Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens

Did You Know?

• Madman Entertainment released Destroy All Aliens in Region 4 on June 20, 2012.
• Warner Home Video released the film in Region 2 on October 1, 2012.
• The film won the Best 3D Animated Program category at the Asian Television Awards 2012 and the Gold Award for Best Movie Campaign in the 2012 ProMax Awards.

Plot

Ben, Gwen, and their grandfather Max spend their evenings battling aliens on Bellwood's streets. During a fight with a robotic tank, Ben as Upgrade and Gwen argue about the best way to defeat it, and Gwen casts a dismantling spell on the tank while Ben is still attached, causing a malfunction in the Omnitrix. Later, after a school mishap where J.T. and Cash lock Ben in his locker and the Omnitrix accidentally teleports his homework away, Ben is grounded by his parents Carl and Sandra and forced to stay home to do a history report. The Omnitrix then teleports his laptop away. Ben's alien friend Tetrax arrives and says Azmuth has asked to meet him. They go to meet Azmuth but are attacked by a To'kustar, which is teleported into the Omnitrix. Tetrax activates a new function on the Omnitrix, but before he can explain it, the ship is attacked and Ben is sucked out into the atmosphere, falling as Diamondhead. The new ability prevents Ben from returning to human form when the Omnitrix times out, instead switching him into another alien form. Ben as Four Arms arrives at Stonehenge and is attacked by a Galvanic Mechamorph who demands to know about the To'kustar. Their battle carries across the globe, and Ben escapes as Grey Matter. Meanwhile, Gwen and Max receive a call from Ben's parents and search for him, finding Tetrax. They discover Azmuth's ship disguised as a truck, which crashed and was destroyed by the To'kustar. They encounter Ben at his house, restore the Omnitrix, and Gwen deduces what happened just as she, Ben, Tetrax, and the Mechamorph are transported into the Omnitrix.

Production

To get the word out about the film, Bandai planned a toy line to hit stores at the same time as the premiere. Cartoon Network ran a contest across Asia and the Philippines where one boy and one girl could become part of Ben 10 lore. The prize package included a voice acting gig, various merchandise, and a limo ride to the green carpet event. Similar giveaways happened in Malaysia and the Middle East. The Filipino winners, Nina Teo and Xander Ching, ended up providing voices for two of Ben's schoolmates. In Africa, Cartoon Network held a separate contest for tickets to the Johannesburg premiere on March 10, 2012. Digital releases followed on iTunes, the PlayStation Store, and similar platforms. A Filipino-language version aired on TV5's Cartoon Network block on May 5, 2012. Initially labeled non-canon, the film was later confirmed as part of the timeline by Ben 10: Omniverse art director Derrick J. Wyatt. He explained that the clash between Way Big and his evil counterpart caused so much damage that aliens were brought in to rebuild, eventually forming the hidden society of Undertown seen in Omniverse.

Reception

Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave Ben 10: Destroy All Aliens a 3 out of 5, criticizing the story's excessive violence but noting it emphasizes the joy of family even with rules. In the United States, the broadcast increased by double digits versus the same period in 2011 and placed #1 in its time period in boys 2–11. The film was watched by 2.080 million viewers with a 0.4 adult rating.