The Emoji Movie

Inside every smartphone lives a secret city called Textopolis, where emojis have exactly one job and one expression. Gene, voiced by T.J. Miller, is a "meh" emoji who accidentally breaks that rule. He can make any face, which throws the whole system into chaos. Director Tony Leondis built this animated world with a cast that includes James Corden as a desperate-for-attention Hi-5, Anna Faris as the hacker Jailbreak, and Maya Rudolph as the relentlessly cheerful villain Smiler. Patrick Stewart voices the poop emoji, a casting choice that became a running joke in itself.

Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures spent $50 million on the film, which went on to earn over $216 million at the global box office. Released in July 2017, the 86-minute movie was rated PG for rude humor. The soundtrack features an original song by Christina Aguilera called "I'm Still Here," plus needle drops like "Good Vibrations" and "Gangnam Style." Critics savaged it, giving it a 6% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 12 on Metacritic. The film won four Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture.[edit]

Alex, a teenage boy, types a text to his crush Addie. Inside his phone, the emoji city of Textopolis buzzes with activity. Every emoji here has a single, fixed expression. Gene is a "meh" emoji born with a glitch: he cycles through emotions uncontrollably. During Alex's text, Gene panics and makes a face that sends the wrong emoji, causing Alex to consider deleting his emoji keyboard entirely.

Panic spreads through Textopolis. Smiler, the cheerful dictator who enforces the one-expression rule, declares Gene a threat. Gene decides he must become normal to save his home. He teams up with Hi-5, a once-popular emoji now ignored by everyone, whose hand is permanently raised. They meet Jailbreak, a hacker emoji who is actually a princess in disguise, running from her predetermined role.

The trio travels through apps inside Alex's phone. In Candy Crush Saga, they dodge candy obstacles and face a giant gummy bear. On Spotify, they encounter a troll guarding the music library. In Just Dance, they compete in a dance-off against a flamenco dancer. In Dropbox, they navigate a maze of files. On Twitter and Instagram, they see how users interact with emojis. YouTube presents a troll who spams hateful comments. Each app offers a new visual world and a new challenge.

Hi-5 struggles with his faded relevance, often reminiscing about the old days. Jailbreak hides her true identity, using her hacking skills to help the group. Gene learns to control his multiple expressions, discovering they can be useful. Smiler and her minions chase them relentlessly, determined to capture Gene and have him deleted. Meanwhile, Alex's phone battery drains, adding a time limit to their quest. The emojis race toward the Delete Zone, where malfunctioning emojis are erased, hoping to stop Alex from wiping the keyboard.[edit]