Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted

Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted is an upcoming American computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by 20th Century Animation. It is the fourth and final installment in the Alaina Gleen CGI reboot franchise, following 2017's Alaina Gleen: Imaginary Vacation. Written and directed by series creator Thalia Ward and co-directed by Thurop Van Orman and written by Matt Lieberman, Peter Ackerman, Eyal Podell, and Jonathon E. Stewart. It will feature the voices of Kristen Bell, Bill Hader, Zac Efron, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, Andy Samberg, Maya Rudolph, Danny McBride, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, and Wanda Sykes reprising their roles from the previous films, joined by newcomers Rachel Bloom, Katherine Langford, Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Sterling K. Brown, Danny Trejo, Kelly Marie Tran, and Jake Johnson.

Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on September 12, 2021, and will be released simultaneously in theaters and on Premium VOD on September 17 by 20th Century Studios. The film received generally positive reviews from critics with many considering it an improvement over its third predecessor and commended its humor, musical score, faithfulness to the original TV series, animation, and the vocal performances of Bell and Hader, although some were mixed on the film's plot for being cliché and derivative.

Synopsis
When Alaina Gleen and Max Hat get framed for stealing a historic gem in Paris, the two must reunite Alaina's friends and team up with a young police girl named Bianca to embark on a wild and dangerous journey around the world with the help of the Imaginary Resistance.

Voice cast

 * Kristen Bell as Alaina Gleen
 * Bill Hader as Max Hat
 * Zac Efron as Jason Baxter
 * Emma Stone as Lucy Jones
 * Jim Carrey as Professor Hinkle Higgins
 * Rachel Bloom as Officer Bianca Cortez
 * Andy Samberg as Eddie Elephant
 * Jake Johnson as Chief Kyle Brooks, a police chief who wants to arrest Alaina and Max for (wrongfully) stealing the world's most famous treasures.
 * Katherine Langford as Peggy Carson, a smart and menacing world-class thief who frames Alaina Gleen and Max Hat for stealing the world's valuable treasures.
 * Dwayne Johnson as Spy Squirrel
 * Maya Rudolph as Sally Gleen
 * Danny McBride as Roger Rumpkins
 * Kenan Thompson as Officer Bernie
 * Wanda Sykes as Betty Gleen
 * Emily Blunt as Flo Flower

The Imaginary Resistance

 * Sterling K. Brown as Dr. Everett McCoy, a doctor who is the creator of the Imaginary Resistance
 * Kelly Marie Tran as Melody McCoy, Everett's daughter.
 * Sam Rockwell as King Duke, the leader of the Imaginary Resistance.
 * Danny Trejo as Hugo the Hare, a hare cowboy who is one of the members of the Imaginary Resistance
 * Awkwafina as Firewest the Lizard, a fire-breathing lizard who is one of the members of the Imaginary Resistance.
 * Rhys Darby, Kevin Fowler, Colin Moody, and Kate Abbott as Fred, Frank, Marvin, and Moxie, dogs with tough fighting skills.

Production
On the possibility of a potential sequel, in January 2018, Thalia Ward, the creator of the series, stated that a fourth installment is already being considered. Six months later, Fox confirmed that the fourth installment is already moving forward from Fox Animation. Kristen Bell and Bill Hader have expressed interest in reprising their roles in the fourth film. On November 8, 2018, it was reported that Thurop Van Orman (creator of The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack and the director for the then-upcoming The Angry Birds Movie 2) is in talks to co-direct the fourth installment with Ward. Later that day, Orman confirmed in his interview that he will indeed co-direct the fourth installment. On December 19, 2018, Fox announced that the fourth film officially began production.

At the 2019 CinemaCon in April, further more details including the plot were announced with series creator Thalia Ward revealed that that the film will be released on December 11, 2020, as a commemoration to the 30th anniversary of the franchise, with Bell, Hader, Zac Efron, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, and Andy Samberg reprising their previous roles, as Alaina Gleen, Max Hat, Jason Baxter, Lucy Jones, Professor Hinkle Higgins, and Eddie Elephant respectively, with Rachel Bloom and Jake Johnson joining them, while Matt Lieberman, Peter Ackerman, Eyal Podell and Jonathon E. Stewart would rewrite Ward's screenplay. Ward also expressed hope that it would be a better film than the previous installment. By July 23, 2020, the release date was pushed back to April 16, 2021 as a result of Fox's updated slate due to the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic's impact on the film industry. By August 14, 2020, Awkwafina, Danny Trejo, Sterling K. Brown, and Kelly Marie Tran joined the cast.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, production of the film shifted to people working at home. Fox also stated that the same newer animation technology systems used starting with The Pixelators: Level Two will be used for this film.

In September 2020, Katherine Langford joined the cast, making her animation debut. On January 22, 2021, Sam Rockwell was later cast as King Duke.

Music
In July 2020, Henry Jackman will return to score the fourth film, having previously scored the third film.

Theatrical and streaming
Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted had its world premiere at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on September 12, 2021, and is scheduled to be released simultaneously in theaters and on Premium VOD by 20th Century Studios, on September 17. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) for “rude humor, some thematic elements, and action/peril.”

Originally, it had been set for an December 11, 2020 release. On July 23, 2020, the film was moved up to April 16, 2021 as a result of Disney's updated film release slate due to the 2019–20 coronavirus (COVID-19). On September 23, 2020, the film was then rescheduled for August 13, 2021 as a result of Disney's updated slate. On November 5, 2020, the film was pushed two months later to October 22, 2021. On January 22, 2021, the film was pushed back three months earlier to July 23, 2021, with Ron's Gone Wrong taking its October slot. On March 23, 2021, Disney has announced that the film would be pushed back to September 17, 2021. On May 13, 2021, it was announced that it will have a 45-day exclusive theatrical release, rather than being released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access.

On August 20, 2021, Disney announced that the film would be released simultaneously in theaters and on digital platforms on the same day for a 45-day rental, in response to rising cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in the United States.

In theaters, the film will be accompanied by The Last Donut, a short film based on The Simpsons franchise.

Marketing
A teaser trailer was officially released online on 20th Century Studios' YouTube channel on December 11, 2020. The film's official trailer was later released online on March 12, 2021. The film's final trailer was later officially released online on July 7, 2021.

20th Century Studios will partner with more than 100 licensing and promotional partners to market the film including General Mills, M&M's, Target, Fandango, 7-Eleven, Dodge, McDonald's, and Kraft.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 31 reviews, and an average rating of 8.2/10. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

Box office projection
Three weeks prior to its release, industry tracking projected the film would gross $50–60 million in its domestic opening weekend. Beginning on September 10, 2021, in its first 24 hours of pre-sales, Alaina Gleen: World's Most Wanted became the best family film pre-seller during the COVID-19 pandemic on Fandango, while Atom Tickets reported it was their best-ever first-day sales for a family film during the pandemic.