Escape From Planet Earth is a 2013 animated movie from Rainmaker Entertainment; starring the voices of Rob Corddry, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, Jane Lynch, Craig Robinson, William Shatner, George Lopez and Sofía Vergara.
Alien astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser), beloved hero to the people of the planet Baab, and brother of Gary (Rob Corddry) - head of the BASA mission control - is sent on a rescue mission by BASA chief Lena (Jessica Alba) to the "Dark Planet" (Earth), but Gary has to step up when Scorch is captured by the evil Area 51 commander Shanker (William Shatner).
Escape From Planet Earth contains examples of:
- Absolute Xenophobe: Shanker. He hates all alien life forms thanks to losing his dad to them and plans to destroy every alien civilization he can, regardless of how peaceful they may be. Even his relationship with Lena was a front just so she can give Shanker what he needs, then he planned to discard her after she was no longer of use to him.
- Action Girl: Gary's wife Kira, who mentions that she was a test pilot for many years.
- Action Mom: Again, Kira Supernova. She's the one that ends up spurring Gary to go rescue his brother after her actions net them a rescue pod set for Earth. Lampshaded by Kira herself.Kira: You think just because a chick has kids, she can't dish it out? Psh.
- Aerith and Bob: Gary, compared to just about everyone else, including his wife Kira.
- Aliens Speaking English: Oh so much. Every single species we meet speaks English (including some of the food in the cafeteria), and there's no mention of any kind of Universal Translator technology.
- The Atoner: The reason why the Grays worked for Shanker, they felt bad for squishing his dad.
- Berserk Button: Well what do you know, a red & yellow alien named after one of Jupiter's moons from the sun. Isn't it weird...er.......why is it flexin' its muscles?
- Big "NO!": Scorch when he thinks the "alien" he was trying to rescue on Earth died.
- Brains and Brawn: Gary and Scorch, to the point that Scorch apparently commonly mentions this trope by name.
- Bratty Half-Pint: Averted with Kip. At first it seems that he really idolizes Scorch to the point of ignoring his more reasonable father, Gary (much to his annoyance), but it turns out that he loves them both pretty equally. He even combines his uncle's heroism and his father's intelligence to help spring his mother and himself out of captivity.
- Catchphrase: Scorch's "Scorch me, baby!" when he's about to attack.
- Chekhov's Skill: Kip is good at flying a remote-controlled model of Scorch's ship, Gary demonstrates that the real ship can be piloted by remote control from BASA Mission Control. Then the real ship's controls go dead at a crucial moment while Kip is hiding in Mission Control...
- Chick Magnet: Implied with Scorch when Gabby (his girlfriend) warned other women to stay from him on live TV.
- Cool Uncle: Scorch to Kip, to the annoyance of Gary.
- Covers Always Lie: The main alien cast kept at Area 51 never escape from a city. In fact, no cities on Earth appear in this movie.
- To add on, Kip is sometimes seen escaping alongside the other characters. He pretty much stays on Planet Baab throughout the entire movie.
- Deadpan Snarker: Mission Control AI Mr. James Bing, voiced by real life Deadpan Snarker Ricky Gervais. Gary also has his share of snark, after putting up with Scorch's crap for so long.
- Disney Villain Death: Averted, as Shanker falls after Scorch's suit explodes, but the Greys catch him, along with Gary and Scorch.
- The Dreaded: The "Dark Planet", the planet that many aliens have gone to but have never returned, aka Planet Earth.
- Dumb Muscle: Scorch, the arrogant muscle bound heroic twit.
- Early-Bird Cameo: Io, Doc, and Thurman can be seen among the many aliens who have been lost to the Dark Planet on Bing’s screen. Gary will get to meet the three of them later on in Area 51.
- E.T. Gave Us Wi-Fi: Shanker makes the aliens he captures invent stuff that he takes credit for. Thurman invented the touchscreen and the internet, Io search engines, and Doc social networks.
- Faceless Goons: All the Area 51 soldiers wear face concealing Hazmat Suits that make it impossible to tell one from the other.
- Foodfight!: Gary and Scorch accidentally food fight after having a heated argument.
- Foot Popping: Gabby foot pops when she kisses Scorch at their wedding.
- For the Evulz: Lena apparently.Computer: This villain thing is not you. It's the aging, the stress.
Lena: Shut up!
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: All the names on the floor 46 minutes into the film.note
- Foreshadowing: A lot of emphasis is put on Gary's timing in telling his brother when to shoot his grappling hook in the opening sequence. It turns out Scorch can't use it effectively at all without Gary's help, and it ultimately causes him to be captured.
- Freudian Excuse: Shanker wants to exterminate all aliens in the Universe because the Greys killed his father in a flying-saucer crash.
- Gentle Giant: Downplayed with Scorch since he's not exactly a guy without faults, but they don't outweigh his good parts.
- Genre Blind: The other aliens think that the villain will keep his word in sending them back home. Subverted a little in that even if they were suspicious, they don't have any other options.
- The Greys: One of the alien races detained at Area 51, and Shanker's right-hand men.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Io, usually involving her eye more than anything.
- Happily Married: Kira and Gary have a loving and deep relationship, and occasionally trade jokes with each other. And it looks like Scorch and Gabby are heading this way after the marry in the end.
- Hartman Hips: Every female alien from Planet Baab.
- Heel Realization: Scorch's decision to fire his brother bites him hard when he realizes, in the middle of the mission no less, that he really does need Gary's help.
- Heroic Build: With all of his jerkass tendencies, Scorch's heroism matches his impressive build.
- Io my have her anger issues, but her huge build corresponds with how much she's a good guy.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Scorch and Gary appear to finally become this at the ending. Especially since Gary is the Best Man at Scorch and Gabby's wedding.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Scorch is the Huge Guy and his girlfriend and later wife, Gabby Babblerbrook is the Tiny Girl.
- Humans Are Bastards: Unlike other intelligent species in the universe, they divide themselves into countries over which they have endless wars (where the winner goes into decline and the loser prospers until the cycle repeats), they choose their leaders based on the silliness of their facial hair, and they worship an bizarre creature known as "the Cowell". They also do nasty stuff to alien visitors, none of which have ever returned from what the aliens call The Dark Planet.
- Informed Attractiveness: Gary's wife, Kira, to viewers, thanks to all of the aliens from Baab having near-identical features. Other aliens even comment on it. "How'd you manage that?"
- Instant Sedation: The soldiers use Tranquillizer Guns that can knock out anyone in a few seconds, regardless of species.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Scorch can be quite arrogant, loud and obnoxious, especially to his brother, Gary. He's also the Cool Uncle to Kip, brave, loves his girlfriend dearly, and actually admits to Gary that he always wanted to be like him. Have a great wife and a great kid.
- Kid Hero: Kip really helps out in the climax and he's only about 8 or 9 years old.
- Let's Meet the Meat: In the cafeteria, they serve something called Plarbe that looks like scrambled eggs with a face and it does not seem to mind that it is going to be eaten.
- Little Big Brother: Gary.
- Manly Man and Sensitive Guy: Scorch is the Manly Man to Gary's Sensitive Guy.
- Mission Control: Gary's job and he's really good at it when his musclehead brother does what he is told. The first mission in which Gary doesn't participate is the one where Scorch gets captured.
- Momma's Boy: Lampshaded by Scorch to Gary.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When Shanker threatens to break off with Lena, she's realized she's being used. But she may have just been acting, and apparently is still going with the plan of galactic domination without Shanker.
- The Name Is Bond, James Bond:Gary: Zip it, James.
James: The name's Bing, by the way. James Bing. - Not the Fall That Kills You…: Justified, If telekinetic aliens can catch them, they can also keep them from being squashed by the impact.
- Pint-Sized Kid: Kip reaches around the adults' waist area.
- Planetville: All other species find it weird that humans have split into countries while all other alien species act as one group.
- Pointy Ears: The residents of Planet Baab have these.
- Powered Armor: Scorch's mission suit (later worn by Shanker).
- Product Placement: Much of the film is an ad for 7-Eleven.
- Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: "For the last time, we... come... in... PEACE!!"
- Rage Quit: Gary does this immediately after Scorch fires him.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Scorch is the Red Oni to Gary's Blue Oni.
- Rube Goldberg Device: Gary uses a
pretty ingenious one to cause the laser ray to malfunction. It required the villain to unintentionally set it off himself no less. - Shock Collar: All the aliens captured by the humans are fitted with shock collars that Shanker controls with a wrist device.
- Shout-Out: Earth is described as being a "Class M" planet.
- "James! Cameron! Get the alien!"
- On another director-related note:
"Peter! Jackson is down!" - William Shatner's character and his enormous wig.
- Planet Baab
- "James! Cameron! Get the alien!"
- Sibling Rivalry: Scorch and Gary, mostly over which feature is better: brawn or brains.
- Stepford Snarker: Implied with Gary; snarking seem to be his defense mechanism against his brother's constant disrespect and arrogance.
- Suddenly Speaking: The Greys start talking in a Liverpudlian accent after they rescue Shanker, Scorch and Gary.Scorch: You can talk?
Grey: Of course. - Tearing Through the Movie Screen: As Gary crash-lands on Earth, a couple at a nearby drive-in theater are watching a film about an alien invasion. The lady complains about the film not being in 3D like her apparent boyfriend says it is. As the film shows an alien ship approaching the camera, Gary's ship flies through the screen and over the couple, and she assumes it to be part of the film.
- Tempting Fate: Gary sarcastically comments he hopes Scorch get stranded when he goes to the "Dark Planet". Scorch ends up captured and stranded.
- This Ain't Rocket Surgery: Right after Kira grabs Gary's Rocket Boots in a rush to get to BASA before Kip can launch in a ship.Gary: Are you crazy? The gyroscope is off. The thrust mechanism is broken. They're not ready to fly.
Kira: I've spent 15 years as a BASA test pilot. It's not rocket science.
Gary: That's exactly what it is! They're rocket boots! - Too Many Halves: Dark Planet cola is 800% sugar.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Most of the characters are shocked that a guy like Gary could get an attractive girl like Kira, even though she looks pretty much like all the other female Baab aliens.
- Unexplained Accent: The Greys speak in a Liverpudlian accent despite all the other aliens speaking with American accents and having lived with Americans for who knows how many years.
- Weapon of Peace: Shanker's giant laser weapon is named the "Peace Shield".Gary: Nothing says peace like a giant gun, huh?
- "Well Done, Dad!" Guy: Gary desperately wants his only son, Kip, to look up to him and is heartbroken on how Kip wants to be just like his brother (Kip's uncle). Until Kip tells his father in the end that he wants to be just like him.
- Win-Win Ending: Doc, Thurman and Io decide into leave their planets and move in with Gary and become part of mission control, Kip becomes Scorch's lieutenant, Kira becomes a test pilot, Saunderson and Lena are arrested for their crimes, Hawk and Hammer, having befriended Gary, decide to shut down their store and move into Planet Baab, and Scorch marries Gabby.
- Youthful Freckles: All of the people of Planet Baab have freckles on their face.
