Ferdinand (film)

Ferdinand is a 2017 American computer-animated comedy adventure film produced by Blue Sky Studios and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The film was based on Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson's 1936 children's book The Story of Ferdinand, written by Robert L. Baird, Tim Federle, and Brad Copeland, and directed by Carlos Saldanha. The film features an ensemble voice cast that includes John Cena, Kate McKinnon, Bobby Cannavale, Peyton Manning, Anthony Anderson, David Tennant, Tim Nordquist, Lily Day, Juanes, Jerrod Carmichael, Miguel Ángel Silvestre, Raúl Esparza, Gina Rodriguez, Daveed Diggs, Gabriel Iglesias, Flula Borg, Boris Kodjoe, and Sally Phillips. The music for the film was composed by John Powell, making it his eighth collaboration with Blue Sky. The story, written by Ron Burch, David Kidd, and Don Rhymer, follows a gentle pacifist bull named Ferdinand who refuses to participate in bullfighting but is forced back into the arena where his beliefs are challenged when he faces off against the world's greatest bullfighter.

This article is about the 2017 Blue Sky Studios animated film. It is not to confused with Ferdinand the Bull, a 1938 Walt Disney cartoon.

Ferdinand
Theatrical release poster
Directed byCarlos Saldanha
Produced by
  • John Davis
  • Lisa Marie Stetler
  • Lori Forte
  • Bruce Anderson
Screenplay by
Story by
Based on
Starring
Music byJohn Powell
CinematographyRenato Falcão
Edited byHarry Hitner
Production
company
Distributed by20th Century Fox[1]
Release date
  • December 10, 2017 (2017-12-10) (Los Angeles)
  • December 15, 2017 (2017-12-15) (United States)
Running time
108 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States[3]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$111 million[4]
Box office$296.1 million[4]

Ferdinand premiered on December 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 15, 2017 in 3D and 2D formats. It grossed $296 million worldwide against a production budget of $111 million.[5][6] Ferdinand received a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 90th Academy Awards (losing against Coco) while also receiving nominations for Best Animated Feature Film (also lost against Coco) and Best Original Song ("Home") at the 75th Golden Globe Awards (losing against This Is Me).[7]

It was the last 20th Century Fox animated film to be released before the Disney acquisition, as well as the last Blue Sky Studios film to be released before the Disney acquisition.

Plot

In Spain, young Ferdinand lives with other calves and bulls at Señor Moreno's "Casa del Toro", where bulls are trained for the bullfighting ring. Ferdinand is a pacifist, and is bullied by the other calves Valiente, Guapo, and Bones. A matador arrives, and the calves' fathers fight to impress him. Ferdinand's father Raf is picked, and Valiente and his father squish Ferdinand's "pet" flower in retaliation. Raf does not come back from the ring; realizing his father is dead, Ferdinand runs away from Casa del Toro. He winds up on a flower farm owned by Juan and his daughter Nina, who adopt him, much to the annoyance of their dog Paco.

Some years later, Ferdinand has grown into an enormous but still-gentle bull. Juan decides Ferdinand is too big and clumsy to come with them to the Annual Flower Festival in Ronda anymore. Ferdinand follows them anyway, but is stung by a bee and panics, accidentally destroying the town square. Animal Control officers determine him a public menace, and take him away before Nina and Juan can explain.

The officers decide to give Ferdinand to Casa del Toro, where he meets his old comrades Valiente, Bones, and Guapo, as well as new additions Lupe the goat, Angus the Highland bull, and lab-cloned Galloway Maquina. Ferdinand tries to escape, but is stopped by three German Lippizaner horses, who now keep watch to prevent any more bulls escaping.

Snooty matador El Primero arrives, needing a bull for his final bullfight before retirement. Moreno puts all the bulls in a ring to fight it out, but Ferdinand refuses to take part, causing a chain of mishaps when he tries to help Guapo recover from a stage-fright-induced faint. El Primero gives Moreno two days to get the bulls into shape. Guapo is sent to the chop house, and Valiente informs a horrified Ferdinand that non-fighters now become meat.

That night, Ferdinand comforts Bones as he grieves for Guapo, making a friend of him. The next day, he fixes Angus' hair so he can see better, earning another friend. Ferdinand, Bones, and Angus then challenge the horses to a dance fight, and Maquina joins in the fun, helping them win. Valiente mocks them for bonding and wasting valuable practice time, causing the other bulls to sadly abandon Ferdinand.

With the help of hedgehogs Una, Dos, and Cuatro, Ferdinand and Lupe try to escape through the house. Ferdinand finds a wall of horns in a trophy room, including his father's horns. Realizing that the bull is slaughtered in every bullfight, Ferdinand goes back and warns the others to run for it. Valiente refuses to accept the truth, and starts fighting Ferdinand, accidentally breaking off his own horn. He is taken to the chop house, and Ferdinand is chosen by El Primero for the bullfight.

Ferdinand breaks out and rescues Valiente, as well as Guapo, who had not yet been killed. Together, Lupe, the bulls and the hedgehogs steal Moreno's truck and flee to Madrid, pursued by Moreno's staff. They abandon the truck and flee on foot to the Atocha train station. Ferdinand helps the others get aboard the train, but deliberately sacrifices himself to buy them time to get away. He is captured and brought to the ring, but a video of the bulls' escape has made the news. Recognizing Ferdinand on TV, Paco alerts Juan and Nina, who hurry to Madrid.

In Las Ventas arena, Ferdinand refuses to fight, but becomes scared and starts running around in blind panic, accidentally knocking over and humiliating El Primero. Primero wounds him with a banderilla, and Ferdinand nearly retaliates, until he sees a carnation crushed beneath his hoof. Unwilling to hurt anyone, Ferdinand spares El Primero and sits down, waiting to be killed. The crowd yells for Primero to let Ferdinand live, and he decides to put down his sword and leave with dignity. Ferdinand becomes the first bull to "win" a bullfight, and is reunited with Nina. Moreno retires Lupe, Ferdinand and the rest of the bulls to Juan's farm, where they become a part of the family.

In a mid-credits scene, the hedgehogs are shocked to find their lost brother Tres.

Voice cast
  • John Cena as Ferdinand the Bull, a huge flower-loving bull who does not want to fight and believes in looking out for others.[8]
    • Colin H. Murphy voices a calf Ferdinand.
  • Kate McKinnon as Lupe, an old goat and Ferdinand's self-appointed mentor.[8]
  • Bobby Cannavale as Valiente, an arrogant and aggressive bull who bullies Ferdinand for his flower-loving personality and reluctance to fight. He was the last bull to befriended Ferdinand.
    • Jack Gore voices a calf Valiente.
    • Cannavale also voices Valiente's father, a ferocious and cruel bull who hates everyone, including his son. His attitude rubs off on Valiente.
  • Peyton Manning as Guapo, a brash, loudmouthed bull who has stage fright and is also bullied by Valiente. He is the fourth bull to befriend Ferdinand. [9]
  • Anthony Anderson as Bones, an undersized but fast and agile bull. He is Guapo's friend, and the first of the bulls to befriend Ferdinand. [8]
    • Nile Diaz voices a calf Bones
  • David Tennant as Angus, a Highland bull from Scotland who had hair over his eyes until Ferdinand licked it. He is the second bull to befriend Ferdinand. [10]
  • Tim Nordquist as Maquina, a lab-cloned Belted Galloway, who cannot speak and only grunts and growls. He is the third bull to befriend Ferdinand.
  • Lily Day as Nina, the original owner of Paco and Ferdinand. She and her father later adopt Lupe, and all of Moreno's bulls.
    • Julia Scarpa Saldanha voices a young Nina.
  • Juanes as Juan, the father of Nina. [9]
  • Jerrod Carmichael as Paco, a dog owned by Nina and Juan[8]
  • Miguel Ángel Silvestre as El Primero, a very picky matador.[8]
  • Raúl Esparza as Moreno, the owner of Casa del Toro, who wants to impress Primero.[8]
  • Gina Rodriguez as Una, a hedgehog who is Dos and Cuatro's sister.[8]
  • Daveed Diggs as Dos, a hedgehog, Una and Cuatro's brother[8][11]
  • Gabriel Iglesias as Cuatro, a hedgehog, Una and Dos' brother[12][8][11]
  • Flula Borg as Hans, a Lipizzan at Casa del Toro.[8]
  • Boris Kodjoe as Klaus, a Lipizzan at Casa del Toro.[8]
  • Sally Phillips as Greta, a Lipizzan at Casa del Toro.[8]
  • Jeremy Sisto as Raf, Ferdinand's father who died in the bullfights.
  • Cindy Slattery as Bunny, a red rabbit.

Production

In 2011, it was reported that 20th Century Fox Animation had acquired the rights to the children's book The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf to adapt it into a computer-animated feature film with Carlos Saldanha attached to direct it.[13] In May 2013, Fox titled the film simply Ferdinand, which would be produced by Blue Sky Studios.[14] John Powell, a frequent collaborator with Saldanha, would be composing the film's score.[15] In November 2016, it was reported that Gabriel Iglesias would voice a character named Cuatro, a hedgehog, Una and Dos' brother.[12]

Soundtrack
Ferdinand (Music from the Motion Picture)
Soundtrack album by
Various artists
ReleasedDecember 1, 2017 (2017-12-01)
GenrePop, Latin pop
LabelIsland Records
ProducerJohn Powell

On September 19, 2017, it was announced that singer Nick Jonas wrote and recorded a song called "Home" for the film. It was featured in the third trailer released the next day and also appears in the film and end credits.[16] It was released as the first promotional single of the soundtrack on October 20, 2017.[17] A second song by Jonas, "Watch Me", was used for the dance battle between the bulls and the horses, and was released alongside the film's EP on December 1.[18]

Track listing

The soundtrack features three original tracks: "Home" and "Watch Me" by Nick Jonas, and "Lay Your Head On Me" by Juanes.[18][19]

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Home"Nick Jonas3:00
2."Lay Your Head On Me"Juanes3:16
3."Watch Me"Jonas2:26
4."Freedom"Pitbull2:54
5."Macarena"Los del Rio4:09
6."Home (Film Version)"Jonas2:48
Total length:18:55

Most of Albert Hay Malotte's score from Walt Disney's Ferdinand the Bull (1938) was included and recomposed by John Powell, who also created additional original theme music for the 2017 film.

Release

In May 2013, Fox scheduled the film for April 7, 2017 release.[14] In February 2016, the release date was pushed back from its original release date of April 7, 2017 to July 21, 2017.[20] In August 2016, the release date was again pushed back, this time from July 21, 2017 to December 22, 2017, taking over the release date of DreamWorks Animation's The Croods 2,[21] before that film was temporarily cancelled before film was back in production.[22] In February 2017, the film was moved up by one week from December 22, 2017 to December 15, 2017.[5] The first trailer premiered on March 28, 2017,[23] followed by the second trailer on June 14, 2017.[24]

Home media

Ferdinand was released on Digital HD on February 27, 2018, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13, 2018.

Reception

Box office

Ferdinand has grossed $84.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $211.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $296 million, against a production budget of $111 million.[4]

In the United States and Canada, Ferdinand was released alongside Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and was projected to gross $15–20 million from 3,621 theaters in its opening weekend.[25] It made $350,000 from Thursday night previews at 2,385 theaters, which began at 5 P.M. and $3.6 million on its first day. It went on to open to $13.3 million, finishing second behind The Last Jedi.[26]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 72% based on 120 reviews and an average rating of 6.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Ferdinand's colorful update on a classic tale doesn't go anywhere unexpected, but its timeless themes – and John Cena's engaging voice work in the title role – make for family-friendly fun."[27] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[28] Audience polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.[26]

Spanish bullfighting critic of El País, Antonio Lorca, in a critique of the film said that the film's message is "profoundly unnatural", and that the "renunciation" of the lead character to its "animal nature" is a lie that manipulates children, who will become "tomorrow's anti-bullfighters".[29] El Diario.es commented on this article by Lorca, saying that it had been widely commented on social networks and that the anti-bullfighting narrative of the film "raised hackles" for its message against animal abuse, which can also be interpreted as "fight against school bullying" and "implicit defense of sexual and gender diversity".[30] Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, saying, "Unlike in the book, Ferdinand earns the arena's cheers for not fighting, but the crowd's sense of surprise will elude audiences attending Ferdinand."[31] Susan Wloszczyna of Rogerebert.com gave the film a three out of four stars and said, "Enough of that kind of bull. What the world needs now is Ferdinand, sweet Ferdinand, a rare breed of bovine who takes a stand against aggression, competitive rivalry and conforming to the expectations of others."[32] James Dyer of Empire Magazine gave the film a three out of five stars, saying, "Inoffensive fun, but unlike its paperback forbear, the cinematic Ferdinand is unlikely to stand the test of time."[33]

Simran Hans of The Guardian gave the film a four out of five stars and said, "A flower-sniffing bull goes on a journey of self-discovery in this fun adaptation of a 30s children's book."[34] Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter also gave a positive review for the film, saying, "It's no Coco, but Ferdinand, a CG-animated adaptation of the classic 1936 Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson book about a flower-loving bull who'd rather sniff than fight, manages to squeak by with enough charming set-pieces and amusing sight gags to compensate for a stalling storyline."[35] Katie Welsh of Chicago Tribune gave the film a negative review of two stars, saying, "With a lovely voice performance from Cena, the spirit of Ferdinand does shine through. But the rest of the story filler is mostly forgettable."[36] Tara Brady of The Irish Times also gave the film a three out of five stars, saying, "Ferdinand may lack the all-out charm offensive of the studio's 2015 Snoopy and Charlie Brown vehicle, but it's not too far off in terms of quality and sweetness."[37]

Accolades
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients Result Ref.
Academy Awards March 4, 2018 Best Animated Feature Carlos Saldanha and Lori Forte Nominated
Annie Awards February 3, 2018 Design in an Animated Feature Production Thomas Cardone
Arden Chan
Andrew Hickson
Mike Lee
Jason Sadler		 Nominated
Editorial in an Animated Feature Production Harry Hitner
Tim Nordquist		 Nominated
Golden Globe Awards January 7, 2018 Best Animated Feature Film Carlos Saldanha Nominated [38]
Best Original Song "Home" Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards February 24th 2018 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated Bill Higley, Randy Thom, Lora Hirschberg, Leff Lefferts, Shawn Murphy and Scott Curtis Nominated [39]
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards February 8, 2018 Best Song/Recording Created for a Film "Home" Nominated [40]
Humanitas Prize February 16, 2018 Feature – Family Ron Burch & David Kidd, Don Rhymer, Robert L. Baird and Tim Federle and Brad Copeland Won [41]
Kids' Choice Awards March 24, 2018 Favorite Animated Film Ferdinand Nominated [42]
Producers Guild of America Awards January 20, 2018 Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Picture Lori Forte and Bruce Anderson Nominated [43]
Visual Effects Society Awards February 13, 2018 Outstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature Yaron Canetti, Allan Kadkoy, Danny Speck, Mark Adams Nominated [44]
Movieguide Awards March 2018 Best Movie for Families Ferdinand Nominated [45]

References
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  2. "Ferdinand". AMC Theatres. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  3. "Ferdinand (2017)". AllMovie. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  4. "Ferdinand (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  5. D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 9, 2017). "Blue Sky's Bull Toon 'Ferdinand' To Lock Horns With 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  6. "Past, present and future releases to Past, Present and Future Releases | UK Recent and Upcoming Movie". Launchingfilms.com. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  7. Rubin, Rebecca (December 11, 2017). "Golden Globe Nominations: Complete List". Variety. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  8. Phelan, Zehra (March 28, 2017). "Like a bull in a china shop the debut trailer for Ferdinand barges in". HeyUGuys. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  9. McLean, Tom (September 20, 2017). "'Ferdinand' Unveils Role for Manning, a Nick Jonas Tune and a New Trailer". Animation World Network. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  10. "Like a bull in a china shop the debut trailer for Ferdinand barges in - HeyUGuys". Heyuguys.com. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  11. Diggs, Daveed (March 28, 2017). "Excited for y'all to meet #Dos in the new @ferdinandmovie he's a real good dude. #Ferdinand #HedgehogsRepresent". Twitter. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  12. Busch, Anita (November 17, 2016). "Gabriel Iglesias Joins 'Ferdinand' & 'Smurfs' Voice Casts As He Readies Comedy Tour". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  13. Brodesser-Akner, Claude (February 18, 2011). "Fox, Ice Age Director Bullish on The Story of Ferdinand". New York. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  14. Chitwood, Adam (May 16, 2013). "DreamWorks Animation Moves B.O.O. Release Up to June 5, 2015 and TROLLS to November 4, 2016; Fox Dates ANUBIS and FERDINAND". Collider.com. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  15. "John Powell to Score Blue Sky Studios' 'Ferdinand'". Film Music Reporter. September 14, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  16. "First Look! Peyton Manning and Nick Jonas Lend Their Voices to Ferdinand (and Feel Pretty Bullish About It)". PEOPLE.com. September 19, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  17. "Home (From the Motion Picture "Ferdinand") - Single by Nick Jonas on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  18. "'Ferdinand' Soundtrack EP Details - Film Music Reporter". Filmmusicreporter.com. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  19. ""Watch Me" from Ferdinand (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP by Various Artists on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
  20. "Gambit, Alien, Predator and Fox / Marvel Release Updates". ComingSoon.net. February 28, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
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  22. Rainey, James (November 11, 2016). "DreamWorks Animation and Universal Kill 'Croods 2' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
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  24. "OFFICIAL: New 'Ferdinand' Trailer Tomorrow | TrailerTrack". TrailerTrack. June 13, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2017.
  25. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 12, 2017). "The Global Box Office Awakens: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Could Power To $440M Opening". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  26. D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 17, 2017). "'The Last Jedi' Opening To $219M: How Disney Continues To Win With The 'Star Wars' Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
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  29. Lorca, Antonio (January 6, 2018). "La conmovedora, tierna, sensiblera y mentirosa historia del toro Ferdinand". EL PAÍS (in Spanish). Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  30. "El crítico taurino de 'El País' embiste contra la película 'Ferdinand' porque el toro no muere en la plaza: "Es antinatural"". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  31. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/14/movies/ferdinand-review.amp.html
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  34. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/dec/17/ferdinand-review-kate-mckinnon
  35. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/amp/review/ferdinand-review-1065283
  36. https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/sc-mov-ferdinand-rev-1213-20171213-story.html%3foutputType=amp
  37. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/ferdinand-review-a-children-s-classic-gets-the-family-film-treatment-1.3324803?mode=amp
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  40. "Sufjan Stevens, 'Greatest Showman,' 'Girls' Among Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Nominees". Variety. January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  41. Pedersen, Erik (January 9, 2018). "Humanitas Prize Finalists Announced; Feature Awards Split Into 3 Categories". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  42. Pond, Steve (February 26, 2018). "Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards 2018: Watch Host John Cena Announce the Favorite Movie Nominees". E! Online. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  43. Dave McNary (January 5, 2018). "Producers Guild Awards: 'Get Out,' 'Wonder Woman' Among Film Nominees". Variety. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  44. Giardina, Carolyn (January 16, 2018). "Visual Effects Society Awards: 'Apes,' 'Blade Runner 2049' Lead Feature Nominees". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  45. "2018 Movieguide Awards Nominations". Movieguides Awards. February 22, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
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