Topic summary

Turbo (2013 film)

Turbo is a 2013 American animated sports comedy film directed by David Soren and written by Soren, Darren Lemke and Robert Siegel. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Peña, Luis Guzmán, Bill Hader, and Samuel L. Jackson. In the film, a garden snail (Reynolds) pursues his dream of winning the Indianapolis 500 after a freak accident gives him super speed.

In 2009, DreamWorks Animation organized a competition for its staff to submit a one-page pitch for film ideas. Soren's concept was "The Fast and the Furious with snails" and he won the competition. With no further development for several years, Soren pushed the project again after he and his family moved into a new home with a backyard infested with snails. For the racing elements of the film, Soren was inspired by his son's fascination with race cars.

Turbo premiered at CineEurope on May 20, 2013, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 17, 2013, by 20th Century Fox. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics. Despite earning $282 million on a $131 million budget, the film was a box office failure, and lost the studio $13.5 million. A television series based on the film, Turbo Fast, was released in 2013.