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Horrid Henry: The Movie
Horrid Henry: The Movie is a 2011 British 3D comedy film directed by Nick Moore[4] and produced by Allan Niblo, Rupert Preston, Mike Watts, and Lucinda Whiteley,[5] who wrote it. In the film, Henry and the Purple Hand Gang fight to prevent the closure of their school by an evil private school headmaster. It is based on the fictional character Horrid Henry from the children's book series of the same name by Francesca Simon.[6] The film itself takes place before series 3 of the TV series. Horrid Henry: The Movie stars Theo Stevenson, Richard E. Grant, Parminder Nagra, Kimberley Walsh, Mathew Horne, Siobhan Hayes, Dick and Dom, Noel Fielding, Jo Brand,[7] and Anjelica Huston. It was the first British film for children to be shot in 3D,[8] and was officially released in cinemas on 29 July 2011 in 2D, RealD 3D, and 3D formats by Vertigo Films in the United Kingdom. Phase 4 Films and Entertainment One released the film in theatres in the United States and Canada on 22 December 2012.[9] The film universally panned by critics and audiences, who criticised its humour, use of 3D, acting, and low quality, but was positively received from fans of the books and the TV series. It grossed $10.1 million worldwide. Horrid Henry: The Movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 28 November 2011 in the United Kingdom. Horrid Henry: The Movie has sold over 750,000 DVD copies in the UK.[10] PlotAfter once again neglecting to finish his homework, Horrid Henry has his friend, Brainy Brian, forge a note from his mother claiming that his cat ate it. His teacher, Miss Battle-Axe, sees through Henry's ruse because the word "homework" is spelled correctly, something Henry struggles with. While Henry is in detention, his friends join him, and they rehearse for a school talent contest; they are interrupted by Miss Oddbod, the Headmistress, and two school inspectors. Meanwhile, Vic Van Wrinkle, the headmaster of the prestigious Brick House School, influences the school inspectors to close down Ashton Primary, the school Henry attends, hoping to profit from an influx of new students. The inspectors encourage Henry's pranks, resulting in Miss Battle-Axe and her colleague, Miss Lovely, being dismissed for failing to maintain discipline. Furthermore, Miss Oddbod prohibits Henry's band, the Zero Zombies, from entering the talent contest. With Ashton Primary on the brink of closing, Henry's Great Aunt Greta offers to pay for Henry to attend an all-girls private academy (thinking Henry is a girl) and his younger brother, Perfect Peter, to attend Brick House. Miss Lovely applies for a job at Brick House and spies on Van Wrinkle; she is captured, but passes notes about Van Wrinkle's plan to Peter. After Henry escapes from his new school with the help of Margaret, who has also been transferred there, he and the Zero Zombies compete in the talent contest, hoping that a victory will garner enough fame to save Ashton Primary from closure. They win the contest, but Miss Oddbod informs Henry that fame is irrelevant in this case. Henry later receives an invitation to participate in the game show 2 Cool 4 School, and Margaret suggests they use the cash prize to bribe the school inspectors into leaving Ashton Primary alone. In the final round of the game, Henry is confronted by Miss Battle-Axe, who challenges him to spell "homework." Recalling Miss Battle-Axe's previous admonitions and using the phrase "Oh, Henry" as a mnemonic device, he finally spells the word correctly and wins. Meanwhile, Peter and his friends try to rescue Miss Lovely, but are captured by Van Wrinkle. Miss Lovely tricks Van Wrinkle into explaining his plan while Peter has her mobile phone on a call with Miss Oddbod, who calls the police. Van Wrinkle attempts to escape, but falls over due to Peter tying his shoelaces together; he and the school inspectors are arrested. Henry offers the cash prize to Miss Oddbod, who declines it and explains that the school has already been saved. Instead, the money is used to throw a party at Henry's house. Cast
ProductionHorrid Henry: The Movie was filmed at London for seven weeks in November and December in 2010 and was released in cinemas the following summer.[8] ReleaseHorrid Henry: The Movie was theatrically released on 29 July 2011, in the U.K. by Vertigo Films.[11][9] It was later released on DVD and Blu-ray on 28 November, that same year, in the United Kingdom. ReceptionBox officeThe film opened at #5 in the box office in the United Kingdom with £1.3 million, in a Top 10 led by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Captain America: The First Avenger.[12] It was knocked down the next week to #7, by Super 8 and Mr. Popper's Penguins.[13] Critical responseThe film received extremely negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 9% of 22 reviews for Horrid Henry: The Movie are positive; the average rating is 3.60/10.[14] Common criticisms included the unfunny, juvenile humour,[15][16][17] stuttering plot,[15][17][18] and unimaginative use of stereoscopy.[15][16][17] The bright colour palette was widely praised, but generally said to be wasted, given the overall low quality of the film.[15][16][18] Leslie Felperin of Variety stated: 'Thinly scripted, even for a kidpic, but luridly colored enough to keep even nap needing tots (or parents) awake, this sophomore effort by Brit helmer Nick Moore (Wild Child) reps something of a waste of its impressive roster of supporting thespian talent, while its use of 3D is likewise less than imaginative.'[15] Derek Adams offered the film mild praise in Time Out: "Horrid Henry is indelibly flawed and disorderly in tone but not devoid of rambunctious charm".[18] When interviewed on Desert Island Discs by Kirsty Young, Horrid Henry book author Francesca Simon stated: 'I haven't seen it (the film)...I had nothing to do with it.'[19] Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media gave this a film two stars out of five, describing as a "forgettable British kid comedy is pretty horrid indeed."[20] In August 2019, Francesca Simon, the author of the original books, stated during a Q&A at the Edinburgh International Book Festival that she does not like the film, due to differing from the books.[21] Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on 1 January 2011, by Universal Music TV.[22]
SequelIn an interview with Novel Entertainment, aired out in January 2020 after the success of Horrid Henry: The Movie being aired on Nicktoons, executive producer Lucinda Whiteley said she was "absolutely [working on a sequel]! And not just one but two sequels, as the story of how Henry ends up saving the world needs more than just 90 minutes!"[23] See alsoReferences
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