Dash and Dot's Wild Ride (2024 film)

Dash and Dot's Wild Ride is an upcoming 2024 hand-drawn animated adventure comedy film based on the PBS Kids mascots of the same name, directed by Matthew O'Callaghan and written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger. Starring Tom Holland and Libby Rue as the respective voices of the titular characters, Dash and Dot, the film follows the two siblings as they set out on an adventure to find their parents and their two other siblings, Dee and Del, when they mysteriously go missing.

Produced by DreamWorks Animation, Bron Creative, Roth/Kirschenbaum Films, and Imagine Entertainment in association with PBS and distributed by Universal Pictures, Dash and Dot's Wild Ride is scheduled to be released in theaters, on PBS Kids, and on Peacock on November 15, 2024.

Plot
An 18-year-old green human boy named Dash Anderson and his 13-year-old little sister, Dot, live in the suburbs of PBSville, a big city in the PBS Kids universe. Dash and Dot live with their twin siblings, Dee and Del, and their parents, Frank and Sarah. The two go along with their usual lives in the city.

On the last day of school, Frank and Sarah drop off Dash and Dot at school and drive away to take Dee and Del to their school. After school ends, Dash and Dot stand outside the school, waiting for their parents to pick them up. When they didn't show up after a few hours, Dash and Dot decide to take the path home by walking. Once they arrive home, they find the house empty with no one in sight and are unable to find any traces of their parents. Dot begins to cry out for their parents, and Dash comforts her, allowing her to sleep in his bed. The next morning, Dash and Dot find clues that lead them to the conclusion that their family has been kidnapped. They prepare to go on an adventure, leaving their house with backpacks filled with supplies.

However, a few moments as they make their way into the street, Dash and Dot come upon a heavy traffic jam on the highway that seems to take forever. As Dot ponders about what they are going to do now, a determined Dash walks around in a circle trying to think, and when he notices a nearby street light, he gets an idea. He climbs the street light, looks down at the long line of vehicles and jumps down from the pole, successfully landing on top of a car. He then helps Dot up onto the top of the car. But just as they are about to make their way across the street through the top of another, the traffic light suddenly flashes green, and all of the vehicles start moving abruptly with the two kids on top of the car they were on. Jumping from vehicle to vehicle with Dash, Dot narrowly loses her footing and almost falls to the road below before Dash catches her, after which they finally get back down to the ground and keep moving.

Meanwhile, the culprit responsible for the disappearance of Frank, Sarah, Dee, and Del is revealed to be a kidnapper named Mason, who has kept them in his hideout, which is an old and abandoned warehouse in PBSville. He demands $5,000, which Sarah vehemently refuses to. Continuing their journey across the town, Dash and Dot eventually come upon their grandparents, Duncan and Donnell, who assume that they've run away from home and allow them to stay with them. As Donnell makes their grandchildren feel cozy, Dash tells her and Duncan that the real reason they've been wandering alone is that their family has been kidnapped, and they've left home to search for them. Having flashbacks of yesterday, Dot starts to feel sad again. So, Donnell shares with her granddaughter an experience she had as a child, where she thinks her parents have disappeared and left her distraught until they returned home. After some motivation from their grandparents, Dash and Dot spend the night in their house.

The next day, Dash and Dot eventually thank their grandparents and leave their house to resume their adventure. After walking some more, Dot eventually tires out and starts complaining about having to walk any longer. So, Dash, noticing that he and his sister had just passed by a junkyard, decides to lead her there. They sneak inside the junkyard and spend the night there. The next day, Dash and Dot look around as they try to find a more efficient way of traveling. When they come upon an old wagon from a pile of junk, they come up with an idea. So, they construct a makeshift car out of the wagon, some old car parts, and an engine. Then, they take it out for a test drive before driving it down the street.

With the help of their new invention, Dash and Dot start driving their way to Mason's hideout. However, they drive past two police officers, Janet and Carteret, in their police car, and a high-speed chase ensues. During the chase, Dot, who is enjoying the ride a little too much, starts fighting with Dash over the steering wheel, causing them to go careening out of control and crash into a forest, wrecking their vehicle in the process.

Realizing that Dot has ruined their chance of getting closer to where their family is kept hostage at, Dash loses his temper and goes on a long tirade towards her, where she responds by backtalking to Dash. After a hostile and aggressive argument between the two ensues, Dash ends the argument by disowning Dot, telling her that she is not his sister anymore, and walks away to find their family himself, leaving a devastated and guilt-stricken Dot behind as it starts raining. As he goes on his way though, Dash takes out a picture of him, Dot, Dee, Del, and their parents out from his backpack and looks at it with vague reconsideration before putting it back inside and going along.

Meanwhile, Dot, who is struggling to survive in the rain by taking refuge underneath a tree, starts to feel anxious about the woodland creatures lurking about before a bear suddenly comes out of nowhere and starts chasing her. Dash hears her screams for help in the distance, has a change of heart, and rushes back to save his sister. Before the bear can kill Dot, Dash jumps on the bear and starts hitting it, giving Dot a chance to escape. Dash and Dot run inside a cave to avoid the bear. They share a brief moment before the bear returns and eventually pins down Dash. He's about to kill him before he's suddenly stopped by Dot, who is throwing rocks at him. After the bear flees in response to Dot yelling boldly at him, Dash thanks his sister for saving his life, with Dot likewise returning the favor. Dash then apologizes to Dot for his earlier behavior and reconciles with her before remembering that it is raining, and they are still lost in the forest. So, they decide to look for shelter. They eventually come upon an abandoned cabin and stay in it for the night before going to sleep, at which point the rain finally stops.

The next morning, Dash and Dot wake up and walk through the forest until they come upon a road, but they still have no idea how to get back to the city. Just then, they spot a pickup truck driving in the distance and stick out their thumbs, catching the attention of its Southern-accented driver, Michaelson, who then offers to pick up the two kids and drive them back into the city. As Dash and Dot pass the time by playing a game of "I Spy", Michaelson finally arrives at the city, and after disembarking the truck, they thank him as he drives off. Now back in the city, Dash and Dot ponder on where exactly their family is until they hear some screaming coming from Mason's hideout.

The screams turn out to be coming from their family. So, Dash and Dot make their way inside the warehouse and find, much to their shock, their father, Frank, and their twin siblings, Dee and Del, in a cage and their mother, Sarah, in her underwear and tied to a chair. They manage to free them from their bondage, and they all return home. However, Mason confronts Dash and Dot for rescuing their family without paying him $5,000. In response, Dash condemns him for making money by kidnapping and threatening people. This angers Mason as he begins to drag Dash and Dot to his van. However, Frank stops him, and the two fight. After a scuffle, Frank eventually knocks out Mason, and Dash and Dot are saved.

Unfortunately, Mason regains consciousness as he gets up and faces Dash, Dot, and their family. He's revealed to be a robot in disguise as a green-skinned human. He takes Dash and Dot away, puts them in his van, and drives away to the river to drown them. However, as the van reaches the edge of a cliff, Frank and Sarah arrive with Dash and Dot's robots from their school competition. They force open the door, and Dash and Dot jump out of the van as it crashes through a highway guardrail and falls off the cliff. Unfortunately, they're unable to reach their parents in time. Frank and Sarah watch as Dash and Dot fall into the river below with the van. Thinking that Dash and Dot have died, Sarah drops to her knees and cries as an equally sad Frank comforts her. However, the two kids are revealed to have survived as they held on to a tire that had floated off the van. As they float towards shore, they silently apologize to each other for their argument. After finally making it to the shore with the help of their robots, Dash and Dot rush back to their family, reuniting with them in an immense embrace.

Afterwards, Frank and Sarah thank their brave children for risking their lives for them. Going forward, Dash and Dot learn to forgive each other, and the family returns home, allowing them to continue on living their lives and cherishing the bonds of their beloved family. Later that evening, Dash and Dot are having dinner with their family as they watch a news broadcast on the TV reporting that Mason has been arrested with charges of kidnapping, sexual harassment, and child endangerment. Dot remarks that yesterday's adventure was indeed a "wild ride", and Dash agrees, suddenly deciding that he and Dot should have a new adventure, but this time just for fun. After saying goodbye to their parents and leaving the house, Dash and Dot walk down the sidewalk and into the distance to start their next adventure, during which Dot constantly asks Dash about what kind of adventure they'll be having as the film ends.

In a post-credits scene, Dash and Dot finally return to their house after their recent planned outing. As they walk into the living room, Sarah, who is doing some cleaning work, asks the two kids about their adventure. Dash responds by stating that it was fun. But he steps on a toy truck left on the floor and almost slips and falls before he is caught by Dot, who apologizes for it and places it on the coffee table before going on the couch with Dash to relax. As he and Dot recline on the couch, Dash sighs peacefully, stating, "Life just keeps getting even better by the moment." He switches the TV on with the remote control to watch an educational cartoon with Dot.

Cast

 * Tom Holland as Dash Anderson, an 18-year old boy who is the older brother of Dot, Dee, and Del and the son of Frank and Sarah. He acts as the leader to Dot in their adventure to search for their missing parents and their missing twin siblings.
 * Libby Rue as Dot Anderson, a 13-year-old girl who is Dash's younger sister, the older sister of Dee and Del, and the daughter of Frank and Sarah. She tags along with her brother on their quest to find their parents and their twin siblings when they go missing.
 * Pyper Braun as Dee Anderson, a 7-year-old girl who is the younger sister of Dash and Dot, Del's twin sister, and the daughter of Frank and Sarah.
 * Walker Scobell as Del Anderson, a 7-year-old boy who is the younger brother of Dash and Dot, Dee's twin brother, and the son of Frank and Sarah.
 * Toby Kebbell as Frank Anderson, the father of Dash, Dot, Dee, and Del and Sarah's husband. The disappearance of him, his wife, and the twins is what drives Dash and Dot to go looking for them.
 * Leslie Mann as Sarah Anderson, the mother of Dash, Dot, Dee, and Del and Frank's wife. The disappearance of her, her husband, and the twins is what drives Dash and Dot to go looking for them.
 * Kieran Culkin as Mason Marsoni, the main antagonist of the film. He is a kidnapper who is revealed to be responsible for the disappearance of Frank, Sarah, Dee, and Del, holding them hostage for a ransom of $5,000. He has a dislike of kids that extends to Dash and Dot themselves.
 * John Goodman as Duncan Anderson, the grandfather of Dash, Dot, Dee, and Del, Frank's father, and Donnell's husband. He, along with his wife, allows Dash and Dot to spend the night in their house during their journey and eventually gives them the motivation they need to keep searching for their parents.
 * Wendie Malick as Donnell Anderson, the grandmother of Dash, Dot, Dee, and Del, Frank's mother, and Duncan's wife. She, along with her husband, allows Dash and Dot to spend the night in their house during their journey and eventually gives them the motivation they need to keep searching for their parents.
 * Maria Bakalova as Sally, an 18-year-old girl with a red dress and a ponytail who is Dash's closest friend.
 * Will Brisbin as Matt, a slightly clumsy boy who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Jimmy Bennett as Mike, a smart boy who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Lilly Bartlam as Alisa, a cheeky and playful girl who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Heather Goldenhersh as Caroline, a meek yet sweet girl who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Jackson Brundage as Pablo, a boy with curly hair and a big nose who is one of Dash and Dot's friends as well as the oldest of the group.
 * Jeremy Shada as Estuardo, a boy with thin curly hair who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Dakota Fanning as Kaleigh, a tomboyish girl who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Ayo Edebiri as Demi, a sassy girl who is one of Dash and Dot's friends.
 * Jamie Lee Curtis as Mrs. Davis, Dash and Dot's teacher.
 * Seth Rogen as Michaelson, a pickup truck driver.
 * Ego Nwodim as Janet, a police officer.
 * Finesse Mitchell as Carteret, a police officer.

Development
The idea for Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was first conceived by Matthew O'Callaghan, a former animator at DreamWorks Animation, while he was directing Curious George (2006). That idea would later become the basis for an animated film, Dash and Dot's Wild Ride, which was released on September 18, 2009.

However, O'Callaghan felt unsatisfied with the final product, so when the chance had arrived in 2019, O'Callaghan redeveloped his own idea in hopes to create a reboot and a true definition of the characters. He pitched the idea to producers at DreamWorks Animation, and the film had been greenlit by early 2020.

Pre-production
The character designs for Dash, Dot, and their parents were revised and modernized under the guidance of longtime PBS Kids creative director Chris Bishop, who had taken inspiration from the 2009 film and also from some of the original designs, but giving them a more contemporary look. He also redesigned Dee and Del, two new characters who previously appeared in some PBS Kids idents from 2013 to the present day, for the movie. Additionally, accurate physics was applied to the characters' movements, heightening the sense of realism.

The pre-production was supervised by the film's production designer, Yarrow Cheney, and the art director, Jenny Gase-Baker. Both their involvement and their experience in animation proved to be a great help for this project, keeping the animation as smooth and as detailed as possible. Furthermore, the rendering of the characters and of the scenery was kept as realistic as possible, leaning more towards the realism of the Pixar films of the time, making sure that all of the visual elements fit with each other in terms of tone and atmosphere. The background designs in the film take inspiration from the 2018 Steven Spielberg film Ready Player One, both giving the setting a surreal and sci-fi aesthetic while at the same time making it recognizable and distinct.

Writing
The script for Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was written by Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger, who were also the writers for the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, Trolls (2016), and most recently Trolls World Tour (2020). The story, when first pitched to the producers, followed Dash and Dot as they search for their missing parents and siblings in a fantasy world, but this was later changed to a missing person plot in the suburbs. Additionally, ideas from events from the 2009 film were reworked and reimagined for the reboot, such as the character designs and the family plot, while other concepts were completely new, such as the introduction of a robotic antagonist and the incorporation of robots and science-fiction elements into the story. For the characters' personalities and interactions with each other, Aibel and Berger aimed to make the family feel like they had been living for several years before the events of the film and that they had experiences and connections that only a family would have.

Casting
In October 2020, it was announced that Tom Holland was cast as Dash Anderson and Libby Rue as Dot Anderson. Two months later, Pyper Braun, Walker Scobell, Toby Kebbell, Leslie Mann, Kieran Culkin, John Goodman, and Wendie Malick had also joined the cast. Also joining the cast were Maria Bakalova, Will Brisbin, Jimmy Bennett, Lilly Bartlam, Heather Goldenhersh, Jackson Brundage, Jeremy Shada, Dakota Fanning, Ayo Edebiri, Jamie Lee Curtis, Seth Rogen, Ego Nwodim, and Finesse Mitchell.

Animation
The animation for Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was done primarily in-house at DreamWorks Animation using traditional hand-drawn animation, a technique rarely used in feature-length films since the early 2000s, like all the PBS Kids idents from 1999 to the present day. Additional animation services are provided by Primal Screen, Yowza! Animation, Mercury Filmworks, Passion Pictures, Company 3 Animation, Premise Entertainment, Duncan Studio, Tonic DNA, Atomic Cartoons, and Madhouse.

Music
The film's score will be composed by Trevor Rabin. The soundtrack consists of 35 orchestral pieces, which Rabin said attempted to evoke the "thrill, the excitement, and the drama" of the film's story. The score will be recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, using a 60-piece orchestra.

Release
Originally slated to be released in theaters on November 20, 2020, Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was moved to November 15, 2024, to make room for other DreamWorks Animation films in the schedule. The film is set to be released simultaneously in theaters, on PBS Kids, and on NBCUniversal's streaming service, Peacock. Universal Pictures will handle the theatrical and streaming releases worldwide, while PBS Kids will be responsible for the television release.

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