Paradoria 2

Paradoria 2 (released in some markets as Paradoria 2: Enchanted Realm) is a 2019 American 3D computer-animated fantasy musical adventure film produced by Universal Animation. The sequel to the 2015 film Paradoria and the second feature film in the franchise, it was again directed by Steve Samono from a screenplay by Samono, Laurie Craig, Jonathan Aibel, and Glenn Berger based on a story by Samono, Craig and Gary Hall, with Alan Menken, Cinco Paul and Marc Shaiman returning for the songs while Menken also returns as composer. Voice cast AnnaSophia Robb, Jenny Slate, Patrick Stewart, Maya Rudolph, and Bryan Cranston reprise their roles from the first film, along with new additions including Tom Holland (replacing Finn Wolfhard), Zoe Saldana, Paul Giamatti, Madelaine Petsch, Gina Rodriguez, and Tom Cruise.

Plans for a sequel began in 2015 and were announced to be in the works in January 2016 following the critical and commercial success of the first film. Samono, who directed the first film, agreed to return to direct the second film on the condition that he would be allowed to turn it into a saga. The new installment went through three different scripts before the filmmakers settled on the final plot, while Samono also wanted to include some unused ideas from the first film. By late 2016, much of the original cast confirmed they had signed on, with new cast members added in 2018. The film is dedicated to animator Jacques Muller, who died on November 4, 2018.

Paradoria 2 premiered in Los Angeles on October 10, 2019, and was released in the United States on November 8, 2019, by Universal Pictures. The film received universally positive reviews from critics, who commended its humor, characters, screenplay, animation, and the vocal performances of Holland and Robb, although some were mixed on the film for "playing it safe" and said it was not as "fresh" as the first film. The film made $227.9 million in its opening weekend, setting the record for best debut for an animated film, and grossed over $1.6 billion worldwide over a $200 million budget, making it the highest-grossing animated film of all time, the second highest-grossing film of 2019, the fifth highest-grossing film of all time in the United States and Canada, the eighth highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, Universal Animation's highest-grossing film of all time, and their fourth to gross $1 billion after Paradoria, Imagimals, and Computeropolis: The Deep Web. At the 92nd Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Animated Feature (losing to Toy Story 4) and Best Original Song for "Cutest Dreams".

Plot
Four years after the events of the first film, Jamo and his childhood fiancée Princess Keena are expected to get married as they are fully grown adults now, but their guardians, Jamo's adoptive mother Verra and Keena's parents King Clint and Queen Melly of Paradoria, are not ready for their marriage yet. Jamo is teased by some children by calling him "tree boy" due to his greenish hair and learns from Verra that she found Jamo as an infant on the shore and adopted him. Jamo remains unsatisfied with the story, wondering how and why he ended up in Paradoria. Meanwhile, Clint's old rival Hugo, a mysterious conqueror, intends to overthrow the Paradorian kingdom by placing a spell that poisons Clint, allowing Hugo to take over his place as the king of Paradoria. Later, Melly warns Jamo and Keena that Clint has been poisoned by Hugo. Clint offers Jamo and Keena a new quest to find a potion in a mysterious palace called the Enchanted Realm, in which the pair accepted.

Jamo and Keena head off to the Enchanted Realm along with the neets, where they find a small boat that goes through the Enchanted Realm. However, things don't go well when the boat Jamo and Keena ride crashes into rocks, causing them to walk on a long trail to the realm. They later encounter a handsome archer named Vicktor, who helps them reach the realm. When they eventually enter the Enchanted Realm, Jamo and Keena are brought by Falia, a young native woman with magical powers who gets romantically close to Vicktor, to the realm's leader and empress Londa, whom Keena instructs her to find a potion in the Enchanted Realm so they can heal Clint. When Londa encounters Jamo, she realizes that he is her long-lost biological son and the Enchanted Realm turns out to be Jamo's birthplace. They eventually reunite and bond with each other, much to the jealousy of Keena. As the potion will take a few days to be made, Londa encourages Jamo and Keena to explore the Enchanted Realm and spend time together there.

Meanwhile, back at the kingdom of Paradoria, Melly, Verra, and the rest of their fellow Paradorians are forced to work under Hugo's reign. Melly hopes that Jamo and Keena will come back from the Enchanted Realm to heal Clint if they get the potion. Without getting caught by Hugo, Melly sneaks up into the castle to go check Clint in his bedroom but turns out he is presumed dead. Hugo later caught Melly and threatens to punish her. In the meantime, at the Enchanted Realm, Jamo, Keena, Londa, Vicktor, Falia and the other Enchanted Realm members defend the realm from Hugo's army.

Londa suddenly remembers that Hugo used to be a resident of the Enchanted Realm and a former proposed mate of Londa. As Jamo became concerned, she explains to him that before Jamo was born, she and her colony used to live in Paradoria peacefully until one day, Hugo, who was hoped to become king, grew out of frustration when Clint was picked as the king, so he wanted to plot to eliminate Clint to take over as the king by attacking the village, causing one colony led by Londa to separate from Paradoria. After many days of searching, Londa and her tribe found a mountain that they could call home. Meanwhile, Hugo and his small army had been banished from Paradoria when his plans to take over as king of Paradoria failed. At the new built Enchanted Realm, Londa and her husband gave birth to Jamo and they all lived peacefully until one day, Jamo and Keena's old nemesis King Kakas and his army invaded the Enchanted Realm, Londa and her mate sacrificed themselves to save their son from them, Londa hid Jamo in a small boat and lured Kakas' forces away from him, allowing Jamo to realize why Londa abandoned him and that he has lived a happy and peaceful life despite his tragic past. Londa also explains that Kakas and his orc-like army were believed to be created by Hugo under a spell.

With the potion completed, Jamo and Keena return to Paradoria and try to heal Clint, only to discover that the kingdom is now taken over by Hugo and his forces and the pair are captured by Hugo's guards and taken to the castle. Melly, now imprisoned, tells the two that it is too late to heal Clint as he is dead because of the poison. As a result, Hugo then orders Jamo and Keena to work with the other Paradorians, but they refuse. Jamo explains to everyone else in the castle including Verra that the Enchanted Realm was his birthplace, he found his birth mother Londa and she told him about Jamo and the realm's origins. After hearing Jamo's speech, Hugo makes a choice for Jamo: work with Keena and the others in Paradoria or go back to the Enchanted Realm and never return to Paradoria. Fearing that working as a slave would torture his whole life and never be safe for him, Jamo chooses to stay with Londa at the Enchanted Realm, but Keena is undeterred and wants to be with Jamo. Jamo assures her that no matter what, she will always love him right before he leaves the castle, leaving a tearful Keena heartbroken.

Jamo returns to the Enchanted Realm with Londa, who encourages him to replace Keena with another girl who looks exactly like her, Leena and even marry her, but Jamo has more heart in Keena. Afterwards, Jamo begins to worry about Keena, realizing that she will get tortured and killed by Hugo if she refuses to work so does everyone else in Paradoria, and manages to convince Londa, Vicktor, and Falia to head to Paradoria to help him save Keena and the other Paradorians from Hugo. Back at Paradoria, Keena readies herself to be beheaded, but Jamo, Londa, Vicktor, and Falia arrive, defeat Hugo and his army and rescue Keena and the Paradorians. However, Hugo pursues Jamo and tries to kill him, but Londa attacks Hugo with her magical scepter and throws him out to his death, while Hugo's army flees.

With Hugo gone and Paradoria back to normal, Jamo and Keena finally get married and are declared king and queen of Paradoria, bringing new life to the kingdom and renewing the life in Paradoria.

Voice cast

 * Tom Holland as Jamo, the adoptive 17-year-old son of Verra, and Keena's boyfriend and later husband.
 * Finn Wolfhard reprises his role as 13-year-old Jamo.
 * AnnaSophia Robb as Princess Keena, the 18-year-old daughter of Queen Melly and King Clint, and Jamo's childhood fiancée and later wife.
 * Zoe Saldana as Londa, the leader of the Enchanted Realm who is Jamo's long-lost biographical mother.
 * Paul Giamatti as Hugo, a mysterious conqueror and former member of the Enchanted Realm who intends to overthrow the Paradorian kingdom by placing a spell that poisons Clint, allowing Hugo to take over his place as the king of Paradoria.
 * Madelaine Petsch as Falia, a member of the Enchanted Realm with magical powers who happily greets Jamo and Keena when they visit the Enchanted Realm.
 * Maya Rudolph as Melly, the queen of the Paradorian kingdom and Keena's mother.
 * Patrick Stewart as Clint, the king of the Paradorian kingdom and Keena's father.
 * Jenny Slate as Verra, Jamo's adoptive mother who runs an inn.
 * Bryan Cranston as Noalus, a Paradorian who serves as Clint's adviser.
 * Gina Rodriguez as Leena, a mysterious girl who looks exactly like Keena.
 * Tom Cruise as Vicktor, a handsome, muscular archer who helps Jamo, Keena and the Neets on their adventure, and is Falia's fiancée.
 * Steve Samono as Cookie and the Neets, small creatures that resemble a mouse and a rabbit and are friends with Jamo and Keena.
 * Samono also voices a Paradorian guard, a chair, and Hugo's servant.
 * Wendie Malick as Maggie, a caretaker for the Paradorian children.
 * Chris Parnell as Eugene, Clint's loyal lieutenant.
 * Dawnn Lewis as Canna, a Paradorian elder who has various neets who follow and communicate with her.
 * Amy McNeill as Elderly Woman, Mother and Witch
 * Daniel Ross as Guard #1 and Tree
 * Gary Hall as Guard #2, Clock and Baker
 * Alan Rodgers as Guard #3
 * Laurie Craig as Flower Shop Owner
 * Maddie Samono as Sweet Girl #1
 * Theresa Rose McNeill as Sweet Girl #2
 * Sam Lavagnino as Little Boy
 * Clancy Brown as Captain
 * Conrad Vernon as Enchanted Realm Villager
 * Lauren Tom as Villager's Wife
 * Roger Craig Smith as Norb
 * Rob Riggle as King Kakas (via flashbacks)

Additional voices

 * Carlos Alazraqui
 * Steve Blum
 * Cam Clarke
 * Robert Clotworthy
 * Debi Derryberry
 * Terri Douglas
 * Jeff Fischer
 * Jennifer Crystal Foley
 * Eddie Frierson
 * Sophia Hall
 * Carter Hastings
 * Bridget Hoffman
 * Mia Sinclair Jenness
 * Logan Kishi
 * Lex Lang
 * Joanna Leeds
 * Yuri Lowenthal
 * Cynthia Marion
 * Scott Menville
 * Heidi Brook Myers
 * Alicyn Packard
 * Bryce Papenbrook
 * Courtney Peldon
 * Lilly Rodgers
 * Emma Shannon
 * Dennis Singletary
 * Warren Sroka
 * Shannon Stein
 * Tara Strong
 * Diamond White
 * Wally Wingert
 * Shelby Young
 * Lynnanne Zager

Development
Before the release of the first film, Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley hinted in April 2015 that there were ideas of a media franchise including potential sequels. In a November 2015 interview with Cartoon Brew, Universal Animation Studios CEO and Paradoria co-director Michael Wildshill was asked about the possibility of a sequel, stating "I think they are working on something else, but I cannot tell what it is for now." In the same month, AnnaSophia Robb, the voice of Princess Keena, expressed interest in reprising her role. In December, director Steve Samono said that he and writer Laurie Craig already did a couple of script drafts for a sequel.

On January 14, 2016, following the success of Paradoria, Steve Burke, the CEO of Universal's parent company NBCUniversal, officially announced that a sequel film was in development and slated for a December 14, 2018 release date with Samono, Craig, and producers Amy McNeill and Daniel Ross returning, saying that "We will be releasing a Paradoria sequel at the end of 2018." In June 2016, Universal moved the film's release date a year later to December 13, 2019, while its holiday 2018 slot was given to Illumination's The Grinch. On July 31, 2016, it was reported that Finn Wolfhard was willing to reprise his role as Jamo in the sequel. In November 2016, it was reported that Kung Fu Panda and Trolls co-writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger had been hired to rewrite the script. In August 2017, the release date was pushed up one month from December 13, 2019, to November 8, 2019.

At the CinemaCon in April 2018, it was revealed that the sequel would focus on "Jamo and Keena finding a mysterious realm far away from Paradoria". Gary Hall, who co-directed the first film, stated that he was unable to return in the sequel due to Hall being busy on directing the fifth Computeropolis installment for a 2021 release, but was still involved as an executive producer alongside Michael Wildshill, Audel LaRoque and John Hamburg. In August 2018, the release date was moved up one week earlier on November 1, 2019, before pushing back to its original November 8 date in May 2019.

Writing
Coming soon!

Casting
Most of the previous voice actors, including AnnaSophia Robb, signed on to reprise their roles. Robb stated in February 2017 that she had recorded her first lines for Keena. On August 10, 2018, it was announced that Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Paul Giamatti, and Madelaine Petsch had joined the cast in the sequel, with Holland replacing Finn Wolfhard as Jamo. However, Wolfhard did return to voice Jamo, but only as his younger self. According to Samono, Universal found Wolfhard's casting as an adult Jamo in the sequel "unfitting", so the studio contacted Holland to record new lines for Jamo. During this time, Wolfhard was also filming and recording for the 2019 Sony Pictures Animation film Ico.

In May 2019, Tom Cruise announced that he will be making his animation debut in the sequel. Samono also stated that announcement after he and producer Amy McNeill saw his performance in Mission: Impossible – Fallout. In August 2019, Gina Rodriguez joined the cast.

Animation
The film contains over 140 unique sets and 4723 assets, the most for a film by Universal Animation.

Music
On February 14, 2018, Alan Menken was revealed to be returning for the sequel's score, while he, Cinco Paul, and Marc Shaiman would also return to write new songs for the sequel. During the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June, it was revealed that there will be 6 new songs; including "Cutest Dreams" for Jamo and Keena. The complete tracklist was revealed on September 30, along with the announcement of pre-orders; the soundtrack was released by Back Lot Music on November 1.

Release
Paradoria 2 held its world premiere at Los Angeles on October 10, 2019, and was widely released in the United States on November 8, 2019, by Universal Pictures. It was originally set for December 14, 2018, but was pushed back to December 13, 2019, then November 8, 2019, and later November 1, 2019, before finally moving back to its current date. The film was released in 3D, 2D and IMAX 3D.

On September 28, 2019, Universal announced it would hold one-day advanced previews for the film in 500 theatres in the United States and were held two days later.

On September 3, 2020, it was announced that a sing-along re-issue will be released in theaters for a limited time only starting on September 4.

Marketing
The first teaser trailer for the film was released by Universal on February 20, 2019. It received 122.9 million views in its first 24 hours, becoming the most viewed trailer for an animated film, dethroning Incredibles 2 (113.6 million views) as the seventh most-viewed trailer overall, as well as surpassing the one-week-old record of Frozen II (116.4 million views). An interview with the cast was released on February 24, 2019, which revealed the two undisclosed characters' names voiced by Zoe Saldana and Madelaine Petsch. The second trailer (and official trailer) of the film was released on May 29, 2019. The third and final trailer was released on September 25, 2019. An exclusive 5-minute preview was released on October 17, 2019, and was attached to IMAX screenings of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Universal partnered with more than 100 licensing and promotional partners to market the film including Mattel, Sprint Corporation, Xfinity, McFarlane Toys, McDonald's, and Ziploc. A Lego video game based on both films was announced at E3 2019 and was released on November 5, 2019, three days before the film's release, for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

Home media
Paradoria 2 was released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on Digital and Movies Anywhere on February 4, 2020, and on Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and DVD on February 18, 2020. All releases include three mini-movies: Mine!, Birth, and Falia's Challenge. Birth was first shown on NBC on November 22, 2019, after Paradoria (2015).

Box office
Paradoria 2 grossed $698.7 million in the United States and Canada and $960.5 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $1.659 billion. On November 18, 2019, after 15 days in release, the film surpassed Computeropolis: The Deep Web ' s $472.3 million lifeline domestic total to become Universal Animation‘s highest-grossing film of all time. It is the highest-grossing musical film of all time, the second highest-grossing film by Universal Pictures, the highest-grossing film of Samono's career, the second highest-grossing film of 2019, and the 8th highest-grossing film of all-time. It had a worldwide opening of $263.2 million, the second-biggest global opening of all time for an animated film. Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $706 million, accounting for production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs, with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from home media, placing it second on their list of 2019's "Most Valuable Blockbusters" and the most profitable Universal Pictures film of all time.

On November 23, 2019, the film surpassed $1 billion making it the third Universal Animation film to gross $1 billion worldwide, and the third animated film of 2019 to gross $1 billion. On November 29, 2019, the film passed $1.158 billion at the worldwide box office, surpassing the $1.126 billion the original film made in its entire theatrical run. On December 7, 2019, the film surpassed Computeropolis: The Deep Web ($1.373 billion) to become the highest-grossing Universal Animation film of all time worldwide. On February 16, 2020, the film surpassed The Lion King to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

United States and Canada
Beginning on October 4, 2019, in its first 24 hours of pre-sales, Paradoria 2 became the second-best pre-seller of 2019 on Fandango in that frame (behind Avengers: Endgame), while Atom Tickets reported it was their best-ever first-day sales for a family film. Three weeks prior to its release, industry tracking projected the film would gross $160–175 million in its domestic opening weekend, although some insiders saw those figures as conservative and expected a $170–185 million-debut. However, Comscore's senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian thought the film would open closer to $120 million due to the recent underperformance of other animated sequels. By the week of its release, estimates had the film debuting to as much as $190 million from 4,578 theatres, the widest for both a Universal film and a non-Disney animated film. However, after it made $89.1 million on its opening day (including $27.7 million from Thursday night previews), the biggest of all time for a November release and an animated film, weekend estimates were raised to as high as $210 million. It went on to make $227.9 million in its opening weekend, the biggest opening of all time for an animated film, a November release, and the 4th biggest opening of all time. It made $29.1 million on its Veterans Day which was the film's first Monday, the biggest Monday of all time for an animated film. The film remained in first in its second weekend while grossing $85.7 million, the best sophomore frame for a Universal Animation film and animated film.

By November 17, 2019, the film surpassed the original film’s $411.1 million lifeline total. The film surpassed $500 million on its sixteenth day of release, making it the third animated film to do so and the fastest one to reach that mark. In its third weekend, it dropped down to second behind newcomer Frozen II, while grossing $56.9 million. In its fourth weekend, it made $71.4 million over the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend ($52.2 million in the 3-day weekend) in third behind Ico and Frozen II, the first time 3 animated films dominated the top 3.

On December 1, the film grossed $600 million making it the second animated film to reach that mark as well as the fastest to do so and the next day it surpassed Incredibles 2 ($608.7 million) to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time domestically. It remained in third in its fifth weekend while grossing $20.8 million. On December 14, the film surpassed Jurassic World ($652.2 million) to become Universal’s highest-grossing film domestically and also grossed $12.2 million in its sixth weekend while dropping to fourth. By December 25, 2019, the film had earned $671.2 million, surpassing the $670 million projected amount for its total domestic gross. The film continued to stay in the top 10 until it fell out of it by its tenth weekend.

Internationally
Paradoria 2 was projected to gross around $250 million worldwide by the end of its first week of release, and about $350 million over its first 10 days. It ended up slightly over-performing in the United Kingdom (a week before the American release), grossing $35.3 million in its opening weekend. Paradoria 2 ended up grossing $460.8 million worldwide over its first 10 days of release, including $232.8 million from international territories in its opening weekend. The film also outperformed the opening weekends for all films that Universal released in all markets. Mexico was the largest debut with $21.3 million, followed by Australia ($17.7 million) and Russia ($15.4 million) both having the biggest openings of all time for an animated film. In its second weekend, it opened as the top film in Italy, Malaysia, and Singapore while also making an additional $203.1 million worldwide and $94.3 million in its third. By this point, industry analysts expected Paradoria 2 to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, with some suggesting that it could finish its run with over $1.6 billion which ended up happening by December.

It had the biggest opening for an animated film in Brazil ($19.2 million), the Netherlands ($12.5 million), Australia ($24.7 million), the Philippines ($4.9 million), Singapore ($2.3 million), India ($4 million), Indonesia, Peru and Central America, and in Russia, it opened with $19.4 million, Mexico ($11.4 million) and Argentina ($5.5 million). In Brazil, in addition to recording the biggest Universal Animation opening ever, almost twice the previous record held by Computeropolis: The Deep Web, it also set a new record for an all-time animated opening. In South Korea, it had the biggest opening for a Universal Animation film with $7.1 million. In Japan, the film had a two-day weekend opening of $12 million on Saturday and Sunday from 511 screens on 571,000 admissions. This made it the top western release of the weekend and the biggest foreign opening weekend in the country so far of this year, It had further number one openings in Spain ($4.9 million), France ($4.7 million), Hong Kong ($1.9 million; $2.8 million including previews), and Taiwan ($1.9 million). It topped the box office in the Netherlands for three and in Spain and Australia for four consecutive weekends. In China, it was projected that the film will gross $40 million in its opening weekend. It ultimately opened on Friday, December 6 and earned $28 million on its opening day, marking the second-biggest opening day for an animated film ever in China. The film ended up overperforming in China, grossing $68.4 million in its opening weekend marking the biggest opening weekend of all time for an animated film there. By January 2020, the film was granted an extension release until January 31, 2020, as the film overperformed its initial total gross of $120 million.

As of January 1, 2019, the highest-grossing markets are China ($303.2 million), United Kingdom ($151.2 million), Japan ($85.9 million), Brazil ($47.8 million), and France ($32.5 million).

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 96% based on 350 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Paradoria 2 may not live up to the mountain-traveling voyage of its 2015 predecessor, but its heartfelt moments, colorful atmosphere, and the iconic couple should nonetheless outweigh its flaws." On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, down from the first film's "A+".

Peter Debruge of Variety called the film "very cute and remarkable", and also writing "If you loved the original film, your kids will appreciate having more fun to Jamo and Keena's experience on their riveting, silly, and fascinating fantasy adventure." Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the lightweight tone as a treat and a breath following the "dark and dramatic tones" of Computeropolis: The Deep Web. He also praised the cast, especially Holland and Saldana, as well as the visual effects and perfect usage of action sequences in the film.

On the negative side, Alonso Duralde of TheWrap said the film "The whole movie seems to be on fast-forward, with crushingly brainless dialogue, hollow and scary images and no way of slowing down the febrile action or making sense of the chaotic plot." The Hollywood Reporter called the film "loud, lazy, long, laugh-starved cash-grab sequel that was pointless." Barbara VanDenburgh of The Arizona Republic said, "Pop-culture jokes ricochet off the heads of younger viewers to tickle the world-weary adults in the audience, with just enough sentimental goo applied at the end to unite the generations. Parents will dab their eyes while the kids roll theirs." Betsy Bozdech of Common Sense Media gave the movie 4 stars. She said, "The script is witty, the satire and music surprisingly pointed, and the animation tactile and imaginative."

Accolades
Coming soon!

Sequel
In September 2019, in an interview with CNN, Samono hinted that a third film would be possible, saying, "we would like to show more stories featuring these unique and special characters. But you may have to wait a bit for it to happen as we are far from finished with these characters." On January 29, 2020, due to the overperformance of the film's box office worldwide, it was announced that a sequel is in development with Samono stating that "it'll be the best installment of the series and possibly the final one." In March 2020, Samono announced he will not direct the film. In October 2020, it was announced it'll be a two-parter with two sequels being produced and animated back to back.

Main
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Trailers
To see the transcript for the trailers of the film, click here.