The sequel to 2010’s legendary animated film Megamind was released recently on Peacock to negative responses and extreme criticism. Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate acted as a sequel as well as a pilot for Peacock’s Megamind Rules! TV show. However, fans of the iconic film were not happy with the resulting product, with the film scoring a lousy 0%.
The sequel has been in the making for over ten years and has infuriated fans as their time has been wasted. The film is reportedly the worst-rated film by DreamWorks Animation, who are also awaiting the release of Kung Fu Panda 4. Despite being a popular IP, the film failed to impress any of the audiences, and here are three reasons behind the failure of the sequel.
Lack of Will Farrell, Brad Pitt, and David Cross
Half of the charm of the original Megamind film was the unhinged performances brought forth by voice actors Will Farrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, and David Cross. The actors made the film what it is and were a strong reason why the film worked. Ferrell’s performance, especially as the titular Megamind, was lauded upon release. However, fans seemed to be unhappy with the sequel.
It was so garbage
— JayR2K (@JayTheRealGoat) March 4, 2024
While Will Ferrell and David Cross reprised their roles in the short film Megamind: The Button of Doom, they were replaced by Keith Ferguson in Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate. Ferguson had played the role in the video game adaptations of the original and reprised his role in the sequel.
Keith Ferguson is known for portraying sound-alike roles, where he has mimicked other performers such as Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones in Robot Chicken and Owen Wilson’s Lightening McQueen in the Cars franchise. However, his portrayal of Megamind just did not seem to work for the sequel. The lack of David Cross’ Minion was also a huge factor in its failure, getting a Rotten Tomatoes score of 0%.
Megamind 2 Had A ‘Minuscule’ Budget
One of the main criticisms of Megamind vs. The Doom Syndicate was its design and animation, with many fearing that the budget was lesser than the original’s. Megamind had a budget of $130 million, which resulted in $321 million in box office earnings. However, the film was considered to be an underperformer and was among DreamWorks’ lowest performers.
While the original had a huge budget, the sequel seemed to have a lesser budget. This was confirmed by the director Eric Fogel, who mentioned to Animation Scoop that they worked with a ‘minuscule budget. Talking about how they had to work on both the sequel and the TV show at the same time, Fogel said,
“Yeah, that was a very interesting experience — a very challenging experience to be able to do that. But one that I knew that I was up for. Part of what drew me to this project was the idea that I got to make a movie. So, I knew we were going to be able to figure it out. It was all kind of constructed within a TV animation pipeline. But that said, I knew that we needed to make this thing cinematic and feel sort of epic. And I’m so proud of what we were able to pull off with a really minuscule budget.”
While Fogel assured fans that it did not feel like a low-budget production, many fans seemed to disagree.
They gave a cheaply made cash grab from a well like classic film this is what happens. This should of been a big budget theatrical film with the original cast, instead they thought they could milk the brand with a series and a sequel.
— Eddie (@OHMYDIAZ) March 4, 2024
No actual number has been released to the public regarding the budget of the film, but Fogel’s statement, as well as the look and design of the film, seemingly confirmed its small budget.
Changing Personalities of Iconic Characters
While Megamind’s USP was Will Ferrell’s performance as the titular hero/villain, many of the film’s personalities came from the supporting characters as well. Be it David Cross’s Minion a.k.a Ol’ Chum or Tina Fey’s Roxanne Ritchie, all the actors brought in their own sensibilities to the characters. However, the sequel seemed to have strayed away from these established traits.
A review by The Hollywood Handle pointed out that Roxanne Ritchie’s character of a decisive woman with a personality was ‘ruined’ by making her a staple character with nothing to do. The review also criticized the treatment of other known characters and mentioned that the new characters introduced in the sequel were not memorable.
