Mars Needs Moms

Mars Needs Moms
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Simon Wells
Produced by	Robert Zemeckis Jack Rapke Steve Starkey Steven Boyd
Screenplay by	Simon Wells Wendy Wells
Based on	Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed
Starring	Seth Green Dan Fogler Elisabeth Harnois Mindy Sterling Joan Cusack
Music by	John Powell
Cinematography	Robert Presley
Edited by	Wayne Wahrman
Production company	Walt Disney Pictures ImageMovers Digital
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date	March 11, 2011 (2011-03-11)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million
Box office	$39 million

Mars Needs Moms is a 2011 American computer-animated film based on the Berkeley Breathed book of the same title. The film is centered on Milo, a nine-year-old boy who finally comes to understand the importance of family, and has to rescue his mother after she is abducted by Martians. It was co-written and directed by Simon Wells. It was released to theaters on March 11, 2011 by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars both Seth Green (motion capture) and newcomer Seth Dusky (voice) as Milo. This was the last film by ImageMovers Digital before it was absorbed back into ImageMovers. The film was a critical and commercial failure, grossing just $39 million worldwide on a $150 million budget.

Unbeknownst to humans, there is a thriving, technologically sophisticated society of Martians living below the surface of Mars. The Martians Supervisor (Mindy Sterling), while observing Earth, sees a mother (Joan Cusack) persuading her son, Milo (motion by Seth Green, voice by Seth Dusky), to do his chores. The Martians decide to bring her to Mars, where her "momness" will be extracted and implanted into the next generation of nannybots. Meanwhile, Milo, who doesn't like following the house rules and doing chores, tells his mother in anger that his life would be better without her, breaking her heart.

Later that night, Milo goes to apologize, but discovers his mom is being abducted. He runs after her, but they end up in separate parts of the Martian spaceship. On Mars, Milo is taken to an underground cell. He escapes and is chased by Martian guards, but he follows a voice that tells him to jump down a chute, and lands in a lower subterranean level. There, he sees a trash-covered landscape that is inhabited by furry creatures.

Milo is whisked away by the creatures to meet Gribble, a.k.a. George Ribble (Dan Fogler), the childlike adult human who had told him to jump down the chute. Gribble explains to Milo that the Martians plan to extract Milo's Mom's memories at sunrise, using a process that will kill her. Gribble, who is lonely and doesn't want Milo to leave, pretends to help Milo rescue his mother, but his plan goes awry leading to Gribble being captured and Milo being pursued by Martian guards.