Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (V)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Peter Avanzino

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator) &
Matt Groening (developer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 kesäkuu 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Planet Express crew must work to fix rips between their universe and another inhabited by a planet-sized...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Tentacle | Alien | Actor Playing Multiple Roles | Trapdoor

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth / Dr. Zoidberg / Zapp Brannigan / Richard Nixon / Leo Wong / Moon Farmer / M-5438 / Mr. Kroker / Judge Ron Whitey / Carnival Barker / Superhero / Land Squid (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / Randy Munchnick / URL / Calculon's Manservant / Funkalistics Lead Singer / Guard #1 (voice) (as John DiMaggio)
Tress MacNeille	...	Crazed Fan / Bender's First Born Son / Hattie McDoogal / Linda / The Grand Midwife / Pocket Pal / Thog / Gladys Lennox / Suicide Booth / Monique / Petunia / Mrs. Kroker / Morgan Procter (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Kif Kroker / Calculon / Morbo / Schlomo / SportsBot 5000 / Lrrr / Destructor / Horrible Gelatinous Blob / Hedonismbot / Fishy Joseph Gillman / Harold Zoid / King Kong / Guard #2 (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Horse Repair Robot / Ndulu / Robot 1-X / Billionairebot / Bolt Rollands (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong / Inez Wong (voice)
David Herman	...	Dr. Ogden Wernstrom / Plastic Surgeon Robot / British Robot / Coffee Enema Robot / Chu / Warden Vogel / Three-Eyed Zebra / Fatbot / Giant Medium-Sized Ant / Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer / Pazuzu (voice)
Dan Castellaneta	...	The Robot Devil (voice)
David Cross	...	Yivo (voice)
Stephen Hawking	...	Himself (voice)
Brittany Murphy	...	Colleen O'Hallahan (voice)

Directed by
Peter Avanzino

Writing credits
Matt Groening		creator &
Matt Groening		developer &
David X. Cohen		developer
Michael Rowe		written by

Produced by
David X. Cohen	....	executive producer
Matt Groening	....	executive producer
Claudia Katz	....	producer
Michael Rowe	....	co-executive producer
Lee Supercinski	....	producer
Patric Verrone	....	co-executive producer

Original Music by
Christopher Tyng

Film Editing by
Paul D. Calder

Casting by
Scott Muller

Art Department
Stephen Sandoval	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Eric Friend	....	sound recordist
Travis Powers	....	sound designer
Carlos Sotolongo	....	adr mixer
Carlos Sotolongo	....	original dialogue mixer

Visual Effects by
Mark Orme	....	3D generalist
Jason Plapp	....	digital camera and composite
Chris Stover	....	3D animator

Animation Department
Edmund Fong	....	story artist
Megan Kelly	....	character layout artist
Brian LoSchiavo	....	character layout artist
Jeff Mertz	....	background artist
Robert P. Moore	....	character layout artist
Vladi Rubizhevsky	....	background artist
John Seymore	....	model designer
T.C. Starnes Jr.	....	background layout artist

Editorial Department
Danik Thomas	....	associate editor
Chad Woods	....	color key

Music Department
Scott Schirle	....	music editor

Other crew
Michael Saikin	....	production assistant
Ben Sigman	....	systems administrator
Cindy Azada Whitman	....	design coordinator

Production Companies

• 20th Century Fox Television
• Curiosity Company, The

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Comedy Central (2008) (USA) (TV)
• FS Film Oy (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Before Noon Post-Production  re-recording at
• L.A. Studios, The  recording studio
• Travis Powers Sound Design  sound design

Also Known As:

The Beast with a Billion Backs (Australia)
The Futurama Movie 2 (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Argentina:90 min | Greece:90 min | Spain:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:12 | Finland:K-7 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Ireland:12

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The title refers to the phrase "the beast with two backs", a term referring to the act of sexual intercourse between two people and commonly associated with its use in the work of William Shakespeare .

Goofs:

Continuity: When Kif says hello to Fry on the missile he switches back and forth from being on the left and right sides of its fin.

Quotes:

Dr. Zoidberg: I thought I was fighting for my freedom!
Professor Farnsworth: NO!

Movie Connections:

References "Futurama: A Clone of My Own (#2.15)" (2000)

From Parodying Good Sci-Fi To Making It Themselves!

The first Futurama movie felt like a collection of episodes strung together, "Benders Big Score" was enjoyable for fans, but like "the family guy movie", or "the Simpson's movie", it doesn't do anything the show didn't do, the same cannot be said for "The Beast With A Billion Backs", which while not as laugh a second as it could be(still multiple laughs per minute) is strengthened by being one of the strongest stories that Futurama has ever ran.

My favorite Futurama episode finds Bender floating in space alone, and a tiny microscopic colony grows onto his back, and begins worshiping him as their God, in trying to help improve their lives, he ultimately destroys them all, and then encounters a large energy being in the middle of space, who for all intense and purposes is the God...who doesn't seem to know who he is or what he is doing, but knows that God can't please everyone and if his job is done right no one "should" know he exists at all.. moments like that are the reason I watched Futurama in the first place, and its the kind of thinking that produced "The Beast With A Billion Backs", which is possibly the most unique, thought provoking, and amusing love story, I've ever seen in an animated film, or maybe ever.

It's a metaphysical love story, with inter-dimensional sea monsters and robotic demonic pirates, it's a story of infidelity and jealousy (not just with Fry, consider the subplot of Kif and Amy, compare Fry's first relationship with his last, Benders final monologue, etc). Is love personal or universal, can it be shared or must it be guarded, can any kind of perfect love exist within imperfect human conditions? Can/should God love everyone? Because it's Futurama you don't sit down, expecting to be challenged or even moved. "Sorry Bender...Robots don't go to heaven...", but that's just how it ends up.

So no this does not feel like "The Futurama" you've seen a thousand times before, it's best moments are still there, but it has a sense of direction, purpose, and story structure, that's its never had before, and is damned commendable. The best adult cartoon movie since "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut", but as much for the story telling itself as the laughs.

It's the Cthulu Love story of our times!