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The motion-capture kids' film that killed its own studio. But why?
TMDB
60
IMDb
54
Rotten Tomatoes
34
Audience Score
40
Google
53
Watch(US)

Mars Needs Moms (2011)

uncanny valley nightmaremom-obsessed aliens2000s CGI relic

Overview

AnimationFamilyAdventure

When Martians suddenly abduct his mom, mischievous Milo rushes to the rescue and discovers why all moms are so special.

Flag of USUS
Content warning
alienduringcreditsstingeralien abductionalien invasionbased on children's bookmotion capturerescuemartian

Standout Aspects

Practical Effects

Motion-capture tech that aged like milk in sunlight.

Production

ImageMovers Digital's $150M swan song. RIP.

Best for:Solo: Morbidly curious about Hollywood's biggest animated flop.·Family: Kids won't notice the dead-eyed horrors. Probably.·Background: Fold laundry while Milo saves Mom from nanny-bots.
Heads up:Disturbing: Seth Green's face on a child's body. Unsettling.
Simon Wells

Director

Simon Wells

ReleasedMar 9, 2011
Runtime1h 28m
StatusReleased

Vibe

Pacefast
Intensitymedium
Tonemixed
Feelmedium
Budget$150M·Revenue$39M
Walt Disney Pictures
ImageMovers Digital

Top Cast

Seth Green

Seth Green

Milo (performance capture)

Joan Cusack

Joan Cusack

Mom (voice)

Dan Fogler

Dan Fogler

Gribble (voice)

Breckin Meyer

Breckin Meyer

Alien (voice)

Elisabeth Harnois

Elisabeth Harnois

Ki (voice)

Tom Everett Scott

Tom Everett Scott

Milo's Dad (voice)

Mindy Sterling

Mindy Sterling

Supervisor (voice)

Julene Renee

Julene Renee

Martian (voice)

Raymond Ochoa

Raymond Ochoa

Martian Hatchling (voice)

Robert Ochoa

Robert Ochoa

Martian Hatchling (voice)

Ryan Ochoa

Ryan Ochoa

Martian Hatchling (voice)

Amber Gainey Meade

Amber Gainey Meade

Martian

Dee Bradley Baker

Dee Bradley Baker

Two-Cat (uncredited)

Ask about Mars Needs Moms

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Deep Dive

Trivia, insights & behind the scenes

Trivia

This film's catastrophic $150M loss directly caused ImageMovers Digital to shut down and Disney to abandon motion-capture animation entirely.

Cultural

The 'uncanny valley' backlash here helped push animation back toward stylized designs—Pixar's Inside Out exists partly because this failed.

YouTube

Mars Needs Moms - Official Trailer

Mars Needs Moms - Official Trailer

Gallery

Reviews

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