Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner

Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner is a 2021 American traditional-animated/computer-animated science fiction adventure comedy film based on the long-running Fox series The Bad Life of Daniel and a follow-up to Daniel's Big Return. The film was released on July 23, 2021 in RealD 3D and IMAX formats.

Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner broke several pandemic box office records upon release, and grossed over $920 million worldwide, becoming the highest grossing animated TV show adaptation. Like its predecessor, the film received critical acclaim, with praise for its story, humor, animation, and vocal performances.

A ninth and final film is scheduled to be released in 2024.

Premise
Two months later after the events of the previous film, coming soon!

Cast

 * Jeff Bergman as Daniel Wyatt, Jeff Wyatt, Marty Wyatt, Alex Wyatt, Devin Silverman, Jasper, Wu Lee, Stan Streeter, Dank Hill, Frank Hill, Walter Simmons, Benny Hill, Bobby the Dog, Johnny Brown, the Strawberry man, Phil Shakar, Susan's father, and Lester Banks
 * Michael Bell as Carl Wickerson, Charlie the Ostrich, Billie Dooberson, Austin Lawson
 * Tress MacNeille as Susan Wyatt, Mary Moore, Josie Banks, Jennifer Bregit, Muriel Jones, and Officer Jenni Brown
 * Godfrey as Derrick Jackson, Robert Jackson, Richie, and Leonard Hills
 * Jim Cummings as Matthew Wyatt
 * Eric Bauza as Alfred Wyatt, the grandfather of Daniel Wyatt.
 * Candi Milo as Jenny and Menny Wyatt
 * Buster Jones as Robert Jackson
 * Cree Summer as Leelah Jackson, Lerry and Terry, Mary Ann Jackson
 * Gucci Mane as Norman Tellaris / Number 5, the new neighbor of Daniel who is a money obsessed contractual worker (later revealed to be disguised as an alien) who plans to destroy Daniel's neighborhood to build a Six Flags while also exterminating the Wyatts.
 * Henry Cavill as Ronald Simmons, the introverted assistant to Norman Tellaris.
 * John Boyega as Jake Tellaris, Norman's money obsessed teenage son.
 * Taraji P. Henson as Mayor Teresa Kallans, the new mayor of Atlanta who Norman tricks in order for him to buy Daniel's neighborhood.
 * Terrence Howard as Eddie Jackson, Robert Jackson's stuttering older cousin who just got out of jail.
 * Larenz Tate as Alfredo Wilson, the son of Andre Wilson.
 * Michelle Pfeiffer as Selena Welcox, the math teacher at Daniel's high school.
 * Robin Wright as Queen AGRH, the alien leader of Number 5's alien race.
 * Vanessa Morgan as Nargh / Jacquline, the teenage daughter of Queen AGRH who falls for Marty Wyatt.
 * Roscoe Orman as Professor Willie Dynamite, a former pimp turned professor at Daniel's high school.
 * Phil LaMarr as:
 * Andre Wilson, Derrick's best friend in the world.
 * Richie Barberson, one of Derrick's co-workers at the barbershop.
 * Bob Bergen as Rock Harrison

Production
The rest coming soon!

The film was animated at 20th Century Animation Century City alongside Mikros Images with rendering by Boom, the first Daniel film to be animated to Century City.

Theatrical
The film was released on July 23, 2021 by 20th Century Studios under Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures in the United States. Like F9 and A Quiet Place Part II the film was released exclusively in theaters. It is the first 20th Century Animation film to be widely released in theaters since The Pixelators: Level Two. The film was also released in 3D, IMAX, and 4DX formats as well.

Home media
Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner was released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment in the United States on digital on October 19, 2021, and on Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on November 2, 2021.

Box Office
Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner grossed $364.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $556.2 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $920.9 million. It is the highest grossing film of the franchise worldwide and overseas while the second highest one domestically as well as the highest grossing adult animated TV series adaptation.

The film's opening weekend earned $372.3 million globally, which included $128.2 million domestic box office and $249.1 million in international markets making it the biggest worldwide opening during the COVID-19 pandemic at the time.

In the United States and Canada, Daniel: Bigger, Badder, and Meaner was released alongside Snake Eyes, Old, and Joe Bell, and was projected to gross $150–170 million in its opening weekend at 4,201 locations with some projections pegging the film to gross as much as $180 million in it's opening. The film made $57.6 million on its first day (including $15.1 million from Thursday night previews), both the best such totals of the pandemic period as well as the best for the franchise. It went on to debut to $128.2 million slightly less than the previous film's opening but nevertheless became the top film of the weekend and the second biggest opening of the Daniel franchise behind Daniel's Big Return as well as the biggest for an animated film released during the pandemic at the time. This was the largest box office opening since the COVID-19 pandemic began, surpassing Black Widow's opening ($80 million), and the largest opening weekend since The Pixelators: Level Two (2020) as well as the first film to open to $100 million. Despite slightly underperforming projections, executives at Disney and 20th Century Studios were satisfied with the debut, since it continued 20th Century Animation's "remarkable consistency" at the box office and showed "proof of audiences' long-time love for the Daniel franchise." It dropped 64.2% in its second weekend (a worse drop than the previous film's -61.2%) and grossed $45.8 million while remaining in first.

The film opened in China on August 27, 2021 with an opening of $55 million, an increase over Daniel's Big Return 's $35 million.

Critical response
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 475 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Although it lacks the magic of the previous film, it once again proves the consistency of the Daniel 's theatrical output." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100 based on 40 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, down from the previous film's "A+", while those at PostTrak gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars and a 69% "definite recommend".

Accolades
Coming soon!

Sequel
A week before the film was released, a ninth and final film was green-lit at 20th Century Studios and Sony after the successful box office. Godfrey stated that this film will be different and take a darker tone in the franchise.