The RollBots Movie

The RollBots Movie is a 2010 3D computer-animated action-adventure science fiction comedy film directed by Michael Milligan. Produced by Chantal Ling, Craig Young and Andrew Kosove and written by Michael Milligan, Craig Young, Steven Sullivan, Terry Saltsman and Vito Viscomi based on a screenplay by Michael Milligan, Jonathan Wiseman and Gerald Tripp. Based on the action television series RollBots by MCM, the film stars the voices of Sam Vincent, Garry Chalk, Cathy Weseluck, Scott McNeil, Tabitha St. Germain, Colin Murdock, and Ed Asner.

The movie revolves around the main character of the show, Spin (voiced by Sam Vincent), and his team of RollBots, who are tasked with protecting the city of Flip City from the evil forces of the Vertex Corporation. The film, a co-production between Canada and the United States, is produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Alcon Entertainment, eOne Films and Amberwood Entertainment, with Elliott Animation and Starz Animation providing animation services.

Premiering at the Kodak Theatre on July 31, 2010, The RollBots Movie was theatrically released in Canada on August 4, 2010 by Entertainment One and in the United States on August 6, 2010 by Paramount Pictures, both in 3D, RealD 3D, IMAX, and 4DX formats. The film received mixed reviews, with critics praising its animation, voice cast (particularly Vincent, Chalk and McNeil), visual effects, songs by Serge R. Cote, musical score by Tom Holkenborg, though criticized its runtime, plot, humor, and lack of fidelity to its source material. Despite mixed reviews, it was a box office success, grossing $185.3 million on its budget of $50-65 million.

Plot
The film begins with Spin and his team of RollBots battling the Vertex Corporation, which has developed a new weapon that can disable all the RollBots in Flip City. Spin, who is the leader of the RollBots, realizes that they need to find a way to stop the Vertex Corporation's weapon before it's too late. They decide to seek help from an old RollBot named Master Z, who has retired from active duty and is now living in a secret location.

Spin and his team set out on a dangerous journey to find Master Z, facing various challenges along the way. They encounter hostile RollBots that are loyal to the Vertex Corporation, and they are forced to fight their way through them. Meanwhile, the Vertex Corporation is working on their weapon, and they plan to launch it at a critical moment when the RollBots are weakest.

As the RollBots get closer to Master Z's location, they discover that he has been captured by the Vertex Corporation. Spin and his team decide to mount a rescue mission, and they infiltrate the Vertex Corporation's secret facility. They free Master Z, but they are discovered, and a fierce battle ensues. The RollBots fight bravely against the Vertex Corporation's forces, but they are outnumbered and outgunned. Just as all seems lost, Master Z comes up with a plan to disable the Vertex Corporation's weapon. He sends Spin and his team to execute the plan while he stays behind to buy them time.

Spin and his team race to the Vertex Corporation's weapon, fighting their way through hordes of RollBots. When they reach the weapon, they find that it's heavily guarded, and they can't disable it from the outside. They realize that they need to enter the weapon to disable it from the inside. Spin and his team enter the weapon, and they face many challenges and obstacles as they make their way to the control room. They finally reach the control room, and Spin successfully disables the weapon, just as the Vertex Corporation is about to launch it.

With the Vertex Corporation's weapon neutralized, the RollBots are able to defeat their enemies and save Flip City. Master Z is hailed as a hero, and Spin and his team are honored for their bravery and skill. The movie ends with Spin and his team looking out over the city, ready for whatever challenges may come their way next.

Voice cast
"Main article: RollBots characters"

Good Bots

 * Sam Vincent as Spin
 * Garry Chalk as Captain Pounder
 * Cathy Weseluck as Penny
 * Scott McNeil as Lance
 * Tabitha St. Germain as Tinny
 * Colin Murdock as Bunto
 * Ed Asner as Master Z

Villain Bots

 * Colin Murdock as Vertex
 * Nicole Oliver as Manx
 * Brian Drummond as Botch
 * Colin Murdock as Macro
 * Paul Dobson as Phaze
 * Cathy Weseluck as Reboot
 * Shirley Millner as Tamaki
 * Richard Newman as Kibi
 * Scott McNeill as Vett

Development
TBA

Casting
TBA

Animation and visual effects
The animation was produced at Elliott Animation and Starz Animation in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Music
"Main article: The RollBots Movie (soundtrack)"The film's musical score was composed by Dutch composer Tom Holkenborg. Original songs were composed and produced by series composer Serge R. Cote. The soundtrack album was released on August 4, 2010 through Sire/Warner Bros. Records in Canada and Atlantic Records in the United States, while its score album was released through Paramount Records worldwide on August 6, 2010.

Marketing
The marketing for The RollBots Movie was first spotted at theater chains in Canada in 2008, with promotional material of the television show. The first teaser trailer was shown at theater chains across North America. Paramount Pictures was announced as the official distributor for the film, as it was shown in the trailer's credits. The teaser trailer was uploaded to YouTube and Facebook on September 12, 2008. The film was marketed with additional trailers on television broadcasts, and included an animated short on YTV.

Theatrical
Originally proposed for a February 2010 release, the film was pushed back to a release date of August 6, 2010. Alliance Atlantis was originally set to be the distributor. However, due to the decline of the Canadian production company, the film's rights were sold to Entertainment One for Canadian distribution, and Paramount Pictures for American and international distribution.

The film had its premiere on July 31, 2010 at the Kodak Theatre. It was later released on August 4, 2010 in Canada by Entertainment One, and on August 6, 2010 in the United States by Paramount Pictures. The film was rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some rude humor, mild language and mild peril.

Home media
The RollBots Movie was released on DVD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and Universal Media Disc on November 15, 2010, and was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 18, 2017 by Paramount Home Entertainment. The home media formats included a behind-the-scenes feature, an audio commentary with director Michael Milligan and actor Sam Vincent, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, a never-before-seen development of the television show, an interview with composer Tom Holkenborg, an interview with Elliott Animation producers George Elliott and Brian Irving, an interview with screenwriters Jonathan Wiseman and Gerald Tripp, and more.

Streaming
The RollBots Movie was added to the film selection on Netflix in Canada on September 22, 2018, and is still available in present day, while the film was added to the film library on Paramount+ on March 3, 2021, less than three years later. The film was removed on March 28, 2023, due to the planned merger between Paramount+ and the Paramount Global-owned broadcasting company Showtime.

Box office
The RollBots Movie opened on August 4, 2010 in Canada and August 6, 2010 in the United States. It made $82.4 million in Canada and the United States and $102.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $185.3 million. The film became the seventh-highest grossing animated film of 2010, behind DreamWorks Animation's Megamind.

Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The RollBots Movie holds an approval rating of 54% based on reviews from 192 critics, with an average rating of 6.15/10. The sites' critical consensus reads: "A great voice cast, good animation, with a good story -- albeit a very thin plot -- makes The RollBots Movie mainly just for fans of the show. No one else." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore assigned the film an average grade "A-" on its scale of A+ to F.

Reboot series
"Main article: RollBots (2016 television series)"In an interview in 2013 with CBC, series creator Michael Milligan had expressed interest in a reboot of the series. He said that "after the cancellation of the [original] series in 2009, [I]'ve always wanted to reboot the show for a new generation of kids." In 2015, Nickelodeon CEO Cyma Zarghami announced that a reboot of RollBots had been greenlit for production, and Arc Productions signed to animate it. However, in August 2016, Arc Productions was sorting out the bankruptcy issue in Toronto, Ontario, which locked over 500 employees out of the company.

Jam Filled Entertainment acquired Arc Productions by the end of August, and it was announced that Jam Filled Toronto would take over as the animation provider. The show aired on October 9, 2016 on Nickelodeon in the United States and on YTV in Canada. To a positive reception, the show spawned 5 seasons and enlisted over 120 episodes, with a sixth season in development.

Trivia
TBA