Regular Show: The Movie (2015)

"Regular Show: The Movie" stars J.G. Quintel, William Salyers, Sam Marin, Mark Hamill, and David Koechner. Released on DVD on October 13, 2015, the film is about two slacker friends who must travel back in time to save the universe and their friendship.
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The film is directed by J.G. Quintel and it is based on the Cartoon Network original series created by Quintel. I've been a fan for the show for quite some time since it premiered on television 5 years ago. When I first heard that there's going to be a Regular Show film, I was highly curious on how they're going to make it work. The film first premiered in Los Angeles in August and, surprisingly, it was released onto DVD almost ten days ago before it debuts on television in November. I could not help but to check it out right away before its television premiere. Does it live up to the hype or should it be fired?

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The voice cast from the series return to voice their characters for the film, and they did a good job with their voice work. New to the cast is David Koechner as Principal Dean and Jason Mantzoukas as Mr. Ross, the main antagonist. The animation in the film was really colorful, even though it's not as immersive or grand as the other animated films we've had this year. It combines the use of traditional animation and a little bit of CGI to create an engaging experience for Regular Show fans. The film shows an important theme of friendship. The filmmakers did a great job at making friendship the main focus of this high-stakes adventure instead of shoving it in our faces. There's also some cartoon violence that's been one of the main points of the show, and it was really well handled at times.

One of the main problems I had with the film is the story. Don't get me wrong, I like how the story turned out, but it felt more like an hour-long series finale rather than a television film. I mean, the film is 68 minutes long, which is about as long as Winnie the Pooh back in 2011 or any hour-long television specials. The pacing felt a bit rushed during certain times, but it fits well with its running time.
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Overall, "Regular Show: The Movie" is a splendid film adaptation that will please fans of the show with its decent voice work, colorful animation, and some laughable humor. Although the story could've been a bit more "theatrical" with its running time, it is still a pleasant television movie to watch while you're slacking off. I would definitely recommend this film to fans of Regular Show, which is out now on DVD and as a digital download.

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