The defence The Popcorn Loyalist
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
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The Nut Job
Animation · Comedy · Family · 2014
Surly, a curmudgeon, independent squirrel is banished from his park and forced to survive in the city. Lucky for him, he stumbles on the one thing that may be able to save his life, and the rest of park community, as they gear up for winter - Maury's Nut Store.
Movie details
The Nut Job
“No nuts, no glory.”
2014 Animation · Comedy · Family 1h 25m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
5.9 / 10
Community rating
Surly, a curmudgeon, independent squirrel is banished from his park and forced to survive in the city. Lucky for him, he stumbles on the one thing that may be able to save his life, and the rest of park community, as they gear up for winter - Maury's Nut Store.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Nut Job?
For the defence
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure
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Being one of 101 takes its toll on Patch, who doesn't feel unique. When he's accidentally left behind on moving day, he meets his idol, Thunderbolt, who enlists him on a publicity campaign.
The Fox and the Hound 2
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Best friends Tod, a fox kit, and Copper, a hound puppy, visit a country fair when they see a band of dogs called "The Singin' Strays". The band has five members: Dixie, Cash, Granny Rose, and twin brothers Waylon and Floyd. It is important that they perform well because a talent scout is visiting.
The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature
Animation · 2017
When the evil mayor of Oakton decides to bulldoze Liberty Park and build a dangerous amusement park in its place, Surly Squirrel and his ragtag group of animal friends need to band together to save their home, defeat the mayor, and take back the park.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie
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When Bikini Bottom is scooped from the ocean, scientific squirrel Sandy Cheeks and her pal SpongeBob SquarePants saddle up for Texas to save their town.
Extinct
Animation · 2021
Op and Ed, two adorable donut-shaped animals - flummels - accidentally time-travel from 1835 to modern-day Shanghai. There they discover traffic, trans fats, and worst of all, that flummels are now extinct. It's up to this bumbling pair to save themselves and their species...and, just maybe, change the course of history.
Penguins of Madagascar
Family · 2014
Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Family · 2015
Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York City - and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal.
Over the Hedge
Adventure · 2006
A scheming raccoon fools a mismatched family of forest creatures into helping him repay a debt of food, by invading the new suburban sprawl that popped up while they were hibernating – and learns a lesson about family himself.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
Animation · 2009
Times are changing for Manny the moody mammoth, Sid the motor mouthed sloth and Diego the crafty saber-toothed tiger. Life heats up for our heroes when they meet some new and none-too-friendly neighbors – the mighty dinosaurs.
Puss in Boots
Action · 2011
Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town. This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend... The Boots.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Peter Lepeniotis
Written by
Daniel Woo · Peter Lepeniotis · Lorne Cameron
Will Arnett
Surly (voice)
Brendan Fraser
Grayson (voice)
Liam Neeson
Raccoon (voice)
Katherine Heigl
Andie (voice)
Stephen Lang
King (voice)
Maya Rudolph
Precious (voice)
Jeff Dunham
Mole (voice)
Court is in session
Put The Nut Job on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.