The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature

Company type	Animated film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	2017
Founder	Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen, Scott Bindley (writers)
Headquarters	United States, Canada, South Korea
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Cal Brunker (director), Heitor Pereira (composer)
Products	Animated comedy film
Parent	Gulfstream Pictures, Redrover International, ToonBox Entertainment

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature is an animated comedy film released in 2017, directed by Cal Brunker and penned by Brunker alongside Bob Barlen and Scott Bindley. Serving as the follow-up to the 2014 movie The Nut Job, which was inspired by characters created by Peter Lepeniotis, this installment features voice performances from Will Arnett, Maya Rudolph, Bobby Moynihan, Bobby Cannavale, Isabela Moner, Jeff Dunham, Gabriel Iglesias, Jackie Chan, and Katherine Heigl. The production was a collaborative effort between American, Canadian, and South Korean studios, including Gulfstream Pictures, Redrover International, and ToonBox Entertainment. Distribution was managed by Open Road Films within the United States and by The Weinstein Company internationally. The narrative follows Surly Squirrel and his companions as they join forces with Mr. Feng’s mice to thwart Mayor Percival J. Muldoon’s plan to demolish Liberty Park in order to build an amusement park.

After the original film's box office success, Open Road announced a sequel in January 2014, initially scheduling its release for January 2016. However, delays postponed the premiere until August 2017. Cal Brunker took over directing duties from Lepeniotis, while Brunker, Barlen, and Bindley crafted the screenplay. Returning cast members include Arnett and Rudolph, with new additions such as Chan, Moynihan, Cannavale, and Stormare joining the voice ensemble. The musical score was composed by Heitor Pereira, replacing Paul Intson.

Premiering on August 11, 2017, the film was met with largely unfavorable critical reception and earned $68.7 million worldwide against a production budget of $40 million. Plans for a third film are currently underway.

Plot

Following Norvirus Raccoon's defeat, Surly Squirrel has gained popularity within Liberty Park’s urban animal community by running an unlimited buffet at Maury’s Nut Shop, now renamed Nibbler’s Nut Shop. However, Andie expresses concern over Surly’s laid-back attitude toward survival. When Mole accidentally causes an explosion at the nut shop due to boiler malfunction, Andie proposes that they return to gathering food from Liberty Park itself. After unsuccessful attempts by Surly and Buddy to locate alternative food supplies elsewhere, they head back to the park.

Mayor Percival J. Muldoon, driven by financial motives and indifferent to the animals’ welfare, intends to replace Liberty Park with an amusement park named Libertyland. Upon discovering this plan, Surly and Andie rally the local wildlife to sabotage the construction efforts.

As tensions escalate, Muldoon hires an animal control team led by Gunther after incidents involving animal attacks are reported. Surly becomes trapped while the animals are chased by Muldoon’s dog Frankie—who later develops feelings for Precious. Surly and Buddy embark on a mission to rescue Precious while other animals search for a new location for their habitat.

During their quest to locate Muldoon’s vehicle, Surly and Buddy encounter a fiercely territorial white mice group headed by Mr. Feng. They narrowly escape and discover Muldoon’s mansion where Precious is held captive by his daughter Heather. Precious rejects Frankie’s romantic advances, leaving him heartbroken. Surly’s impulsive behavior leads Muldoon to shoot Buddy, who falls unconscious.

Meanwhile, Andie and the others mistakenly select a golf course as a replacement park site; this results in injuries that require urgent medical attention.

Surly reunites with Precious and Buddy at the remains of the nut shop. After Precious revives Buddy, Surly organizes the animals to reclaim Liberty Park during Libertyland’s grand opening event. Despite Gunther’s efforts to intervene, Surly convinces Mr. Feng’s mice colony to ally with the other animals against Muldoon.

Together they overpower human opposition, dismantle the amusement rides, and draw police involvement. Precious reconciles with Frankie during this time. Heather attempts to tranquilize the animals but is incapacitated when Gunther shoots her amid the chaos. Muldoon attempts escape via hot air balloon but is captured after a confrontation with Surly atop a roller coaster. He is arrested along with Heather and Gunther; Libertyland is permanently shut down.

Several months later, Liberty Park has been restored through community efforts. Mr. Feng’s mice continue practicing Tai Chi; Precious and Frankie have puppies; Surly and Andie share a moment celebrating a successful nut cart heist.

In a post-credits scene, Raccoon tries swimming back for revenge but is followed closely by sharks.

Cast

• Will Arnett portrays Surly, a purple squirrel who was initially unpopular but later celebrated as a hero after defeating Raccoon in the original movie. He becomes Andie's boyfriend following their success in addressing a food crisis.
  • Justin Felbinger provides the voice for a younger version of Surly.
• Maya Rudolph voices Precious, a pug once owned by bank robbers, who now serves as the devoted guardian of the park animals and becomes Frankie's wife by the conclusion of the second installment.
• Jackie Chan plays Mr. Feng, the leader of a band of white street mice, recognized for his territorial behavior and mastery of Kung fu.
• Katherine Heigl takes on the role of Andie, a kind-hearted red squirrel and Surly's romantic partner.
• Bobby Moynihan appears as Mayor Percival J. Muldoon, the avaricious mayor of Oakton City who intends to demolish Liberty Park to build a defective amusement park called Libertyland.
• Bobby Cannavale portrays Frankie, Heather's former French bulldog pet and Precious's husband.
• Isabela Moner plays Heather Muldoon, the pampered daughter of Mayor Muldoon.
• Jeff Dunham voices Mole, formerly aligned with Raccoon but now allied with Andie.
• Gabriel Iglesias provides the voice for Jimmy, the leader among the Bruisers groundhog siblings.
• Sebastian Maniscalco is Johnny, one of the groundhog siblings.
• Peter Stormare acts as Gunther, an unhinged animal control officer.
• Kari Wahlgren voices Jamie, one of the Bruisers groundhog sisters.
• Robert Tinkler lends his voice to Redline, a blue mouse famous for his catchphrase initially "We're all gonna die!", which later changes to "We're all gonna... live!"
• Julie Lemieux plays Li'l Chip, a chipmunk from Liberty Park, along with additional voices.
• Buddy, Surly's silent rat companion and closest friend, returns without dialogue.
• Josh Robert Thompson voices the Construction Foreman responsible for overseeing Libertyland's development.
• Dwayne Hill portrays Sarge (Police Officer), who inspects Liberty Park on its opening day.
• Laraine Newman is Daredevil Chipmunk from Liberty Park.
• Cal Brunker voices Charming Chipmunk from Liberty Park.
• Bob Barlen performs as Handsome Mouse.
• Jess Harnell, Fred Tatasciore, and Andrew Ortenberg provide voices for Animal Control personnel assisting Gunther.
• Greg Chun and Dave Fennoy voice Mr. Feng’s Kung fu-trained mouse henchmen.

Additional voice contributions come from Emma Dale, Jamie Denis, Jonathan Dixon, Lukas Engel, Dave Fennoy, Jess Harnell, Dwayne Hill, Julie Lemieux, Josh Robert Thompson, and Kari Wahlgren.

Production

The Nut Job 2 was officially announced on January 23, 2014, with an initial release date planned for January 15, 2016. However, its premiere was delayed several times: first rescheduled to May 19, 2017; then moved to August 18, 2017; and ultimately advanced by one week to August 11, 2017. Returning cast members included Will Arnett, Gabriel Iglesias, Jeff Dunham, Katherine Heigl, and Maya Rudolph. In July 2016, Jackie Chan joined the ensemble as Mr. Feng alongside Bobby Moynihan, Bobby Cannavale, and Peter Stormare. The film’s score was composed by Heitor Pereira, who was brought on board in May 2016.

Release

The movie made its debut on August 11, 2017, with Open Road Films serving as the distributor. The initial trailer was unveiled on January 18, 2017. Internationally, distribution responsibilities were handled by The Weinstein Company, while Warner Bros. Pictures took charge of the United Kingdom market.

Home media

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature became available for digital purchase on October 31, 2017, followed by releases on DVD and Blu-ray on November 14, 2017.

Marketing

Promotional efforts for The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature included collaborations with brands such as Carl's Jr, Blue Diamond Almonds, Menchies, and the National Wildlife Federation. Television commercials were broadcast across major networks and cable channels including Cartoon Network, Disney XD, Nickelodeon, USA Network, TBS, Univision, and Telemundo. Open Road partnered with Nick.com to develop a bespoke game titled Surly's Coaster Chase, and incorporated marketing tie-ins within popular mobile games like Cut the Rope and Angry Birds. The studio allocated $19.7 million specifically for television advertising campaigns.

Box office

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature earned $28.4 million domestically in North America and $40.4 million internationally, accumulating a global total of $68.7 million against a production budget of $40 million.

Released concurrently with Annabelle: Creation and The Glass Castle, the film was initially expected to generate between $12 million and $14 million from 4,003 theaters during its opening weekend. However, following a $3 million opening day, projections were lowered to approximately $8–9 million. The film ultimately debuted with $8.3 million in revenue, securing third place at the box office and experiencing a 68% drop compared to the original film’s four-day opening of $25.7 million. It set a new record for the poorest opening weekend for a movie playing in over 4,000 theaters—a record previously held by The Emoji Movie. Industry experts attributed this underperformance largely to unfortunate release timing. The film ended its North American theatrical run on September 28, 2017.

Critical response

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 15% based on 62 critiques, with an average score of 4.00 out of 10. The consensus highlights that while The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature shows slight improvement over its predecessor, its hectic animated sequences provide limited amusement except for the least selective audiences. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 36 out of 100 from 19 reviews, indicating generally unfavorable feedback. Audience polling by CinemaScore assigned the film a "B+" grade, which is a better reception compared to the original film's "B".

Owen Gleiberman from Variety observed that although the movie lacks memorable characters, engaging storytelling, and humor that appeals across age groups, it sustains strong visual energy throughout.

Accolades

Maya Rudolph earned a nomination for Outstanding Voice Performance at the 2018 Black Reel Awards.

Future

In November 2025, it was announced that development had begun on a third installment in the series.