Dash and Dot's Wild Ride

Dash and Dot's Wild Ride is a 2009 American traditionally-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 Colin Ford and Grace Rolek as the respective voices of the titular characters, the film follows siblings Dash and Dot as they set out on an adventure to find their parents when they mysteriously go missing.

Produced by Universal Animation Studios and Imagine Entertainment in association with PBS as its second theatrical animated film after 2006’s Curious George, the film was released in the United States on September 18, 2009 by Universal Pictures and received mostly positive reviews, with praise given to the voice acting, charm, and animation, the last of which was reminiscent of the bumpers on PBS Kids from 2008 to 2013, while some critics had more divisive feelings on the film, criticizing its somewhat derivative story, darker moments, and the way it handled the titular characters. However, the film was a disappointment at the box office, grossing over $19 million against its budget of $45 million.

Over the years, it has since become a cult classic with viewers of the PBS Kids programming block.

Plot
7-year old Dash and his 4-year old little sister Dot live in the suburbs with their parents, Dennis and Denise, where they go along with their usual lives.

On the last day of school, Dennis and Denise drop off their children at school and bid farewell to them as Dash and Dot go inside the school to learn and play with their friends. After school ends, Dash and Dot stand outside the school waiting for their parents to pick them up, but they never show up even after a few hours have passed. Dot gradually grows impatient at their parents’ absence before Dash suggests that they take the path back home by walking, which Dot begrudgingly agrees to. Once the two kids manage to make it home by night, they find the house empty with no one in sight, and search all over the house to find any traces of their parents, but to no avail. Growing increasingly devastated, Dot cries out for their parents and then breaks down in tears, so Dash comforts her and assures Dot that they will find them soon as he allows her to sleep in his bed to make her feel better.

The next morning, Dash and Dot try to theorize guesses on how their parents could have disappeared, but none of them are valid. Desperate to seek help, Dash and Dot produce several missing posters of their parents and plaster them all over the neighborhood, but nobody is able to recount the last thing that happened to Dennis and Denise. Walking back home, Dash and Dot almost lose hope until the former steps on something on the floor and picks it up, revealing that it is Denise’s necklace. As Dash questions where their parents might have gone, Dot then finds something underneath the couch, takes it out and gives it to the former. To their shock, it is an anonymous note demanding a ransom of $5,000, which Dash takes as the second clue to their parents’ disappearance and concludes that they haven’t just disappeared, they’ve been kidnapped. Deciding that there’s only one thing left to do, Dash announces that he and Dot will get out there and search for their parents, so he prepares a backpack, fills it with supplies that might help him and Dot and leads his little sister out of the house to begin their adventure.

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 Dennis and Denise is revealed to be a kidnapper named Mason, who has kept them bound and gagged in his hideout. He speaks cordially in a mocking way to them before showing his true tone and demanding $5,000, which Dennis and Denise vehemently refuse 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 parents have 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 eventually thank them 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 the junkyard, decides to lead her there so that they can find a more efficient way of traveling. They manage to construct a makeshift car out of a wagon, some old car parts and an engine and take it out for a test drive before driving it down the street. However, 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 parents are 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 parents 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 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 is eventually pinned down by the bear and is about to be killed by it before it is suddenly stopped by Dot tossing stones and rocks at it. After the bear flees in response to Dot yelling boldly at it, 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 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, 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, the driver 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 trudge along some more, pondering on where exactly their parents are until they hear some screaming coming from a nearby abandoned one-story building, so they make their way to said building to investigate. After entering the building, Dash and Dot find, much to their shock, their parents bound and gagged on chairs. Dennis and Denise are likewise just as shocked at the fact that their children have had the strength to go on their own and find them, and when Denise asks what Dash and Dot are doing here, the former says that they have no time to explain as he and Dot set to work untying their parents.

However, Mason comes in to see the two kids trying to free his victims and tries to stop them, so Dash and Dot run around trying to evade him. During this, they manage to get the better of the kidnapper in somewhat comical ways such as Dash tripping him over with his leg and Dot kicking his shins, all while their parents watch in shock. Eventually, Dash manages to trick Mason into falling into the basement and pins the door down as he instructs Dot to untie their parents. Dot initially struggles to do so before finally succeeding and is rewarded with a hug from Denise. Unable to hold the basement door down any longer, Dash calls out to his father to hand him a chair, which Dennis obliges to, and weighs the door down with it before escaping Mason’s hideout with his family.

Outside, Dash, Dot and their parents happily exchange a brief celebration over their reunion, but they hear Mason, who has managed to escape from the basement, coming after them and quickly make a run for it. Not wanting to lose his chance of getting the ransom, Mason hops into his van and drives after the kids and parents. Having boarded a bus with his family, Dennis thinks that they are safe now until they see Mason in his van driving next to the bus. Mason deliberately bumps the bus with his van, causing the passengers inside to tremble and the driver to almost lose control of his vehicle, so Dash and Dot, after convincing Dennis and Denise to stay in the bus out of fear that Mason might kidnap them again, leap out of the bus and into Mason’s van, where they gang up on him out of vengeance for abducting their parents.

Eventually, the van is heading towards a river. Seeing this, Mason quickly jumps out and onto the ground, saving himself, but Dash and Dot are unable to react in time as the van plunges into the river. Satisfied with having seemingly gotten rid of Dash and Dot, Mason walks away in stride, only to come face to face with the kids’ angry parents. Before he can flee, Denise knocks Mason unconscious by hitting him across the face hard with her slipper as revenge for kidnapping her and Dennis, but then she and Dennis notice the van in the river and watch as it sinks to the surface below.

Thinking that Dash and Dot have died as they were still in the van at that time, Denise drops to her knees and cries as an equally sad Dennis comforts her. However, the two kids are revealed to have survived as they managed to get out of the van and swim to safety. After coming back up to the surface, Dash and Dot take pity on their heartbroken mother and comfort her as she still assumes that her kids are dead. It isn’t until she bats an eye at them that she realizes that they’re still alive and embraces them in a fit of relieved joy. Dennis likewise is also overjoyed and embraces his wife and kids as he declares that no one will ever be able to tear them apart again.

One day later after they return home with their parents, Dash and Dot get up from bed and have breakfast as they watch a news broadcast on the TV reporting that Mason has been arrested with charges of kidnapping 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, Denise, who is doing some cleaning work, asks the two kids about their adventure. Dash responds by stating that it was fun, but 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, states "Life just keeps getting even better by the moment" and switches the TV on with the remote control to watch with Dot.

Cast

 * Colin Ford as Dash, a 7-year old boy who is Dot’s older brother and the son of Dennis and Denise. He acts as the leader to Dot in their adventure to search for their missing parents.
 * Grace Rolek as Dot, a 4-year old girl who is Dash’s younger sister and the daughter of Dennis and Denise. She tags along with her brother on their quest to find Dennis and Denise when they go missing.
 * Chris Parnell as Dennis, Dash and Dot’s father and the husband of Denise. He and his wife’s mysterious disappearance is what drives their children to go looking for them.
 * Allison Janney as Denise, Dash and Dot’s mother and the wife of Dennis. She and her husband’s mysterious disappearance is what drives their children to go looking for them.
 * Peter Greene as Mason, the main antagonist of the film. He is a kidnapper who is revealed to be responsible for Dennis and Denise’s disappearance, 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, Dash and Dot’s grandfather. He temporarily allows his grandchildren to stay with them during their journey, and eventually gives them the motivation they need to keep searching for their parents.
 * Betty White as Donnell, Dash and Dot’s grandmother. She temporarily allows her grandchildren to stay with them during their journey, and eventually gives them the motivation they need to keep searching for their parents.
 * Madison Pettis as Sally, an 8-year old girl with a red dress and a ponytail who is Dash's closest friend.
 * Brandon Baker 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.
 * Eden Riegel 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.
 * Zach Shada 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 out of them.
 * Jackson Brundage 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.
 * Ariel Winter as Demi, a sassy girl who is one of Dash and Dot’s friends.
 * Kristen Wiig as Ms. Smith, Dash and Dot’s teacher at school.
 * Richard Kind as the pickup truck driver
 * Jeremy Renner as the anchorman

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). He initially pitched it to Universal Pictures as a possible film idea during the development phase of the first one but was rejected due to Universal's overbearing focus on other projects.

O'Callaghan persisted, however, and by 2007, he and Universal Animation Studios had secured the rights to the PBS Kids mascots Dash and Dot. By then, they began to plan out the story, characters, and designs for the film for around a year before they finally started production in late 2007.

Casting
The film’s two titular characters, Dash and Dot, were respectively voiced by Colin Ford and Grace Rolek, both of whom were cast in the roles following auditions for a then-mysterious animated film project. Ford initially thought that the project was secretly for an animated Disney film before finding out that the project was for Universal, and that it was in fact for Dash and Dot's Wild Ride. Rolek heard of the project through online casting sites and requests, and when she was successful at an audition, she thought nothing of it until receiving a call for another audition a few months later.

The rest of the main voice cast, including Chris Parnell, Allison Janney, John Goodman, Betty White, and Madison Pettis, were set between mid-2008 and early 2009 during pre-production.

Animation
Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was animated in traditional animation by Primal Screen, Yowza! Animation, Premise Entertainment, Neomis Animation, Fat Cat Animation, Duncan Studio, Bardel Entertainment, Wang Film Productions, July Films, Sunwoo Entertainment, TMS Entertainment, Toon City Animation, and Rough Draft Korea. Pre-production was done in-house at Universal Animation Studios while visual effects, compositing, and ink & paint services were provided by Mercury Filmworks and Warner Bros. Animation. CGI animation by Reel FX Creative Studios was used to create certain effects, environments, scenes, and transitions.

To reflect the look and feel of the PBS Kids bumpers of the same era, the animation style was heavily inspired by those bumpers, as well as the art styles of other PBS Kids programs such as Arthur (1996-2022) and Curious George (2006-2022). This style of animation was used to draw viewers of the channel's programming block to the theaters.

Home media
Dash and Dot's Wild Ride was released on DVD on December 25, 2009 (Christmas Day), and later got a Blu-ray release on September 6, 2019 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of PBS Kids. The DVD’s bonus features are as follows:


 * A behind the scenes documentary
 * A video explaining who Dash and Dot are to the audience
 * A tutorial on how to draw Dash and Dot
 * A Dot’s Story Factory promo that was aired on PBS Kids
 * The Curious George episode “Curious George Flies a Kite/From Scratch”
 * The Super Why! episode “The Three Little Pigs”
 * The Dinosaur Train episode “Beating the Heat/Flowers for Mom”

Music
The film's score was composed by James Newton Howard.

Critical response
The film has a rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 8.5/10. The film's consensus states, "This daring film depicts the mascots of the children’s programming block PBS Kids in an intriguing way that we’ve never seen them before." On Metacritic, which uses an average of critics' reviews, the film holds a 67/100, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade of "A+" on an A+ to F scale.

Overall, the film was mostly positively-received, often praised for its charm, animation, and voice acting.

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it an A−, saying that it had "one of the most creative and entertaining stories to come out of a major animated studio in months. The combination of traditional hand-drawn animation and CGI animation made for some fun sequences."

Doug Elfman of the Chicago Tribune gave it 3 out of 4 stars, writing that, "It's a pleasant surprise for adults that this kids movie is not pure goo of sticky sap. The old-fashioned cartoon style of animation evokes nostalgia in a clever way and delivers funny people and gags for all ages, with some satirical jabs aimed at over-consumptive parents. But most important, the movie takes on the subject of a family in peril, and that provides it a heart."

Box office
Dash and Dot’s Wild Ride opened in theaters on September 18, 2009, alongside films such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Jennifer's Body, and grossed over $19 million against its budget of $45 million, making it a box office bomb.

Legacy
Over the years, the film has gained a cult following, especially with viewers of the PBS Kids programming block of the same era. It has since been hailed as a classic of its era, often cited for its charm, wit, and overall message of family being the most important thing.

Many have speculated whether the film would ever receive a sequel; however, no plans have yet been made. It has been rumored that the film was going to be announced for a Blu-ray release in 2019 in honor of the 20th anniversary of PBS Kids, but none of those rumors have been confirmed. O'Callaghan has neither confirmed nor disconfirmed those rumors.

A soft reboot of the film produced by DreamWorks Animation and Imagine Entertainment is currently in production and is scheduled to be released by Universal Pictures in theaters, on PBS Kids, and on Peacock on November 15, 2024.

Trivia

 * This is the second animated film based on a PBS Kids program, the first being Curious George, which was released 3 years prior to this film.
 * This is the second theatrical animated film produced by Universal Animation Studios, the first being Curious George.
 * This is the second animated film produced by Imagine Entertainment, the first being Curious George.