''Ribbit'' is a 2014 Malaysian 3D

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 refe ...

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 ...

produced by

KRU Studios KRU Studios is a Malaysian media and entertainment company. Founded in 1992, KRU Studios has since diversified and now provides a range of services related to the media and entertainment industry, specialising in both production and distributio ...

and Crest Animation Studios Western Pictures. It is directed by Chuck Powers from a screenplay by Powers and Hamir Afizi and features the voices of

Sean Astin Sean Patrick Astin (né Duke; February 25, 1971) is an American actor. His acting roles include Samwise Gamgee in ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003), Mikey Walsh in ''The Goonies'' (1985), Daniel Ruettiger in ''Rudy'' (1993), Doug ...

Russell Peters Russell Dominic Peters (born September 29, 1970) is a Canadian stand-up comedian, actor, and producer. He began performing in Toronto in 1989 and won a Gemini Award in 2008. In 2013, he was number three on ''Forbes'' list of the world's highe ...

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

, and

Cherami Leigh Cherami Leigh (born July 19, 1988) is an American actress. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of anime series and video games with Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Viz Media. Some o ...

Synopsis

All his life, Ribbit has felt different from all the other frogs. To find purpose in his life, Ribbit embarks on an incredible journey through the

Amazon Rainforest The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...

. During this journey, Ribbit is accidentally hypnotised into believing he is a human prince trapped in a frog's body. Convinced that he now understands why he is different, Ribbit heads out in his search for the Princess whose kiss will solve all his problems. Joined by his best friend, a female squirrel named Sandy, Ribbit encounters an amazingly zany cast of unique and colourful characters.

Cast

as Ribbit, a

poison dart frog Poison dart frog (also known as dart-poison frog, poison frog or formerly known as poison arrow frog) is the common name of a group of frogs in the family Dendrobatidae which are native to tropical Central and South America. These species are ...

with an identity crisis, the main protagonist *

as Deepak, a

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

with the answers to life's questions *

as Terrence, a

toucan Toucans (, ) are members of the Neotropical near passerine bird family Ramphastidae. The Ramphastidae are most closely related to the American barbets. They are brightly marked and have large, often colorful bills. The family includes five ge ...

with a flair for colours *

as Sandy, a female

flying squirrel Flying squirrels (scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini) are a tribe of 50 species of squirrels in the family Sciuridae. Despite their name, they are not in fact capable of full flight in the same way as birds or bats, but they ar ...

who is Ribbit's best friend * Elza Irdalynna as Rafa and Luciano, two

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

cubs *

Amelia Henderson Amelia Thripura Henderson (born 20 October 1995) is a Malaysian actress, television presenter, YouTuber and model. Early life Amelia Thripura Henderson was born in Klang, Selangor, Malaysia, and she is the daughter of a Malaysian Indian dentist ...

as Marcella, Rafa and Luciano's sister * Abigail Cole as Bianca, a baby

howler monkey Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Ateles' ...

* Lydia Lubon as Carla, Bianca's mother * Carey Van Driest as Avelina, Carla's sister * Chuck Powers as Grandpa, Carla and Avelina's father * Sonny Franks as Kai, a

caiman A caiman (also cayman as a variant spelling) is an alligatorid belonging to the subfamily Caimaninae, one of two primary lineages within the Alligatoridae family, the other being alligators. Caimans inhabit Mexico, Central and South America fro ...

who lives in a waterfall and the main antagonist * Christina Orow as Jojo, a

manatee Manatees (family Trichechidae, genus ''Trichechus'') are large, fully aquatic, mostly herbivorous marine mammals sometimes known as sea cows. There are three accepted living species of Trichechidae, representing three of the four living species ...

* Sonny Franks as Ollie, Jojo's partner * Kennie Dowle as the spider * Valentine Cawley as the Witch Doctor * Martin Dysart as Inego. * Dilly Shakir as Callie, Inego's wife * Ali Astin as the Princess, future leader of an Amazonian tribe

Production

The film is co-produced by

and Crest Animation Studios with partial financing from the Malaysian government's Multimedia Development Corporation.Frater, Patrick
"Russell Peters, Sean Astin Say ‘Ribbit’ to Malaysian Animation"
''

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), ...

'', Hong Kong, 18 March 2014. Retrieved on 12 May 2016. The development and post-production work was entirely completed in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, while the animation took place in Cyberjaya, Malaysia and Mumbai, India, and most of the rendering was done in Hong Kong. The lead voices were recorded in Los Angeles with additional voices recorded in Dallas, Texas and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Music

The film's main musical theme is Magical Moment, a duet by American R&B group

Az Yet Az Yet is an American R&B group from Philadelphia, best known for their songs " Last Night" and the cover "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" originally performed by Chicago. Formation Formed in 1989 initially as a duo with Shawn Rivera and Dion Allen, th ...

and

Jaclyn Victor Jaclyn Joshua Thanaraj Victor (born 4 December 1978) is a Malaysian singer, songwriter, actress & businesswoman who won the inaugural ''Malaysian Idol'', ''Ikon Malaysia'' & ''Gegar Vaganza Season 9''. As the winner of ''Malaysian Idol'', she wo ...

, winner of Malaysian Idol. The other song on the original sound track is Destiny, produced by DJ Motiv8 and performed by SuPreme featuring Felice LaZae.

Release

The film was presented at the

Cannes Film Market Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...

in 2012 at the project stage. It premiered at the Niagara Integrated Film Festival on 21 June 2014 where it won Best Family Film.Law, John
"Niagara Film Fest wraps up big first year"
''

Niagara Falls Review The ''Niagara Falls Review'' is a daily newspaper distributed in Niagara Falls and also serving the nearby towns of Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the-Lake area in Ontario, Canada. The paper is owned by Metroland Media Group, a subsidiary of Torstar. ...

'', Niagara, 23 June 2014. Retrieved on 12 May 2016. It was released theatrically in Malaysia on 4 September 2014. It was released in the United States on DVD on 25 November 2014.

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, ribbit 2014 films Malaysian animated films Malaysian 3D films Animated films about frogs Animated films about squirrels Animated films about birds Films about bats Films about spiders Films set in the Amazon English-language Malaysian films KRU Studios films