# Mars Needs Moms

> 2011 film by Simon Wells

**Wikidata**: [Q1320985](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1320985)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Needs_Moms)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/mars-needs-moms

## Summary
Mars Needs Moms is a 2011 science fiction animated film directed by Simon Wells, produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the children's book by Berkeley Breathed and uses motion-capture animation technology.

## Key Facts
- Release date: March 11, 2011 (United States)
- Director: Simon Wells
- Production company: Walt Disney Pictures
- Genre: Science fiction film
- Country of origin: United States
- Based on: Children's book by Berkeley Breathed
- Animation technique: Motion-capture
- IMDb ID: tt1305591
- Rotten Tomatoes: 37% rating
- Metacritic: 49/100 score
- Budget: $150 million
- Box office: $38.9 million worldwide
- Runtime: 88 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- Wikipedia sitelink count: 41 language editions

## FAQs
**What is the plot of Mars Needs Moms?**
The film follows a young boy named Milo who stows away on a spaceship to rescue his mother after she is abducted by Martians who need her maternal skills to program their nanny-bots.

**Why did the film perform poorly at the box office?**
Mars Needs Moms was a box office bomb, grossing only $38.9 million against a $150 million budget, making it one of the biggest financial failures in Disney's history. The motion-capture animation was criticized for creating an uncanny valley effect, and the marketing failed to resonate with audiences.

**What animation technology was used in the film?**
The film used performance capture technology similar to that used in The Polar Express and Beowulf, where actors' movements and facial expressions were recorded and translated into animated characters. This was one of the last major films to use this specific motion-capture approach before the technology evolved.

**Who are the main voice actors in the film?**
Seth Green voices Milo (though his voice was later replaced by Seth Dusky), Joan Cusack voices Milo's mother, and Dan Fogler voices Gribble, a human who has been living on Mars since the 1980s.

## Why It Matters
Mars Needs Moms represents a significant moment in animation history as one of the last major motion-capture animated films before the technology fell out of favor due to the uncanny valley effect. The film's commercial failure had industry-wide implications, contributing to the decline of performance capture animation for theatrical features and influencing Disney's future animation strategy. It also serves as a cautionary tale about the risks of high-budget animated films and the importance of connecting with target audiences through both technology and storytelling.

## Notable For
- One of the biggest box office bombs in film history relative to budget
- Final major theatrical release to use Robert Zemeckis's motion-capture animation technique
- Based on a children's book by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Berkeley Breathed
- Featured early work by animator and director Simon Wells
- Demonstrated the limitations of motion-capture technology for creating appealing animated characters
- Led to significant financial write-downs for Walt Disney Studios

## Body
### Production and Development
Mars Needs Moms was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and ImageMovers Digital, with animation work completed by Industrial Light & Magic. The project was initiated when Disney acquired the rights to Berkeley Breathed's 2007 children's book of the same name. Simon Wells, known for his work on films like The Time Machine and Balto, directed the project, marking one of his first major animated features.

The film utilized performance capture technology, with actors performing their roles on stage while sensors recorded their movements and facial expressions. This data was then translated into the animated characters by visual effects teams. The production budget ballooned to approximately $150 million, making it one of the most expensive animated films ever made at the time.

### Release and Reception
Mars Needs Moms premiered on March 11, 2011, in the United States, with international releases following throughout the spring and summer. The film opened to poor reviews from critics, who particularly criticized the animation style for creating characters that fell into the uncanny valley - appearing almost human but with subtle differences that made them unsettling to watch.

The box office performance was disastrous, with the film earning only $6.9 million in its opening weekend against expectations of $10-15 million. It ultimately grossed just $21.4 million domestically and $17.5 million internationally, for a total of $38.9 million worldwide. This represented a loss of approximately $100-130 million when marketing and distribution costs were factored in.

### Technical Aspects
The motion-capture technology used in Mars Needs Moms was similar to that employed in earlier films like The Polar Express (2004) and Beowulf (2007). Actors wore suits with sensors that tracked their movements, while facial capture technology recorded their expressions. The data was then processed by computer to create the final animated characters.

The film was released in both 2D and 3D formats, with the 3D version being the primary theatrical presentation. The visual effects were handled by Industrial Light & Magic, which had extensive experience with both live-action and animated effects work.

### Cultural Impact and Legacy
The commercial failure of Mars Needs Moms had significant repercussions for the animation industry. It contributed to the closure of ImageMovers Digital, the visual effects studio co-founded by Robert Zemeckis that had been a pioneer in motion-capture animation. The film's poor performance also influenced Disney's decision to shift away from performance capture for animated features, with the studio focusing instead on traditional and computer animation techniques.

The film has since become a case study in animation production, often cited in discussions about the risks of high-budget animated films and the importance of choosing appropriate technology for storytelling. It also highlighted the challenges of adapting children's books to the big screen while maintaining the charm and appeal of the source material.

### Related Works and Connections
Mars Needs Moms exists within the broader context of science fiction animated films and Disney's animated feature catalog. It shares thematic elements with other family science fiction films about space exploration and family relationships, though its execution and reception were notably different from more successful entries in the genre.

The film's production involved collaboration between multiple entities, including Walt Disney Pictures as the distributor and primary production company, ImageMovers Digital for animation production, and Industrial Light & Magic for visual effects work. This represents the complex ecosystem of modern animated film production, involving multiple specialized companies and technologies.

### Classification and Categorization
As a science fiction film produced in the United States, Mars Needs Moms fits into several established categories within film classification systems. It is classified as a feature-length animated film, a science fiction work, and a family-oriented production. The film's use of motion-capture technology also places it within the history of performance capture animation, alongside works by Robert Zemeckis and other pioneers of the technique.

The film's basis in a children's book by Berkeley Breathed connects it to the tradition of adapting illustrated children's literature for the screen, though its reception was notably different from more successful adaptations in this category.

## References

1. The Movie Database
2. Mars Needs Moms. Rotten Tomatoes
3. [IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305591/releaseinfo)
4. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
5. [Source](http://www.hollywood.com/general/mars-needs-moms-world-premiere-60022856/#/ms-6770/1)
6. BBC Things
7. Kinopoisk
8. [Source](https://www.kijkwijzer.nl/films/mars-needs-moms/)
9. terjesztesre_kerulo_filmalkotasok_nyilvantartasa.xlsx
10. [Source](https://www.eirin.jp/list/index.php?s_year=2011&s_month=2&e_year=2011&e_month=2&pageID=1)
11. Cineplex
12. Online-Filmdatenbank
13. [Source](http://portal.mj.gov.br/ClassificacaoIndicativa/jsps/DadosObraForm.do?select_action=&tbobra_codigo=44688)
14. Brazilian Advisory Rating System
15. [Source](http://cnc.abt.ro/registru/index.aspx?pageID=3&filmID=13264)
16. Bechdel Test Movie List
17. mymovies.it
18. [Mars Needs Moms (2011 Movie) - Behind The Voice Actors](https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/movies/Mars-Needs-Moms/)
19. [Source](https://ui.eidr.org/view/content?id=10.5240/0AD4-8B30-ADBD-9F05-D84A-T)
20. Danish Film Database
21. [Source](https://norske-dubber.fandom.com/no/wiki/Milo_på_Mars_(Film)?so=search?oldid=65903)
22. Trakt.tv
23. FilmVandaag.nl