Ratchet and Clank

John Goodmann Director: Kevin Munroe, Jericca Cleland Kevin Munroe

Overview

Oddball alien Ratchet (voice of James Arnold Taylor) and his brainy robot sidekick Clank (David Kaye) embark on their biggest adventure ever in this adaptation of the video-game franchise by Insomniac Games, which explores the characters' origin story as they work together to defend the Solana Galaxy from the evil Chairman Drek (Paul Giamatti). John Goodman, Bella Thorne, and Sylvester Stallone also lend their voices to this animated adventure directed by Jericca Cleland and Kevin Munroe.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/23/2016
UPC:	0025192338885
Original Release:	2016
Rating:	PG
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:34:00
Sales rank:	43,680

Special Features

Ratchet & Clank: A Hero's Journey; Ratchet & Clank: Leveling Up

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

John Goodmann	Actor
Paul Giamatti	Voices
John Goodman	Voices
Bella Thorne	Cora
Rosario Dawson	Voices
Jim Ward	Qwark
Armin Shimerman	Voices
Vincent Tong	Voices
Andrew Cownden	Voices
James Arnold Taylor	Ratchet
David Kaye	Clank
Sylvester Stallone	Victor Von Ion
Lee Tockar	Voices
Tabitha St. Germain	Voices
Brian Dobson	Voices
Brad Swaile	Voices
Brian Drummond	Voices
Cole Howard	Voices
Ian James Corlett	Voices
Alessandro Juliani	Voices
Rebecca Shoichet	Voices
Don Briggs	Voices
Tobias Nath	Voices
Stefan Fredrich	Voices
Lutz Schnell	Voices
Roland Hemmo	Voices
Maja Maneiro	Voices

Technical Credits

Kevin Munroe

Gerry Swallow

Kevin Munroe	Director,Screenwriter
Jericca Cleland	Director
Kim Dent Wilder	Producer
Brad Foxhoven	Producer
David Wohl	Producer
Delna Bhesania	Producer
Greg Phillips	Producer
Gerry Swallow	Screenwriter
Michael Hefferon	Executive Producer
Harley Zhao	Executive Producer
Connie Booth	Executive Producer
Brian Cleveland	Executive Producer,Executive Producer
Sun Ming	Executive Producer
Jin Na	Executive Producer
Edward Noeltner	Executive Producer
Bryant Pike	Executive Producer
Dan Reardon	Executive Producer
Richard Rionda del Castro	Executive Producer
Jared Underwood	Executive Producer
Slava Vladimirov	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

One of the most beloved video-game franchises of the PlayStation era, Ratchet & Clank, gets its own silver-screen adaptation in this animated adventure. Plucky young mechanic and "lombax" (a feline-like creature) Ratchet (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) dreams of joining the Galactic Rangers, an interstellar crime-fighting league based on his home planet, despite his boss Grimroth (John Goodman) discouraging his lofty goals. The Rangers are looking to recruit a new member when the maniacal Chairman Drek (Paul Giamatti, who's really going for villainous roles these days) begins blowing up planets across the galaxy. Drek, his robot lieutenant Victor (Sylvester Stallone), and the crazed scientist Dr. Nefarious (Armin Shimerman) soon create an army of robot warriors to destroy the Rangers. However, a power surge creates one defective robot in the army -- the pint-size and benevolent Clank (David Kaye) -- who then escapes from the evil lair and rushes to warn the Rangers of Drek's plans. Ratchet discovers Clank after the latter crash-lands on his planet, and the duo are initiated into the Rangers after rescuing them from a sneak attack. The group's pompous leader, Captain Qwark (Jim Ward -- Patrick Warburton must have been busy), is skeptical of Ratchet and Clank, but the three other Rangers (voiced by Rosario Dawson, Bella Thorne, and Vincent Tong) welcome the newbies. Together, they set their sights on defeating Drek and Nefarious and saving their solar system from imminent doom. Directors Kevin Munroe and Jericca Cleland deserve credit for keeping the jokes flowing and the action breezy, even if most of the humor is aimed at a preteen audience. At the very least, it's nice to see an adaptation of a kids' video-game franchise that stays true to its roots: The space battles are well-paced and should hold the attention of younger viewers. Ratchet & Clank doesn't take itself too seriously either, despite stuffing in the requisite emotional moments. The veteran voice cast handle the syrupy dialogue well, and the animation effects are adequate enough not to distract. On the other hand, parents will certainly be rolling their eyes at quips about texting and hashtags, and the entire story feels like an amalgamation of other recent animated flicks. Considering the fact that the first Ratchet & Clank video game (which provides the narrative here) hit shelves in 2002, it's tough to understand why this adaptation is happening now. The film tries to appeal to diehard fans by including a number of references to the series' mythology, but the demographic aim appears to be off: The 13-year-olds who reveled in Ratchet & Clank's irreverence and action in 2002 would be 27 as this big-screen reimagining hits theaters. It remains to be seen if there's an audience still waiting for an adaptation of a 14-year-old video game, but either way, parents looking for a matinee outing for their young ones could do a lot worse than this.