Carmen Sandiego 3 is a 2023 American computer-animated science fiction action-adventure film based on the video game franchise of its same name by Broderbund. It is a sequel to Carmen Sandiego 2 in 2021 and the third installment of the Carmen Sandiego film series. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Movie Land Animation Studios in association with Rideback and Vertigo Entertainment, the film was directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada from Raya and the Last Dragon and stars the voice of Gal Gadot, Hailee Steinfeld, Ryan Potter (replacing Tenzing Norgay Trainor) as Zack, Finn Wolfhard, Alan Tudyk, Scarlett Johansson, with new newcomers Jack Dylan Grazer, Jane Lynch, Kelly Marie Tran, Zac Efron, Daniel Henney, Mel Brooks, Tyler Posey and Will Forte. Unlike the first two films, Jordan Kerner from The Kerner Entertainment Company was not involved in the third film, but was however credited as a screenwriter and an executive producer.
Carmen Sandiego 3 premiered at the Regency Village Theater on May 31, 2023, and was released on June 21, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. Like the previous two films, the film received critical acclaim for its action sequences, animation, world-building and voice performances. It grossed $1.253 billion worldwide against its $90 million budget. The film was nominated at the 15th Movie Land Fun and Excitement Awards for Best Animated Feature, but lost to Fast & Furious Spy Racers.
A sequel that reportedly serves as the final main installment is scheduled to be released on June 6, 2025, with Annapurna Pictures co-producing the film replacing the Kerner Entertainment Company, while an adult-animated TV series Crackle premiered on Netflix on January 19, 2024. Three spin-off films, Crackle, V.I.L.E. and A.C.M.E. were also in development.
Plot[]
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Cast[]
- Gal Gadot as Carmen Sandiego, the eponymous heroine seeking to dissolve V.I.L.E. and donate their stolen funds to humanitarian causes.
- Hailee Steinfeld as Ivy, Bostonian girl helping Carmen with her younger brother Zack.
- Ryan Potter as Zack, a Bostonian boy helping Carmen with his older sister Ivy.
- Finn Wolfhard as Player, a teenage hacker who currently assists Carmen Sandiego in her capers against V.I.L.E.
- Adam Garcia as Graham Calloway, a former agent of V.I.L.E. and an electrician who became a friend of Carmen, later her love interest.
- Andrew Garfield as Shadowsan, credited as Shadow-San, also known as Suhara, a current member of Carmen's crew.
Production[]
Development[]
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Casting[]
Because of the criticism of Tenzing's performances, Sony Pictures Releasing confirmed that Ryan Potter, reprised his role from the first film, will replace back from Tenzing Norgay Trainor and return to play the voice as Zack.
Animation and design[]
Movie Land Digital Production Services (MLDPS), returned from its predecessor, helmed together on characters, environments and settings similar to the 2019 animated series of its same name, with a help from Kumar Coca. Inspired by 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, productions and projects were wrapped on December 21, 2022. It is also the second time not to be made by the Bellas VFX Studios, after NBCUniversal sued it and force Movie Land to shut down operations and folded into MLDPS and Fortiche.
Music[]
- Main article: Carmen Sandiego 3 (soundtrack)
Henry Jackman, Lorne Balfe, and Tom Holkenborg, returned from the second film, were in the process of recording the score, with Rupert Gregson-Williams replaced Daniel Pemberton (to focus on his music score from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse) and James Newton Howard from its predecessor. Dexter King performed the song "Only You" with vocals by Alexis Donn, released on June 14 as a single, a week before the film's release. The soundtrack album was released on June 21, 2023, the same day as the theatrical release, in addition to the original song "No Drama", performed by Alder featuring Jaslyn Edgar. The two songs were both featured in the film's end credits.
Marketing[]
A prologue for the film was released at Comic Con Experience in June 2022, revealing the title Carmen Sandiego 3. While the project was wrapped, a teaser trailer was released on December 21, 2022. In theaters, it was attached the screen before Screen Gems' Missing. After the project was completely finished on March 29, 2023, the first trailer was officially released online. In theaters, it was attached the screen in front of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, The Pencilmation Movie, and Fast & Furious Spy Racers. On May 10, 2023, the final trailer for the film was officially released online. In theaters, it was attached the screen in front of Fast X and the 2023 live-action film The Little Mermaid. On June 15, 2023, the film's first clip revealed at the ColossalCon in Texas and Ohio.
Release[]
Theatrical[]
Carmen Sandiego 3 premiered at the Regency Village Theater on May 31, 2023, and was theatrically released in the United States on June 21, 2023 by Sony Pictures Releasing under its Columbia Pictures label. It was previously set to be released on July 7, 2023, it was moved up a week to June 23 and then released two days earlier on June 21, 2023. The film was accompanied with a Luck short film Bad Luck Spot!, directed by Matt Youngberg.
Home media[]
Carmen Sandiego 3 premiered for purchased on premium video on demand on September 12, 2023. The film was released on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on September 26, 2023, along with the Carmen Sandiego: 3-Movie Collection, a box set featuring all three main films in the franchise. Following the announcement of Sony's acquisition of Movie Land and so as the five years of the Sony's Movie Land Universe, it was also released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray part of the Sony's Movie Land Universe Legacy Movie Collection on November 28, 2023. The film premiered on Netflix on December 1, 2023.
In April 2021, Sony signed deals with Netflix and Disney for the rights to their 2022 to 2026 film slate, following the films' theatrical and home media windows. Netflix signed for exclusive "pay 1 window" streaming rights, which is typically an 18-month window and included Carmen Sandiego 3; this deal built on an existing output deal that Netflix had signed with Sony Pictures Animation in 2014. Disney signed for "pay 2 window" rights for the films, which would be streamed on Disney+ and Hulu as well as broadcast on Disney's linear television networks.
Reception[]
Box-office[]
Carmen Sandiego 3 grossed $626 million in the United States and $627 million in other territories, with a worldwide total of $1.253 billion. Prior to its release, TheWrap estimated the film would need to gross $200–250 million worldwide in order to turn a profit.
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Critical responses[]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 100 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 8.8/10. Using a weighted average calculator, Metacritic assigned the film a score of 86 out of 100, based on 59 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled at PostTrak gave it a 93% overall positive score, with 82% saying they would "definitely recommend" it.
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Accolades[]
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Future[]
Short film[]
On May 9, 2023, it was announced that a short film titled RedCrackle: Carmen's Date, directed by Carlos López Estrada will release it on July 14, 2023 with the racing action film Need for Speed. The short serves an epilogue to the aforementioned film. It revolves Carmen having a coffee date with Graham.
Television series[]
- Main article: Crackle (TV series)
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Sequel[]
- Main article: Carmen Sandiego 4
Gal Gadot claimed that Movie Land approached her to do two sequels to Carmen Sandiego 3, depending on its performance, with Gadot and Adam Garcia were confirmed to reprise their respective roles as Carmen Sandiego and Graham Calloway. On July 13, 2023, Movie Land officially confirmed that Carmen Sandiego 4 is in production. In December 2023, Gipson stated that Zack, Ivy, Shadowsan, Chase Devineaux, Chief, Julia Argent, and the A.C.M.E. agents would make an appearance in the film and that they are "off on their own individual missions", with producer Bret Haaland confirming that there would be "a glimpse of the agents". On February 15, 2024, Movie Land announced that the film will be released on June 6, 2025, with George Gipson and Bret Haaland serving as directors. Don Hall considered whether the fourth film would be the franchise's last installment. While Carmen Sandiego 3 led to the development of an eleventh film, its budget and modest box office performance meant that the project's continuation would serve as a finale. In February 2024, Gadot confirmed that the fourth film would be the final installment.
In a March 2024 Discord Q&A session in a fan server, production manager Cassie Price noted that their previous characters from Carmen Sandiego 3 were not originally going to appear despite protests from writers and animators. Gipson explained that it was due to the costs of the original actors, especially Scarlett Johansson as Julia Argent. However, the marketing department told the filmmakers to include them in a cameo appearance. On March 19, 2024, Haaland unveiled that the plot will focusing on Carmen Sandiego and Graham Calloway as their love life. On April 4, 2024, Movie Land announced that Annapurna Pictures will co-produce the film, replacing the Kerner Entertainment Company.
Spin-off[]
Sony and Movie Land began developing two films in December 2019. The first spin-off film, A.C.M.E., takes place between the events of the second and the third film, while the second spin-off, V.I.L.E., a prequel to Carmen Sandiego, takes place during Carmen's flashback based on the first two episodes, "Becoming Carmen Sandiego", of the 2019 TV series of its same name. On March 8, 2024, Movie Land announced that Justin Lin would serve as a director for A.C.M.E., while James Yang and Angus MacLane would serve as a director for V.I.L.E., making it the second collaboration between Movie Land, Yang and MacLane on Once Upon a Universe in October 2023.
However, on August 9, 2024 at the 2024 Annual Movie Land's Investor Day presentation, Sony and Movie Land announced a follow-up film starring Adam Garcia as Gray is in production, with the title of Crackle, while Michael Thurmeier attached to direct.
References[]
External links[]
- Official website
- Carmen Sandiego 3 at IMDb
