Mars Needs Moms Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

A bratty kid’s wish comes true when Mom gets abducted by aliens for her mom-brain, leading to a very expensive trip to Mars and a newfound appreciation for broccoli.

🍿 Mars Needs Moms: Detailed Plot Synopsis

A Boy’s Regret

Milo, a young boy, often clashes with his mother due to chores and responsibilities. After a particularly heated argument where he wishes he didn’t have a mom, he realizes he’s been unfair. Filled with regret, he decides to apologize.

Abduction and Stowaway

Before Milo can make amends, Martians abduct his mother, planning to extract her ‘mom-ness’ to program their nanny-bots. Determined to rescue her, Milo sneaks onto the Martian spaceship as a stowaway, embarking on an intergalactic adventure.

Mars and New Allies

Arriving on Mars, Milo encounters Gribble, a human who was abducted years ago, and Ki, a rebellious Martian fascinated by Earth culture. They join forces to navigate the Martian world, ruled by a strict female Supervisor, and rescue Milo’s mother before it’s too late.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Milo (Seth Green): A nine-year-old boy who embarks on a daring mission to Mars to rescue his kidnapped mother.
• Mom (Joan Cusack): Milo’s loving but firm mother, abducted by Martians for her maternal expertise.
• Gribble (Dan Fogler): An eccentric Earthling stranded on Mars, who aids Milo in his quest to save his mom.
• Ki (Elisabeth Harnois): A rebellious Martian who is fascinated by Earth culture and helps Milo and Gribble.
• Supervisor (Mindy Sterling): The stern, authoritarian leader of the Martian society who orchestrates the abduction of Earth mothers.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Mom: “Milo, my life would be so much better if I didn’t have to be a nagging mom!” – Exasperated, Mom expresses her frustration with Milo’s disobedience.
• Milo: “Yeah, well, my life would be so much better if I didn’t have a mom at all.” – Said in anger to his mom, a statement he immediately regrets.
• Gribble: “Mars needs moms, so the aliens are stealing them from Earth to raise their own kids.” – Gribble explains to Milo the real reason why his mother was kidnapped.

💰Box Office

• Budget: $150,000,000
• Domestic Gross: $21,392,758
• Worldwide Gross: $39,233,678

💥 Mars Needs Moms Reviews

Personal Review

Okay, so ‘Mars Needs Moms’ isn’t winning any awards, but I have a soft spot for it. The visuals are a bit creepy, I’ll admit, but the story of Milo realizing how much his mom means to him got me right in the feels. The scene where Gribble shares his story made me tear up. It is a flawed movie, but if you watch it for what it is – a silly, heartfelt adventure – you might just enjoy it like I did.

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Families looking for a sci-fi adventure”
  • “Viewers interested in motion-capture animation”
  • “Fans of Seth Green and Joan Cusack”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Mild sci-fi violence”
  • “Some intense scenes that may be scary for young children”
  • “Themes of parental abduction”

Professional Reviews

• The Village Voice: “A visually unsettling experience, ‘Mars Needs Moms’ suffers from lifeless animation and a derivative plot. The film’s attempt at photo-realism results in characters with ‘dead eyes,’ making it hard to connect with their journey. The themes of family appreciation are buried under layers of technical shortcomings.
• Common Sense Media: “This animated adventure has intense scenes that may frighten younger children. Its themes are about a mother’s love and a child’s appreciation. But the animation style doesn’t appeal to everyone. Though the story promotes family values, the visuals might distract from the message.
• ReelViews: “While ‘Mars Needs Moms’ tries to deliver a heartwarming tale, its execution is flawed. The motion-capture animation creates an uncanny valley effect, and the plot feels predictable. The movie tries to be family-friendly, the movie fails to connect on an emotional level.

Audience Reactions

Some audience members found it touching, praising its family-oriented themes and message of appreciating mothers.: Despite its flaws, the film’s core message of family love resonated with some viewers, especially parents and children who watched it together.

Viewers noted the animation looked cool and the storyline creative.: Many loved the fast-paced action scenes.

Overall Consensus: Despite its heartwarming themes, ‘Mars Needs Moms’ struggles with animation issues and a generic plot, leading to mixed audience reception.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “Seth Green wore a motion-capture suit for six weeks to provide Milo’s movements, but his voice was later dubbed by Seth Dusky because it sounded too mature.”
• “This was the final film produced by Robert Zemeckis’ ImageMovers Digital, a studio known for its motion-capture animation.”
• “The film is based on the picture book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Berkeley Breathed.”

🖥️ How to Watch Mars Needs Moms?

Mars Needs Moms is available for streaming on Disney+. You can also find it for purchase or rental on platforms like Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Check your local listings for availability.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Mars Needs Moms, you might like these similar films:

• The Polar Express (2004): Similar use of motion-capture animation and a focus on a child’s adventure.
• Escape from Planet Earth (2013): Animated adventure with a space theme and a rescue mission.
• Lilo & Stitch (2002): Focuses on the importance of family and finding your place, even with alien influences.
• Home (2015): An unlikely human and alien friendship blossoms during an intergalactic adventure.

🛒 Mars Needs Moms Related Products

• Mars Needs Moms (Blu-ray + DVD): Own the movie that sparked a thousand opinions! This Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes bonus features, behind-the-scenes footage, and a chance to relive the Martian adventure (or cringe, depending on your perspective).
• Berkeley Breathed’s Mars Needs Moms!: Check out the book this movie was based on!
• LEGO City Space Mars Research Shuttle 60350 Building Toy Set: Launch young astronauts’ imaginations with this space shuttle toy, featuring a Mars rover and astronaut minifigures for endless intergalactic adventures!
• Disney Pixar Lightyear Space Ranger Training Gear Role Play Set: Gear up for intergalactic missions with this Lightyear-inspired training set, featuring a gauntlet, disc shooter, and mission badges to fuel kids’ space ranger dreams!

🎧 Soundtrack

Mars Needs Moms features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” – performed by Queen
• “Theme from Mars Needs Moms” – performed by John Powell

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

6 Strangest Discoveries Found in Movies and DVD – Part II

Ever wonder if movies hide secrets? This video unearths some of the strangest discoveries in films, including a ‘Mars Needs Moms’ easter egg! It’s pretty wild what people have found, you should definitely check it out.

Animated Atrocities 084 || “Mars Needs Moms” (Part 1/2)

Thinking about watching ‘Mars Needs Moms’? Hold up! This video series dives deep into what went wrong. It’s a pretty brutal (but honest) review, and it might save you some time, or maybe not…

Animated Atrocities 084 || “Mars Needs Moms” (Part 2/2)

Ready for the conclusion? Part two of this analysis digs deeper into the movie’s issues. The reviewer doesn’t hold back at all. Worth watching before you decide to watch the movie.

The Inevitable Downfall Of Robert Zemeckis’ CGI Films (Polar Express, Beowulf, A Christmas Carol)

What happened to Zemeckis and his CGI movies? This video explores the director’s choices and how they led to films like ‘Mars Needs Moms’. It’s a good watch if you are into movie history and analysis.

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