Mars Needs Moms is a 2011 Image Movers film distributed by
Disney based on the storybook by
Bloom County creator Berkeley Breathed and produced by
Robert Zemeckis. It focuses on young suburban kid Milo, who late one night discovers his mother has been abducted by Martians in an attempt to use her skills in parenting to raise their own young. After accidentally hitching a ride on their craft, he lands on the red planet and meets up with another human, an 80's era
Man Child who has gone a bit crazy after being brought to Mars in the same way as Milo. Together with a rebellious young Martian girl they attempt to save Milo's mother from her captors.
This film provides examples of:
- Alien Abduction: The entire plot of the movie.
- Batman Can Breathe in Space: Averted, sort of. The characters can't breathe in space, but are able to survive much longer in the vacuum than a real person would. They also wear domes over their faces but no other protective equipment without any ill effects. Borderline Truth in Television, at least compared to traditional "explosive decompression, as in your body explodes" Hollywood fare.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Or your mother might just be drained and vaporised.
- Big Damn Heroes: The male Martians jumping out of the trash chute to take on the SIS.
- Bring My Brown Pants: Gribble: "When you're gonna shoot a laser at someone, you should bring them a change of underwear!"
- Chekhov's Gun: A literal one. Also Gribble's helmet that we see him drop on the Martian surface in his flashback, is found, still functional, and used to save Milo's mom who gave up her helmet to save Milo, whose helmet had shattered earlier when he tripped.
- Even the Dog Is Ashamed: Four separate "cut to sidekick robot's reaction of disdain" shots in the trailer.
- Hartman Hips: Every female Martian has this body shape.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Milo's mom gives him her helmet after his was shattered. Fortunately, Gribble was able to find the helmet intended for his mom that he left behind.
- Inferred Holocaust: Oh, sure Milo saved his mother and got home but there's the small issue of the evil fascist regime that's been in power on Mars for decades. During which time they've been casually throwing baby males into the garbage to fend for themselves, training the females to be unquestioning enforcers, executing dissenters and murdering countless human women. All apparently carried out by Martian society at the whim of one individual's insanity. The past evil deeds and problems facing Mars are unlikely to be instantly solved by revealing society was built on a lie. Somewhat averted in that they have Gribble and Milo (and his mom) to guide them through the internet connection.
- Interspecies Romance: Gribble and Ki. She loves how he blushes.
- Jive Turkey: The Martian girl Milo meets shows elements of this when trying to talk in his language. Though to be fair, Ki learned her English from watching early 1970's television and speaks more like a stereotypical hippie.
- Manchild: The tech-savvy, underground Earthman Gribble.
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Ki seems to channel this towards the entire Martian society. After sneaking around in the past and seeing a broadcast from an early 1970's TV show, she feels compelled to make vibrant, colorful, psychedelic graffiti tags all over the monotone blue/green station.
- Mars Needs Women: Pretty much obvious from the title. Unlike most examples, the Martians are mostly female.
- Never Got to Say I Love You: Gribble tells Milo that he never got the chance to say that he loved her.
- Nonhumans Lack Attributes: But they can still pee on your face if you hold them up.
- Pale Females, Dark Males: The female Martians are pink, while the males are brown.
- Rebellious Rebel: The Martian girl Ki.
- Rubber Forehead Aliens: The Martians.
- She's Got Legs: The Martians.
- Shout Out: Upon Gribble's introduction, he breathes like Darth Vader.
- Two Decades Behind: How Gribble acts, since he's been on Mars ever since his mother was abducted and killed by the Martians while he was a child.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Supervisor.
- Wham Line: Milo says he wished he didn't have a mom. It seems to imply that Gribble said the same thing to his mom.
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