672,791.
Video games.
A video game titled "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2", published by GameMill Entertainment, was released on September 24, 2013 for Nintendo DS and Nintendo 3DS. Its gameplay mechanic is similar to "Fruit Ninja".
A free mobile game titled "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2: Foodimal Frenzy" was developed by PlayFirst and released for both iOS and Android devices. The game is no longer available on App Stores.
A downloadable app titled "Foodimal Funimal" was released for free by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on iOS and Android mobile devices on August 20, 2013.