The Laytons (film)

The Laytons is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures based loosely on John Lawlor's 1988 children's novel of the same name. It was directed by Tim Johnson with a screenplay written by William Davies, David Hoselton, Michael J. Wilson, Billy Frolick and Chris Matheson. The film features the voices of Zooey Deschanel, John C. Reilly, Tina Fey, Freddie Highmore, Seann William Scott, Isla Fisher, Carl Reiner, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zach Galifianakis, Martin Freeman, Eddie Izzard, John Oliver, Steve Zahn, and Will Arnett.

The Laytons premiered at the Mann Village Theatre, Westwood in Los Angeles on May 3, 2009, and was released in the United States on May 15, in RealD 3D and IMAX 3D. The film received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its animation, visuals, character designs, vocal performances, and musical score, but criticized its screenplay and unfaithfulness to the source material. Despite receiving mixed reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $337 million worldwide against a budget of $160 million.

Plot
To be added.

Cast

 * Zooey Deschanel as Lucy Layton, an aspiring girl who is the daughter of Marvin and Abigail, and Luke's older sister.
 * Olivia Mattingly as a younger Lucy.
 * John C. Reilly as Marvin Layton, the overprotective father of Lucy and Luke, and Abigail's husband.
 * Tina Fey as Abigail Layton, the eccentric mother of Lucy and Luke and Marvin's wife.
 * Freddie Highmore as Luke Layton, the awkward son of Marvin and Abigail, and Lucy's younger brother.
 * Seann William Scott as Nick Delmer, a teenage boy whom has a secret crush on Lucy.
 * Isla Fisher as Wendy McMurry, Lucy's best friend.
 * Carl Reiner as Alfred "Granddad" Layton
 * Zach Galifianakis as Baxter Banks, a greedy businessman who plans on converting the Laytons' hometown into an gigantic casino/theme park.
 * Steve Zahn as Leonard Wilcox
 * Will Arnett as Percy Young
 * Martin Freeman and Eddie Izzard as Herman and Ned, two damaged robots who used to work for Baxter Banks.
 * Michelle Pfeiffer as Ms. Chavez, the teacher in Lucy's class at Summerfield High School.
 * John Oliver as Principal Thompson, the principal of Summerfield High School.
 * Lisa Kudrow as Rachel Grady, the Laytons' neighbor and Norman's wife whose respect Abigail has often tried to get.
 * Rob Corddry as Norman Grady, the Laytons' neighbor and Rachel's husband.
 * Ariel Winter as Chloe Grady, Rachel and Norman's daughter and Luke's crush.
 * Drake Bell as Benny Coolguy, the "coolest" student at Summerfield High School who is known for his good looks.
 * Randy Thom as Pibbles, the Layton family's pet dog.
 * Chris Miller as TV Newscaster
 * Christopher Knights as Duncan
 * Conrad Vernon as Mr. Delmer / Chuck / Police Officer
 * Walt Dohrn as Mailman / Bystander
 * Jack Blessing as Janitor
 * André Sogliuzzo as Security Guard

ADR Group

 * Newell Alexander
 * Rosemary Alexander
 * Steve Alterman
 * Mitch Carter
 * June Christopher
 * Robert Clotworthy
 * David Cowgill
 * Makenna Cowgill
 * Wendy Cutler
 * Holly Dorff
 * Spencer Lacey Ganus
 * Jackie Gonneau
 * Nicholas Guest
 * Bridget Hoffman
 * Matthew Ford Holt
 * Hope Levy
 * Michelle Ruff
 * Philece Sampler
 * Georgia Simon
 * Daisy Tormé
 * Harry Van Gorkum
 * Lisa Wilhoit

Production
To be added.

Soundtrack
The film's soundtrack, featuring the original score by Hans Zimmer and John Powell, was released on May 12, 2009 by Sony Classical.

Release
The Laytons had its premiere at the Mann Village Theatre, Westwood in Los Angeles on May 3, 2009. It was released in the United States on May 15, 2009. The film was also released in IMAX 3D format.

Originally scheduled to be released in November 2008, The Laytons was later delayed to March 27, 2009, with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa taking its November 2008 slot, and was then pushed back for one final time to May 15, 2009, switching places with Monsters vs. Aliens.

Marketing
The film's teaser trailer was released with Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa on November 7, 2008 and later the DVD/Blu-ray releases of Kung Fu Panda two days later. The first full-length trailer was attached to Monsters vs. Aliens on March 27, 2009. DreamWorks Animation partnered with several companies to promote the film, including McDonald's, HP, Best Buy, Ziploc, and General Mills for about $80 million worth of advertising.

Video game
A video game based on the film was released by Activision on May 12, 2009 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, and Wii.

Home media
The Laytons was released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 6, 2009. In July 2014, the film's distribution rights were purchased by DreamWorks Animation from Paramount Pictures and transferred to 20th Century Fox before reverting to Universal Studios in 2018. As a result, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment subsequently re-released the film on Blu-ray on June 4, 2019.

Box office
The Laytons grossed $122.2 million in North America and $215.1 million in other territories for its worldwide total of $337.3 million. In the United States and Canada, the film opened in 3,611 theatres and grossed $9.5 million in its opening day. It ended up grossing $39.5 million in its opening weekend, placing in third place behind Angels & Demons and Star Trek.

Critical reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 57% based on 162 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100 based on 34 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" of an A+ to F scale.

Accolades
To be added

Main transcript
To see the transcript of the film, click here.

Trailer transcripts
To see the transcripts for the trailers of the film, click here.