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Make It Extra — with a Side of Optimism! Loren Bouchard and Bernard Derriman bring Bob’s Burgers to the big screen in a meaty animated musical. By Jennifer Wolfe
F
ans of Bob’s Burgers, the multi-Emmy-winning animated series that has become a mainstay of Sunday night appointment viewing over its 12-season run, have been eagerly awaiting the Belcher family’s theatrical debut since the project was first announced in 2017. An animated, big-screen, musical comedy-mystery-adventure extravaganza, The Bob’s Burgers Movie arrived in theaters on May 27. The 2D-animated film, made under a reported $60-$70 million budget, has a little of everything that you might expect: a crisis brought on by a ruptured water main; a mystery that could help save the restaurant; snappy, spectacular musical numbers and a big, healthy portion of heart. But the series that excels at exalting the mundane also has a few surprises in store for moviegoers, including gorgeous, widescreen visuals presented in a mix of Cinemascope and anamorphic formats. There are also touches of CG animation hidden within the film stylized to appear as 2D in order to execute certain shots. The movie was produced at Bento Box Entertainment, with the bulk of the animation completed by Tonic DNA, Lighthouse Studios, Golden Wolf and Mercury Filmworks.
Produced by Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard, Nora Smith and Janelle Momary, The Bob’s Burgers Movie was written by Bouchard and Smith, and directed by Bernard Derriman, with Bouchard also serving as co-director. The movie takes a deep dive into the psyches of all five Belchers, and their stalwart family friend Teddy, with the celebrated voice
cast featuring Kristen Schaal, H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, Zach Galifianakis and Kevin Kline returning for their big-screen roles.
A Star Player As supervising director on more than 150 episodes of Bob’s Burgers before he was pro-
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june|july 22
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