Luna & Zak

Luna & Zak is a 2013 American computer-animated science fiction adventure comedy film produced by Universal Animation Studios. It was directed by Mark Dindal, produced by Randy Fullmer, and written by David Reynolds, Mike Moon, Brad Copeland, and J. Stewart Burns, and stars the voices of Anne Hathaway, Josh Gad, Dan Fogler, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Patrick Warburton, Sofía Vergara, John Cleese, John Krasinski, and Bill Hader. The film follows a young gamer named Luna McPherson and her partner and best friend Zak Douglas, who use a virtual reality machine with the help of a robot named A.C.E. to go through many different dimensions that act like a video game to stop some dangers occurring in each world.

Luna & Zak premiered in Los Angeles on December 8, 2013, and was released in the United States on December 13, 2013 by Universal Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, grossing over $624 million worldwide over its $97 million budget and receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. A television series titled Luna & Zak: The Series debuted on Gingo on October 8, 2016.

Plot
Luna McPherson is a 18-year-old high school graduate and gamer who spends much of her time playing video games with her best friend Zak Douglas. To redirect the two, Luna's parents Agt. Abby and Ed take them to the Virtual Reality Center (VRC), where they meet up with Marvin and his younger brother Marcus, who have been working on a virtual reality machine that leads people through many different dimensions that act like a video game. Amazed, Luna and Zak decide to join the VRC. During their first mission in virtual reality, they arrive at a secret organization led by a mysterious player known as Lurk, where they are caught imprisoned, but break free with the help of A.C.E. (Awesome Computer OpErator), a robot created by the VRC.

After returning to the VRC to collect more information and research from their first mission, Luna, Zak, and A.C.E. travel to their next mission through the virtual reality which is a snowy place where they must find a secret golden bell that happens to be a device for A.C.E. which can make all the worlds very safe. There, they find the bell being guarded by a fellow player named Billy Bob Hunter, whom Luna and Zak befriend. During a short battle with Lurk and his army, A.C.E. uses a rocket launcher to trigger an avalanche, which buries most of Lurk's army. The group survives by heading back to the real world, but they realize that Lurk has stole the golden bell so they begin to get them back from him by going through many different dimensions via virtual reality while also succeeding their goal by ditching dangers occurring in each world. In their final mission, Luna, Zak and A.C.E. track Lurk to a space universe via one of the next dimensions where Lurk leads a robotic alien army in a large ship.

Luna and Zak try to attack Lurk for stealing the golden bell but end up getting captured by his army and thrown into a prison cell. However, A.C.E. arrives and frees the duo with the help of Billy Bob. While on their pollen-gathering expedition in Lurk's ship, Luna, Zak, A.C.E., and Billy Bob find shelter. After a healed argument with each other, Zak and A.C.E. go look for the bell, and Billy Bob somehow gets romantically close to Luna. Zak and A.C.E. come to get the golden bell guarded by three of the aliens, Slim, Clunker and Tommy, even though they failed so; by then, they consider doing the mission on their own, especially after overhearing Luna telling Billy Bob that she'd like him to come with them to her home, before adding she'd like him to come with specifically her and to forget Zak – straining the relationship between the two.

Later, Luna and Billy Bob find Zak and A.C.E. through the ship's storage room with Lurk and his army who have the golden bell in a safe small place. The group then starts a battle with the army over the bell alongside an annoying chipmunk named Coob. They finally retrieve the bell and manage to escape from the space world to the VRC in the real world. Back there, A.C.E. places the bell inside his torso to repair the damaged dimensions, but little or no avail. Luna and Zak attempt to repair the robot but negligent maintenance causes A.C.E. to collapse into pieces, thus ultimately destroying the golden bell altogether. The two get in a fight and are eventually resigned from the VRC for disobedience.

Out of revenge, Lurk and his army arrive at the VRC where they end up capturing almost every one of the VRC members including Abby and Ed as Lurk reveals that they have discovered the secret portal to the real world. Marvin and Marcus quickly recruit Luna and Zak to witness the incident at the VRC. The duo realize that the virtual reality gates were left unopened when the golden bell was destroyed which could destroy the harmless game worlds once and for all, and also discover that many of the video game inhabitants and elements from the dismissions come to the real world because of this. As Luna offers her condolences, she and Zak are surprised to find out that the inhabitants have rebuilt A.C.E. (and even the golden bell) with the help of Marvin and Marcus. Thrilled, Luna and Zak vow to rescue the VRC members from Lurk.

Marvin, Marcus, Billy Bob, Coob, and the others help Luna, Zak, and A.C.E. sneak back into Lurk's ship, where some of the VRC members are freed by Zak, A.C.E. and Coob and proceed to drive away most of Lurk's army. When cornered, Lurk sets the ship to self-destruct to threaten Luna's parents and the VRC members to death. He fires Slim, Clunker and Tommy when they object to the violence, but Luna and Zak are able to overpower him with their powers with the help of A.C.E., free Luna's parents and the other VRC members and flee the ship. Lurk attempts to escape but Slim, Clunker, Tommy and the rest of the other robotic aliens, who all turn against Lurk, throw him to the ship's storage and manage to flee the ship. The ship then self-destructs, killing Lurk.

Reconciling with Luna's parents and the rest of the VRC, Luna and Zak eventually rejoin the VRC where they award them a grant, and A.C.E. befriends the reformed robotic aliens with honor. They then head off for another mission to the virtual reality gaming craze with Billy Bob.

Cast

 * Anne Hathaway as Luna McPherson, one of the two gamers who travel through different dimensions via virtual reality. She is 18 years old and the tomboyish one who hopes to reach her goal by fixing every world as well as Abby and Ed's daughter.
 * Ava Acres voices a younger Luna.
 * Josh Gad as Zak Douglas, one of the two gamers who travel through different dimensions via virtual reality. He is Luna's partner and the fun-loving one who likes to play around in some worlds.
 * Cullen McCarthy voices a younger Zak.
 * Dan Fogler as A.C.E. (Awesome Computer OpErator), a robot created by the VRC who accompanies Luna and Zak.
 * Channing Tatum as Lurk, a mysterious player who Luna and Zak encounter during their adventure in virtual reality. He is the one who wants to go after the duo so he can win the "games".
 * Jonah Hill as Billy Bob Hunter, a player who decides to play along with Luna and Zak.
 * Patrick Warburton as Slim, an awkward robotic alien in the space world.
 * Sofía Vergara as Agt. Abby McPherson, Luna's mother and Ed's wife who is an agent working for the VRC.
 * John Cleese as Ed McPherson, Luna's father and Abby's husband.
 * Nolan North as Clunker, Slim's advisor.
 * Mark Dindal as Tommy, one of the robotic aliens in the space world. He is the clumsy and dim-witted one who wants to help Luna and Zak rather than just killing them.
 * John Krasinski as Marvin, a friend of Zak.
 * Bill Hader as Marcus, one of Zak's friends and Marvin's younger brother.
 * Thomas F. Wilson as Lenny, a member of the VRC.
 * Eric Bauza as Coob, an annoying chipmunk.
 * Craig Kellman as Flappin' Joe
 * John DiMaggio as Duncan, a salesman who sells things at a store he owns.
 * DiMaggio also voices Gus, an insane alien in the space world who believes Luna and Zak are monsters.
 * Gary Hall as Ray and Computer Voice
 * Mark Walton as Alien Guard
 * Dan Molina as Ollie
 * Jim Anderson as Giant

Additional voices

 * Steve Alterman
 * Stephen Apostolina
 * David Cowgill
 * June Christopher
 * Mark Dindal
 * Eddie Frierson
 * Elisa Gabrielli
 * Jean Gilpin
 * Jackie Gonneau
 * Nicholas Guest
 * Bridget Hoffman
 * Daniel Kaz
 * Lex Lang
 * Philip Lawrence
 * Mona Marshall
 * Scott Menville
 * Jonathan Nichols
 * Paul Pape
 * Cara Pifko
 * Andre Robinson
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Joshua Rush
 * Carter Sand
 * Anthony Sorano
 * Shane Sweet
 * Fred Tatasciore
 * David K. Thompson
 * Audrey Wasilewski
 * David Zyler

Production
The film was announced in May 2006 under the working title Game Boys, originally a live-action film being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer for Walt Disney Pictures. Tom Ropelewski and Evan Katz were writing the script for the film, which involved a completely different concept. However, Disney decided not to continue with the project due to "creative differences" with the screenwriters. From there, the film was moved to Universal Feature Animation, who received the opportunity to adapt the Game Boys script into an animated film. When Ropelewski and Katz pitched the film to Universal Animation CEO Michael Wildshill, he suggested that the script should be rewritten. In May 2007, Mike Moon joined Universal Animation to direct the film, with intentions to significantly rewrite the script. In January 2008, it was reported that Moon would direct Computeropolis 3, thus putting Game Boys on hold.

In November 2011, Universal Pictures scheduled the film, retitled as Luna & Zak, for a December 2013 release, along with David Reynolds and Brad Copeland joining as co-writers and Jon Shapiro as producer. In April 2012, Mark Dindal was announced as the film's new director, replacing Moon, who remained as the screenwriter of the film. It was also announced that Randy Fullmer would produce the film, reuniting the relationship of Dindal, Fullmer and Reynolds, and Anne Hathaway and Josh Gad would be the lead roles. Dan Fogler, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and Patrick Warburton were also announced in the cast who provided their voices for the film. On June 10, 2013, John Cleese was announced in the cast.

Track listing
Coming soon!

Gallery
Coming soon!

Score
The film's score was composed by John Debney.

Track listing
All music composed by John Debney, except as noted.

Coming soon!

Gallery
Coming soon!

Release
Luna & Zak was initially scheduled to be released on December 20, 2013, but was pushed back two weeks earlier to December 6, 2013 before being pushed back to its current date of December 13, 2013. The film was released in RealD 3D and Digital 3D formats and digitally remastered to IMAX format in select theaters across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. The film was released four months later in China on April 25, 2014.

Marketing
A video game based on the film, titled Luna & Zak: The Game, was published by D3 Publisher for the PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS, released on December 3, 2013. A free mobile game titled Luna & Zak: Virtual Mission, developed by Gameloft and adapted for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, was released on November 27, 2013.

Trailers

 * The film's teaser trailer was released on the Blu-ray 3D release of Me & Mobo which was released on January 22, 2013, and was later shown in theaters with other films such as Puppet Pals 3, Escape from Planet Earth, The Croods, Ego, and Epic.


 * The film's first theatrical trailer was released on July 1, 2013, and was later shown in theaters with other films such as Despicable Me 2, Turbo, The Smurfs 2, and Planes.


 * The film's second and final theatrical trailer was released on September 12, 2013, and was later shown in theaters with other films such as Alaina Gleen 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Saturn, Free Birds and Frozen.

Home media
Luna & Zak was released on digital HD on February 18, 2014 and on Blu-ray and DVD on March 4, 2014. The releases also include a short film featuring A.C.E. titled How to Act Like a Player. A Walmart exclusive Blu-ray/DVD combo pack included a limited edition A.C.E. toy.

Box office
Luna & Zak grossed $300.1 million in North America and $324.8 in other territories for a worldwide gross of $624.9 million against a $97 million budget.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 75% based on 191 reviews with an average rating of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Luna & Zak is a fun sci-fi adventure that overcomes its TV-quality premise with a likable title duo and eye-popping visuals." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69 out of 100 based on 52 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.

Television series
A television series based on the film premiered on October 8, 2016 on Gingo. Developed and produced by Universal Television Animation, the series is executive produced by Mark Dindal, Randy Fullmer, Joe Shapiro, and Mike Moon. While Sofía Vergara, Patrick Warburton, Nolan North, Mark Dindal, Thomas F. Wilson, Eric Bauza, and John DiMaggio reprise their roles from the film, most of the original voice actors, including Anne Hathaway and Josh Gad, did not return.

Main
To see the main transcript of the film, click here.

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