''Ferdinand'' is a 2017 American
computer-animated
Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating animations. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both static scenes ( still images) and dynamic images ( moving images), while computer animation re ...
adventure
An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...
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 o ...
produced by
Blue Sky Studios
Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was founded on February 22, 1987 by Chris Wedge, Michael Ferraro, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Eugene Troubetzkoy after their ...
and distributed by
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, 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 o ...
. The film, a loose remake of
Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
, and loosely based on
Munro Leaf
Wilbur Monroe Leaf ( Munro Leaf) (December 4, 1905 – December 21, 1976) was an American writer of children's literature who wrote and illustrated nearly 40 books during his 40-year career. He is best known for '' The Story of Ferdinand'' (1936), ...
and
Robert Lawson's 1936 children's book ''
The Story of Ferdinand
''The Story of Ferdinand'' (1936) is the best-known work by the American author Munro Leaf. Illustrated by Robert Lawson, the children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. He sits in the mid ...
'', was written by Robert L. Baird,
Tim Federle, and
Brad Copeland, and directed by
Carlos Saldanha
Carlos Saldanha (; born 24 January 1965) is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of '' Ice Age: The Meltdown'' (2006), '' Ice A ...
. The film features an
ensemble voice cast that includes
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
,
Kate McKinnon
Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions on the sketch comedy series '' Saturday Night Live'' (2012–2022), of which she was a ca ...
,
Bobby Cannavale
Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in '' Third Watch'', '' Vinyl'', and '' Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in '' Will & Grace'', whic ...
,
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Col ...
,
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...
,
David Tennant
David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...
, Tim Nordquist, Lily Day,
Juanes
Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Germany.html"_;"title="Freiburg,_Germany">Freiburg,_Germany_
file:Juanes_ZMF_2015_jm49211.jpg.html" ;"title="Germany">Freiburg,_ Freiburg,_Germany_">Germany.html"_;"title="Freiburg,_Germany">Freibur ...
,
Jerrod Carmichael
Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael ( ; born April 6, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. He has released three stand-up comedy specials on HBO: ''Love at the Store'' (2014), ''8'' (2017), and ''Rothaniel'' (2022). He ...
,
Miguel Ángel Silvestre
(born 6 April 1982) is a Spanish actor. He rose to prominence with his performance as El Duque in ''Sin tetas no hay paraíso''.
He has since played roles in series such as '' Velvet'', '' Sense8'', ''Narcos'', ''30 Coins'' and '' Sky Rojo''.
...
,
Raúl Esparza
Raúl Eduardo Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. Considered one of Broadway's leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway reviva ...
,
Gina Rodriguez,
Daveed Diggs
Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeffe ...
,
Gabriel Iglesias,
Flula Borg,
Boris Kodjoe
Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe (; born March 8, 1973) is a German actor, producer, and former model best known for his roles as Kelby in the 2002 film ''Brown Sugar'', the sports-courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama se ...
, and
Sally Phillips
Sally Elizabeth Phillips (born 10 May 1970) is an English actress, television presenter, and comedian. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show '' Smack the Pony''. She is also known for her roles in '' Miranda'' as T ...
. The music for the film was composed by
John Powell, making it his eighth and final collaboration with Blue Sky before it shut down on April 10, 2021. The story, written by
Ron Burch, David Kidd, and
Don Rhymer, follows a gentle pacifist bull named Ferdinand who refuses to participate in
bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms w ...
but is forced back into the arena where his beliefs are challenged when he faces off against the world's greatest bullfighter.
''Ferdinand'' premiered on December 10, 2017 in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...
, and was theatrically released in the United States on December 15, 2017 in 3D and 2D formats and received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences. It was a
box office bomb at the North American box office, but fared better internationally, grossing $296 million worldwide against a production budget of $111 million.
''Ferdinand'' received a nomination for
Best Animated Feature
This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards.
Best Actor/Best Actress
*See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the
90th Academy Awards
The 90th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best 2017 in film, films of 2017, and took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Californi ...
(losing against ''
Coco'') while also receiving nominations for
Best Animated Feature Film (also lost against ''Coco'') and
Best Original Song ("
Home
A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or many humans, and sometimes various companion animals. It is a fully or semi sheltered space and can have both interior and exterior aspects to it ...
") at the
75th Golden Globe Awards
The 75th Golden Globe Awards honored film and American television of 2017, and was broadcast live on January 7, 2018, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. This Golden ...
(losing against ''
This Is Me
This Is Me may refer to:
Albums
* ''This Is Me'' (Charlie McDonnell album), 2010
* ''This Is Me'' (Heather Peace album), 2010
* ''This Is Me'' (Jully Black album), or the title song, 2005
* ''This Is Me'' (Kierra Sheard album), or the titl ...
''). It was also the last film by Blue Sky Studios to be nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe, as the studio was shut down in April 2021.
Plot
In
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, young Ferdinand lives with other
calves and bulls at Señor Moreno's "Casa del Toro", where bulls are trained for bullfighting. Ferdinand is a
pacifist
Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaig ...
and loves flowers, and is bullied by the other calves Valiente, Guapo, and Bones. A
matador
A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...
arrives, and the calves' fathers fight to impress him. Ferdinand's father Raf is picked, so Valiente crushes Ferdinand's favorite flower in retaliation. Raf does not come back from the ring, and Valiente's father states his belief that "soft" bulls always die. Ferdinand runs away from Casa del Toro, and he winds up on a flower farm owned by Juan and his daughter Nina, who adopt him.
Two years later, Ferdinand has grown into an enormous but still gentle bull. Juan determines that Ferdinand looks too scary to take along to the annual
Flower Festival, as in previous years. Ferdinand follows them anyway, but is stung by a bee and panics, accidentally destroying the town square.
Animal Control
An animal control service or animal control agency is an entity charged with responding to requests for help with animals ranging from wild animals, dangerous animals, or animals in distress. An individual who works for such an entity was once kno ...
officers deem him dangerous, 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 bullies Valiente, Bones, and Guapo, plus new additions such as Lupe the goat and two new bulls, Angus and Maquina. Ferdinand tries to escape but is stopped by three
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
Lipizzan
The Lipizzan or Lipizzaner ( hr, Lipicanac, cz, Lipicán, hu, Lipicai, it, Lipizzano, sr, Lipicaner, sl, Lipicanec), is a European horse breed, breed of riding horse developed in the Habsburg Empire in the sixteenth century. It is of Baroqu ...
horses.
The next day, 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
Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when per ...
-induced faint. El Primero gives Moreno two days to get the bulls into shape. Guapo is sent to the
slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is not ...
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 off 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 and return to training.
With the help of the three
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...
siblings 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. Realizing that bulls die whether they are selected or not, Ferdinand goes back and warns the others to run for their lives. Valiente refuses to accept the truth and starts fighting Ferdinand, accidentally breaking off his own horn. He is taken to the slaughterhouse and Ferdinand is chosen by El Primero, who believes he deliberately injured Valiente.
Ferdinand 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
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), an ...
. El Primero threatens Moreno that if his staff does not catch Ferdinand, El Primero will fight Moreno in the ring instead. They abandon the truck and flee on foot to the
Atocha train station
Madrid Atocha ( es, Estación de Madrid Atocha), also named Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes, is the first major railway station in Madrid. It is the largest station serving commuter trains ( ''Cercanías''), regional trains from th ...
. Ferdinand helps the others get aboard the train, but 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 to save Ferdinand.
In
Las Ventas
The plaza de toros de Las Ventas, known simply as Las Ventas, is the largest bullfighting ring in Spain, located in the Guindalera quarter of the Salamanca district of Madrid. It was inaugurated on June 17, 1931. Its seating capacity of 23,798, m ...
Arena, Ferdinand refuses to fight and starts running around in blind panic, accidentally knocking over and humiliating El Primero. El Primero wounds him with a
banderilla and Ferdinand nearly retaliates until he sees a
carnation
''Dianthus caryophyllus'' (), commonly known as the carnation or clove pink, is a species of ''Dianthus''. It is likely native to the Mediterranean region but its exact range is unknown due to extensive cultivation for the last 2,000 years.Med ...
crushed beneath his hoof. Not wishing to hurt anyone, Ferdinand spares El Primero and sits down, waiting to be killed. The crowd yells for El Primero to let Ferdinand live and he decides to put down his sword and leave with dignity. Through his pacifism, Ferdinand becomes the first bull to survive a bullfight and is reunited with Nina. Moreno then brings Lupe, Ferdinand and the rest of the bulls to live at Nina's farm.
Voice cast
*
John Cena
John Felix Anthony Cena ( ; born April 23, 1977) is an American part-time professional wrestler, actor, and former rapper. He is currently signed to WWE. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is tied ...
as Ferdinand, a big-hearted
Spanish Fighting Bull
The Spanish Fighting Bull (Toro Bravo, ''toro de lidia'', ''toro lidiado'', ''ganado bravo'', ''Touro de Lide'') is an Iberian heterogeneous cattle population. It is exclusively bred free-range on extensive estates in Spain, Portugal, France and ...
who does not want to fight and believes in looking out for others.
**Colin H. Murphy voices a calf Ferdinand.
*
Kate McKinnon
Kate McKinnon Berthold (born January 6, 1984) is an American actress, comedian, and writer. She is known for her character work and celebrity impressions on the sketch comedy series '' Saturday Night Live'' (2012–2022), of which she was a ca ...
as Lupe, an old calming
goat
The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of ...
and Ferdinand's self-appointed mentor.
*
Bobby Cannavale
Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in '' Third Watch'', '' Vinyl'', and '' Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in '' Will & Grace'', whic ...
as Valiente, an aggressive and arrogant bull who
bullies Ferdinand for his flower-loving personality and reluctance to fight. He was the last bull to befriend Ferdinand.
**
Jack Gore voices a calf Valiente.
**Cannavale also voices Valiente's father, a cruel and ferocious bull who hates everyone, including his son. His attitude rubs off on Valiente.
*
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning (born March 24, 1976) is an American former American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons. Nicknamed "the Sheriff", he spent 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Col ...
as Guapo, a brash and loudmouthed bull who has stage fright and is also bullied by Valiente. He is the fourth bull to befriend Ferdinand.
**
Jet Jurgensmeyer voices a calf Guapo
*
Anthony Anderson
Anthony Anderson (born August 15, 1970) is an American actor, comedian and game show host. He is best known for his leading roles in drama series such as Marlin Boulet on '' K-Ville'', and as NYPD Detective Kevin Bernard on the NBC crime drama ...
as Bones, an undersized but agile and fast bull. He is Guapo's friend, and the first of the bulls to befriend Ferdinand.
**Nile Diaz voices a calf Bones
*
David Tennant
David John Tennant ('' né'' McDonald; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He rose to fame for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor (2005–2010 and 2013) in the BBC science-fiction TV show '' Doctor Who'', reprising the ...
as Angus, a
Scottish Highland bull who had hair over his eyes until Ferdinand licked it. He is the second bull to befriend Ferdinand.
*Tim Nordquist as Maquina, a lab-cloned
Belted Galloway
The Belted Galloway is a traditional Scottish breed of beef cattle. It derives from the Galloway cattle of the Galloway region of south-western Scotland, and was established as a separate breed in 1921. It is adapted to living on the poor ...
who never speaks, but 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
Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Germany.html"_;"title="Freiburg,_Germany">Freiburg,_Germany_
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as Juan, the father of Nina.
*
Jerrod Carmichael
Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael ( ; born April 6, 1987) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. He has released three stand-up comedy specials on HBO: ''Love at the Store'' (2014), ''8'' (2017), and ''Rothaniel'' (2022). He ...
as Paco, a
dog owned by Nina and Juan
*
Miguel Ángel Silvestre
(born 6 April 1982) is a Spanish actor. He rose to prominence with his performance as El Duque in ''Sin tetas no hay paraíso''.
He has since played roles in series such as '' Velvet'', '' Sense8'', ''Narcos'', ''30 Coins'' and '' Sky Rojo''.
...
as El Primero, an egotistical matador.
*
Raúl Esparza
Raúl Eduardo Esparza (born October 24, 1970) is an American stage, screen, and voice actor. Considered one of Broadway's leading men since the 2000s, he is best known for his Tony Award-nominated performance as Bobby in the 2006 Broadway reviva ...
as Moreno, the owner of Casa del Toro, who wants to impress Primero.
*
Gina Rodriguez as Una, a short violet
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...
who is Dos and Cuatro's sister.
*
Daveed Diggs
Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeffe ...
as Dos, a skinny indigo
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...
, Una and Cuatro's brother
*
Gabriel Iglesias as Cuatro, a chubby blue
hedgehog
A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are seventeen species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduct ...
, Una and Dos' brother
*
Flula Borg as Hans, a
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million ...
at Casa del Toro.
*
Boris Kodjoe
Boris Frederic Cecil Tay-Natey Ofuatey-Kodjoe (; born March 8, 1973) is a German actor, producer, and former model best known for his roles as Kelby in the 2002 film ''Brown Sugar'', the sports-courier agent Damon Carter on the Showtime drama se ...
as Klaus, a horse at Casa del Toro.
*
Sally Phillips
Sally Elizabeth Phillips (born 10 May 1970) is an English actress, television presenter, and comedian. She co-created and was one of the writers of the sketch comedy show '' Smack the Pony''. She is also known for her roles in '' Miranda'' as T ...
as Greta, a horse at Casa del Toro.
*
Jeremy Sisto
Jeremy Merton Sisto (born October 6, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Billy Chenowith in HBO's '' Six Feet Under'', NYPD Detective Cyrus Lupo in NBC's ''Law & Order'', George Altman in the ABC sitcom '' Suburgatory'', ...
as Raf, Ferdinand's father who died in a bullfight.
*Cindy Slattery as Bunny, a red
rabbit
Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit s ...
.
Production
In 2011, it was reported that
20th Century Fox Animation had acquired the rights to the children's book ''
The Story of Ferdinand
''The Story of Ferdinand'' (1936) is the best-known work by the American author Munro Leaf. Illustrated by Robert Lawson, the children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. He sits in the mid ...
'' by
Munro Leaf
Wilbur Monroe Leaf ( Munro Leaf) (December 4, 1905 – December 21, 1976) was an American writer of children's literature who wrote and illustrated nearly 40 books during his 40-year career. He is best known for '' The Story of Ferdinand'' (1936), ...
to adapt it into a computer-animated feature film with
Carlos Saldanha
Carlos Saldanha (; born 24 January 1965) is a Brazilian animator, director, producer, and voice actor of animated films who worked with Blue Sky Studios until its closure in 2021. He was the director of '' Ice Age: The Meltdown'' (2006), '' Ice A ...
attached to direct it. In May 2013, Fox titled the film simply ''Ferdinand'', which would be produced by
Blue Sky Studios
Blue Sky Studios, Inc. was an American computer animation studio based in Greenwich, Connecticut. It was founded on February 22, 1987 by Chris Wedge, Michael Ferraro, Carl Ludwig, Alison Brown, David Brown, and Eugene Troubetzkoy after their ...
.
John Powell, a frequent collaborator with Saldanha, would be composing the film's score. In November 2016, it was reported that
Gabriel Iglesias would voice a character named Cuatro, a chubby blue hedgehog, Una and Dos' brother.
Soundtrack
On September 19, 2017, it was announced that singer
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
wrote and recorded a song called "Home" for the film, released as the promotional single of the soundtrack on October 20, 2017. A second original song by Jonas, "Watch Me", was released alongside the six-song EP on December 1.
It features three original tracks, with the third song "Lay Your Head On Me" by
Juanes
Juanes at the Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Germany.html"_;"title="Freiburg,_Germany">Freiburg,_Germany_
file:Juanes_ZMF_2015_jm49211.jpg.html" ;"title="Germany">Freiburg,_ Freiburg,_Germany_">Germany.html"_;"title="Freiburg,_Germany">Freibur ...
.
It was the last time Powell composed a Blue Sky film before the studio shut down on April 10, 2021. His score was released by
Fox Music on December 15, 2017.
Release
In May 2013, Fox scheduled the film for April 7, 2017 release.
In February 2016, the release date was pushed back from its original release date of April 7, 2017 to July 21, 2017. 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: A New Age''
, before that film was temporarily cancelled, put back in production, and eventually released on November 25, 2020 by its new distributor
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
.
In February 2017, the film was moved up by one week from December 22, 2017 to December 15, 2017.
The first trailer premiered on March 28, 2017, followed by the second trailer on June 14, 2017.
Home media
''Ferdinand'' was released on Digital HD on February 27, 2018, and was released on DVD and Blu-ray on March 13, 2018.
The film was made available for streaming on
Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
on January 8, 2021.
Reception
Box office
''Ferdinand'' has grossed $84.4 million in the United States and Canada, underperforming at the North American box office, and $211.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $296 million, against a production budget of $111 million.
[
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. 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''.]
Critical response
On review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film has an approval rating of based on reviews and an average rating of . 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." On Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, the film has a weighted average score of 58 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audience polled by CinemaScore
CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data.
Background
Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.
Spanish bullfighting critic of El País
''El País'' (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. ''El País'' is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA.
It is the second most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . ''El ...
, 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". 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
School bullying, like bullying outside the school context, refers to one or more perpetrators who have greater physical strength or more social power than their victim repeatedly by acting aggressively toward their victim. Bullying can be verb ...
" and "implicit defense of sexual and gender diversity". Ben Kenigsberg 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 ...
'' 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''." Susan Wloszczyna of ''Rogerebert.com
''RogerEbert.com'' is an American film review website that archives reviews written by film critic Roger Ebert for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' and also shares other critics' reviews and essays. The website, underwritten by the ''Chicago Sun-Times' ...
'' 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." 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."
Simran Hans of ''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
'' 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." Michael Rechtshaffen of ''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...
'' 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." Katie Welsh of ''Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' 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." Tara Brady of ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' 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."
Accolades
References
External links
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{{20th Century Fox Animation
2017 films
2017 3D films
2017 computer-animated films
2010s American animated films
2010s adventure films
American 3D films
American children's animated adventure films
American children's animated comedy films
Animated films about mammals
Animated films about orphans
Animated films based on children's books
Bullfighting films
Films set in Spain
Films scored by John Powell
Films directed by Carlos Saldanha
Films produced by John Davis
Films with screenplays by Brad Copeland
20th Century Fox films
20th Century Fox animated films
20th Century Fox Animation films
Blue Sky Studios films
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3D animated films
2017 comedy films
Films set in Madrid
2010s English-language films
Films about cattle