Home (2015 film)

Plot

The Boov, a cowardly alien race led by Captain Smek, invade Earth and relocate humans to the Australian Outback. Oh, an accident-prone Boov who wants to fit in, invites other Boov to a housewarming party, but no one attends. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Gratuity "Tip" Tucci, the only human who avoided capture, searches for her mother Lucy with her cat Pig. Oh visits Kyle, a Boov traffic officer, and accidentally sends an invitation email to every alien race, including the Gorg, the Boov's longtime enemy.

The Boov declare Oh a fugitive. Oh hides in a convenience store where Tip finds him; she locks him in a freezer but later lets him out to fix her car, which he turns into a flying craft named Slushious. Oh promises to help Tip find Lucy but plans to abandon her in Antarctica. Kyle, sent by Smek, forces Oh to give up his email password to cancel the invitation.

Oh and Tip sneak into the Boov Command Center in Paris, cancel the invitation, and learn Lucy is in a human camp in Australia. Smek orders Oh's execution, but Tip uses a gravity device to flip the Eiffel Tower, allowing their escape. Oh apologizes to Tip and they head to Australia, but Gorg drones attack and wreck Slushious. Oh repairs the car with a Gorg SuperChip.

Production

DreamWorks Animation optioned the book's rights in 2008 and renewed the option in 2011. In June 2012, the film was announced as Happy Smekday! with Jim Parsons and Rihanna starring, and a release in the fourth quarter of 2014. The release date was set for November 26, 2014, but in June 2013 the title was changed to Home.

It was the final DreamWorks Animation film to use Hewlett-Packard as its preferred technology partner before the company split in November 2015. Rihanna created a concept album also titled Home, released on March 13, 2015, with eight original songs. The lead single "Towards the Sun" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on February 9, 2015, and the second single "Feel the Light" by Jennifer Lopez was released on February 25, 2015.

Release

Home was initially scheduled for November 26, 2014, but was pushed to March 27, 2015, swapping dates with Penguins of Madagascar. A 4-minute prequel short film, Almost Home, was attached to Mr. Peabody & Sherman and Rio 2 in 2014.

The film premiered at the Boulder International Film Festival on March 7, 2015, as the first RealD 3D film to open the event. Home was released digitally on June 26, 2015, and on DVD, Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D on July 28, 2015. In the United Kingdom, it reached number one on the Official Video Chart in its first week.

Reception

Home grossed $177.4 million in North America and $208.6 million internationally, totaling $386 million worldwide against a $135 million production budget. Deadline Hollywood calculated a net profit of $29.12 million. It opened in the U.S. and Canada on March 27, 2015, alongside Get Hard, and debuted at number one with $52.1 million, exceeding predictions of $30–35 million. This was DreamWorks Animation's best opening since Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted.

Internationally, it earned $20.1 million in its first weekend from 10 countries. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 55 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 31 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. CinemaScore audiences gave it an average grade of "A".

Did You Know?

• A spin-off television series, Home: Adventures with Tip & Oh, was released on Netflix in 2016 and removed in April 2024 due to licensing agreements.
• Jim Parsons and Rihanna did not reprise their roles in the television series; they were voiced by Mark Whitten and Rachel Crow respectively.
• Frank Welker voiced Pig, Tip's pet Japanese Bobtail cat, uncredited.