Mars Needs Moms

"Mom needs a little space."

2011 1h 28m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 826

AdventureAnimationFamilyScience Fiction

Synopsis

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When Martians suddenly abduct his mom, mischievous Milo rushes to the rescue and discovers why all moms are so special.

“Mom needs a little space.”

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Cast

Seth Green
Milo (performance capture)
Seth Robert Dusky
Milo (voice) (as Seth Dusky)
Joan Cusack
Mom (voice)
Dan Fogler
Gribble (voice)
Breckin Meyer
Alien (voice)
Elisabeth Harnois
Ki (voice)
Tom Everett Scott
Milo's Dad (voice)
Mindy Sterling
Supervisor (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Simon Wells
Writers: Simon Wells, Wendy Wells
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

$150M budget — tentpole studio territory.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 26% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 15 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Simon Wells, shot by Robert Presley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Wayne Wahrman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Seth Green and Seth Robert Dusky and Joan Cusack carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Simon Wells directs. Robert Presley behind the camera. John Powell scores. Wayne Wahrman cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2$150M budget — tentpole studio territory.
3Earned back only 26% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
4Released 15 years ago.
5Directed by Simon Wells, shot by Robert Presley. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by John Powell. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Wayne Wahrman shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Seth Green and Seth Robert Dusky and Joan Cusack carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Mom needs a little space.".
10IMDB entry: tt1305591 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "rescue", "alien", "martian", "alien abduction".

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Presley
Original score: John Powell
Editing: Wayne Wahrman
Production design: Doug Chiang
Costume design: Benjamin Feder
VFX supervisor: Kevin Baillie
Sound: Randy Thom
Stunt coordinator: Garrett Warren
Runtime: 88 min · 1h 28m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $150,000,000
Box office: $39,000,000
Return: 26% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Mars Needs Moms (2011)

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Simon Wells

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Community reviews

What people are saying

r96sk2020-08-22
★ 8/10
I genuinely enjoyed <em>'Mars Needs Moms'</em>. I like the story it portrays, sure it's nothing extraordinarily great or anything but I feel it hits the intended spots due to the hearty narrative with the main character and his mother. I'd argue the voice cast do good work, principally Dan Fogler as Gribble. Seth Green/Seth Dusky (Milo), Elisabeth Harnois (Ki) and Joan Cusack (Mom) are all fine too. The sci-fi parts are undercooked certainly, but I feel what's there works well enough for Milo's side of the story. The end few scenes are meaningful, I did care for the characters what can I say. Animation-wise I liked it as well, especially for the humans. It does look a tad weird, granted. Personally, I rate it.

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