Paramount Animation came out with a pretty good opening statement when The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water opened in the #1 spot at the box office with $55.4 Million, exceeding studio expectations. It has also been surprisingly well-received, with a 73% ‘Certified Fresh’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes (check out our review here).
With that monumental task out the way, all eyes will soon be on Paramount Animation’s second film of 2015: Monster Trucks. Directed by Blue Sky Studios co-founder Chris Wedge from a screenplay by Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger, and Derek Connolly, Monster Trucks was recently revealed to have shifted its release date to open on Christmas Day. Now we bring to you a report on what the film may actually be about.
(CAUTION: This report is coming from an unconfirmed source. Please take the following information with a grain of salt until we are given official clarification.)
FilmDivider recently reported that while the film (which is now in the post-production phase and undergoing reshoots) hasn’t been issued an official plot description, it did manage to get ahold of a short synopsis that has supposedly been floating around the studio:
“After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.”
Assuming that this is an accurate description of the film’s plot, it’s decent to say the least. It’s following squarely in the tradition of the ‘Boy and his X‘ archetype that has recently begun to take hold in animation. But while no ground is being broken in this synopsis, having a familiar plot arc might help to ground the more fantastical premise of ‘subterranean monster trucks’.
Also, notice that the synopsis describes a main character named Tripp, who is reportedly being played by Lucas Till.
With a budget of $100 Million, Paramount Animation is obviously placing high hopes on the film being the start of their first tentpole franchise. It’s a bold position given that it will be one of a small handful of movies that studios will be bravely releasing to theaters in the midst of an inevitable noise-drowning from Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
But, should it somehow survive and subsequently secure the hopes of a franchise, the next mystery will be whether or not Chris Wedge will be back in the director’s chair (he will reportedly be returning to Blue Sky once Monster Trucks is done).
The cast is comprised of Lucas Till, Jane Levy, Amy Ryan, Holt McCallany, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Frank Whaley, Barry Pepper, Thomas Lennon, Tucker Albrizzi, with Adrian Formosa and Chad Willett.
Monster Trucks will bow on December 25, 2015.
What do you think? Assuming the information is factual, does the plot synopsis for Monster Trucks intrigue you in anyway?
Edited by: Hannah Wilkes
