Abominable

Abominable is a 2019 computer-animated adventure film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio. It was written and directed by Jill Culton and co-directed by Todd Wilderman, and stars the voices of Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin and Michelle Wong.

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019 and was be released in the United States on September 27, 2019 by Universal Pictures while Pearl Studio distributed the film in China. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and has grossed $109 million worldwide.

Synopsis
When teenage Yi (Chloe Bennet) encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, she and her mischievous friends Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai) name him “Everest” and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help Everest get home.

Cast

 * Chloe Bennet as Yi
 * Albert Tsai as Peng
 * Tenzing Norgay Trainor as Jin
 * Eddie Izzard as Burnish
 * Sarah Paulson as Dr. Zara
 * Tsai Chin as Nai Nai
 * Michelle Wong as Yi's mother
 * Rich Dietl as Goon Leader
 * James Hong as Yak Leader
 * Christine Lin as Teenage Girl #1, Boy's Mother, Female Customer
 * Kym Miller as Teenage Girl #2
 * Jason Ko as Teenage Boy
 * Trevor Devall as Van Driver
 * Karen Huie as Dog Lady, Doc Worker
 * Vic Chao as Jin Impersonator
 * Fernando Chien as Merchant
 * Rupert Gregson-Williams as Everest Humming

Production
Abominable was in development at DreamWorks Animation since 2010. For some time, Jill Culton was writing and directing the film, originally titled Everest, which was about a little girl and a Yeti, but by 2016, she had left the project. She was then replaced by Tim Johnson and Todd Wilderman.

In December 2016, DreamWorks announced that the film would be released on September 27, 2019, and that it would be co-produced by Oriental DreamWorks (now Pearl Studio). On February 2, 2018, it was announced that Culton had returned as the director, replacing Johnson. On March 20, 2018, it was announced that Chloe Bennet has been cast in the lead role as Yi. On May 18, 2018, DreamWorks and Pearl Studio have announced that the film has been retitled from Everest to Abominable. In June 2018, Albert Tsai, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, and Tsai Chin rounded out the voice cast.

Release
Abominable had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2019. The film is scheduled to be released on September 27, 2019 in the United States and October 11 in the United Kingdom by Universal Pictures, who are also distributing worldwide alongside various regional partners except for China, where the movie would be distributed by co-producer Pearl Studio, who under their former name of Oriental DreamWorks had distributed all of the company's films in the country since the partnership began.

The film was taken out of cinemas in Vietnam over a scene showing the Nine-Dash Line that is used by the People's Republic of China to lay claim to parts of the South China Sea.

Marketing
The first official trailer was shown before Dumbo in theatres on March 29, 2019 but was never released online. The second official trailer and the first to be online was released on May 23, 2019.

Box office
As of October 13, 2019, Abominable has grossed $48 million in the United States and Canada, and $60.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $108.1 million, against a production budget of $75 million.

In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross $17–20 million from 4,200 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $5.7 million on its first day, including $650,000 from Thursday night previews. It went on to debut to $20.9 million, finishing first at the box office and marking the best opening for an original animated film of 2019. The film made $12 million in its second weekend, finishing second behind newcomer Joker.

Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 82% based on 130 reviews, with an average rating of 6.61/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Working with admittedly familiar ingredients, Abominable offers audiences a beautifully animated and overall engaging adventure that the whole family can enjoy." On Metacritic, the film has an weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak gave it an average 4 out of 5 stars.