Early Man (film)

Aardman Animations
Industry	Animation, Film production
Founded	1972
Founder	Peter Lord, David Sproxton
Headquarters	Bristol, United Kingdom
Key people	Nick Park (director, co-writer)
Products	Animated films and series
Website	www.aardman.com

Early Man is a 2018 British animated sports comedy created by Aardman Animations. The film was directed by Nick Park, who co-wrote the script alongside Mark Burton and James Higginson. Featuring voice performances by Eddie Redmayne, Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, and Timothy Spall, the story centers on a Stone Age tribe defending their territory from Bronze Age invaders through a football match.

The movie debuted on 20 January 2018 at BFI Southbank and was released in cinemas on 26 January. It garnered mostly favorable reviews, praised for its animation and comedic elements, though it was considered less memorable than earlier Aardman productions. Despite a production budget of $50 million, the film earned only $54.6 million worldwide, resulting in modest box office returns. It stands as the last Aardman feature to receive a theatrical release in the United States, with Netflix acquiring streaming rights for subsequent films starting in 2019.

Plot

Set around 2 million BC during the Neo-Pleistocene epoch, an asteroid impacts Earth near the area now known as Manchester, triggering the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Nearby, a tribe of cavemen survives the catastrophe. They discover a hot, round fragment of the asteroid and begin kicking it around, inadvertently creating the game of football. Many "eras" later, in the Stone Age, this impact site has transformed into a fertile valley inhabited by Dug and his tribe, including his pet wild boar, Hognob. Dug proposes hunting woolly mammoths rather than small game like rabbits, but Chief Bobnar rejects this idea. Subsequently, Lord Nooth leads a Bronze Age army that expels the tribe from their valley into harsh volcanic badlands. Dug is captured and taken to Nooth’s city, where he is mistaken for a skilled football player. To reclaim their land, Dug challenges Nooth’s elite football team to a match with the valley at stake. Nooth agrees, anticipating financial gain.

Dug soon realizes his tribe lacks knowledge of football strategies and loses their sole ball to a giant duck. Alongside Hognob, he sneaks into the city to retrieve more balls but is apprehended by Goona, a female vendor excluded from the local team. She assists them in stealing balls and trains the tribe to enhance their abilities and teamwork. Meanwhile, Queen Oofeefa cautions Nooth about potential repercussions should his team lose. To undermine Dug’s confidence, Nooth reveals cave paintings indicating that Dug’s ancestors invented football but never secured victories.

On match day, Dug initially considers forfeiting to protect his people; however, his teammates arrive riding the tamed giant duck. The cavemen take an early lead but fall behind 3-1 before equalizing. Nooth impersonates the referee to make biased decisions that injure goalie Bobnar. Hognob substitutes as goalkeeper and successfully blocks a penalty kick. In the final moments, Dug scores a winning bicycle kick. The tribe regains control of their valley and earns respect from Oofeefa, Nooth’s team, and spectators alike. Nooth is arrested for attempting to steal ticket money; refunds are issued to attendees. Later, Goona and members of Nooth’s team join Dug’s tribe on a hunt but retreat when a rabbit mimics a mammoth.

Voice cast

Eddie Redmayne voices Dug, a young caveman from the Stone Age.
Tom Hiddleston portrays Lord Nooth, the antagonist Bronze Age city ruler.
Maisie Williams provides the voice for Goona, a tomboyish vendor passionate about football in Bronze City.
Timothy Spall plays Chief Bobnar, leader of Dug’s tribe and paternal figure.
Miriam Margolyes acts as Queen Oofeefa, sovereign of Bronze Age City.
Kayvan Novak voices Dino, Lord Nooth’s deputy and football referee; also Jurgend, captain of Nooth’s team.
Rob Brydon features as Brian and Bryan, sports commentators; additionally Message Bird and Gonad "Gaul," a player on the football team.
Richard Ayoade portrays Treebor, a large yet timid member of Dug’s tribe.
Selina Griffiths voices Magma, Treebor’s domineering mother.
Additional cast includes:
- Johnny Vegas as Asbo, an excitable caveman known for saying "Champion."
- Mark Williams as Barry, a slow-witted caveman accompanied by a rock companion.
- Gina Yashere as Gravelle, an accident-prone cavewoman.
- Richard Webber as Grubup, an endlessly hungry caveman.
- Simon Greenall as Eemak, a kind but difficult-to-understand caveman; also Thongo, a silent strongman.
Nick Park lends his voice to Hognob, Dug’s wild boar pet.
Additional voices are provided by Antony Bayman, Richard Beek, Tom Doggart, Tim Hands, Adrian Rhodes, Victoria Stevens, Luke Walton, and Ben Whitehead.

Notably, prehistoric creatures resembling Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion dinosaurs from One Million Years B.C. appear briefly at the film's opening sequence.

Production

In June 2007, Aardman revealed plans for two upcoming movies, one of which was described as an "untitled Nick Park film" distinct from the Wallace & Gromit series. By May 2015, this project was officially named Early Man and secured funding from the British Film Institute with a production budget of $50 million.

True to Aardman's signature stop-motion technique, the characters in Early Man were created through a collaborative process involving voice actors who helped define their look, movements, and vocal traits. Subsequently, a team of 35 animators at the studio polished these character designs. To capture authentic group sounds, a crowd recording session was conducted at Bristol Rovers' Memorial Stadium.

Principal photography commenced in May 2016 and concluded on 5 October 2017.

Competition

A competition tied to Early Man was launched on 21 September 2017 via the CBBC program Blue Peter. It invited viewers to create their own prehistoric character inspired by the film. The winning design was then brought to life by Aardman, with the victor receiving premiere tickets alongside runners-up. The contest deadline was 12 October 2017, and the winner was announced in January 2018.

Release

The UK premiere of Early Man took place on 26 January 2018 through StudioCanal, which also managed its distribution in France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. In the United States, Lionsgate released the film via its Summit Entertainment label on 16 February 2018. On the same date, eOne Films handled distribution in Canada.

Box office

Early Man underperformed financially, earning $8.2 million in North America and $46.3 million internationally—including $15.8 million in the United Kingdom—totaling $54.6 million worldwide against its $50 million budget.

North America

Competing with Black Panther, Early Man was forecasted to generate between $5 million and $7 million during its opening weekend across 2,494 theaters but only brought in $849,000 on opening day. It opened with $3.1 million and accumulated $4.2 million over the President's Day weekend, averaging $1,279 per venue and ranking seventh. This performance marked one of the weakest openings for an animated film shown in over 2,000 theaters, largely due to the strong presence of Black Panther. In its second weekend, earnings dropped by 44.4% to $1.7 million (tenth place) with an average of $711 per cinema; the third weekend saw a further decline of 72.6%, screening in just 897 theaters and making $486,000.

International

Debuting on 26 January 2018 in the United Kingdom, Early Man opened at fourth place with $2.8 million and held that position for two weeks before falling to sixth during its fourth week. The film grossed $2.1 million and $1.5 million during its second and third weekends respectively, experiencing declines of 25.8% and 26.3%.

The leading international markets were the United Kingdom ($15.7 million), France ($6.7 million), Spain ($3.3 million), Germany ($1.7 million), and Italy ($1.6 million).

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Early Man has an approval rating based on reviews with an average score that makes it Nick Park’s lowest-rated feature to date. The consensus acknowledges that although it does not reach the heights of Aardman’s finest productions, it still showcases the studio’s distinctive style and appeal.

According to Metacritic, it earned a score of 68 out of 100 from 39 critics, reflecting "generally favorable reviews." Audience feedback gathered by CinemaScore assigned it a "B" grade.

Several reviewers interpreted the story as a metaphor related to Brexit.

Accolades

Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Outcome
46th Annie Awards	Annie Award for Best Animated Feature	"Early Man"	Template:Nominated
	Outstanding Achievement for Animated Effects in an Animated Feature Production	Howard Jones, Dave Alex Riddett, Grant Hewlett, Pat Andrew, Elena Vitanza Chiarani	Template:Nominated
	Annie Award for Directing in a Feature Production	Nick Park	Template:Nominated
	Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Feature Production	Laurie Sitzia	Template:Nominated
	Annie Award for Music in a Feature Production	Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe	Template:Nominated
	Outstanding Achievement for Production Design in an Animated Feature Production	Matt Perry and Richard Edmunds	Template:Nominated
	Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production	Eddie Redmayne	Template:Nominated
British Independent Film Awards	Best Effects	Howard Jones	Template:Won
Hollywood Music in Media Awards	Original Song – Animated Film	“Good Day”, Written and performed by New Hope Club	Template:Nominated
People's Choice Awards	The Family Movie of 2018	Early Man	Template:Shortlisted

Soundtrack

The official soundtrack, titled Early Man: (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), was issued by Universal Music UK on 26 January 2018, aligning with the film’s debut. It presents a mixture of pop and rock styles, featuring original scores by Harry Gregson-Williams and Tom Howe, complemented by songs from artists including New Hope Club and Kaiser Chiefs.

External links

Early Man at Rotten Tomatoes
Early Man at Box Office Mojo