The Emoji Movie is a 2017 American animated comedy film based on emojis. It features the voices of T.J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris, Maya Rudolph, Steven Wright, Jennifer Coolidge, Jake T. Austin, Christina Aguilera, Sofía Vergara, Sean Hayes, and Patrick Stewart. The film centers on a multi-expressional emoji, Gene (Miller), who exists in a digital city called Textopolis, for a smartphone owned by Alex (Austin), embarking on a journey to become a normal emoji capable of only a single expression, accompanied by his friends, Hi-5 (Corden) and Jailbreak (Faris). During their travels through the other apps, the trio must save their world from total destruction before it is reset for functionality.
Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, the film was directed by Tony Leondis from a screenplay he co-wrote with Eric Siegel and Mike White. Inspired by Leondis' love of Toy Story (1995), the film was fast tracked into production in July 2015 after a bidding war and the project was announced in April 2016. Most of the lead cast members were hired throughout the rest of the year. It had a production time of two years, shorter than most other animated films. The marketing of the film drew a negative response from the public and an internet backlash before the film's release.
The Emoji Movie held its premiere at the Regency Village Theatre on July 23, 2017, before being released in the United States on July 28 by Sony Pictures Releasing through its Columbia Pictures label. While it was a box-office success, grossing $218 million worldwide against a $50 million budget, it received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics, and is widely considered one of the worst animated films of all time. At the 38th Golden Raspberry Awards, the film won four of its five nominations, including Worst Picture, making it the first animated film to win in its respective categories.
