The Nut Job

The Nut Job

Company type	Animated film
Industry	Film
Founded	January 17, 2014 (2014-01-17)
Headquarters	United States
Products	Animated comedy film

The Nut Job is a 2014 animated comedy film directed by Peter Lepeniotis, who also co-authored the screenplay alongside Lorne Cameron. The voice cast includes Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl, Stephen Lang, Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesias, and Sarah Gadon. This movie draws inspiration from Lepeniotis' 2005 short animation Surly Squirrel.

The production companies behind the film are Gulfstream Pictures, Redrover International, and ToonBox Entertainment. It debuted in the United States on January 17, 2014, through Open Road Films. Although it received largely unfavorable reviews from critics, the film achieved a global box office total of $120.9 million against a $30 million production budget. Its sequel, The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature, was released on August 11, 2017.

Plot

Set in October 1959 within the fictional Oakton City, the story follows Surly, a squirrel, and his silent rat companion Buddy living in Liberty Park. Their reputation as thieves has alienated them from the local animal community led by Raccoon and his aide Cardinal. As winter approaches and food becomes scarce, squirrels Andie and Grayson are dispatched to gather supplies from a nut cart operated by Lucky and Fingers, who are secretly surveilling a nearby bank. Surly and Buddy attempt to rob the cart as well, but an ensuing explosion destroys the animals’ food stockpile, resulting in Surly’s exile from the park.

Surly and Buddy stumble upon Maury's Nut Shop adjacent to the bank, which serves as a hideout for criminals Lucky, Fingers, their leader Percy "King" Dimpleweed—freshly released from prison—and his assistant Knuckles. The group plots to tunnel through the bank wall and substitute cash with nuts. King's girlfriend Lana believes he has reformed and views the nut shop as a legitimate business. Meanwhile, Surly intends to steal from the nut shop himself.

In Liberty Park, Andie and Grayson continue their search for food but become separated following an attack by a street rat. Andie locates the nut shop and confronts Surly, compelling him to share the nuts he plans to steal. Surly inadvertently befriends Precious, Fingers’ pet pug. Andie alerts the park animals about King’s scheme; Raccoon agrees to participate but plans to withhold Surly’s portion and assigns Mole along with the Bruisers to accompany Andie. Grayson returns visibly shaken after his encounter with the street rat. Surly uncovers Mole’s sabotage of their heist and learns of Raccoon's strategy to monopolize food supplies to retain authority. When no one believes him, Surly leaves while Buddy remains behind. King captures Surly but Lana frees him upon discovering his intentions.

After fighting off street rats allied with Raccoon, Surly teams up with Grayson to pursue Raccoon’s gang as they flee in a truck. Surly battles Cardinal; Mole switches sides and reveals Raccoon's plot, resulting in Raccoon’s expulsion from the park community. King and Knuckles employ dynamite inside an empty truck to demolish a police barricade at a dam; however, police disable one tire causing it to crash and explode after Surly rescues himself and Andie. The dam breaks, flooding Liberty Park. Surly survives on a floating log alongside Raccoon; after struggling, they both plunge over a waterfall. The animals attempt a rescue but Surly sacrifices himself by allowing both to fall. The group mourns him as they drift homeward.

The flood devastates Liberty Park’s food resources; King and his cohorts are apprehended, Lana ends her relationship with King and assumes control of the nut shop. Precious discovers an unconscious Surly; Buddy stays close until he regains consciousness. Andie proposes that Surly share credit for his heroism, but he declines, allowing Grayson’s team recognition for saving the park while agreeing to collaborate with them in future efforts. He bids farewell to Andie before returning to city life with Buddy.

During a mid-credits scene, Raccoon and Cardinal survive on an ocean buoy surrounded by sharks as they plot their vengeance.

Cast

• Will Arnett voices Surly, a clever and cunning purple squirrel who serves as the story's central character.
• Brendan Fraser portrays Grayson, an eastern gray squirrel craving fame and mistakenly regarded as the "park hero."
• Liam Neeson plays Raccoon, a manipulative and ambitious raccoon who leads the park and exiles Surly; he acts as the primary antagonist motivated by personal revenge.
• Katherine Heigl provides the voice for Andie, a kind-hearted American red squirrel and Surly's romantic interest.
• Stephen Lang is Percy "King" Dimpleweed, a crime boss with an intense fear of pests.
• Jeff Dunham voices Mole, a bumbling mole with light-sensitive eyes who works under Raccoon.
• Gabriel Iglesias appears as Jimmy, a groundhog who leads the Bruisers gang.
• Sarah Gadon plays Lana, initially King's girlfriend who later becomes his former partner.
• Maya Rudolph lends her voice to Precious, a Boston-accented pug owned first by Fingers and subsequently by Lana.
• James Rankin acts as Fingers, King's criminal partner who operates "Maury's Nut Shop."
• Scott Yaphe portrays Lucky, owner of a peanut cart and King's associate, also the owner of Precious.
• Joe Pingue voices Johnny, a member of the Bruisers groundhog group.
• Annick Obonsawin plays Jamie, a female groundhog affiliated with the Bruisers.
• Julie Lemieux is cast as a girl scout attempting to purchase nuts from Fingers and Lucky’s cart.
• Robert Tinkler voices Buddy, a mute rat who is Surly’s inept companion; he also provides the voice for Redline, a mouse admirer of Grayson.
• James Kee voices both an armored truck guard and a street rat character.
• Scott McCord performs as a police officer responsible for enforcing vending permits; he also voices various other animals.
• Katie Griffin voices a pigeon residing in the park.

Production

The movie traces its origins to the 2005 short film titled Surly Squirrel, followed by a promotional teaser short called Nuts & Robbers designed to market The Nut Job. On January 17, 2011, it was announced that Lorne Cameron and Peter Lepeniotis would pen the screenplay. By November 15, 2012, voice actors including Katherine Heigl, Will Arnett, and Brendan Fraser had been confirmed, with Liam Neeson joining on March 1, 2013. On December 19, 2013, South Korean artist PSY was revealed to make a cameo appearance during the end credits featuring his popular track "Gangnam Style."

Artwork related to the film’s production was displayed in an exhibition held in Brampton, Ontario, showcasing its artistic development.

Release

The movie premiered in the United States on January 17, 2014, under the distribution of Open Road Films. Distribution rights for international markets were handled by The Weinstein Company. The initial teaser trailer was released on September 27, 2013. The film’s official premiere took place at a theater operated by Regal Cinemas in Los Angeles on January 11, 2014.

Home media

The Nut Job became available on home formats including DVD, Blu-ray, and Blu-ray 3D on April 15, 2014, distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

Critical response

According to review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 13% based on 98 critiques with an average score of 4 out of 10. The summary remarks that The Nut Job suffers due to an unlikeable lead character and overly stretched source material, resulting in limited appeal beyond less discerning audiences. On Metacritic, it received a score of 37 out of 100 from 28 reviewers indicating "generally unfavorable reviews." Audience polling by CinemaScore yielded a "B" grade.

Peter Debruge of Variety commented that despite strong voice performances, the film falls short compared to titles like Ratatouille. Alonso Duralde from The Wrap described it as shrill and frantic with uninspired characters. Michael Rechtshaffen of The Hollywood Reporter appreciated its whimsical period backdrop which helps avoid common clichés. Bill Goodykoontz of The Arizona Republic criticized the protagonist's selfish nature but acknowledged an expected redemption arc.

Linda Barnard from the Toronto Star noted that while character connection is weak, the visuals pay tribute to animation styles from the 1950s. Chris Cabin at Slant Magazine found both design and script lacking in personality. Jordan Hoffman of New York’s Daily News described it as visually overwhelming with humor that may not appeal universally.

Joe Williams from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch praised scenic backgrounds but found the story shallow. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune criticized Surly’s lack of charm. Rafer Guzman at Newsday compared its atmosphere to a furry rendition of Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing. Peter Hartlaub from the San Francisco Chronicle admired detailed production design consistent with its era.

Annlee Ellingson of the Los Angeles Times acknowledged competent CG animation but noted unoriginal writing dependent on puns and slapstick humor. Stephanie Merry at The Washington Post observed clichés and recycled jokes throughout. Kevin McFarland from The A.V. Club assigned an F grade due to reliance on generic rogue-to-hero tropes.

Scott Bowles at USA Today criticized stale storytelling paired with overused crude humor. Miriam Bale of The New York Times remarked on unclear animation quality alongside excessive flatulence jokes. Adam Nayman from The Globe and Mail found only one chase scene engaging while supporting characters lacked visual distinction.

Bill Zwecker of the Chicago Sun-Times noted mild amusement for children but limited appeal for adults. Kimberley Jones at The Austin Chronicle praised rich CG visuals accompanied by modestly entertaining scripting. Tom Russo from The Boston Globe found the plot predictable with few visual highlights. Joel Arnold of NPR suggested that once heist elements commence, it resembles a traditional caper film.

Box office

The Nut Job accumulated over $64 million domestically in North America and surpassed $56 million internationally, bringing its global total to in excess of $120 million. It debuted at the third position in the North American box office with earnings of $19.4 million, trailing behind Ride Along and Lone Survivor. This film achieved the highest opening weekend revenue ever recorded for an independently produced animated feature. During its second weekend, it maintained the third spot, generating $12 million. By the third weekend, it slipped to fourth place with earnings exceeding $7 million, and in the fourth weekend, it dropped further to eighth place while earning over $3 million.

Awards

At the 2014 Directors Guild of Canada Awards, the film earned a nomination for Best Sound Editing – Feature Film. Paul Hunter secured the Best Editing in Animation award at the Canadian Cinema Editors Awards for his contribution to The Nut Job. Furthermore, in 2015, the French ATAA recognized the film with the Best Dubbing Adaptation award for an Animated Film.

Soundtrack

Paul Intson composed the musical score for the movie. The official soundtrack became available on January 17, 2014.

Sequel

The announcement of The Nut Job 2 was made on January 23, 2014, initially scheduled for release on January 15, 2016, before being postponed to May 19, 2017. Returning cast members included Will Arnett, Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Dunham, Katherine Heigl, and Maya Rudolph. The storyline centers on a coalition of park animals striving to prevent a corrupt mayor from demolishing Liberty Park to construct an amusement park.

On May 25, 2016, Heitor Pereira was appointed to compose the film’s score. Jackie Chan joined the ensemble on July 5, 2016, portraying Mr. Feng, who leads a gang of street mice.

Potential television series

In February 2019, development began on a television adaptation inspired by the film, titled Nut Jobs!, which was in its early production phase.