''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' is a 2021
computer-animated comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Swinton Scott (in his feature directorial debut) from a screenplay by
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''.
Early life
Jeff Kinney was bor ...
, based on his
2007 book of the same name. It is the second film adaptation of the book, following the
2010 live-action film, while serving as the first fully-animated
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
in the
''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' film series, and the fifth installment overall. The film stars the voices of Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress,
Chris Diamantopoulos
Chris Diamantopoulos (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series '' Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film '' The Three Stooges'', and the TV series ''Good Girls Revolt''. He currently voices Mickey Mouse ...
,
Erica Cerra
Erica Cerra (born October 31, 1979) is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Deputy Jo Lupo on the Syfy series ''Eureka'', and artificial intelligence A.L.I.E. and her creator Becca on '' The 100''.
Career
Cerra was born in Vanco ...
, and Hunter Dillon.
''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' was produced by
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...
and
Bardel Entertainment, with the latter providing animation services, and was released on
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
as a
Disney+ original film on December 3, 2021. It received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the voice acting (particularly Noon's and Childress'), humor, animation, positive messages, and its "noteworthy start", but criticized its short runtime and the absence of elements from the original book; some critics considered it an improvement over the live-action adaptations after the critical and commercial failure of the final live-action adaptation, but the responses from audiences were mixed.
A
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
, ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'', was released on December 2, 2022.
Plot
Best friends
Greg Heffley
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main c ...
and
Rowley Jefferson are about to enter
middle school
A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...
. Greg gets advice from his older brother
Rodrick on how to "survive", putting emphasis on avoiding the Cheese Touch, which supposedly makes one incredibly unpopular. Figuring that Rowley's childish tendencies will cause them to be bullied, Greg tries to urge Rowley to grow up, almost telling him about the cheese, but decides against it, not wanting to scare him too much. Before long, the first day of school arrives, and Greg tries to help Rowley adjust, though both end up shunned by the majority of the students, mostly due to Rowley's somewhat childish antics, which include the use of the word "play" over "hang out." Nevertheless, they manage to avoid scraping the bottom of the school hierarchy.
On
Halloween night, Greg and Rowley are forced to take the former's younger brother
Manny
Manny is a common nickname for people with the given name Manuel, Emanuele, Immanuel, Emmanuel, Herman, or Manfred.
People
* Manny Acosta (born 1981), Panamanian pitcher in the Mexican Baseball League
* Manny Acta (born 1969), Dominican Maj ...
with them. While at first annoyed, Greg realizes that Manny's adorable pirate costume allows them to acquire a large amount of candy. Eventually, Manny and Rowley become tired, but Greg insists that they continue on and take a shortcut through Snake Road, despite his mother
Susan forbidding it. They encounter a trio of teenage boys who begin to mock and chase them with water balloons down the road. The younger boys manage to evade them by tricking them into driving their truck into a ditch and making it home right on time, only to be soaked by Greg's father Frank, who mistook them for teenagers. Manny then outs the Snake Road incident to Susan, who puts Greg on a weeklong video game ban as punishment.
Later on, while playing "rumble trike", Greg accidentally breaks Rowley's arm. Susan discovers this but chooses not to punish Greg any further. Instead, she encourages him do the right thing and be a good friend to Rowley. Greg instead tries to take advantage of Rowley's broken arm, only to get shunned further by the other students, who dote on Rowley and demonize Greg for breaking it in the first place. Greg attempts to take a different approach and become a cartoonist for the school paper; Rowley takes an interest in a scrapped idea of his, in which the punchline of every strip is "Zoo-Wee Mama!", but Greg insists on a new one he drew, urging Rowley to make his own comic instead of working together. Greg's entry gets him accepted as the new cartoonist, but the librarian butchers his comic, making his classmates mock him. After Greg resigns from his position, Rowley's comic, which features the stolen phrase, gets accepted, causing the boys to argue and break their friendship.
Rowley befriends a boy named
Chirag Gupta
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main c ...
and starts seeing him more often. In an attempt to get back at him, Greg decides to hang out with
Fregley
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main ch ...
, an incredibly strange and unpopular boy. Greg has a sleepover at his house but is immediately put off by his odd eccentricities. The next day, Greg and Rowley confront each other and are urged to fight by the other kids, only for the trio of teenagers to return to get revenge on the boys. The teenagers force Rowley to eat a piece of the cheese and are about to force Greg to do the same, but are saved by Mr. Underwood, the school's gym coach.
The other kids return to see what has transpired. To protect Rowley, Greg claims that he was the one who ate the cheese, causing everyone else to run from him in terror. Greg and Rowley resume their friendship as the former quickly realizes that having the Cheese Touch is a blessing as it forces everyone to give him and Rowley space, as well as a personal lunch table to themselves.
Voice cast
* Brady Noon as
Greg Heffley
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main c ...
, a sixth grader who yearns to be popular.
* Ethan William Childress as
Rowley Jefferson, Greg's childish best friend.
*
Chris Diamantopoulos
Chris Diamantopoulos (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series '' Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film '' The Three Stooges'', and the TV series ''Good Girls Revolt''. He currently voices Mickey Mouse ...
as
Frank Heffley
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main c ...
, Greg's father.
*
Erica Cerra
Erica Cerra (born October 31, 1979) is a Canadian actress, best known for her portrayal of Deputy Jo Lupo on the Syfy series ''Eureka'', and artificial intelligence A.L.I.E. and her creator Becca on '' The 100''.
Career
Cerra was born in Vanco ...
as
Susan Heffley, Greg's mother.
* Hunter Dillon as
Rodrick Heffley, Greg's aggressive older brother.
*
Christian Convery as
Fregley
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main ch ...
, a weird classmate of Greg's.
* Veda Maharaj as
Chirag Gupta
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid franchise contains a large cast of characters. It centers on protagonist Greg Heffley, his best friend Rowley Jefferson, and Greg's family: his mother Susan, father Frank, and brothers Rodrick and Manny.
Main c ...
, a kid who becomes Rowley's best friend.
* Billy Lopez as
Mr. Underwood, the school gym coach.
* Brenda Crichlow as Fregley's mom
* Yuvraj Singh Kalsi as Charlie Davies, a classmate of Greg's.
*
Robert Moloney
Robert Moloney is a Canadian actor, best known for playing Professor ''Alistair Gryffen'' in the TV series '' K-9''.
Life and career
Moloney was trained at the Langara College in Vancouver, where he took the theatre Arts program Studio 58. In ...
as
Joshie, a European pop star who Rowley adores.
* Gracen Newton as
Manny Heffley, Greg's troublemaking younger brother.
* Lossen Chambers as Homeroom Teacher, a teacher who dislikes Greg.
*
Donny Lucas as Mr. Humphreys, the school principal.
*
Cyrus Arnold
Cyrus Arnold (born January 2, 2003) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Kenny Yankovitch in ''Mr. Harrigan's Phone'', Derek Zoolander Jr. in '' Zoolander 2'', BJ Malloy in ''Sam & Cat'', and Josh Jagorski in the New Line Cinema/ ...
as Teen Driver, the leader of the teenagers who antagonizes Greg and Rowley.
*
Zeno Robinson
Zeno Robinson is an American voice actor. He has done voice acting for both Western animation and English dubs of Japanese anime. Some of his major anime roles include: Hawks in ''My Hero Academia'' (for which he won Best VA Performance (EN) at ...
as Teen with Baseball Cap, another one of the teenagers.
* Braxton Baker as Teen with Mullet, another one of the teenagers.
* John Omohundro as Hulking Teen, a bully who antagonizes Greg at his school.
* Jessica Mikayla Adams as Braced Girl
* Tessa Espinosa as Curly-Haired Girl
Production
Development
Following the release of ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days'', the likelihood of a fourth live-action film was slim. In 2012,
Jeff Kinney
Jeffrey Patrick Kinney (born February 19, 1971) is an American author and cartoonist, best known for the children's book series ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid''. He also created the child-oriented website '' Poptropica''.
Early life
Jeff Kinney was bor ...
, the author of the ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' is an American children’s book series and media franchise created by author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney. The series follows Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who illustrates his daily life in a diary (although he const ...
'' books, had announced the possibility for an animated film to be based on ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever'' as the next installment. In an interview for ''
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck'', Kinney stated he was working with
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
on a half-hour special based on ''Cabin Fever'', which was scheduled to air in late-2014.
The special was meant to be an animated production developed at
20th Century Fox Animation
20th Century Animation, Inc. (originally known as Fox Family Films, Fox Animation Studios, and 20th Century Fox Animation and sometimes referred to as Fox Animation) is an American animation studio located in Century City, Los Angeles. Formed ...
, and had begun development while Kinney worked on the live-action films. However, the project never came to fruition.
In August 2018, CEO of
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
Stacey Snider
Stacey Snider (born April 29, 1961) is an American film industry executive. She previously served as Chairman and CEO of 20th Century Fox before its acquisition by The Walt Disney Company.
Biography
Snider was born to a Jewish family. From 1 ...
stated that an animated television series based on ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' was in development,
after Kinney decided not to allow any more live action adaptations of the series following the film adaptation of ''
The Long Haul''.
In August 2019, after the
acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney
The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company included the 20th Century Fox film and ...
, the project was confirmed to be still in development exclusively for
streaming on
Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
.
In December 2020, the project was confirmed to have been redeveloped as an animated
reboot
In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
feature film simply titled, ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' at the Disney Investor Day event.
Alongside this announcement, it was revealed that production was underway with a tentative release date slated for mid-2021.
By September 2021, it was announced that the film would be an adaptation of
the first book in the series; while the film was scheduled for a December 3, 2021 release date.
Swinton Scott was announced as director, with Kinney serving as the writer and producer. Brady Noon, Ethan William Childress, and
Chris Diamantopoulos
Chris Diamantopoulos (born May 9, 1975) is a Canadian actor. He played Russ Hanneman in the HBO series '' Silicon Valley'' and starred in the film '' The Three Stooges'', and the TV series ''Good Girls Revolt''. He currently voices Mickey Mouse ...
were revealed as the voice cast.
Animation
The animation was provided by
Bardel Entertainment,
[ with offices in ]Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and Kelowna composed by a team of 82 people all using the animation rendering software Arnold. Kinney chose to use CGI in spite of the book's hand-drawn-style drawing because he wanted the animation to "feel like the books had come to life". Pixar RenderMan
Pixar RenderMan (formerly PhotoRealistic RenderMan) is proprietary photorealistic 3D rendering software produced by Pixar Animation Studios. Pixar uses RenderMan to render their in-house 3D animated movie productions and it is also available as ...
was also used for the film.
Music
On September 23, 2021, it was revealed that John Paesano
John Paesano (born July 2, 1977) is an American composer working primarily in film, television and video games. He is known for collaborating with director Wes Ball on the '' Maze Runner'' film series, as well as composing for the Marvel Televi ...
would be serving as composer. The soundtrack was released on December 17, 2021.
All music composed by Paesano:
Release
Marketing
The first look of the film was shown on December 10, 2020, at Disney's Investor Day, depicting Greg trying to roll a large snowball up a hill, only to roll down the hill with it. This would not be used in the film itself. The teaser poster was revealed on September 2, 2021 (the same day the release date was announced). The film was marketed under the Disney brand, leading to speculation that Walt Disney Pictures was involved in the film, which turned out be to true when the film was released. The trailer was released on October 19, 2021 by Walt Disney Studios' YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel (the YouTube channel for Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...
), further increasing speculation. Additionally, the song "Bring Your Friends" by Sam Shrieve was heavily used in the film's marketing campaign but was not featured in the film itself.
A reprint of the original book featured a new Disney+ cover variant to serve as a tie-in release to the movie (this book featured a first look at Rowley Jefferson in his CG-animated form). Like the original book, Amulet Books released the book, but this time, in association with Disney Enterprises, Inc. and 20th Century Studios. It was released on November 23, 2021.
Streaming
The film was released by Disney Platform Distribution
Disney Platform Distribution, Inc. is a business unit within Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution (DMED) that manages all third-party media sales efforts for distribution, affiliate marketing and affiliate-related business operations for ...
, as a Disney+ original film, on Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
, on December 3, 2021. However, the film was released on the service under Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios unit ...
instead of 20th Century Studios. It was moved from 20th Century Studios and 20th Century Animation
20th Century Animation, Inc. (originally known as Fox Family Films, Fox Animation Studios, and 20th Century Fox Animation and sometimes referred to as Fox Animation) is an American animation studio located in Century City, Los Angeles. Formed ...
to Walt Disney Pictures sometime during production for unknown reasons.
Reception
Critical reception
Courtney Howard of ''Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' gave the film a positive review, saying, "Similar to its 2010 counterpart, this animated reboot amusingly tackles universal aspects of adolescence like first-day jitters, the fleeting nature of popularity, navigating cafeteria social hierarchies and the frustrations of not fitting in. ..With this notable sense of visual dexterity and stirring sentiments surrounding friendship and individuality that don’t come across as hollow platitudes, the brisk 56-minute feature is yet another noteworthy start to a burgeoning franchise reboot." Nicolas Rapold of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' complimented the animation, found the misadventures experienced by the characters to be good-humored and believed that the film manages to explore how friendship can evolve. John Serba of ''Decider
Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to:
* ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post''
*'' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special
* Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machine th ...
'' found the movie entertaining and lively, complimented the depiction of teachable moments, and compared Greg to Homer Simpson, describing him as a reliable anti-role model. Jennifer Green of ''Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. '' rated the movie 3 out of 5 stars, complimented the depiction of positive messages, citing self-authenticity and true friendship, and found agreeable the presence of role models, stating both Greg and Rowley demonstrate loyalty.
Jesse Hassenger of ''The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the movie a mixed review, writing, "On that level, the new version of Wimpy Kid has its moments. It bounces between vignettes, some amusing and some choppily edited, testing the mettle of Heffley and his optimistic best pal Rowley (Ethan William Childress), perhaps Kinney’s most durable creation. ..Even if their minds wander, most grown-ups probably won’t be as bored as the actors playing Heffley’s parents sound; they both give oddly flat and colorless vocal performances. It’s these hints of indifference that make ''Diary Of A Wimpy Kid'' feels like a contractual obligation, or a cobbling together of streaming content, rather than the start of a new series." Sarah Bea Milner of '' Screen Rant'' rated the movie 1.5 out of 5, stating, "Existing fans of the ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' franchise will at least get some enjoyment from watching such a faithful adaptation. ..Perhaps 2021's animated reboot can serve as a cautionary tale for the industry: being a good writer does not make one a good screenwriter and sometimes the best way to stay faithful to the spirit of a book is to have a competent and experienced professional write the adaptation."
Accolades
Jessica Mikayla received a nomination for Best Performance in a Voice Acting Role: Youth Actress at the 2022 Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
s. ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'' was a nominated for Best Animation TrailerByte for a Feature Film at the 2022 Golden Trailer Awards
The Golden Trailer Awards are an American annual award show for film trailers founded in 1999. The awards also honor the best work in all areas of film and video game marketing, including posters, television advertisements and other media, in ...
.
Future
Sequel
On October 23, 2021, ahead of the first film's release, Jeff Kinney revealed that sequels are already in development. On Disney+ Day, Kinney revealed that the sequel, based on ''Rodrick Rules
''Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules'' is a children's novel by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney, based on the FunBrain.com version. It is the sequel to ''Diary of a Wimpy Kid'', followed by '' The Last Straw''. The hardcover was rele ...
'', is set to be released in 2022. In March 2022, composer John Paesano confirmed that he would return to score the film's music. A poster for the film was released on September 12, 2022, announcing the film’s release date of December 2, 2022.
Kinney stated that he intends to adapt all his books into animated features for Disney+.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{20th Century Animation
2020s American animated films
2020s children's comedy films
2020s children's animated films
2021 computer-animated films
2021 films
American children's animated comedy films
Animated films about children
Canadian animated feature films
Disney+ original films
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (film series)
Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
Films scored by John Paesano
Middle school films
Walt Disney Pictures animated films
Walt Disney Pictures films
Canadian comedy films
2020s English-language films
2020s Canadian films
2021 directorial debut films